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• Game Commission Seeking Opinions On Black Bears
• WMUS 2A Sells Out Of Antlerless Deer Licenses

11/26/08 – HARRISBURG – Pennsylvania Game Commission officials today announced that hunters started the 2008 black bear season by taking a preliminary harvest of slightly more than 1,700 black bears in 50 counties.

Game Commission employees processed 1,725 bears at the agency’s check stations on the opening day of the three-day statewide bear season. The 2008 first-day preliminary harvest compares with 1,005 in 2007; 1,461 in 2006; 2,026 in 2005; 1,573 in 2004; 1,454 in 2003;1,348 2002; 1,812 in 2001; and 1,691 in 2000.

“The first day harvest is the third highest opening day harvest recorded for Pennsylvania,” said Mark Ternent, Game Commission bear biologist. “Weather cooperated, there was some snow on the ground and hunters appear to have had a fine day afield for the opener. Our season is off to a good start.”

The top 10 bears processed at check stations on Monday all had estimated live weights that exceeded 580 pounds. Ray E. Barrick, of McAlisterville, harvested the largest bear, which was a male that weighed in at 691 pounds (estimated live weight). The bear was taken in Todd Township, Huntingdon County, at 1 p.m.

Other large bears included: a 680-pound male taken by Brian R. Clark Jr., of Olanta, in Pike Township, Clearfield County, at 2:30 p.m.; a 651-pound male taken by Ryan M. Miller, of Pittston, in Bear Creek Township, Luzerne County, at 9:50 a.m.; a 650-pound male taken by Walter Rupnik, of Breinigsville, in Green Township, Pike County, at 9:30 a.m.; and 611-pound male taken by Matthew N. Shirk, of East Earl, in Union Township, Huntingdon County, at 10:30 a.m..

The preliminary first-day bear harvest by Wildlife Management Unit was as follows: WMU 1A, 14 (2 in 2007); WMU 1B, 40 (17); WMA 2A, 1 (1); WMU 2C, 145 (120); WMU 2D, 97 (44); WMU 2E, 63 (36); WMU 2F, 152 (134); WMU 2G, 363 (257); WMU 3A, 169 (88); WMU 3B, 186 (54); WMU 3C, 42 (18); WMU 3D, 123 (48); WMU 4A, 85 (53); WMU 4B, 20 (19); WMU 4C, 41 (22); WMU 4D, 174 (83); WMU 4E, 9 (9); and WMU 5C, 1 (0).

The top bear harvest county in the state after the first day of season was Potter with 152 (54 in 2007), followed by Lycoming, 135 (54); Tioga, 124 (63); McKean, 95 (38); and Clearfield and Huntingdon, both with 67.

County harvests by region for the opening day, followed by the opening day 2007 preliminary harvest in parentheses, are:

Northwest: Venango, 44 (14); Clarion, 36 (14); Warren, 34 (51); Jefferson, 33 (22); Forest, 31 (38); Crawford, 19 (1); Erie, 6 (1); Butler, 5 (5); and Mercer, 3 (0).

Southwest: Somerset, 64 (56); Armstrong, 37 (21); Indiana, 37 (16); Westmoreland, 30 (19); Fayette, 28 (35); Cambria, 20 (4); and Beaver, 2 (0).

Northcentral: Potter, 152 (54); Lycoming, 135 (54); Tioga, 124 (63); McKean, 95 (38); Clearfield, 67 (49); Clinton, 55 (78); Elk, 48 (38); Centre, 47 (27); Cameron, 26 (57); and Union, 22 (11).

Southcentral: Huntingdon, 67 (38); Bedford, 52 (29); Mifflin, 27 (7); Snyder, 17 (5); Blair, 11 (13); Juniata, 11 (9); Fulton, 8 (2); and Perry, 4 (4).

Northeast: Sullivan, 56 (12); Pike, 45 (22); Monroe, 37 (7); Bradford, 33 (16); Wayne, 32 (14); Luzerne, 30 (10); Lackawanna, 19 (5); Wyoming, 18 (2) Carbon, 14 (8); Susquehanna, 11 (7); Columbia, 6 (8); and Northumberland, 1 (2).

Southeast: Schuylkill, 18 (7); Dauphin, 5 (4); Northampton, 2 (2); and Berks, 1 (0).

The Pennsylvania Game Commission, in coming weeks, will use a telephone survey to measure the attitudes of Pennsylvanians on black bear population levels, their management and nuisance bear activity.

“This survey will help us measure the public’s level of knowledge about black bears,” said Calvin W. DuBrock, Bureau of Wildlife Management director.  “It is designed to identify demographic characteristics of people with varying knowledge levels, assess public opinion about current black bear populations within different areas of the state, quantify the types and frequency of human-bear conflicts within different areas of the state, measure public opinion about the service received from the Game Commission while responding to nuisance bear complaints and measure the support and/or opposition for various black bear hunting methods and seasons.”

Results from this survey, which will be conducted by Responsive Management, a polling firm headquartered in Harrisonburg, Virginia, will be vital for accomplishing several strategies outlined in the Game Commission’s Black Bear Management Plan.  The management plan can be viewed on the agency’s website (www.pgc.state.pa.us), click on “Hunting,” then select the photo of a bear and then choose “Bear Management Plan” under the “Research.”

“Pennsylvania residents from across the state will be selected randomly and asked to participate in this survey,” DuBrock said. “Calls will be made by interviewers from Responsive Management until sample quotas are reached.  Final results from this survey are expected by April.”

Black bears are an incredibly unique natural resource that has prospered in Pennsylvania over the past two decades. Historically, they were found largely across Pennsylvania’s mountainous northern tier.  Today, these highly adaptable animals are pushing south into more populated areas. In the process, they are being welcomed by some and creating a level of discomfort for others.

Black bears, which can attain weights well over 500 pounds, have a large home range and forage widely and seasonally for food. They are omnivorous, eating everything from fruit and crops to insects and carrion.  They can damage birdfeeders and eat livestock, as well as cause large-scale crop damage and threaten people with their very presence. Conversely, many residents enjoy watching bears. Others have no idea they’re living in close proximity to bears.

“Regardless of whether your experiences with or feelings about bears are positive or negative, the Pennsylvania Game Commission is interested in what you have to say,” emphasized DuBrock. “So if you get a call from the folks at Responsive Management, please take a few minutes to answer their questions. It will help us greatly.”

Responsive Management has a telephone interviewing facility staffed by professional interviewers with experience conducting computer-assisted telephone interviews on natural resources management and outdoor recreation. All interviewers are trained according to the standards established by the Council of American Survey Research Organizations. Responsive Management has extensive experience in the use of quantitative research on natural resource and outdoor recreation issues. They have conducted about 1,000 projects over the past 18 years.

As hunters prepare for the opening of the two-week firearms deer season, which will be held Dec. 1-13, Pennsylvania Game Commission officials announced today that Wildlife Management Unit (WMU) 2A has exhausted its entire antlerless deer license allocations today.

WMU 2A covers the southwestern corner of the state, and includes all of Greene County, and portions of Allegheny, Beaver, Fayette, Washington and Westmoreland counties.

Of the 849,000 antlerless licenses originally allocated, agency employees have distributed to county treasurers 827,938 applications.  Following are the only WMUs with remaining antlerless deer licenses as of today (along with the initial allocation for each WMU): WMU 2B, 20,132 (68,000); and WMU 5D, 930 (22,000).

For more updates on the availability of antlerless deer licenses by WMU, visit the Game Commission’s “Doe License Update” in the center of the agency’s homepage (www.pgc.state.pa.us).

Hunters are reminded that one of the biggest changes in deer season this year is the new five-day, antlered deer-only season in Wildlife Management Units (WMUs) 2D, 2G, 3C and 4B, which runs from Dec. 1-5.  It is followed immediately in these four WMUs by seven days of concurrent, antlered and antlerless deer hunting beginning Saturday, Dec. 6, and continuing Monday, Dec. 8, through Saturday, Dec.13.

The changes to these four WMUs will pave the way for the Game Commission to investigate the relationship between antlerless allocations and season length. These WMUs were chosen because: WMUs 2G and 4B have ongoing deer research in them; WMU 2D is an area where antler restrictions are set at four points on one side, and is where the agency previously had deer research conducted; and WMU 3C is an area where antler restrictions are set at three points on one side, and is a physiographic area of the state where no extensive deer research has been conducted so far.

The Game Commission will use a four-year study to determine the impact and effectiveness of the proposed five-day antlered/seven-day concurrent season before additional WMUs may be considered for this season configuration. It also will assess hunter satisfaction with the modified season structure in the four WMUs.

Hunters in all other WMUs will have the full two-week concurrent, antlered and antlerless season – Dec. 1-13 – which has been in place since 2001.