Two days of the four-day statewide bear season have produced a preliminary harvest of 2,044 black bears, the Pennsylvania Game Commission announced on Tuesday.
Archery and other early bear season harvest data still is being entered into the Game Commission’s database, and is not available at this time.
Bears have been harvested in 51 counties during the statewide season so far.
The top 10 bears processed at check stations by Monday were either estimated or confirmed to have live weights of 556 pounds or more.
The largest of those bears – a male estimated at 772 pounds – was taken in Covington Township, Lackawanna County by Daniel J. Beavers, of Covington Township.
Other large bears include: a 632-pound male taken by Michael L. Truax, of Everett, Pa. in East Providence Township, Bedford County; a 627-pound male taken by Wayne A. Gehers, of Mohnton, Pa., in Tioga County’s Bloss Township; a 616-pounder taken by Bradley S. Rohrer of Lancaster, Pa., in Tioga County’s Union Township; a 597-pounder taken by Jenna L. Schoenagel of Greentown, Pa., in Pike County’s Greene Township; a 595-pounder taken by Maurice C. Younker of Mercersburg, Pa., in Fulton County’s Thompson Township; a 586-pounder taken by Jalynn N. Macnelley of Laceyville, Pa., in Bradford County’s Wilmot Township; a 560-pounder taken by Ernest W. Lucrezi of Beachlake, Pa., in Wayne County’s Berlin Township; a 557-pounder taken by Ronald P. Fitzgerald of Forksville, Pa., in Sullivan County’s Elkland Township; and a 556-pounder taken in Luzerne County’s Rice Township by Randy L. Klem of Mountaintop, Pa.
This year’s two-day preliminary harvest compares with 2,086 in 2012, when hunters harvested 3,632 bears – the third-largest harvest in state history. The largest harvest – 4,350 bears – happened in 2011, when preliminary two-day totals numbered 2,709.
The preliminary two-day bear harvest by Wildlife Management Unit was as follows: WMU 1A,13; WMU 1B, 59; WMU 2C, 198; WMU 2D,120; WMU 2E,68; WMU 2F, 237; WMU 2G, 459; WMU 2H, 62; WMU 3A, 138; WMU 3B, 132; WMU 3C, 49; WMU 3D, 169; WMU 4A, 64; WMU 4B, 43; WMU 4C, 47; WMU 4D, 167; and WMU 4E, 19.
The top bear harvest county in the state on the first two days of season was Tioga, with 154.
Two- day harvests by county and region are:
Northwest: Warren, 111; Jefferson, 60; Venango, 53; Forest, 39; Clarion, 36; Crawford, 21; Butler, 17; and Erie, 3.
Southwest: Somerset, 85; Fayette, 56; Indiana, 35; Armstrong, 32; Westmoreland, 30; and Cambria, 20.
Northcentral: Tioga, 154; Lycoming, 138; Potter, 98; Clearfield, 97; Clinton, 96; Cameron, 92; Elk, 79; Centre, 69; McKean, 53; and Union, 23.
Southcentral: Bedford, 43; Huntingdon, 39; Juniata, 22; Blair, 21; Mifflin, 21; Fulton, 15; Snyder, 11; Franklin, 8; and Perry, 7.
Northeast: Pike, 71; Wayne, 46; Luzerne, 39; Sullivan, 35; Carbon, 29; Monroe, 27; Wyoming, 22; Lackawanna, 21; Bradford, 15; Susquehanna, 12; and Columbia, 9.
Southeast: Schuylkill,16; Dauphin,8; Lebanon,4; and Northampton,1.
In addition to participating in the closing day of the four-day season on Nov. 27, hunters with an unfilled bear license may participate in extended bear seasons in specific WMUs that run concurrent with all or portions of the first week of the firearms deer season. For those deer hunters who didn’t purchase a bear license, but are headed to an area where the extended bear season is being held, bear license sales will reopen from Nov. 28 through Dec. 1.
For details about those areas open to extended bear hunting and the dates, please see pages 36 and 37 of the 2013-14 Pennsylvania Hunting & Trapping Digest. Bear check stations opened during the extended bear seasons can be found on page 38 of the digest.
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