The population increases and decreases depending on a variety of factors. Email Address. Bear season opensNov. 21, and the Pennsylvania Game Commission is adding anew feature on its website. In addition, we experienced increased demand in other areas of our operations, such as in the number of people who visited our website, engaged with us on social media, and viewed our livestream wildlife cameras. The regular bear season, meanwhile true to form contributed the biggest portion of the harvest. Biologists don't seem concerned, By 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. Quota. 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. I am very proud of the agencys response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Fredrick Kyss took this 202-plus buck in the 1960s. That was down slightly from 220,471 in 2020, but still the second-highest number of bear licenses ever sold in any one year. They took 3,659 bears across last year's various seasons. Best of all, the future continues to look bright for this resource, too.. For ages of bears with legal seals #2109265 21158652. You may be trying to access this site from a secured browser on the server. When it comes to deer hunting in Pennsylvania, we are proud of the successes we continue to experience and the opportunities we provide our hunters. The G-PAST is now being used by other state wildlife agencies to assist their efforts to enhance grouse populations. These projects and other initiatives focused on advanced diagnostic testing represent possible breakthroughs in our efforts to manage CWD. Getting a bear is a real achievement. Creamy Hungarian Turkey Leg and Mushroom Soup, Preparing for the Beginning of Another Archery Season, North American Super Slam: 29 Big Game Animals You Need, Strut Report: Southern Hunters Successful Despite Cold and Wind, Wyoming and Colorado Wildlife Managers Adjust Hunting License and Season Proposals Due to Harsh Winter, 8 Reasons You Wont Kill a Public-Land Gobbler. Lycoming County gave up 212 bears to rank first among counties for bear harvest. Lycoming County has the most bears harvested this fall with 212. The locations of those are listed on page 41 of the Hunting & Trapping Digest every hunter gets when buying a license. Bear numbers saw similar declines after high harvests from 2005 to 2007 and 2010 to 2012. Thank you for the opportunity to appear before you today and to deliver the Game Commissions 2020 annual report. The 2020 . These individuals may not hunt antlered deer during the special firearms season while in possession of a rifle. The board also expanded the length of the bear season, providing for the bear archery season to take place for three full weeks in 2020. Report an issue with another viewer by hovering over their post and clicking the down-arrow on the right, then selecting "Report". The orange must be visible from 360 degrees. Pennsylvania Black Bear Harvest Certificate, Myths and Misconceptions about PA Black Bears, On the Trail of the Pennsylvania Black Bear, Springtime Ecology of Pennsylvania Black Bears, Black Bear Expansion Based on Harvest Distribution, Pennsylvania Residents' Opinions On and Attitudes toward Black Bears, Pennsylvania Residents' Opinions On and Attitudes toward black Bears - Executive Summary, Special Requests to Use State Game Lands Information, Deer Management Assistance Program (DMAP). If we need to make changes, we will be able to make them accordingly and in an appropriate amount of time,she says. click on the Black Bear Harvest link under "Quick Clicks," then click on the map under "Bear Check Station Data." The . Alsorespect the privacyof the bears and the landowners, to whom we are extremely grateful for their enthusiastic cooperation in allowing us to share this peek into the lives of black bears. BLACK BEAR, MUZZLELOADER (Statewide):Oct. 15-22. 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. The board approved the acquisition of an about 12-acre parcel adjoining State Game Lands 148 in Shenango Township, Lawrence County. Online (allow 10 business days to arrive by mail; it cannot be printed)In person at an Issuing Agent, and walk out the door with your license. This time from Pike County in Northeast Pennsylvania. Second, hunters have been taking more female bears. Hunting licenses can be purchased online athttps://huntfish.pa.govor from issuing agents located in every county. BLACK BEAR, ARCHERY (WMU 5B):Oct. 1-Nov. 12; Sunday, Nov. 13; and Nov. 14-18. 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. 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. . In fact, that very situation is occurring this year; we are projecting a decrease in revenue from oil-and-gas-development on game lands which will require us to pull over $11 million from our reserve so we dont have to reduce services. On April 15, 2019, Pennsylvania Game Commission Local State Game Warden Bryan Mowrer crawled "Under The Deck" and into the bear den to talk about the live stream viewers were able to enjoy for the previous several weeks. That was the second third of the total harvest. We still anticipate some additional samples through the collection of road-killed deer and clinical suspects. In both years, only white-tailed deer put more hunters in the woods. Working with Wildlife Futures, we launched a CWD visualization tool to allow hunters and the public to view results from our testing efforts based on location. Success rates for bear hunters still hover around 3% or less. For example, our staff developed and launched the Wildlife on WiFi, or WoW, an innovative program to provide home-based learning content during the states stay-at-home orders. Black bears are wild creatures and it is important for us to keep them wild. Please enable scripts and reload this page. The largest bear in the state was taken in southcentral Pennsylvania. Hunters are finding large bears across Pennsylvania, Black bear opportunities abound in Pennsylvania, Want to know about black bears in Pennsylvania? Please enable scripts and reload this page. 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. Like our sister agency, the Fish and Boat Commission, the Game Commission does not receive money from the General Fund. The extended season held in some parts of the state during rifle deer season has accounted for almost a third of the harvest with 1,095bears. Given the continued growth in the popularity of archery hunting, this expansion was greatly appreciated by our hunters who took advantage of the additional chances to pursue the world-class trophy whitetails that our state has to offer. ** Includes General & Disabled Applicants, ** Total included Resident Antlertess and Resident Special Regs, *** Total includes NonResident Antlerless and Nonresident Special Regs, Special Requests to Use State Game Lands Information, Deer Management Assistance Program (DMAP), * Total included Resident Military, National Guard, Reserves & POW, Special Wild Turkey License (Non-Resident), Middle Creek Archery Deer Hunt Applications, Middle Creek Mentored Adult Squirrel Hunt Applications, Middle Creek Mentored Adult Archery Deer Hunt Applications, Middle Creek Archery/Flintlock Deer Hunt Applications, Pymatuning Goose Blind Hunt Applications***, Pymatuning Youth Turkey Hunt Applications. Additionally, I would be remiss if I didnt take a minute to thank Representative David Maloney for Act 27 of 2020. Bear season lasts from Nov. 21-25,including a day of Sunday hunting. More: Pa. Game Commission gives bear hunters opportunities as bear population booms Hunters have already taken. You may be trying to access this site from a secured browser on the server. We are confident that by working with hunters and our conservation partners on implementing these strategies we can limit the spread of this disease, and in so doing, ensure thriving deer and elk populations for future generations. Pleaserefrain from namingthe sow and her cubs to respect them as wild animals. Release Date: Nov 16, 2020. 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. If your issue is not resolved by following the troubleshooting tips above, please click here to run a speed test and share your results in a support ticket. During the pandemic, this legislation was finally able to get across the finish line. Hunters harvested an estimated 376,810 white-tailed deer. April 17, 2023 |The Realblog with Stephanie Mallory. On February 13th, a class of 27 cadets graduated from the Ross Leffler School of Conservation and were deployed to fill some of the vacant districts. Finally, theres the extended bear season, which allows hunters with a license for bears to take one during all of part or the firearms deer season. To learn more please visit - From Under the Deck Hunting Black Bear Age Harvest Data Black Bear Weight Chart (PDF) 2020 Pa. bear harvest drops by 1,000 from 2019 but still ranks 6th in state history. Carollo sees no cause for alarm. With the pandemic forcing many forms of recreation and entertainment to shut down, visitors to our state game lands system increased dramatically. 2023 www.goerie.com. 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. I am happy to answer any questions you may have. I applaud the Committee, and Representative Mehaffie for championing that legislation. The average over the last 10 to 15 years has been a little over 3,000 bears. BLACK BEAR (WMUs 2B, 5B, 5C and 5D):Nov. 26, Sunday, Nov. 27, Nov. 28-Dec. 10. Rounding out the top 10 were Bradford County (136), Sullivan County (127), Wayne County (120), Centre County (118), and Huntingdon County (115). 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). Start of season:Hunters are finding large bears across Pennsylvania. Hunters certainly appreciate the opportunity Pennsylvania bear hunting represents. 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. The statewide regular bear season accounted for the largest. The Game Commission supports opening additional Sundays to hunting and welcomes the opportunity to work with this Committee to craft legislation giving full authority to the Board of Commissioners to offer additional Sunday hunting opportunities. Therefore, providing more weekend hunting opportunities is one of the best steps we can take to address the issue of declining hunter participation. She said it will create a better population model utilizing all the data that is available. Successful bear hunters are required to have their trophy checked by a Game Commission staff member. Hunters harvested 3,659 bears in 2021. Bears were taken in 59 of 67 counties and 22 of Pennsylvanias 23 Wildlife Management Units in the 2021 seasons. The last time the Game and Wildlife Code was updated was in 1987. That was the third time since 2005 that the harvest topped 4,000 animals. Please enable scripts and reload this page. The audit stated: The data shows that revenues per capita and revenues per licensee are not, at this time, placing an undue burden on huntersThat said, the Pennsylvania Game Commission has not received an increase in the price of a license since 1999. Hunters can go to thiswebsiteand click on the black bear harvest under the "quick links" section. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. "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. In all cases, hunters are encouraged to use a stick to prop open their bears mouth soon after harvest and before the jaw stiffens. We have a governing Board of Commissioners that sets policy, hire a workforce to implement that policy, create our budget and allocate resources where necessary, and generate revenue primarily through license sales and natural-resource development on lands owned by the Commission. 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. Hunters should also go into the woods with a plan for how to get a bear out if they harvest one. Site by Gray Loon. 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. Northcentral 1,220 (1,310): Lycoming, 212 (186); Potter, 180 (188); Tioga, 166 (185); Clinton, 156 (150); Centre, 118 (117); McKean, 107 (87); Clearfield, 94 (158); Elk, 80 (140); Cameron, 68 (61); and Union, 39 (38). The largest bear harvested last season, though, was a 722-pound male taken with a shotgun in the extended season in Letterkenny Township in Franklin County. Junior & Senior license holders, active-duty military and certain disabled persons' permit holders. It also includes the muzzleloader and special firearms seasons. 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). 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 Board of Commissioners increased the length of squirrel season, starting it almost a month earlier than in prior years, creating an opportunity for young and new hunters to take advantage of a season that is often the gateway to a lifetime in the outdoors. You can visit https://www.pgcapps.pa.gov/Harvest/Bear for data related to 2019-2020 black bear harvest totals, county locations, highest weights and top harvested counties. WMU. The extended bear season which last year for the first time allowed hunters to harvest bears throughout the opening weekend of deer season in some Wildlife Management Units (WMUs) contributed 1,128 animals to the harvest. We know lack of free time is often cited as the No. . The system will take in a lot of different information from the collared bears, harvest rates and hunter data. Potter County ranked second with 180, Pike County third with 167, Tioga County fourth with 166 and Clinton County fifth with 156. 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. NCPA Staff. Myths and Misconceptions about PA Black Bears - WITF Smart Talk radio interview with Game Commission Bear Biologist, 2019A February Bear Den Visit (2:20)Summer Bear Trapping (1:20)On the Trail of the Pennsylvania Black Bear; 1991 (1:41:48)Springtime Ecology of Pennsylvania Black Bears - a webinar (46:29)Living with Black Bears Urban bearsWhy is there a bear in my yard? This must not be more than 3 inches . And not just in one season, but several. Based on science and input from various content experts like Dr. Krysten Schuler from Cornell University and Dr. Bryan Richards from the United States Geological Survey National Wildlife Health Center, state agencies from Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Illinois, supporting partners like the Wildlife Futures Program and the National Deer Association, and months of public comment, the plan sets forth a clear path forward for minimizing the impact of this disease to our deer herd. 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