PORTLAND, Maine (AP) _ The most active stretch of Maine’s bear hunt is drawing to a close for the year.

The Maine black bear hunt runs from late August to late November, but the busiest part of the hunt is the first few weeks, when it’s legal to lure bears with baits. That stretch of the hunt has its final day on Saturday.

It’s still legal to hunt bears with the use of hunting dogs until Oct. 26. The season wraps up completely on Nov. 24, though few bear hunting takes place in these last few weeks.

The state uses the bear hunt to try to control Maine’s growing black bear population. Officials have said they expect a productive hunting season this year because of poor availability of natural food.