Maryland has closed its 2013 black bear hunting season with hunters reporting 94 bears killed in the western part of the state.
The season opened last Monday in Allegany and Garrett counties for six days and closed on Saturday. Most of the bears were killed in Garrett County, with a tally of 70. In Allegany County, 24 were killed.
The Maryland Department of Natural Resources reports the average life weight of the bears this year was 142 pounds. The agency says Mark Martin of Oakland took the largest bear of the season. It was a 392-pound male.
In all, 748 hunters participated in this year's hunt, and 3,504 hunters applied for a permit.
A 51-year ban on bear hunting was lifted in Maryland in 2004.
Copyright AP - Associated Press
