Archery bear
hunt results in a harvest of 68
So far, the
total bear harvest of 3,004 for the two seasons preliminarily ranks as the fifth
highest statewide harvest. However, with the extended bear season in certain
Wildlife Management Units (WMUs) continuing through Dec. 6, the total
preliminary harvest will increase. Concurrent with the first week of the
firearms deer season, there is an extended bear season that is open Dec. 1-6, in
WMU 3C and portions of 3B, 2G and 4E; and Dec. 3-6, in all of WMUs 4C, 4D and
4E.
Preliminary
total bear harvest figures – including the ongoing extended bear seasons that
end Dec. 6 – are expected by Dec. 10. Official total bear harvest figures for
all three seasons won’t be available until early 2009, after a thorough review
of all bear harvest reports.
The
preliminary three-day bear harvest by Wildlife Management Unit was as follows:
WMU 1A, 20 (7 in 2007); WMU 1B, 67 (29); WMU 2A, 1 (1);
WMU 2C, 216 (217); WMU 2D, 163 (91); WMU 2E, 114 (49);
WMU 2F, 236 (223); WMU 2G, 676 (525); WMU 3A, 305 (177);
WMU 3B, 289 (113); WMU 3C, 69 (49); WMU 3D, 199 (126);
WMU 4A, 142 (98); WMU 4B, 41 (41); WMU 4C, 65 (54); WMU
4D, 307 (180); WMU 4E, 25 (24); and WMU 5C, 1
(0).
County
harvests by region for the three-day season, followed by the three-day 2007
preliminary harvests in parentheses, are:
Northwest: Clarion, 63 (24);
Venango, 63 (39); Jefferson, 60 (38); Forest, 58 (55); Warren, 57 (71);
Crawford, 31 (4); Butler, 11 (9); Erie, 10 (2); Mercer, 6 (0); and Lawrence, 1
(0).
Southwest: Somerset, 98 (79); Indiana, 63 (30);
Armstrong, 50 (41); Fayette, 40 (67); Cambria, 35 (10); and Westmoreland, 35
(37).
Northcentral: Potter, 288 (100);
Tioga, 231 (116); Lycoming, 214 (123); McKean, 134 (100); Clearfield, 109 (80);
Clinton, 106 (158); Elk, 89 (61); Centre, 88 (58); Cameron, 72 (116); and Union,
40 (27).
Southcentral: Huntingdon, 114
(70); Bedford, 78 (60); Blair, 37 (34); Mifflin, 42 (20); Snyder, 33 (19);
Juniata, 18 (14); Fulton, 13 (8); and Perry, 13 (6).
Northeast: Sullivan, 93 (22);
Pike, 73 (59); Wayne, 58 (25); Monroe, 54 (19); Bradford, 52 (38); Luzerne, 46
(35); Lackawanna, 34 (18); Wyoming, 30 (10); Carbon, 25 (28); Susquehanna, 18
(19); Columbia, 11 (20); Northumberland, 2 (2); and Montour, 1
(0).
Southeast: Schuylkill, 24 (14);
Dauphin, 8 (6); and Northampton, 4 (2); Lehigh, 2 (0); Berks, 1 (0).
The two-day
archery season harvest by WMU (with 2007 figures in parenthesis) was: WMU
1A, 1 (0); WMU 2C, 11 (12); WMU 2D, 3 (1); WMU 2E, 3
(0); WMU 2F, 9 (0); WMU 2G, 23 (3); WMU 3A, 5 (2); WMU
4A, 3 (2); WMU 4B, 1 (1); and WMU 4D, 9
(2).
County
harvests for the two-day archery season (with 2007 figures in parenthesis) by
region was:
Northwest: Butler, 2 (0); Clarion,
2 (0); Forest, 2 (0); Jefferson, 2 (0); Warren, 2 (0); and Venango, 1
(0).
Southwest: Somerset, 5 (3);
Fayette, 3 (5); Indiana, 3 (0); Cambria, 2 (0); Westmoreland, 2
(3).
Northcentral: Clinton, 8 (2);
Tioga, 5 (0); McKean, 5 (0); Lycoming, 4 (0); Potter, 2 (2); Centre, 4 (1);
Clearfield, 4 (0); Cameron, 1 (1); Elk, 1 (0); and Union, 1
(0).
Southcentral: Huntingdon, 3 (2);
Bedford, 2 (1); and Perry, 1 (0).
Northeast: Bradford, 1 (0).
So far, the
top 10 bears processed at check stations through Tuesday all had estimated live
weights exceeding 600 pounds. Morgan C. Neipert, of Tobyhanna, harvested the
largest bear, which was a male that weighed in at 716 pounds (estimated live
weight). The bear was taken in Tobyhanna Township, Monroe County, at 3:30 p.m.
on Nov. 25.
Other large
bears included: a 691-pound male taken by Ray E. Barrick, of McAlisterville, in
Todd Township, Huntingdon County, at 1 p.m. on Nov. 24; a 680-pound male taken
by Brian R. Clark Jr., of Olanta, in Pike Township, Clearfield County, at 2:30
p.m. on Nov. 24; a 651-pound male taken by Ryan M. Miller, of Pittston, in Bear
Creek Township, Luzerne County, at 9:50 a.m. on Nov. 24; a 650-pound male taken
by Walter Rupnik, of Breinigsville, in Green Township, Pike County, at 9:30 a.m.
on Nov. 24; a 642-pound male taken by James P. McDonough, of Moscow, in Spring
Brook Township, Lackawanna County, at noon on Nov. 25; a 636-pound male taken by
Albert C. Leddon II, of Pittsburgh, in Girard Township, Clearfield County, at
12:55 p.m. on Nov. 24; a 612-pound male taken by Jay P. Martin, of Lewisburg, in
Hartley Township, Union County, at 9:30 a.m. on Nov. 25; a 611-pound male taken
by Matthew N. Shirk, of East Earl, in Union Township, Huntingdon County, at
10:30 a.m. on Nov. 24; and a 607-pound male taken by Mark B. Blough, of
Stoystown, in Shade Township, Somerset County, at 2:15 p.m. on Nov.
24.
Brian Ristau,
of Clarendon, harvested the largest bear during the two-day archery bear
season. Ristau harvested a male that weighed in at 575 pounds (estimated live
weight) in Glade Township, Warren County, at 7:15 a.m. on Nov. 19. Also, Terry
D. Rothrock, of Wallaceton, harvested a 550-pound male in Boggs Township,
Clearfield County, at 4 p.m. on Nov. 20, during the archery bear
season.
