Pennsylvania’s black bear population may not be as large as it once was, but on a positive note, there are more opportunities than ever to try and take a bruin in the Keystone State, and that’s whether you enjoy hunting with bow, muzzleloader or firearm.
Just a few years ago, the state’s bruin population was estimated at close to 20,000 animals. Today, that number hovers around 15,000, according to the Pennsylvania Game Commission (PGC). One of the primary reasons is that anywhere from 3,000 to well over 4,000 bears have been taken annually by hunters for the past 15 years. In 2022, for example, 3,170 bears were harvested overall, with bruins taken in 58 of the state’s 67 counties.
According to PGC Wildlife Biologist and Black Bear Program Specialist Emily Carrollo, the northcentral and northeastern parts of the state still have the highest densities of bears in bear range.
“Several areas throughout the state have plenty of bears though, like the northwest, southwest and southcentral regions, and plenty of public lands to hunt,” she said.
Most years, the northcentral part of the state leads the way when it comes to the bear harvest. Last year, Tioga County gave up the most bears, 187, while Lycoming County was second with 152. However, the largest bruin, a 755-pounder, was taken in nearby Middle Smithfield Township in Monroe County Oct. 15 during the muzzleloader bruin season.
When it comes to bear hunting, the odds are never stacked in the hunter’s favor. Each year, the state sells more than 200,000 bear hunting licenses, yet only 1.5-2.5% of sportsmen end up tying their tag to a black bear. As with all types of big-game hunting, it’s important to get out and scout if you hope to up the odds of success.
This year, the foods bears prefer seem to be abundant, and the weather has been warmer, which mean bears may be up and active well through the fall.
“Overall, I would agree that fall mast has been good this year from what I’ve seen and also what I’ve heard from other PGC personnel who have been in the field,” Carrollo said. “Bears are most definitely taking advantage of this quality hard mast like acorns, and oak stands with good production would be good places to setup shop this fall if hunting for bear.”
One of the interesting things about bear hunting in Pennsylvania is how the harvest has shifted as the PGC has added in different seasons in recent the years. At one time, the state really only had a three-day firearms season right before Thanksgiving. Now, there is the statewide archery season, which runs Oct. 14-Nov. 4 this year; the statewide muzzleloader season, which takes place Oct. 14-21; and a special season for junior- and senior-license holders, as well as active-duty military personnel and persons with disabilities, that runs Oct. 19-21. Then, come November, the four-day statewide firearms season kicks in, running Nov. 18-21, including Sunday hunting on Nov. 19. Plus, several Wildlife Management Units (WMUs) have an extended bear season running during part of the firearms deer season.
Here in the Lehigh Valley, bruin hunting season actually began with the start of the early archery deer season Sept. 16 and will run pretty much straight through Dec. 9 when you factor in all the archery, muzzleloader and firearms hunting opportunities available.
As a result of all these changes in the bear seasons over the years, the bruin harvest is now fairly evenly distributed between the archery, muzzleloader and firearms seasons. Last year, for example, 744 bears were taken during archery seasons, 712 were killed during the muzzleloader/special firearms seasons in October and 1,051 fell during the regular firearms season. Another 663 bears were harvested during the extended firearms seasons.
Carrollo says the addition of the early seasons have not created any issues or challenges with managing the population, but they are certainly something the agency is monitoring because it wants to ensure the additional opportunities are sustainable.
“Black bears historically were overharvested in many places throughout most of the 1800s and 1900s, including Pennsylvania, but since those times we’ve learned a lot about wildlife management and how to create sustainable harvest seasons,” Carrollo said. “Pennsylvania has a uniquely strong black bear hunting culture though, and any new opportunities are always monitored carefully to avoid mistakes of the past.
“With that being said, I’ve always stated that if we need to make adjustments to the newly added/expanded seasons because we are concerned about the population that we would. Additionally, with two projects specifically looking at the effects of these new seasons completed or near completion, we should be able to incorporate any possible needed changes into next year’s season and bag recommendations that we provide to the (PGC) Board of Commissioners in January for approval.”
As far as changes to bear seasons this year, the biggest of note is that the extended season has been eliminated in WMUs 1B, 2C, 4A, 4B and 4D. In addition, Carrollo notes, the PGC has expanded the days official bear check stations are open, primarily during the archery and muzzleloader seasons. If check stations aren’t open on the day a person harvests a bruin, he or she must then contact the PGC to arrange to have the bruin checked by agency staff.
“These check stations, and the dates and times they are open, are in the Hunting and Trapping Digest for 2023-2024,” Carrollo said. “This allows hunters to check their bears more easily than previous years if they are lucky in the early seasons and harvest a bruin.”
