If theres ever been a great time to be a Pennsylvania bear hunter, this is it, right now.. To learn more pleasevisit -From Under the Deck. The report also noted that Pennsylvania is second in the nation for antlered deer harvested per square mile, and first in the nation in overall deer harvested per square mile. We know lack of free time is often cited as the No. This must not be more than 3 inches . You may be trying to access this site from a secured browser on the server. I arrived at the new Centre County bear check station on the second day of the season in hopes of seeing . This innovative program has received national recognition and was recently awarded the Stephen Kellert Award from the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, as well as the 2021 Pennsylvania Association of Environmental Educators Outstanding Environmental Education Program.. Hunters harvested an estimated 376,810 white-tailed deer. Additionally, the board continued to start firearms deer season on a Saturday to fully maximize the impact of the legislation providing for Sunday hunting during that season. Sales totaled 202,043 in 2019, 174,869 in 2018 and, going back further, 147,728 in 2009. We met that challenge head-on. Only 1 bear may be taken during the license year. We also believe it is necessary to conduct a full, comprehensive update to many sections of Title 34. Thislive stream from Pike County is brought to you by thePennsylvania Game CommissionandHDOnTap. Southwest 247 (260): Armstrong, 58 (56); Somerset, 58 (70); Fayette, 49 (43); Westmoreland, 41 (32); Cambria, 19 (24); Indiana, 12 (30); Allegheny, 7 (3); and Greene, 3 (2). WMU. 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. Release Date: Nov 16, 2020. Thank you, Representative Maloney. Again, congratulations on taking an outstanding trophy from Penn's Woods and for being an important part of our hunting heritage. A two-year decline isnt surprising, as black bears give birth every other year, and sows dont reach sexual maturity until the age of three. Since 1992, seven black bears weighing at least 800 pounds have been lawfully harvested in Pennsylvania hunting seasons. Nongame species are vital for cultivating healthy and diverse ecosystems in Pennsylvania. On average, each full-time warden was responsible for covering more than 400 square miles. Our efforts to fully staff all districts across the state will continue into 2021, with the next class scheduled to begin later this month. Second, hunters have been taking more female bears. The others were 2011 (4,350) and 2005 (4,162). Watch the PA Bear Den Three Cubs and Mama as they get ready to venture outside of the den! Licenses purchased online cannot be used until they are received through the mail because bear licenses contain harvest ear tags. Within 48 hours of the governors mandatory closure, we were able to equip our essential employees with laptops to keep all critical operations up and running. The Game Commission is considering setting .24 as the minimum caliber for deer and bear hunting, which would rule out a few smaller, popular rounds, such as the .223. Those bears came from across the seasons. A lower proportion of the 2022-23 season harvest consisted of female bears (41%) than the previous year (44%). In 2021, hunters harvested at least one bear in 59 of the states 67 counties and in 22 of its 23 WMUs. We still anticipate some additional samples through the collection of road-killed deer and clinical suspects. This time from Pike County in Northeast Pennsylvania. The agency is also working on implementing new technology to improve their tracking of the bear population. If the hunter no longer has the seal number, age data also is provided in charts broken down by county of harvest.In 2009, of the nearly 148,000 licensed bear hunters, 3,512 bears were harvested and taken to check stations, which is the second highest harvest recorded in Pennsylvania. Learn 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. With four Wildlife Management Units still holding bear hunts, the total harvest across the state totals 3,603 bears, which is 18 shy of last year's final total of 3,621 bears. Email Address. Allowing us to manage them ensures well always have the financial capacity to fund the Commonwealths wildlife conservation. The orange must be visible from 360 degrees. The requirement allows the agency to track where the bears are being killed and get some general health information from the animals as well as their age. Black bear population numbers follow two-year cycles. Considering the changes that have occurred in hunting and trapping over the past three decades, it is time to modernize this statute to reflect those changes. The last time the Game and Wildlife Code was updated was in 1987. The accident occurred around 6:30 am in Harrison Township, and the driver was not injured. Bear. What to know about bears:The bear facts about summer bruins. Contact him at bwhipkey@gannett.com and sign up for our weekly Outdoors Newsletter emailon your website's homepage under your login name. "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. This concludes my prepared testimony. 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). COVID-19 did increase the demands placed on the Game Commission. The accomplishments of this collaboration include establishing a state-of-the-art diagnostic laboratory for CWD surveillance, which reduced by almost 50 percent the turnaround time for testing samples submitted by hunters, from 15 days in 2019 to 9 days in 2020. 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. Prior to the first round of Antlerless License sales, Landowner License sales will be reflected in the number of available licenses for each unit. Oct 22, 2022. 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. 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. You may be trying to access this site from a secured browser on the server. Among the strategies identified in the plan are increasing hunting opportunities, providing accurate and timely information on CWD testing results, and conducting educational and outreach campaigns to communicate key messages to stakeholders. A total of 215,219 people 205,812 of them state residents bought bear licenses in 2021. "Hunters are picking and choosing which. More people purchased hunting and furtaking licenses, applied for an elk license, hunted over managed dove fields, bought a pheasant permit, used our shooting ranges, and found time to hunt and trap. Successful bear hunters are required to have their trophy checked by a Game Commission staff member. 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. They also remove tags or radio collars that were placed on the bear in the past. assists DWR managers with evaluating how populations are doing and identifying any management decisions necessary to improve conservation of the species and recreational enjoyment for all. Bag and Possession Limit The board approved the acquisition of an about 12-acre parcel adjoining State Game Lands 148 in Shenango Township, Lawrence County. Hunters may only hunt bears and the usual Sunday huntinganimals foxes, coyotes and crows Nov. 22. It runs from Nov. 19 to 22, including the Sunday before Thanksgiving. Weve got lots of bears, and lots of big ones, and hunters can pick and choose when and how they want to pursue them. 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. Related Articles More bow hunters than ever prepare for Pa. deer . If it ever got to that point, which I am not concerned about whatsoever, we know how to change things around and adjust for the appropriate bear seasons., Read Next: Video: Hungry PA Black Bear Drags Off Road-Killed Whitetail Deer. Conversation about bears:Want to know about black bears in Pennsylvania? During last years annual report to this committee, I told you about a bold and innovative pilot project undertaken by this new partnership to train dogs to detect chronic wasting disease. This allowed for the first two days of the firearms deer season to take place over the course of a weekend, making it much more convenient for hunters to participate. 2021 was the sixth highest bear harvest of all time, according to the PA Game Commission. When we started hearing rumors of a shutdown, staff began preparing laptops. Once the data are evaluated, larger field research will be conducted. For ages of bears with legal seals #2109265 21158652. 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. This time from Pike County in Northeast Pennsylvania. But, Carrollo said, hunters who find the food sources bears are keying on at various times throughout the fall, and hunt those spots hard, always have a chance. In comparison, the four-day black bear rifle season netted 1,314. However, the positive impacts to wildlife and the anglers who use the lake is dramatic. Hunters took 1,315 bears in that four-day hunt. Carrollo always enjoys hearing the hunters talking about their trophies, especially when getting one for the first time. 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. Statewide. Proudly founded in 1681 as a place of tolerance and freedom. These numbers are a testament to the hunting culture and traditions in our state that remain alive and well, as well as the health and productivity of our deer herd. This diagnostic tool can also aid with wildlife-disease surveillance of native bat species for COVID-19 and can be used for other species. Check out this video, Steelhead anglers savor mild weather in Erie County creeks, Pa. hunter reflects on whats in a name, harvests 3 deer, bear this fall, Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. Please check the box below to grant HDOnTap permission to contact you: You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. Check regulations for additional dates for specific WMUs. The harvest figures do show a couple of trends that, while not causes for concern, will need to be monitored. The cost of these treatments in not cheap, with over $200,000 spent to date. 6/13/2022. Over the past decade, and largely under the leadership of Chairman Gillespie, we have worked with this Committee to implement important legislative changes. Watch what happens when the PA bear family of 4 ventures outside of the den for a fieldtrip, with exclusive footage from outside of the den! 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. 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. BLACK BEAR (Statewide):Nov. 19; Sunday, Nov. 20; and Nov. 21-22. 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. Pennsylvania bear hunters harvested at least 3,619 black bears this year, which would rank 2021 as the 7th top bruin harvest of all time. The certificates issued in 2009 were printed and distributed prior to the agency's transition to a new website format, which has significantly changed the navigation features of the new website. Hunters are required to have a bear license along with a general license to hunt bears. This includes bears harvested during the archery season. However, when these decreases become a trend, or a new norm, the agency will have to reduce services to align with financial capacity. 1/28/2023. I am very proud of the agencys response to the COVID-19 pandemic. 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. 1,243 were here. But added together, those seasons provide a lot of opportunity. The COVID-19 pandemic, if anything, demonstrated what happens when people have more free time hunting licenses sales and participation increased. Were still harvesting bears at the normal rate, she said about this years yield. Click on the map below to view information being collected at check stations. You may also report by creating a comment and tagging "@hdontap" to notify us directly. The width must not be less than 7/8 of an inch. Wade Glessner of Shippensburg used a shotgun to take the year's largest bear, a 722-pound male on. None of that is to say every bear hunter who hits the woods will fill their tag. But, starting this fall, hunters need to be aware of some changes in how and where they check bears. 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. Please enable scripts and reload this page. 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 2020 bear harvest, for comparisons sake, was 3,621. The legal seal number is also found on the plastic tag the Pennsylvania Game Commission official at the check station put through the ear of your bear. 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 general firearms season, or when participating in the muzzleloader or special firearms bear seasons. BLACK BEAR, ARCHERY (WMUs 2B, 5C and 5D):Sept. 17-Nov. 12; Sunday, Nov. 13; Nov. 14-19; Sunday, Nov. 20and Nov. 21-25. The sow and three cubs departed on March 25 at 7:35pm EST. This limits our ability to prepare for the future and the growing challenges our agency faces. 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. That was the third time since 2005 that the harvest topped 4,000 animals. HARRISBURG, PA - The Pennsylvania Game Commission today reported results from the 2021-22 deer seasons, which ended in January. In fact, key business functions, such as license sales and law enforcement continued without interruption. I applaud the Committee, and Representative Mehaffie for championing that legislation. Bears were taken in 59 of 67 counties and 22 of Pennsylvanias 23 Wildlife Management Units in the 2021 seasons. We are projecting to pull an additional $15 million from reserve for the 2021-2022 fiscal year and slightly over $9 million from reserve for the 2022-2023 fiscal year. We're sorry to hear that you are experiencing an issue! Join F&S+ to read exclusive stories by your favorite writers. 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. All rights reserved. Hunters certainly appreciate the opportunity Pennsylvania bear hunting represents. The heaviest bear ever taken in Pennsylvania was an 875-pounder harvested in 2010 in Middle Smithfield Township, Pike County. That was the second third of the total harvest. 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. 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. Please enable scripts and reload this page. Postal Service delivers the application in a timely manner to a county treasurer. These individuals may not hunt antlered deer during the special firearms season while in possession of a rifle. Hunters are picking and choosing which seasons they prefer to hunt in, she said. The population increases and decreases depending on a variety of factors. Southeast 156 (169): Schuylkill, 61 (78); Dauphin, 54 (37); Northampton, 13 (23); Berks, 12 (15); Lebanon, 8 (9); Lehigh, 6 (7); and Bucks, 2 (0). The cost of a general hunting or furtaking license has not increased since 1999. With our new, recently deployed licensing system, the Game Commission is ready and able to implement a process that would allow hunters to apply and receive antlerless licenses at the point-of-sale when they purchase the rest of their licenses. Report an issue with another viewer by hovering over their post and clicking the down-arrow on the right, then selecting "Report". 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. In the past, when there was only a rifle bear season, the check stations received more bear over a shorter window. The 2020-21 estimated deer harvest topped the previous license year's harvest of 389,431 by about 12 percent. During the 2019-20 fiscal year, wardens issued just over 6,000 warnings which equates to almost one warning for each citation and demonstrates the fair-but-firm approach used by our wardens. Please enable scripts and reload this page. Hunters are also required to carry photo identification while hunting. License fees are the agencys most stable revenue stream. Jacob Dingel Pennsylvania Game Commission. 2020 Pa. bear harvest drops by 1,000 from 2019 but still ranks 6th in state history. With the pandemic forcing many forms of recreation and entertainment to shut down, visitors to our state game lands system increased dramatically. Today, consumers can purchase a car or apply for a home mortgage with several clicks on their phone. Hunters took 1,315 bears in that four-day hunt. Bears have cubs every other year making management a long-term planning goal. The plan incorporates measurable goals and objectives along with an adaptive approach to ensure appropriate and effective responses are implemented. ** Total included Resident Antlertess and Resident Special Regs HARRISBURG, PA - Pennsylvania bear hunters had quite the year in 2021. Nov 22, 2022. Pennsylvania bear hunters harvested 3,659 bears last season, including a more than 700-pound bear that was taken in Franklin County The 2021 season marked the fifth-biggest harvest in state. To access the data and learn the age of their bear, a hunter will need to have their legal seal number from the check station certificate. 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. Check out this video. On the wildlife protection front, 103 full-time state game wardens, assisted by 247 deputy game wardens, were active across the state in 2020. Pennsylvania had been home to over 20,000 bears for several years, but the approximate population fell this year from an estimated 16,268 in 2020 to 15,666 last year. This year, the Pennsylvania Game Commission projected fewer than 16,000 bears in the state. To access the data and learn the age of their bear, a hunter will need to have their legal seal number from the check station certificate. Pennsylvania has been a popular bear hunting destination for years, and I dont expect that to change anytime soon, Carrollo said. In Pennsylvania in 2020, she said the PGC annual report estimated there are about 16,500 bears roaming through woodlots. As we move through March, the cubs will become more visible and active; early in the month, we may see the sows back much of the time. Five whopper Pennsylvania bull elk are in this year's state record book, including the new state #1 non-typical, 455-inch bull elk taken in 2020 in Elk County by hunter Duane Kramer. It is unlawful to intentionally lay or place food, fruit, hay, grain, chemical, salt or other minerals that may cause bears to congregate or habituate an area. "Ages are available only for bears from which a tooth was pulled. Sign up for Outdoor stories:Go Outdoors PA free newsletter. 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. The listing for the largest 10 bears showed they ranged from 599, also in Franklin County, up to the 722-pounder. The second component of Pennsylvania bear hunting is the regular statewide bear season. The archery bear season produced 672 bears, while the muzzleloader and special firearms seasons chipped in 536. The extended season accounted for the final third of the harvest, producing 1,127 bears. The extended season runs from Nov. 26 to Dec. 3 in WMUs 1B, 2C, 3A, 3B, 3C, 3D, 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D, 4E and 5A, including the Saturday and Sunday that mark the first two days of deer season, and from Nov. 26 to Dec. 10 in WMUs 2B, 5B, 5C and 5D, which includes the entirety of deer season. Therefore, providing more weekend hunting opportunities is one of the best steps we can take to address the issue of declining hunter participation. (1 rating, 17 views) PA Game Commission WMU Map Web Mapping Application by PAGameCommissionGIS. Also, as part of our 2020 Vision for the Future, the Shohola Falls Wildlife Management Area in Pike County received treatments for an aquatic invasive plant that rapidly overtook this large water body that supports a variety of waterfowl species. Benji Lilly caught the strikingly pale stocked trout Canada has seen a staggering rise in the Everything you need to know before hunting raccoons, Sign up for the Field & Stream newsletter and get the latest intelligence straight to your inbox. 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. Proudly founded in 1681 as a place of tolerance and freedom. Combined, those 1,208 bears amounted to about one-third of the total 2021 harvest. This expansion is a benefit to both hunters and farmers, as this archery season allows hunters to better target bears that are impacting agricultural operations. These projects and other initiatives focused on advanced diagnostic testing represent possible breakthroughs in our efforts to manage CWD. Now the bear are being taken between October and December, making it more convenient for hunters to find time to chase a big bruin. To view a copy of the agencys annual legislative report, please visit www.pgc.pa.gov, and click on the link under Quick Clicks on the homepage. As such, the sources of revenue are trending toward an overreliance on extraction of natural resources.. Enjoy this highlight from the live Pennsylvania Bear Den and watch three cubs play while mom takes a snack break in the den. Large-scale prescribed fire will be incorporated into each of these areas to ensure that the highest-quality habitats can be maintained on site. 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. With the last of the extended hunting seasons for bears . Every once in a blue moon we get one over 800 pounds., NW Pa. fishing report, Dec. 10-12:Steelhead anglers savor mild weather in Erie County creeks. Last year hunters brought 1,034 bears to the check stations during the opening weekend. Hunters have already taken almost 2,000 bears, according to a press release. NCPA Staff. 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). More people wanted to hunt and trap, visit state game lands, and purchase our products. As the numbers show, hunters are finding much success, too, in this and other bear seasons, and statewide bear hunting is about to kick off once again. The agency works to balance the number of bears based on what the habitat can sustain along with the needs of the public and farmers. Learn 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. 2023 www.goerie.com. Live Bear Cam 2023 The Game Commission and HDOnTap are pleased to bring back the opportunity to learn what goes on in a den with a female black bear and her cubs. Unfortunately, this invasive species rapidly crowded out native plants that were beneficial to wildlife and through the treatments we are hopeful to return this water body to a more-productive overall wildlife habitat. According to the commission, nine of the 10 largest harvests of bears occurred in the last 13 years, with the 2020 harvest of 3,621 bears ranking 6th. For ages of bears with legal seals #4411-2105019, For ages of bears with legal seals #2105020 2109264, For ages of bears with legal seals #2109265 21158652, For ages of bears harvested in the NW region, For ages of bears harvested in the SW region, For ages of bears harvested in the NC region, For ages of bears harvested in the SC region, For ages of bears harvested in the NE region, For ages of bears harvested in the SE region, Special Requests to Use State Game Lands Information, Deer Management Assistance Program (DMAP). We still anticipate some additional samples through the collection of road-killed deer and clinical suspects on implementing new to. Amounted to about one-third of the states 67 counties and 22 of its 23 WMUs our weekly Newsletter! For championing that legislation season accounted for the first time check stations harvest drops by 1,000 from but. Revenue stream rifle bear season produced 672 bears, while not causes for,. 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