Posted on 02/01/2022 6:21:26 AM PST by FLNittany
The largest bear reported was a 722-pound male taken with a shotgun in the extended season, on Dec. 4, in Letterkenny Township in Franklin County, by Wade Glessner, of Shippensburg.
The heaviest bear ever taken in Pennsylvania was an 875-pounder harvested in 2010 in Middle Smithfield Township, Pike County.
Bears were taken in 59 of 67 counties and 22 of Pennsylvania’s 23 Wildlife Management Units in the 2021 seasons.
Lycoming County gave up 212 bears to rank first among counties for bear harvest. Potter County ranked second with 180, Pike County third with 167, Tioga County fourth with 166 and Clinton County fifth with 156. Rounding out the top 10 were Bradford County (136), Sullivan County (127), Wayne County (120), Centre County (118), and Huntingdon County (115).
The regular bear season accounted for the largest part of the harvest, with hunters taking 1,315 bears in that four-day hunt.
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, contributed 1,128 animals to the harvest.
The archery bear season added another 680 bears.
The muzzleloader/special firearms bear season harvest was 536.
"That Pennsylvania continues to produce so many bears across so many seasons, year after year, speaks to the health of the state's bear population," said Emily Carrollo, the Game Commission's black bear biologist. "Pennsylvania has a long history of supporting a lot of black bears, many of truly impressive size, across most of the state ... Best of all, the future continues to look bright for this resource, too."
There were 215,219 people who bought bear licenses in 2021. That was down slightly from 220,471 in 2020, but still the second-highest number of bear licenses ever sold in any one year.
"Pennsylvania has been a popular bear hunting destination for years, and I don’t expect that to change anytime soon," Carrollo said.
Big Bruin. :O
How do you drag a 700 pound bear to your truck? Could be a distance.
“How do you drag a 700 pound bear to your truck?”
You use a chainsaw to cut a trial so you can bring in your tractor, or you quarter it where it dropped and haul pieces out in separate trips.
My buddy and I tried to drag a 360 pound boar out of the woods. We were only able to drag it 10’ then we got a tractor as described above.
You gut it and drop several hundred pounds to start with. Then You find out who your real friends are when they come out to help you or they don’t.
Or get a Dog Sled Team and roll the Bear on it’s back, hitch up and start mushing.
Wow....that’s huge for a black bear.
I think I saw that on Real Hunters of Western Pennsyltucky.
We have a monster living on the ridge above our house. He’s at least 600 pounds, probably more. We’ve seen him several times on our trail cams. I’ve asked a guy I let hunt up there to leave him be. That bear’s an old soul.
Suburban tract housing now exists on what was once farmland Not long ago a bear broke into the kitchen of one of these homes and had dinner. A neighbor related a story that he grew up in the area when farms were still there. Bears would come to eat crops or fruit from commercial trees. The farmers would just shoot them and feed whatever meat they didn’t use to their pigs. The bear population has increased greatly since the farmers left and the government protects the well being of bears more than children.
Here in Florida we are up to our ears in black bears!...................
A friend will help you move.
A true friend will help you move a body..................
“A true friend will help you move a body..................”
And several friends will help you move a BIG body.
Chinook.
I live about halfway between Panama City and Pensacola on that map.
We see black bears fairly often, even where I work in the Industrial Park. I have seen some BIG ones!.........................
“Smallest boy just juggled the bears....”
True story: fishing in Allegheny National Forest, mama bear and two cubs wander in to a busy campground and start pillaging for food, ranger shakes his head, walks over to the mama bear, hauls off and kicks it in the butt. Mama bear runs for the woods screaming bloody murder. Cubs look at each other, hang their heads with embarrassment and wonder off after their mama.
I remembered that quote from an old “Click and Clack, the Tappet Brothers” automotive talk show. I miss those guys.................................
We actually see them out west in Palm Beach County here as well. Like Lycoming County in PA, PBC is the largest county (area wise) in the state, so it stands to reason.
UTV/ATV six healthy 20 yoa’s, otter sled, winch.
I been in on getting several 500 pounders out.
The easiest I drove my tractor right up to it.
The hardest 6 guys, boat, ATV, then truck.
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