Hunters bag 69 bears during Md. hunt season

CUMBERLAND, Md. (AP) — Black bear hunting season has ended in Maryland with hunters taking home 69 bears.

The four-day hunt began Monday and ended Thursday. The season was the first with a predetermined end date since a 50-year moratorium on Maryland bear hunting ended in 2004. The length of previous hunts was determined by a quota, with hunters having to check each night on whether the season would continue for another day.

Last year, hunters took home 94 of the animals.

Television station WBOC-TV (http://bit.ly/12AeLPL ) reports 71-year-old Bonnie Kelley was the first hunter to bag a bear this season. She shot the bear Monday on private land in Garrett County. The heaviest bear shot this season weighed 418 pounds, though the average weight was 143 pounds.

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Information from: WBOC-TV, http://www.wboc.com/

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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