Archers hunting: ‘Bonus rounds’
Although Pennsylvania’s statewide regular archery season on whitetail deer closed this past Sat - urday, you might say t hat bowhunters in our neck of Pennsylvania ( Wildlife Management Units 5C and 5D as well as 2B in western PA) are now in the “bonus rounds.”
Archers hunting in those WMUs are still permitted to fill their buck or doe tags for another two weeks of bowhunting through Nov. 28. On the other hand, bowhunters throughout the state can now sling those arrows at even bigger game because archery season on black bears opened Monday.
And there should be no shortage of brawny targets for hunters who head out to the animal’s traditional habitat range where a sizable blackbear population awaits. And after the five-day archery season for the bruins ends on Nov. 20, properly licensed hunters who still are in pursuit of a bear can participate in the four- day general season that opens Saturday, and then runs from Monday, Nov. 23 to Wednes- day, Nov. 25. Extended opportunities to hunt bears during all or a portion of the deer hunting seasons also exist in much of the state.
The commonwealth’s bear populations continue to boom. The 2014 statewide harvest of 3,366 bears represents the seventh-largest in state history, and maintains a string of recent bear seasons taking their place in the record books. Bears were taken in 56 of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties in 2014.
Mark Ternent, the Pennsylvania Game Commission’s bear biologist, said many of the elements required for another exceptional bear harvest in 2015 are in place. Statewide blackbear populations remain stable at record levels with an estimated 18,000 bears residing in the Keystone State. Hunter participation also is expected to be high. Last year, a record number of hunters purchased bear licenses, and upwards of 175,000 hunters are likely to be licensed again this year.
Nine of Pennsylvania’s largest black bear harvests have occurred in the past ten years. In fact, since 2005, more than 34,000 bears have been taken by hunters here. New this year, bear licenses can now be purchased at any time before the last season closes, replacing the previous requirement that bear licenses had to be purchased before opening day of the statewide general or extended seasons.
Ternent said that increased hunter participation typically leads to larger harvests and, in some cases, better hunter success.
If you’re heading out to bear country this week, knowing what food is on the bear’s menus is a key to success. “Abundant acorn crops typically lead to better hunter success,” Ternent said. “When food is plentiful in the fall, bears tend to stay more active during hunting seasons, rather than entering their dens early. They also tend to be more predictable and travel less, which means that bears discovered during preseason scouting typically still can be found in the same area come hunting season.
“Preliminary results from ongoing fall-foods surveys suggest that acorn crops are average or better in much of the bear range this year, although conditions are spotty,” Ternent said. “In many areas, fall apple crops and late summer berry crops also were excellent. However, scouting prospective areas before hunting season to assess food availability is really the best advice.”
Game Commission Executive Director R. Matthew Hough said perhaps no other hunting season in Pennsylvania is as rich with tradition as the annual statewide bear season. Hough said the fact that a record number of bear licenses likely will be sold this year reinforces that point, and shows it’s no longer a secret that Pennsylvania provides some of the best bear-hunting opportunities out there. “The pieces are all in place for yet another banner year of bear hunting in Pennsylvania,” Hough said. “Only time will tell if a record number of hunters will bring about a record harvest.
Ternent agrees that some very large bears roam Pennsylvania. In fact, the number of hefty bears taken during 2014 is one of the things that made that seventh-highest harvest year stand out. There were 41 bears that weighed 500 pounds or more in the 2014 harvest. Three reached more than 600 pounds. The largest, a 677-pounder, was taken by James M. Hultberg, of Pittsfield, in Warren County during the bear archery season. The bear is not listed yet in Pennsylvania’s Big Game Records book.
Bob D’Angelo, who coordinates the state’s Big Game Records program, said 22 bears (two taken with archery gear) were added to the state record book in 2015. Sixteen also qualified for the Boone and Crockett Club record book, he said. The largest, taken in Potter County in 2013, ties for 28th place all-time in the firearms category, with a skull measurement of 223/16 inches.
To suppress conf licts that might arise from bear populations expanding into more inhabited parts of the state, an extended bear season exists in a handful of Wildlife Management Units. In WMUs 2B, 5B, 5C and 5D, bear season is open concurrent to the archery, early muzzleloader and firearms deer seasons. And hunters in other WMUs also have a limited opportunity to harvest a bear during portions of the upcoming firearms deer season. Those areas include WMUs 3A, 3B, 3C and 3D ( Nov. 30 through Dec. 5), and WMUs 2C, 4B, 4C, 4D, and 4E (Dec. 2 through Dec. 5).