The final bear harvests by Wildlife Management Unit (with final 2020 figures in parentheses) were: WMU 1A, 26 (22); WMU 1B, 96 (121); WMU 2A, 5 (9); WMU 2B, 10 (6); WMU 2C, 192 (176); WMU 2D, 205 (191); WMU 2E, 45 (75); WMU 2F, 245 (277); WMU 2G, 518 (628); WMU 2H, 90 (141); WMU 3A, 238 (199); WMU 3B, 404 (273); WMU 3C, 217 (170); WMU 3D, 426 (409); WMU 4A, 173 (177); WMU 4B, 123 (113); WMU 4C, 224 (228); WMU 4D, 300 (236); WMU 4E, 97 (135); WMU 5A, 14 (13); WMU 5B, 1 (0); and WMU 5C, 10 (22). Available for Sale. Quota. Hunters are finding large bears across Pennsylvania, Black bear opportunities abound in Pennsylvania, Want to know about black bears in Pennsylvania? This past year, we impacted over 16,000 acres of state game lands through commercial and non-commercial forestry activities, which is an increase from approximately 7,000 acres in just six years. Myths and Misconceptions about PA Black Bears - WITF Smart Talk radio interview with Game Commission Bear Biologist, 2019A February Bear Den Visit (2:20)Summer Bear Trapping (1:20)On the Trail of the Pennsylvania Black Bear; 1991 (1:41:48)Springtime Ecology of Pennsylvania Black Bears - a webinar (46:29)Living with Black Bears Urban bearsWhy is there a bear in my yard? please click here to run a speed test and share your results in a support ticket. Getting a bear is a real achievement. Yet, the state Game Commission charged him with poaching, killing out of season what was described as the largest bear ever seen in the county. Under our current two-farm business model, we are stocking the same number of pheasants as we did under the previous four-farm model, but at a per-bird cost of less than $14 compared to about $21 previously. *** Total includes NonResident Antlerless and Nonresident Special Regs. We believe it is time for such a system to be adopted and I look forward to the opportunity to work with the Committee on making this change. The Pennsylvania Game Commission this week reported results from the 2021-22 deer seasons, which ended in January. If we need to make changes, we will be able to make them accordingly and in an appropriate amount of time,she says. 1/28/2023. Potter County ranked second with 180, Pike County third with 167, Tioga County fourth with 166 and Clinton County fifth with 156. Only through natural-resource development have we been able to meet our financial obligations. The agency stocked over 221,231 pheasants this year, which were hunted by 49,613 adults and 13,220 juniors for a total of 62,833 permit holders. In both years, only white-tailed deer put more hunters in the woods. You may be trying to access this site from a secured browser on the server. Being able to detect CWD in the field has the potential to provide us with another surveillance tool to identify new infections and respond accordingly. Watch as the three bear cubs wrestle at about 3 months old. Please enable scripts and reload this page. Rounding out the top 10 were Bradford County (136), Sullivan County (127), Wayne County (120), Centre County (118), and Huntingdon County (115). More: Pa. Game Commission gives bear hunters opportunities as bear population booms. In all these areas, the increase in participation resulted in an increase in the responsibilities and workload on our employees. In comparison, the four-day black bear rifle season netted 1,314. A more stable funding structure is one in which the licenses and license fees are set by the Commission, with the ability to offer new types of licenses that we can better market to our hunters and trappers, and if needed, make small, incremental adjustments in license price when necessary. Brian Whipkey is the outdoor columnist for USA Today Network sites in Pennsylvania. Keystone State. I thank the Committee for this opportunity to share the Game Commissions accomplishments and challenges and to discuss ways we can work together to improve wildlife conservation for all Pennsylvanians. Those with archery gear, muzzleloaders and special firearms and an early archery season bagged 1,204 bears. She said it will create a better population model utilizing all the data that is available. Since 1992, seven black bears weighing at least 800 pounds have been lawfully harvested in Pennsylvania hunting seasons. Please enable scripts and reload this page. Following yet another top 10 harvest during the 2021 hunting season, black bear population numbers in Pennsylvania showed a decline for the second year in a row. From increasing the penalties for poachers, to joining the Interstate Wildlife Violators Compact, to providing equitable retirement for our game wardens, to expanding Sunday hunting opportunities all these changes have benefited wildlife, our customers, and the agency. If you do not recall your legal seal number, the second set of tables list the ages by region based on the county of harvest and data are then sorted by date, weight, sex, and legal seal. Thats the states fifth-best harvest ever. The extended season ended Saturday in some areas, but the final number may continue to climb as bear hunting is still permitted through Saturday in Wildlife Management Units 2B,5B, 5C and 5D. Last Modified 8/3/17. Bear numbers saw similar declines after high harvests from 2005 to 2007 and 2010 to 2012. You may be trying to access this site from a secured browser on the server. "Pennsylvania continues to offer tremendous bear hunting," said Emily Carrollo, the Game Commission's black bear biologist. The agency is also working on implementing new technology to improve their tracking of the bear population. Currently, females comprise 22 percent of the harvest. Bolts are to be equipped with broadheads with at least two cutting edges upon the same plane throughout the entire length of the cutting surface. And this past year we continued our efforts to provide more opportunities for Pennsylvanias hunters. Today, consumers can purchase a car or apply for a home mortgage with several clicks on their phone. The total. The legal seal number can be found on the bottom right hand side of your bear certificate that was given to you when you checked your bear. Behind Kramer's bull is the state's new #1 non-typical 400 2/8s-inch bull from . The 2020-21 estimated deer harvest topped the previous license year's harvest of 389,431 by about 12 percent. There is potentially an effect of having that really high harvest and noticing those decreases in the following two years, which follows the life history [and] reproductive strategy of black bears, Carrollo says. Black bears can be a common scene in the Northern Tier of Pennsylvania, but yesterday was a rare glimpse of just how large the animals can grow. Lycoming County gave up 212 bears to rank first among counties for bear harvest. 2120 Jimmy Durante Blvd. Keystone State. Here's the latest bear tallies as reported by the Pa. Game Commission. To access the database, click on "Hunt/Trap" in the menu bar at the top of the page, click on "Hunting," scroll down and click on "Black Bear" in the "Big Game" listing, and then scroll down and click on "Black Bear Age Data" in the "Reference" listing. Again, congratulations on taking an outstanding trophy from Penn's Woods and for being an important part of our hunting heritage. The second component of Pennsylvania bear hunting is the regular statewide bear season. All ages are given in both years and months. We expanded the number of managed dove fields in all six of the agencys regions, with more than 550 acres prepared for the 2020 season. Registration on or use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Service. WMU. Oct 22, 2022. You may also report by creating a comment and tagging "@hdontap" to notify us directly. The 2020 bear harvest, for comparisons sake, was 3,621. Hunters can take only one bear during the license year. "As a cost-cutting measure, the Game Commission no longer mails a certificate and letter to successful bear hunters notifying them of their bear's age," said Carl G. Roe, agency executive director. Learn Allowing us to manage them ensures well always have the financial capacity to fund the Commonwealths wildlife conservation. Sullivan had 127, Wayne came in at 119, Centre had 116 and Huntingdon roundedout the Top 10 list with 115 bears this fall. . I am happy to answer any questions you may have. BLACK BEAR, ARCHERY (WMUs 1A, 1B, 2A, 2C, 2D, 2E, 2F, 2G, 2H, 3A, 3B, 3C, 3D, 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D, 4E and 5A):Oct. 15-Nov. 5. Between seasons for archery, muzzleloader, special firearms, firearms and extended, 3,613bears had been checked this year by the Pennsylvania Game Commission as of Tuesday afternoon. Funds from the RMEF were used to improve elk habitat and the revenue from KECA were used for wildlife-conservation education and elk-habitat improvement in the elk range. They took 3,659 bears across last years various seasons. We continue to operate on a licensing structure that is over two decades old, and pricing hasnt kept pace with inflation even though our expenses have. Although CWD sampling for this fiscal year will continue through the end of June, through the participation of hunters, agency staff, and various collaborators, we already collected over 11,626 CWD samples. Bear season opensNov. 21, and the Pennsylvania Game Commission is adding anew feature on its website. The Board of Commissioners increased the length of squirrel season, starting it almost a month earlier than in prior years, creating an opportunity for young and new hunters to take advantage of a season that is often the gateway to a lifetime in the outdoors. Watch the first highlight clip of the sights and sounds from the Pennsylvania Bear Den Live Cam with the sow and multiple cubs. 2021 PA Bear Den returns in February at the same location in Monroe County with a new sow and three cubs. Just six years later, Pennsylvania broke the 2,000 bear harvest mark with 2,213. This increase does not come without a cost though, with the overall costs for the non-commercial treatments nearly doubling to over $1.5 million, as well as additional costs in personnel. Mar 27, 2020. Pennsylvania has been a popular bear hunting destination for years, and I dont expect that to change anytime soon, Carrollo said. Please enable scripts and reload this page. The 2022-23 bear harvest was approximately 25% lower than the harvest the previous year and 29% lower than the previous 5-year average during 2017-2021. Please note age certificates will not be mailed to hunters, all successful hunters already received a certificate recognizing their harvest while at the check stations last fall. The regular bear season, meanwhile true to form contributed the biggest portion of the harvest. Weve got lots of bears, and lots of big ones, and hunters can pick and choose when and how they want to pursue them. With the last of the extended hunting seasons for bears . As we look ahead to the new legislative session, I am hopeful for the opportunity to work with this Committee on important legislation to modernize our hunting licenses to increase customer service to Pennsylvanians. The. More: Pa. Game Commission gives bear hunters opportunities as bear population booms Hunters have already taken. Learn In comparison, a total of 15,822 samples were collected last year, of which 206 were positive for CWD. Carollo sees no cause for alarm. Statewide. According to a release Pennsylvanians took 3,659 bears across last year's various seasons. Overall the bear population is healthy and doing well, Carrollo concluded. In all cases, hunters are encouraged to use a stick to prop open their bears mouth soon after harvest and before the jaw stiffens. We also would like to build upon the successes of Act 107 of 2019, which provided for three days of hunting on Sundays. Bears have cubs every other year making management a long-term planning goal. Thank you, Representative Maloney. Black Bear Weight Chart(PDF)Bear, Deer & Turkey HarvestsHarvest MapsPennsylvania Black Bear Harvest Certificate (PDF)Wildlife Management UnitsHighly Regulated Community ActivityWPSU video (3:22). We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. The running tally of bears killed by Pennsylvania hunters in 2021, maintained through the Pennsylvania Game Commission's online link to its bear check stations across the state, passed. Over the past decade, and largely under the leadership of Chairman Gillespie, we have worked with this Committee to implement important legislative changes. The orange must be visible from 360 degrees. We're sorry to hear that you are experiencing an issue! More people wanted to hunt and trap, visit state game lands, and purchase our products. Bears were taken in 59 of 67 counties and 22 of Pennsylvania's 23 Wildlife Management Units (WMUs) in the 2020 season. The sow and three cubs departed on March 25 at 7:35pm EST. Now the bear are being taken between October and December, making it more convenient for hunters to find time to chase a big bruin. Proudly founded in 1681 as a place of tolerance and freedom. Pennsylvania's State Wildlife Agency. You may be trying to access this site from a secured browser on the server. Join us in celebrating Pennsylvanias bountiful black bears. And remember, nature can be difficult to watch. A lower proportion of the 2022-23 season harvest consisted of female bears (41%) than the previous year (44%). Of interest: Hunters take record number of black bears in Pennsylvania in 2019. The PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and the PA Game Commission have teamed up to create a new interactive map specifically for hunters. This assay was initially designed to assist the PGCs wildlife rehabilitation permittees in returning injured bats back to the wild and preventing bat/human COVID-19 exposure. The board approved the acquisition of an about 12-acre parcel adjoining State Game Lands 148 in Shenango Township, Lawrence County. In addition, if nuisance bears are being attracted to an area by other wildlife feeding, game wardens can issue written notice to temporarily halt the activity. Fortunately, the agency has a healthy financial reserve, which allows us more flexibility to deal with market-driven revenue fluctuations without immediately reducing services expected by the public. Our efforts this past year include an expansion of the Wildlife Futures Program, a partnership with the University of Pennsylvanias School of Veterinary Medicine that is focused on improving wildlife-disease management and surveillance and promoting wildlife research. The live stream will continue running for a period of time in the event they return. The Game Commission supports opening additional Sundays to hunting and welcomes the opportunity to work with this Committee to craft legislation giving full authority to the Board of Commissioners to offer additional Sunday hunting opportunities. The ages of bears harvested, when used with other data (sex of the bear, date of harvest, bear zone, etc.) It also includes the muzzleloader and special firearms seasons. In Pennsylvania in 2020, she said the PGC annual report estimated there are about 16,500 bears roaming through woodlots. Hunters who get a bear in the regular statewide season can take it to a check station on the first two days of the season, Saturday and Sunday. All rights reserved. Those bears came from across the seasons. She said over the years only about 2% of hunters fill their bear tag each autumn. Start Date. . Thank you to Pennsylvania Game Commission for the trail cam footage! In the past, when there was only a rifle bear season, the check stations received more bear over a shorter window. Please enable scripts and reload this page. It is worth noting that a recent report from the National Deer Association credited Pennsylvania as one of only three states in the entire U.S. to harvest more than 300,000 deer annually. Carrollo always enjoys hearing the hunters talking about their trophies, especially when getting one for the first time. Hunters harvested 3,659 bears in 2021. We still anticipate some additional samples through the collection of road-killed deer and clinical suspects. This diagnostic tool can also aid with wildlife-disease surveillance of native bat species for COVID-19 and can be used for other species. Under our current two-farm business model, we are stocking the same number of pheasants as we did under the previous four-farm model, but at a per-bird cost of less than $14 compared to about $21 previously. The board also expanded the length of the bear season, providing for the bear archery season to take place for three full weeks in 2020. We know the recipe to make more bears, Carrollo said about having the ability to change the hunting seasons based on the robust data they are collecting on bears through check station requirements. And not just in one season, but several. The statewide regular bear season accounted for the largest part of the 2021 bear harvest. The extended season accounted for the final third of the harvest, producing 1,127 bears. The recreational benefits of our pheasant propagation program continue to be highly valued by hunters, as evidenced by this years sales of adult pheasant hunting permits being 13 percent higher than in 2017, when the permit was initiated. But we dont have the authority to manage our hunting licenses. 2023 PA Bear Den goes live in January from a new location in Pike County. License fees are the agencys most stable revenue stream. For ages of bears harvested in the NW region(Butler, Clarion, Crawford, Erie, Forest, Jefferson, Lawrence, Mercer, Venango, and Warren counties), For ages of bears harvested in the SW region(Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Cambria, Fayette, Greene, Indiana, Somerset, Washington, and Westmoreland counties), For ages of bears harvested in the NC region(Cameron, Centre, Clearfield, Clinton, Elk, Lycoming, McKean, Potter, Tioga, and Union counties), For ages of bears harvested in the SC region(Adams, Bedford, Blair, Cumberland, Franklin, Fulton, Huntingdon, Juniata, Mifflin, Perry, and Snyder counties), For ages of bears harvested in the NE region(Bradford, Carbon, Columbia, Lackawanna, Luzerne, Monroe, Montour, Northumberland, Pike, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Wayne, and Wyoming counties), For ages of bears harvested in the SE region (Berks, Bucks, Chester, Dauphin, Delaware, Lancaster, Lebanon, Lehigh, Montgomery, Northampton, Philadelphia, Schuylkill, and York counties). Junior and Senior license holders, those with disabled person permits, and Pennsylvania residents serving on active duty in the armed forces, may hunt bears or antlerless deer with a rifle during the special firearms season from Oct. 20-22. BLACK BEAR, SPECIAL FIREARMS (Statewide):Oct. 20-22, Only Junior and Senior License Holders 6, Commission Disabled Person Permit Holders(to use a vehicle as a blind), and Residentsserving on active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces,or in the United States Coast Guard, with required antlerless license. Join F&S+ to read exclusive stories by your favorite writers. Articles may contain affiliate links which enable us to share in the revenue of any purchases made. Finally, theres the extended bear season, which allows hunters with a license for bears to take one during all of part or the firearms deer season. HARRISBURG, PA - Pennsylvania isnt offering a bear hunting season in 2022. Hunters took 1,315 bears in that four-day hunt. Even smaller bears can be difficult for one person to handle. Fredrick Kyss took this 202-plus buck in the 1960s. That ranks as the state's fifth-best harvest ever, and the second-largest recorded since 2011. Realtree is committed to providing an inclusive and accessible experience to everyone, including those with disabilities.2023 Jordan Outdoor Enterprises, Ltd. All rights reserved. None of that is to say every bear hunter who hits the woods will fill their tag. This limits our ability to prepare for the future and the growing challenges our agency faces. Bear-population trends show that we are meeting our management goal of a healthy and sustainable bear population, and we will continue to address our goal of maintaining acceptable levels of bear-human conflicts by providing appropriate hunting opportunities. Hunters harvested an estimated 376,810 white-tailed deer. Northcentral 1,219 (1,310): Lycoming, 211 (186); Potter, 180 (188); Tioga, 166 (185); Clinton, 156 (150); Centre, 118 (117); McKean, 107 (87); Clearfield, 94 (158); Elk, 80 (140); Cameron, 68 (61); and Union, 39 (38). Keystone State. "Hunters are picking and choosing which. Northeast 1,121 (988): Pike, 167 (105); Bradford, 136 (108); Sullivan, 127 (71); Wayne, 120 (100); Luzerne, 111 (125); Carbon, 103 (97); Monroe, 95 (152); Susquehanna, 77 (54); Wyoming, 66 (42); Lackawanna, 62 (56); Columbia, 36 (53); Northumberland, 16 (22); and Montour, 5 (3). HARRISBURG, PA - Pennsylvania Game Commission Executive Director Bryan Burhans today presented the agencys annual report to the General Assembly, and delivered testimony before the House Game and Fisheries Committee. They took 3,659 bears across last year's various seasons. Please enable scripts and reload this page. Hunters who want to pursue bears in Pennsylvania need a general hunting license or mentored hunting permit, as well as a bear license. Second, hunters have been taking more female bears. During the pandemic, this legislation was finally able to get across the finish line. PA Game Commission photo. The archery bear season added another 680, while the muzzleloader/special firearms bear season harvest was 536. In both years, only white-tailed deer put more hunters in the woods. Second, hunters have been taking more female bears. Although our human-dimensions research is still ongoing, we believe that providing Sunday hunting is at least partially to be credited for the increase in license buyers in 2020. Of the cases prosecuted by wardens, the success rate was 96.6 percent, which is testament to their training and professionalism. This final trial will focus on CWD detection in field situations. ** Total included Resident Antlertess and Resident Special Regs Postal Service delivers the application in a timely manner to a county treasurer. HARRISBURG, PA - Pennsylvania bear hunters had quite the year in 2021. Its no wonder then that bear hunting license sales are so strong. Hunters then got 1,314 bears across four days. Where the harvest has averaged around 20 percent of the bear population for the past 20 years, it has crept up to 22 to 23 percent. If your bear is not found in these tables it is because 1) No tooth was pulled, or 2) The laboratory that ages the teeth deemed the tooth pulled not usable and no age was determined. Because the current pandemic has placed additional human pressure on global bat populations, the Wildlife Futures and PGC developed and validated COVID-19 testing for bats. Southcentral 464 (419): Huntingdon, 115 (91); Bedford, 82 (82); Mifflin, 55 (30); Fulton, 47 (51); Perry, 42 (36); Blair, 39 (29); Juniata, 36 (35); Franklin, 17 (31); Snyder, 12 (20); Adams, 10 (7); Cumberland, 8 (6); and York, 1 (0). The extended bear season which last year for the first time allowed hunters to harvest bears throughout the opening weekend of deer season in some Wildlife Management Units (WMUs) contributed 1,128 animals to the harvest. This habitat type continues to be in serious decline across Pennsylvania and we are working toward a long-term goal of balancing our age class distribution of forests at the landscape level on our game lands. Thislive stream from Pike County is brought to you by thePennsylvania Game CommissionandHDOnTap. I arrived at the new Centre County bear check station on the second day of the season in hopes of seeing . Start of season:Hunters are finding large bears across Pennsylvania. Where to find bears: Black bear opportunities abound in Pennsylvania The average over the last 10 to 15 years has been a little over 3,000 bears. What to know about bears:The bear facts about summer bruins. Burhans testimony before the House Game and Fisheries Committee follows: Good morning Chairman Gillespie, Chairman Neilson and members of the House Game and Fisheries Committee. Hunters have encountered some large bruins. Black bears are wild creatures and it is important for us to keep them wild. A bill that has the support of the Game Commission and our license buyers is House Bill 207 by Representative Mullery, which would allow us to leverage the advantages of our new licensing system to provide a much-more-efficient process for hunters to apply for antlerless licenses. But hunters still must undertake a multi-step process that involves manually filling out an application and self-addressed stamped envelope and hoping that the U.S. The statewide buck harvest was estimated at 145,320 and the antlerless harvest at 231,490. You may be trying to access this site from a secured browser on the server. Hunters have harvested more than 3,600 black bears across Pennsylvania this fall. #124 Del Mar, CA 92014. For the first time, bear season can be monitored in real-time. Pennsylvania's bear age harvest data from the 2019-2020 season is now available! I am pleased to report that the two elk Special Conservation licenses, one auctioned off by the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation (RMEF), and the other through raffle sales by the Keystone Elk Country Alliance (KECA), generated a record setting $150,000 and $215,375 respectively. Then click on "Bear Check Station Data." Same location in Pike County third with 167, Tioga County fourth with 166 and Clinton fifth. 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