October 20th, 2014 by WCBC Radio
Bonnie Kelley, 71, of Accident checked in the first bear of Maryland's 11th black bear season. Kelley shot the male bear, 219 pounds field dressed, on private land off Rock Ledge Road in Garrett County, at about 8:30 a.m.The bear was tagged as a cub by biologists two years ago in Savage River State Forest, about six miles from where Kelley killed it. Biologists estimated the live weight at 259 pounds. Kelley, a long-time hunter who served on both the Maryland Wildlife Advisory Commission and the first black bear task force, was thrilled to take part in a season she helped foster. "The bear population is healthy and growing. It is good to see the state's biologists doing such a wonderful job managing the species," Kelley said. The season will run through Thursday. A total of 450 hunters hold permits for the hunt in Western Maryland
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