Pennsylvania Game News - November 2018 - 9

Congratulations on Your Bear Harvest
A hunter harvesting a bear must immediately fill out all information on the harvest tag and
attach the tag to one of the bear's ears. Tagging must be completed before the bear is moved.
Within 24 hours of harvest, the bear must be checked by Game Commission personnel.
If the bear was harvested in the statewide archery bear season or in any of the early seasons
open in WMUs 2B, 5B, 5C and 5D, the hunter should contact the appropriate Game Commission
region office for instructions on having the animal checked. During the general bear season and in
extended bear seasons, the bear must be taken to a check station. See the 2018-19 Hunting & Trapping Digest for dates and hours of operation. The digest can be downloaded at www.pgc.pa.gov.
If you can't get your bear to a check station before it closes, contact the appropriate region
office. Any bear taken to a check station should be field dressed first. And successful hunters need
to have their hunting licenses and bear licenses with them at the check station.
Because Game Commission personnel pull a tooth from each bear they check to determine
the bear's age, it's helpful, too, if hunters - at the time they tag the bear - prop open the bear's
mouth with a 3- to 4-inch stick. This allows easy access to the tooth before rigor mortis sets in.

Bob Yeager

In the end, bear harvests were down
in only 10 of the state's 22 Wildlife Management Units, with eastern counties
generally faring better than central and
western counties.

Immense Bears

harvests were set in the archery bear and
extended bear seasons.
"Had the harvest been more typical on
the opening day, we might have exceeded
a 4,000-bear harvest," Ternent said.
The 4,000-bear mark has been reached
only twice, including a record harvest of
4,350 in 2011.
The 2017 bear harvest ended up at
3,438, which ranked ninth all-time. The
archery bear harvest - 493 - and extended
season bear harvest - 1,083 - accounted
for 45 percent of the 2017 harvest.
NOVEMBER 2018

In 2017, hunters took 48 bears that
were 500 pounds or larger.
That's down from 60 in 2016 and 68 in
2015. Still, with 500-pounders making up
1.4 percent of the 2017 harvest, the result
nearly matches the five-year average of
1.48 percent.
And the 2017 harvest shined with 14
600-pound bears, making up 0.41 percent
of the harvest, which tops the five-year
average of 0.29 percent.
There also were two 700-pounders in
the 2017 harvest.
Some years there are none.
"Since 1986, there have been 32 bears
recorded in the 700-pound weight class,
using bears weighed on a scale," explained
Ternent. "That's why 2011 really stands
out with eight 700-pound bears, or 25
percent of the 32 bears on record.
"Remember, though, 2011 was the
record harvest," Ternent said. "Consequently, 2017, with its two 700-pounders
9

http://www.pgc.pa.gov

Pennsylvania Game News - November 2018

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Pennsylvania Game News - November 2018