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First-Day Bear Harvest Ranks Second
HARRISBURG, Pa., Nov. 24 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Pennsylvania Game Commission officials today announced that hunters started the 2009 black bear season by taking a preliminary harvest of 1,897 black bears in 50 counties on the first day of the three-day statewide bear season.
The 2009 first-day preliminary harvest compares with 1,725 in 2008; 1,005 in 2007; 1,461 in 2006; 2,026 in 2005; 1,573 in 2004; 1,454 in 2003;1,348 2002; 1,812 in 2001; and 1,691 in 2000.
The top 10 bears processed at check stations on Monday all had estimated live weights that exceeded 550 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.
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.; a 644-pound male (actual live weight) taken in Todd Township, Fulton County, by Travis L. Crouse, of Chambersburg, at 9:06 a.m.; 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.; a 607-pound male (estimated live weight) taken in Lehman Township, Pike County, by Arthur Garris Jr. of Bushkill, at 7:30 a.m.; 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.; a 570-pound male (estimated live weight) taken in Larimer Township, Somerset County, by Richard M. Smith, of Meyersdale, at 7:30 a.m.; a 557-pound male (estimated live weight) taken in Lincoln Township, Somerset County, by Kevin W. Ankney, of Somerset, at 3:30 p.m.; a 553-pound male (estimated live weight) taken in Upper Mt. Bethel Township, Northampton County, by Dawn S. Jackson, of Bangor, at 7 a.m.; and a 552-pound male (estimated live weight) taken in Decatur Township, Mifflin County, by Ethan M. Fultz, of Milroy, at 12:30 p.m.
The preliminary first-day bear harvest by Wildlife Management Unit was as follows: WMU 1A, 4 (14 in 2008); WMU 1B, 16 (40); WMU 2C, 150 (145); WMU 2D, 62 (97); WMU 2E, 50 (63); WMU 2F, 174 (152); WMU 2G, 562 (363); WMU 3A, 149 (169); WMU 3B, 139 (186); WMU 3C, 42 (42); WMU 3D, 172 (123); WMU 4A, 78 (85); WMU 4B, 26 (20); WMU 4C, 62 (41); WMU 4D, 190 (174); and WMU 4E, 21 (9).
The top bear harvest county in the state after the first day of season was Lycoming with 153 (135 in 2008), followed by Clinton, 152 (55); Tioga, 142 (124); Cameron, 115 (26); and Potter, with 95 (152).
County harvests by region for the opening day, followed by the opening day 2008 preliminary harvest in parentheses, are:
Northwest: Warren, 71 (34); Forest, 38 (38); Jefferson, 33 (33); Clarion, 28 (36); Venango, 15 (44); Butler, 7 (5); Mercer, 2 (3); and Crawford, 1 (19).
Southwest: Somerset, 47 (64); Fayette, 41 (28); Westmoreland, 38 (30); Armstrong, 22 (37); Indiana, 18 (37); and Cambria, 4 (20).
Northcentral: Lycoming, 153 (135); Clinton, 152 (55); Tioga, 142 (124); Cameron, 115 (26); Potter, 95 (152); Clearfield, 78 (67); Elk, 77 (48); McKean, 77 (95); Centre, 52 (47); and Union, 21 (22).
Southcentral: Huntingdon, 63 (67); Mifflin, 38 (27); Bedford, 32 (52); Blair, 23 (11); Juniata, 19 (11); Snyder, 14 (17); Fulton, 10 (8); Perry, 6 (4); and Franklin, 2 (0).
Northeast: Pike, 78 (45); Monroe, 46 (37); Carbon, 42 (14); Sullivan, 30 (56); Bradford, 27 (33); Wayne, 27 (32); Luzerne, 23 (30); Susquehanna, 19 (11); Lackawanna, 14 (19); Wyoming, 12 (18); Columbia, 11 (6); and Northumberland, 2 (1).
Southeast: Schuylkill, 12 (18); Dauphin, 9 (5); Berks, 6 (1); Northampton, 3 (2); and Lebanon, 2 (0).
Note to Editors: If you would like to receive Game Commission news releases via e-mail, please send a note with your name, address, telephone number and the name of the organization you represent to: PGCNews@state.pa.us
Jerry Feaser
717-705-6541
PGCNews@state.pa.us
SOURCE Pennsylvania Game Commission

Those are some astonishing numbers! Thanks for sharing Emily!

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A bull market for bear hunting
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The Intelligencer
The recent three-day bear season in Pennsylvania has come to a close and the harvest (so far) is the second highest on record. For many reasons, Pennsylvania continues to have one of the healthiest black bear populations in the country. One of them is that Pennsylvania hunters do an excellent job of harvesting the bears which in turn helps sustain a healthy bear population. The final tally won't be known at least for a few more weeks (after the extended season in some WMU's is closed), but the record set in 2005 might be in jeopardy.

Doylestown Township hunter Al Wismer and his son Philip harvested one of the 2,709 bears weighed in at PA Game Commission check stations across the northern tier after two days of the three-day hunt. Wismer has been hunting his family camp in Tioga County for years. In fact, this is the third bear he has harvested on the property. He started his fall classic a few days before the Nov. 23 first day of bear season by scouting the woods while pursuing turkeys. He saw turkey signs but said he saw more bear signs.

"I saw bear (scat) all over the place. In fact, I had to tiptoe around it a few times. There were old logs torn apart by a feeding bear," was how Wismer explained the unusually high number of signs that indicated that at least one bear was frequenting this area.

"On Monday morning a group of deer was heading up the mountain in my direction. Not far behind them I saw this bear lumbering up the hill. He was quartering away from me so I had to decide if I was going to try to head him off. I thought if I moved I would definitely spook these deer and they'd in turn spook the bear. I waited until the bear was out of sight. I started to move in the same direction; the wind was in my favor. I didn't go 75 yards; as I crested the hill I spotted him in the distance. I managed to get within about 100 yards as he was moving across the ridge," Wismer described the moments leading up to the one shot that got the job done.

Wismer's son Philip's ability to participate in the hunt is limited due to his profound loss of hearing and limited sight. But the Rochester Institute of Technology and BCCC student goes along with his Dad whenever he can. Together they enjoy the father-son bonding that comes with the hunt. Their efforts resulted in a 170-pound bear that Wismer had made into various smoked products.

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"I told the butcher as long as I don't have to cook it," said Wismer. For those uninformed as to the smell of cooking bear meat, it has been described as something just shy of putrescent buzzard bait boiling in a pot of rotten eggs. Only worse.

My grandpa's advice on preparing bear properly was to marinate your favorite cut for two to three days in the refrigerator. Tack the roast to a fresh cutting plank. Bake at 350 for two and a half hours. Remove from oven. Throw the meat away and eat the board.

You get the idea. But I know many people that say they love bear meat. And for them I recommend they do more Canada goose hunting.

Glenn Hasenauer of My Place Smoked Meats in Point Pleasant reported a sure record bruin taken by a Bucks County hunter in Carbon County. This giant male tipped the scales at 655 pounds. It was taken with a Stryker cross-bow.

The top bear harvest county in the state after the second day of the season was Clinton with 219 (91 in 2008), followed by Lycoming, 201 (195); Tioga, 198 (205); Cameron, 196 (61); and Potter, with 154 (256). This is fairly typical as the habitat in the northern tier counties is home to the highest number of bears.

What is a little unusual and perhaps telling is that the number of bears harvested in "non-typical" bear counties is on the rise.

Berks County, for example, which is in the same wildlife management unit as Bucks and Montgomery Counties, had a harvest of six bears in the first two days compared to just one last year. There have been no reported bear harvests in Bucks or Montgomery Counties, but many believe that will probably change in the next few years. Schuylkill County, which is where most of the bears that are trapped and transferred from this area and relocated, had a harvest of 21 bears this year, same as last.

I hope someone saved you the paper while you were away at deer camp this week. If the number of trucks, campers and trailers bulging with related gear I saw all day Friday heading north are any indication, you didn't see this until you got back from camp.

Hunt safely and enjoy.

Dale Machesic can be reached at dmachesic@phillyBurbs.com.

November 30, 2009 02:27 AM