Maryland Black Bear Hunting Permit Lottery

On Aug. 1 the Maryland Department of Natural Resources will begin accepting applications from hunters to participate in the 2008 black bear hunting permit lottery. Maryland’s black bear hunting season begins one half hour before sunrise on October 20, 2008.
“This year’s hunt will follow the same successful process we’ve used for the last four bear hunting seasons,” said Pete Jayne, Associate Director of Game Management for DNR.

Applications for a bear hunting permit will be accepted online at http://blackbear.dnr.state.md.us until 6:00 p.m. on Sept. 1. Phone applications will be accepted at 1-888-579-6768 between 9:00 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. from Aug. 25 through Aug, 29, 2008 only. Only one application per person will be accepted. Duplicate applications will result in disqualification and the loss of all fees.

Last year, DNR established a preference point system for bear hunting permit applications which provides one additional entry in future lottery drawings for each consecutive year an applicant applies and does not receive a hunting permit. Hunters who applied last year and did not receive a bear hunting permit will be given an additional entry in the 2008 lottery.

Applicants must apply each year to retain preference points. If an applicant skips a year, all preference points will be forfeited. Once an applicant is selected to receive a bear hunting permit in the random drawing, all preference points will be forfeited. If an applicant is selected in the random drawing, but forfeits the permit, all preference points will be forfeited.

A $15 application fee must be submitted via credit card, check, or money order by 5:00 p.m. on Wed., Sept. 3, 2008. Checks and money orders should be made payable to MD DNR Black Bear and mailed to MD DNR Black Bear, P.O. Box 30, Cumberland, MD 21501.

For more information, visit www.dnr.maryland.gov/wildlife/bbregs.asp.

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Comments

[bear hunter]

Does this permit lottery apply to out of state hunters?