PA Bear season

Well just finished the 2 day archery season for bear here.  Saw lots of sign(you know that thing bears do in the woods), but no bears.
 
Will be heading out tommorrow for 3 days of rifle hunting, only with a twist - I've decided to hunt this year with the flintlock.
 
Spent this afternoon at the range sighting in and am already to go.
 
Been awhile since I've taken a bear, last one was in california back in 2002.  It was a 200 lb boar - a baby by PA standards.
 
good luck to everyone going out this season

Todd Segner 
PSE Field Staff, TRU Ball Releases Shooting Staff,
HIPS Targets Pro Staff, Any Budget Outdoors Writer,
Rage Broadheads Pro Staff, On Target2 Shooting Staff

Todd:
 
Good Luck!
 
Take care and Good Hunting!
 
Best Afield,
 
Steve

Good luck man on your hunt. What part of Pa are you hunting? I have hunted the Slade Run and Wellsboro area's along with up around Towanda. 200 lbs is about the avg for that area with some larger ones being taken every yr. Just do no agree with the legality of being able to shoot cubs also.

Gary Scheel
NAHC LM,RMEF LM,NRA Member, Lonestar Bowhunter, TexasHogHunter Pro Staff Member

Go get 'em Todd! Post a pic and share the story!!! Can't wait!

Love playing that string music and sending a Muzzy flying!

Hunted hard for three days and found nothing but t-n-t.  Knew I should have headed to the north woods with my friends, 5 out of the 7 took bears from camp this year.  Average size was 350 lbs, smallest was 178 lbs.
 
All in all it was a good time for me this year, put approx 60 miles on my boots and lost 25 lbs.  Saw lots of deer while hitting the ridgetops, a couple monsters still out there from archery season yet.
 
looking forward to next year already.

Todd Segner 
PSE Field Staff, TRU Ball Releases Shooting Staff,
HIPS Targets Pro Staff, Any Budget Outdoors Writer,
Rage Broadheads Pro Staff, On Target2 Shooting Staff

Todd,
 My bro-in-law hunted the Slade Run sections again this yr and did not see anything either. Descent weather the opener, but rain the next 2 days.  They stopped by the check station and read 157 bears checked in on Wed morning. Lg'est was a bit over 200 and the smallest was 35lbs. I'm sorry but I just do not agree with that part of the Pa bear season. Sorry bout your hunt man, but hey, there's always next yr. You still have this week for the extended seasons in some parts. My bro-in-law is up around Towanda for the buck season and extended bear this week.

Gary Scheel
NAHC LM,RMEF LM,NRA Member, Lonestar Bowhunter, TexasHogHunter Pro Staff Member

Well of all of the times for the state to change it's hunt areas, this yr where my bro-in-law is hunting is not in the extended bear season area. He had at 7:15 this morning, a better than 300lb'er come out 50 yds from his ground blind. He put the scope on it and practiced squeezing one off. Dead bear he said. Good thing he was not able to shoot her. She had 2 little ones come out a few min's later. All in the cold and pouring rain. He has seen alot of deer and at 4:15 this afternoon, able to drop a big 8pt. 21 wide with 9in G-2's and 6in brows. I would say he had a good day. He set up a ladder stand and a ground blind in the same spot as I did last season where I tagged that big 9pt. They claim to have 2 big 10 and 2-12's running around that area also. I told him he should have waited on the bigger ones.  LOL

Gary Scheel
NAHC LM,RMEF LM,NRA Member, Lonestar Bowhunter, TexasHogHunter Pro Staff Member

TWO-DAY BEAR HARVEST REMAINS IN SECOND PLACE
 
HARRISBURG - Two days of bear hunting have produced a preliminary harvest of 2,709 bears, according to Pennsylvania Game Commission reports.


Last year, 2,518 bears were brought to Game Commission check stations after two days of hunting. In 2007, 1,638 bears passed through check stations the first two days and, in 2006, biologists inspected 2,185 bears after two days. In 2005, when the state record bear harvest was set, agency personnel processed 2,875 bears through the first two days of season; followed by 2,262 in 2004; 2,299 in 2003; and 2,022 in 2002.


The top 10 bears processed at check stations on the two days all had actual or estimated live weights that exceeded 570 pounds. Terence J. Burkhardt, of Jim Thorpe, harvested the largest bear, which was a male that weighed in at 654 pounds (actual live weight). The bear was taken in Penn Forest Township, Carbon County, at 4:35 p.m. on Nov. 23.


Other large bears included: a 654-pound male (estimated live weight) also taken in Penn Forest Township, Carbon County, by Michael J. Wimmer Jr., of Jim Thorpe, at 3:30 p.m. on Nov. 23; a 644-pound male (actual live weight) taken in Todd Township, Fulton County, by Travis L. Crouse, of Chambersburg, at 9:06 a.m. on Nov. 23; a 610-pound male (actual live weight) taken in Middle Paxton Township, Dauphin County, by David T. Frey, of Harrisburg, at 8:30 a.m. on Nov. 23; a 607-pound male (estimated live weight) taken in Lehman Township, Pike County, by Arthur Garris Jr. of Bushkill, at 7:30 a.m. on Nov. 23; a 588-pound male (estimated live weight) taken in Fannett Township, Franklin County, by Arthur G. Clayton, of Amberson, at 2:30 p.m. on Nov. 23; a 586-pound male (estimated live weight) taken in Porter Township, Pike County, by John T. Waters Jr., of Spring City, at 9:30 a.m. on Nov. 23; a 581-pound male (estimated live weight) taken in McNett Township, Lycoming County, by Matthew J. Wells, of Gillett, at 9 .m. on Nov. 24; a 576-pound male (estimated live weight) taken in Sergeant, McKean County, by Cody C. Cogan, of Weedville, at 2:35 p.m. on Nov. 24; and a 570-pound male (estimated live weight) taken in Larimer Township, Somerset County, by Richard M. Smith, of Meyersdale, at 7:30 a.m. on Nov. 23.


The preliminary two-day bear harvest by Wildlife Management Unit was as follows: WMU 1A, 7 (14 in 2008); WMU 1B, 28 (57); WMU 2C, 204 (184); WMU 2D, 99 (123); WMU 2E, 68 (93); WMU 2F, 250 (213); WMU 2G, 857 (598); WMU 3A, 224 (279); WMU 3B, 179 (255); WMU 3C, 65 (55); WMU 3D, 246 (168); WMU 4A, 105 (118); WMU 4B, 36 (34); WMU 4C, 81 (52); WMU 4D, 234 (256); WMU 4E, 25 (17); and WMU 5B, 1 (0).


The top bear harvest county in the state after the second day of season was Clinton with 219 (91 in 2008), followed by Lycoming, 201 (195); Tioga, 198 (205); Cameron, 196 (61); and Potter, with 154 (256).


County harvests by region for the first two days, followed by the two-day 2008 preliminary harvests in parentheses, are:



Northwest: Warren, 90 (47); Forest, 53 (53); Jefferson, 52 (48); Clarion, 39 (46); Venango, 27 (52); Butler, 8 (6); Crawford, 7 (29); and Mercer, 3 (4).



Southwest: Somerset, 61 (83); Fayette, 56 (35); Westmoreland, 56 (32); Armstrong, 34 (44); Indiana, 23 (51); and Cambria, 12 (26).



Northcentral: Clinton, 219 (91); Lycoming, 201 (195); Tioga, 198 (205); Cameron, 196 (61); Potter 154 (256); McKean, 124 (126); Clearfield, 119 (98); Elk, 108 (79); Centre, 79 (74); and Union, 23 (36).



Southcentral: Huntingdon, 75 (96); Bedford, 49 (69); Mifflin, 45 (35); Blair, 32 (23); Juniata, 23 (17); Snyder, 15 (24); Fulton, 12 (9); Perry, 7 (11); and Franklin, 3 (0).



Northeast: Pike, 103 (63); Monroe, 70 (48); Carbon, 50 (20); Wayne, 45 (46); Sullivan, 37 (76); Bradford, 36 (49); Luzerne, 31 (35); Lackawanna, 28 (27); Susquehanna, 25 (14); Wyoming, 22 (28); Columbia, 13 (9); and Northumberland,

Gary Scheel
NAHC LM,RMEF LM,NRA Member, Lonestar Bowhunter, TexasHogHunter Pro Staff Member

Who in the h (pardon my French!) would shoot a 35# bear cub?  I can't believe they allow that anywhere or that anyone would do that even if it was legal!!!

Mike Stephenson
aka Topgun----30-06

I bet they thought it was a 300 lb. I agree 35 lbs?????
I  shot a small bear before but, 35 pounds. What was he thinking.

Pa's way of thinking is that if you shoot a sow with cubs, the cubs won't make it, so go ahead and take the cubs also. BULLS--T!!!!!!!!!!!!! Don't shoot the sow. Simple................ I would rather go home empty handed and be happy with myself than to do something like that.  Get out of the mindset that "I have to kill something to fill my tag". Good friends and memories have filled a many of mine and will continue to do so.  I did not shoot any bears in Maine this yr for the simple reason, I wanted a bear bigger than the size hogs I shoot in Tx. Not a hard thing to do, but I did not fill my tag and had a great time and will go back.

Gary Scheel
NAHC LM,RMEF LM,NRA Member, Lonestar Bowhunter, TexasHogHunter Pro Staff Member

That's always been my philosophy too Gary, and I wish a lot more had it!  I had a deer tag costing well over $300 for Wyoming and left it unfilled because I just didn't see what I wanted.  Sure I could have shot a decent buck or even a doe on the tag, but that was not why I went out there.  In fact, if push came to shove, I probably had more fun on the September elk hunt where I just tagged along to help and experience the fun and enjoyment of being outdoors and with others of the same ilk.  That's the way it ought to be in my book!!!

Mike Stephenson
aka Topgun----30-06

My Maine bear hunt was 1600,tag was 201 and cost of getting there was somewhere about 600 with me driving up from Tx. So what...........I had a great time and like I said, I will be back. If you had a good time, it matters not what the cost was. If you hunt with a specific goal in mind and that goal is not achieved, but the times had were memorable and you want to come back, then the hunt was a success, period................If we all stopped and analized the cost of the meat per lb for all of the trips we take, we would stop hunting because of that cost. Beef at the slaughter house would be cheaper.   JMO

Gary Scheel
NAHC LM,RMEF LM,NRA Member, Lonestar Bowhunter, TexasHogHunter Pro Staff Member

Right on Brother!!!
 

Mike Stephenson
aka Topgun----30-06

Right on guy's, I am totally on board. I can't remember the last time I judged a hunt on the success of killing anything. It's all about sharing the experience with other hunters, especially newer hunters and the younger ones. What could be better than sitting around deer camp sharing stories, and an occasional toast with other people that share a common interest with you. If I fill a tag that is a bonus, besides everyone knows the work starts when the animal is on the ground and the older I get the less I like work. Sure I still fill an occassional tag, and I also donate game to friends that could use it or the needy. I enjoy nothing more than sitting in a stand watching gods creatures go about their daily lives and observing what the good lord has put here for us. It took me a lot of years to arrive at this point but I thank the lord that I finally made it.
Steve Albers