State conservation officials say bear hunters in New York state killed 1,539 black bears during the 2016 hunting seasons.
The Department of Environmental Conservation reports that hunters took a total of 1,025 black bears in the Southern Zone. That's about 10 percent less than in 2015, but slightly more than the five-year average.
In the Northern Zone, 514 bears were killed, approximately 12 percent fewer than in 2015 but on par with the historical average.
