The American black bear represents one of New Hampshire’s most recognizable wildlife populations, having made a substantial recovery from historical lows. They are now common throughout the state’s extensive forested landscapes, navigating environments from the remote northern wilderness to the edges of more developed southern areas. Understanding the current status of this population requires a look into the official estimates and the science behind how wildlife biologists track these wide-ranging mammals.
Current Population Estimates
The New Hampshire Fish and Game Department (NHFG) estimates the statewide black bear population to be within the range of 5,600 to 6,000 individuals. This robust population has rebounded significantly since the early 1980s, when estimates placed the population at just over 1,000 bears. Recent data indicates the population is trending upward, with a 2025 draft management plan citing a current estimate of about 5,800 bears, marking a 7% increase since 2014. This figure is a reconstructed estimate that naturally fluctuates year-to-year based on environmental factors like food availability and the severity of the previous winter.
The population figure is refined annually through a complex process incorporating various data points collected throughout the year. This annual estimation allows wildlife managers to monitor population growth and adjust management strategies. The goal is to prevent overpopulation, which can lead to increased human-bear conflicts. The current figures help guide the state’s efforts to stabilize and, in some regions, reduce the bear density.
Monitoring Methods and Data Collection
New Hampshire’s population estimate relies heavily on the population reconstruction model. This technique utilizes biological data collected from all bear mortalities, including hunter-harvested bears and incidental deaths. A premolar tooth is collected from each deceased bear and sent to a laboratory for age determination. Analyzing the age and sex structure of the mortality data provides biologists with rates of recruitment, survival, and mortality, which are then used to model the total population size.
Detailed data collection is also mandated through the state’s hunter registration system. When a bear is harvested, hunters must register the animal, allowing personnel to record information such as sex, estimated weight, location of the kill, and, for females, their lactation status. NHFG also employs telemetry, fitting female bears with radio collars to monitor reproductive success, denning patterns, and cub survival rates. These direct field observations of female productivity are valuable because the number of breeding females is the primary driver of population growth or decline.
Geographical Distribution Across New Hampshire
Black bears are not uniformly distributed across the state; density is highest in the vast, contiguous forests of Northern New Hampshire. The highest concentrations are found in the North, White Mountains, and Central regions, where habitat is abundant and human development is less fragmented. Regional densities in these areas can reach as high as 1.6 bears per square mile, exceeding management targets in regions like the White Mountains. These forested areas provide the necessary cover and diverse food sources, including hard mast like beechnuts and acorns, that support large populations.
Conversely, population density decreases substantially moving south and east into more densely populated areas. The Southeast region, which contains the Seacoast and southern urban centers, has the lowest amount of available bear habitat. Habitat fragmentation means the bear population in this region must be kept lower to minimize human-bear conflicts. The statewide average density is approximately 0.6 bears per square mile, reflecting the high concentration in the north balancing the lower numbers in the south.
State Management and Human Coexistence
The New Hampshire Fish and Game Department manages the black bear population with the objective of maintaining a stable, sustainable number of bears across the state. Management is executed regionally, with goals to stabilize the population in the north and actively decrease numbers in the White Mountains and the southeast. The most effective tool for achieving these density objectives is regulated hunting, adjusted annually through season length and bag limits. In areas where the population is above target, such as the White Mountains region, the state has recently liberalized hunting opportunities, including allowing hunters to take a second bear.
Human coexistence requires proactive measures focused on eliminating human-provided food sources that lead to conflicts. Bears are highly opportunistic and quickly become habituated to easy meals from residential areas. Residents are advised to secure all trash, clean outdoor grills thoroughly, and remove bird feeders between April 1st and December 1st. These actions reduce nuisance bear incidents and prevent bears from being drawn into developed areas.