MARYLAND (DC News Now) — Maryland Natural Resources Police (NRP) charged nine men for illegally hunting over baited areas during Maryland’s annual black bear hunt this year.
NRP officials said that the black bear hunt was held from Oct. 21 to 26 in Allegany, Frederick, Garret and Washington counties. 950 hunters are selected by lottery to take part in the hunt and can hunt on either public or private lands.
During this hunt, hunters are not allowed to use bait to attract bears. This is allowed for white-tailed deer on private property.
“Due to the nature of the hunt, targeting bears must take place 150 yards or more from a baited location, and if hunting a location previously baited for deer, 10 days must pass after all bait has been removed. Hunters that violate the baiting law for black bears can face up to $1,500 for a first offense and up to $4,000 for a second offense,” an NRP release said.
NRP said that it charged the following individuals this year:
- Oct. 21: Two men from Pennsylvania were hunting in separate blinds near a baited area on private property in Garrett County. The area had been spread with an oily substance (grease or lard) and cracked corn kernels.
- Oct. 21: A man from Glen Burnie and a man from Arnold were charged after hunting on private land in Green Ridge State Forest in Allegany County. There was corn dispersed “as close as 10 years” from the hunters’ two separate blinds.
- Oct. 21: A man from Myersville got two citations and six warnings “after admitting to hunting over a baited area which included bacon grease, chicken grease, corn, molasses, vanilla icing, licorice candy, and a ‘bear bomb’ spray” in Frederick County.
- Oct. 22: A man from Parkville was hunting on private property in Garrett County. NRP said that he had bacon grease, cob corn, apple peelings and apple processing waste near his hunting blind.
“Bacon grease is considered ‘bear-specific’ bait, and hunting over a property baited with bear-specific bait is prohibited in Maryland,” officials said. - Oct. 25: A man from Frederick was found near corn piles and a tangerine on private property in Frederick County. He also got citations and warnings for not wearing fluorescent orange.
- Oct. 26: Two men from Pennsylvania were caught hunting over “multiple piles of bait, including dog food, apples, animal carcasses, syrup, strawberry jam, and shelled corn, located within 20 to 40 yards of the hunting blinds.”
One of the hunters also was not wearing daylight fluorescent orange and received a citation.
You can find more information about the black bear hunt online.
