HARRISBURG – According to official 2007 bear harvest figures released today by the Pennsylvania Game Commission, hunters took a total of 2,360 bears, which included 41 bears during the second archery bear season, Nov. 14-15; 2,026 bears during the statewide 3-day season, Nov. 19-21; and 293 bears during the extended season, Nov. 26-Dec. 1, that was open in select areas of the state.
This harvest ranks ninth in the overall Pennsylvania bear harvests. In 2005, hunters set a record harvest of 4,164 bears. Other recent harvests were: 3,075 in 2000; 3,063 in 2001; 2,686 in 2002; 3,000 in 2003; 2,972 in 2004; and 3,122 in 2006.
“While this season’s harvest pales in comparison to the past two years, we need to keep the harvest in context with weather, food availability and historical trends,” said Mark Ternent, Game Commission bear biologist. “For the first day of the statewide season, fog significantly decreased visibility in some areas of northcentral Pennsylvania – some of the state’s best bear hunting territory – at a time when we had the largest number of bear hunters in the woods.”
Ternent also stressed that the bear harvests of 2005 and 2006 were incredible back-to-back records.
“Given the weather conditions hunters encountered and two substantial bear harvests in the previous two years, a harvest like this, that fell within the all-time top ten, still is a fine season,” he said.
Ternent noted that bears were taken in 49 counties. The largest bear taken was a 727-pound (estimated live weight) male taken in Dingman Township, Pike County, by Scott Spaeth of Philadelphia on Nov. 28. In all, nine bears taken by hunters weighed 600 pounds or more.
The bear harvest by WMU for all three seasons combined (archery, 3-day, and extended), including 2006’s harvest results in parentheses, were: WMU 1A, 7 (12); WMU 1B, 29 (37); WMU 2A, 1, (0), WMU 2C, 238 (267); WMU 2D, 94 (101); WMU 2E, 50 (101); WMU 2F, 224 (206); WMU 2G, 545 (724); WMU 3A, 186 (242); WMU 3B, 214 (372); WMU 3C, 145 (245); WMU 3D, 193 (224); WMU 4A, 100 (116); WMU 4B, 42 (32); WMU 4C, 54 (70); WMU 4D, 184 (299); and WMU 4E, 54 (74).
Harvest by county and region, with 2006’s figure in parenthesis, were:
Northwest: Warren, 71 (79); Forest, 55 (46); Venango, 39 (43); Jefferson, 38 (28); Clarion, 24 (36); Butler, 9 (12); Crawford, 4 (5); and Erie 2 (2).
Southwest: Somerset, 85 (124); Fayette, 78 (62); Armstrong, 43 (31); Westmoreland, 40 (24); Indiana, 31 (51); and Cambria, 10 (14).
Northcentral: Clinton, 171 (226); Lycoming, 139 (222); Tioga, 121 (149); Cameron, 118 (70); Potter, 106 (189); McKean, 103 (139); Clearfield, 81 (136); Elk, 62 (87); Centre, 60 (103); and Union, 27 (43).
Southcentral: Huntingdon, 72 (99); Bedford, 61 (73); Blair, 35 (38); Mifflin, 21 (44); Snyder, 19 (16); Juniata, 14 (14); Fulton, 8 (17); Perry, 6 (8); and Franklin, 2 (4).
Northeast: Bradford, 86 (105); Pike, 82 (88); Wayne, 78 (141); Luzerne, 62 (90); Sullivan, 57 (126); Susquehanna, 49 (87); Columbia, 39 (38); Monroe, 35 (49); Carbon, 31 (27); Lackawanna, 28 (30); Wyoming, 26 (53); and Northumberland, 2 (5).
Southeast: Schuylkill, 14 (15); Dauphin, 6 (13); Lebanon, 6 (8); and Northampton, 4 (6).