Larry DiDonato reports in the Greenville Pioneer that many more bears were killed by hunters in New York in the early firearms season this year than last. During bear hunting season this year, 381 black bears were killed compared to 248 in 2019. That total is fewer than the five-year average of 428 per year from 2014 through 2018. Bow-hunting season for deer continues now through Nov. 20, the day before hunters can use guns to kill deer. “DEC encourages every hunter and outdoor recreationist to wear blaze orange or fluorescent pink. Wearing bright orange or pink prevents other hunters from mistaking a person for an animal or shooting in your direction. Hunters who wear hunter orange are seven times less likely to be shot,” the DEC warned hunters in a press release. There are fewer deer for hunters to kill this year, as Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease has been decimating populations. The DEC report 625 deer died in Ulster, Orange, and Rockland counties, and 517 died in Dutchess, Putnam, and Westchester counties from Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease. In Greene County, most of the EHD deaths were in the Village of Catskill and surrounding area, DiDonato reports. Anyone who sees a sick or dying deer should call the DEC at 1-844-DEC-ECO. Read more about this story in the Greenville Pioneer.