Wisconsin: Deadliest State for Black Bears

Black bears are the most hunted large animals in America, and Wisconsin is the deadliest state for bears.

Half a Million Bears Killed in Ten Years

Over the past ten years, trophy hobby hunters have killed nearly half a million bears, according to The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS). Last year, a total of approximately 50,000 bears were killed through recreational hunting across the 32 states in which recreational hunting is permitted.

HSUS named Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and Maine as the four states with the highest number of black bear deaths between 2010 and 2020.

Authorities Accommodate Recreational Hunters

«Although most Americans believe that bears should not be killed, bears remain the most hunted large game animal in the United States», according to HSUS.

The animal welfare organization believes that bear hunting in America is so widespread primarily because state wildlife agencies and wildlife commissions accommodate recreational hunters.

«Black bears should not be killed by the tens of thousands for fun and bragging rights under the state-sanctioned guise of ‘management’», said Wendy Keefover, senior specialist for native predator protection at HSUS.

«Bears are capable of regulating their own populations and do not need humans to do it for them. Simply put: this is not an animal problem, it is a government problem.»

Bears have great personalities and are wonderful sentient beings, says the Get Bear Smart Society. They have a strong sense of community and are emotionally intelligent animals that truly love their young.