Maryland’s Department of Natural Resources officially closed its 2009 black bear hunt Oct. 29.

Hunters checked in 68 bears since the beginning of the season on Oct. 26.

“The 2009 bear hunt was an unqualified success. Despite marginal weather conditions most of the week, our harvest range of 60-85 bears was met in four days. The hunt remains a safe, effective, well-regulated and scientifically sound tool for sustainably managing our bear population,” Harry Spiker, Game Mammal Section Leader for DNR’s Wildlife & Heritage Service, said.

The average weight of all black bears harvested was 140-pounds. The largest bear taken by Wayne Chenoweth of Westminster weighed in at 409-pounds.

“The new permit application preference point system proved effective this year,” Spiker said. “More than 3,600 hunters applied for one of the 240 available bear hunting permits and 81% of the permits were awarded to applicants with one or more preference points”.