The Department of Natural Resources is tallying the final number, but already the 2009 black bear harvest is a state record.
Based on a preliminary report, hunters harvested 3,900 bears this fall, topping the previous high of 3,184 in 1998. The record was not unexpected. The DNR issued 7,310 bear kill permits this fall, a 57% increase from 2008 and most in state history. The jump in permits came on the heels of a University of Wisconsin study that estimated the stateâ??s bear population at 26,000 to 40,000, a substantial increase from previous studies.