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Bear season opens Nov. 18

An abundance of fall foods will have a huge black-bear population on the move as hunters head out on Saturday, November 18 for the opening day of Pennsylvania’s four-day statewide firearms bear season.

Pennsylvania has been smothered by hard and soft mast this past summer and fall. Leaf-drop also was delayed by uncommonly warm weather into early November. Combined, these conditions have given bears reasons to stay out of dens, and plenty of cover to sneak about the Commonwealth.

With cooperative weather, particularly on the opening day, Pennsylvania is poised to take a run at topping the 2016 bear harvest of 3,529, which ranks as the state’s fifth best.

“It’s an exciting time to be a Pennsylvania bear hunter,” emphasized Game Commission Executive Director Bryan Burhans. “The population is thriving and there are some real trophies on the loose.

“But all great bear seasons are supported by clear, cold weather, with a little snow if possible. It’s what really draws hunter participation and influences bear movements. Let’s keep our fingers crossed!”

Significant ice, fog, or rain, or a good dumping of snow during the season can hold the bear harvest down. Hunters have a harder time getting to or from their favorite hunting spots, the bears are harder to see, and overall participation generally drops.

The Game Commission estimates Pennsylvania’s bear population at around 20,000, a high-water mark the population has held for the past two seasons, despite substantial harvests. In 2015, hunters took 3,748 bears, the third-best harvest ever.

Pennsylvania’s all-time largest bear harvest occurred in 2011, when 4,350 bears were harvested. It was the first year the current four-day statewide firearms bear season format was used.

The number of hunters buying bear licenses is on pace to reach 170,000 to 175,000, which is where license sales have topped out the past two years. The record for bear license sales occurred in 2015, when 175,314 were sold.

Sixty bears topped 500 pounds in the 2016 harvest. The largest was taken by Dusty Learn, of Homer Center. He harvested his 740-pound bear at seven yards with bow-and-arrow.

But Mark Ternent, Game Commission bear biologist, believes Pennsylvania holds bigger bears, at least 800-pounders.

“Pennsylvania bear hunters have already taken a few 800 pounders, and since there’s been no decline in bear health or body weights in recent years, the odds remain good for it to happen again,” Ternent said. “However, it’s no small feat for a bear to reach that size when you consider it takes about nine years for a bear to reach 500 pounds.”

But it’s not all about the weight. Pennsylvania is second among all states and Canadian provinces in number of black bear entries in Boone & Crockett Club records, which are based on skull size. Ten percent of those book bears were taken in Pennsylvania.

The Commonwealth’s international standing as a premier bear hunting destination annually draws hunters from throughout North America and beyond. A population of 20,000 bears will do that.

Bears were taken in 58 of the state’s 67 counties in 2016. The counties with the largest bear harvests were: Lycoming County, 243 bears; Clinton County, 220; Tioga, 169; Potter, 149; Warren, 131; and Somerset, 116.

Hunters who harvest a bear during the four-day general season must take it to one of the Game Commission’s check stations within 24 hours.

A complete list of requirements, check stations and their dates and hours of operation can be found on pages 43 and 44 of the 2017-18 Pennsylvania Hunting & Trapping Digest, which can be viewed online at www.pgc.pa.gov.

To bear hunt in Pennsylvania, a hunter needs a general hunting license, as well as a bear license.

Hunting licenses can be purchased online from The Outdoor Shop at the Game Commission’s website, but buyers should be advised that because bear licenses contain harvest ear tags, they are sent by mail rather than printed at home.

Buyers waiting until the last minute to purchase a bear license might be better off making a trip to an authorized licensing agent and picking up a license there.

Licensing agents can be searched by county at the Game Commission’s website, www.pgc.pa.gov, under the Hunt/Trap tab.

Bear hunters must wear a minimum of 250 square inches of fluorescent orange material on the head, chest and back combined at all times during the four-day season. The orange must be visible from 360 degrees.

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