Volatile weather may have impacted the first-day bear harvest in the area.
That’s the assessment from Len Groshek, land management group supervisor for the Pennsylvania Game Commission (Elk, McKean counties).
A fewer-than-expected 41 bears were checked at the Mount Jewett firehall over the weekend.
The number was well below the 10-year average of 81 for first-day harvest at the station, according to Groshek.
Unusual weather the first day may have contributed to the low number, he said.
“When I arrived at the Mount Jewett firehall Saturday morning I was surprised to hear a lawnmower running in a neighborhood yard, and it was almost 60 degrees,” Groshek said.
“When we closed the check station at 9 p.m. I heard the check station crew scraping ice from their windshields, and it was around 30 degrees.
“Much of the afternoon was windy, cold and rainy, making for tough hunting conditions.”
The season continues today, Tuesday and Wednesday.
“Snow on the ground will certainly help hunters spot and track bear during the remainder of the season,” Groshek pointed out.
“There was an excellent acorn crop this fall and we expected a good bear harvest because of the abundance of this important food source. Bear tend to stay active longer when food is abundant and easy to get.”
The following is the county breakdown of bears checked at the station over the weekend: 21 from McKean, six from Cameron, 13 from Elk and one from Warren.
“With food plentiful across the county, the kill was also evenly distributed and there were no
bear harvest hot spots this year,” Groshek emphasized.
The largest numbers by area in McKean County included seven taken from Eldred Township and four in Keating Township.
There were 26 females and 15 males harvested. Three of the males were over 400 pounds with dressed weights of 404 pounds (Liberty Township) and 430 pounds and 440 pounds (both from Elk County).
There is no extended bear season in WMU 3A this year. Hunters should refer to their Hunting and Trapping Digest for more information.
For the remainder of the bear season, check stations in Mount Jewett and Coudersport
will be open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. today and Tuesday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday.
Hunters needing bears checked after these hours should contact the Pennsylvania Game Commission Northcentral Regional Office for instructions.
Pennsylvania’s eighth largest bear harvests all have occurred within the past decade. The 2015 harvest was the third-largest on record, with hunters taking 3,748 bears.
Bears were taken in 57 of the state’s 67 counties in 2015.
