Maryland Natural Resources Police have issued a number of citations for illegally hunting black bears. The state’s black bear hunting season ran from October 20th through the 25th in Allegany, Frederick, Garrett, and Washington counties and over that time, officers cited people for hunting without a license, illegally targeting bears over bait, and hunting with rifles while prohibited from possessing firearms. While baiting white-tailed deer on private property is legal in Maryland, baiting bears is a banned and tightly controlled aspect of the annual black bear hunt. Hunters that violate the baiting law for black bears can face up to 15-hundred-dollars for a first offense and up to four-thousand-dollars for a second offense.