From staff reports
HARRISBURG – This is the golden age of bear hunting.
Since the Pennsylvania Game Commission began keeping records of statewide bear harvests in 1915, there has never been a more prolific period for black bear hunters in the state, the commission said.
Pennsylvania hunters harvested 3,529 bears in 2016, the fifth-highest tally in history. To top it off, 60 of those bears weighed 500 pounds or more and 17 exceeded 600 pounds.
The 2016 overall bear harvest was similar to 2015, when 3,748 bears, including 68 weighing 500 pounds or more, were taken, the commission said.
The all-time bear harvest high was recorded in 2011, when 4,350 bears were harvested. Hunters harvested 4,164 in 2005.
Hunters in 2016 harvested bears in 58 of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties, an increase of one county compared to 2015. Bears again were taken in 20 of the state’s 23 Wildlife Management Units.
The Northwest Region was the only one of the game commission’s six regions that had a harvest increase in 2016, compared to the previous year.
The largest bear taken in the harvest weighed an estimated 740 pounds. It was taken in Rayne Township, Indiana County, on Nov. 18 during the archery bear season by Dustin R. Learn, of Home. It was one of three bears taken by a hunters that exceeded 700 pounds in the 2016 seasons. The three bears were the first to exceed 700 pounds since 2013. In 2011, Pennsylvania’s record harvest year, an amazing eight bears exceeding 700 pounds were taken by hunters.
Although behind Clinton County in bear harvest at the conclusion of the general firearms bear season, Lycoming County finished with 243 bears to take the top county bear harvest. It was followed by Clinton County with 220. Other top counties for bear harvests in 2016 were: Tioga, 169; Potter, 149; Warren, 131; and Somerset, 116.
The final harvest in the Northwest region was 522 bears compared with 455 in 2015. Here is the breakdown by county:
Warren, 131 (126); Venango, 94 (76); Forest, 74 (77); Jefferson, 68 (59); Crawford, 57 (13); Clarion, 50 (69); Erie, 28 (5); Butler, 11 (22); and Mercer, 9 (8).
The game commission estimated the bear population before bear hunting seasons to be about 20,000, kind of uncharted ground for the Commonwealth and hunters.
A change in weather conditions on the bear-season opener likely had some impact on the harvest, said Mark Ternent, agency bear biologist.
“We had terrible weather on the opener in the afternoon,” Ternent explained. “It probably is what separated us from an average or above-average season.
“Still, if anything stands out about the 2016 season, it was nearly identical to the 2015 season. The season was well within the state’s four-year average for bear harvests.”
Ternent considered the harvest typical, noting the agency is very satisfied with the outcome.
“But we do need to increase the bear harvest, that’s why the agency has preliminarily approved moving up the archery bear season, to run concurrently with the deer archery season, when more hunters are usually in the woods.”
Game commission executive director R. Matthew Hough said Pennsylvania’s black bears continue to inspire interest in bear hunting.
“Our bears are so big, and so plentiful, it’s hard not to get excited about hunting for them,” Hough said. “Many deer and turkey hunters have become Pennsylvania bear hunters because of the bears and bear sign they see while afield. It’s a pursuit with undeniable excitement and huge rewards.”
