Pennsylvania Game News - October 2022 - 12

WARM-WEATHER BEARS
Especially in September and October, bear hunting
in Pennsylvania might mean warm temperatures,
and little time to waste in getting a harvested bear
cooled down. For tips on dealing with warmweather
bears, see Bob Frye's story on Page 38.
in Franklin County, she noted.
The reality is, many hunters probably
drive by bears on the way to hunt bears,
she added.
" I wouldn't say there are many 'up and
coming' places to hunt bears, but many
hunters travel to the northern tier when
there are many great places to hunt bears
closer to home, especially if they're in the
southern tier of the state, " Carrollo said.
" Places like Huntingdon and Bedford
counties have many large tracts of public
land to hunt bears, with quality bear
habitat and good bear numbers. In the
southeast, Schuylkill County often has a
fairly large harvest as well, with several
state game lands available to hunt. The
southwest has quality bear numbers in
Westmoreland County, which is a short
distance for many hunters living in the
Pittsburgh area. Lastly, the northwest
has seen a good expansion of bears into
the area over the last couple of decades
and, especially with Allegheny National
Forest, there are plenty of hunting opportunities
to be found. "
There are other counties that " come
and go " from the harvest list. Bucks, York,
Adams, Beaver and Greene counties,
for example, have relatively few bears
and sparser habitat. But they give up the
occasional bear.
Some other counties that have yet to
ever produce a bear - think Washington
and Lancaster - conceivably could
someday, she added. There are at least
12
occasionally bears in those places, so if a
hunter finds a bear there on property they
can access, there's always a chance for
success, Carrollo said.
Likewise, though counties in the state's
extreme southeast corner - Philadelphia,
Chester, Delaware and Montgomery -
have relatively little in the way of bear
habitat or available ground to hunt, that's
not to say taking a bear there is impossible.
It only takes one, after all.
No matter where they go, though, hunters
can always try and use other hunters
to their advantage. Carrollo said being in
the woods when lots of others are likewise
afield can get bears moving, upping the
odds of encountering one.
That's why days like the first Saturday
of the regular bear season and the first
weekend of the extended season are traditionally
so good.
But there's no bad time to hunt in bear
season, Carrollo added. She encourages
hunters to try when they can, where they
can, being adaptable and opportunistic.
Pennsylvania's bears are booming
because they've long done the same.
The Game Commission's bear management
program is designed to allow that
to continue going forward, too. It sets no
population goals for the state or individual
WMUs. Instead, the aim is to make sure
" bears will always be present at healthy
levels throughout the areas of the state that
provide the necessary habitat to sustain
bears while maintaining acceptable levels
of human-bear conflict. "
" Bears play a crucial role in the Pennsylvania
woods, and are an important
cultural item for many Pennsylvanians, "
Carrollo said. " That's why we work to
make sure they are around for many generations
to come.
" So get out there, always be safe, and
have fun. "
Pennsylvania Game News - October 2022

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