Pennsylvania Game News - October 2021 - 6

if hunters want to hunt closer to home. "
Indeed, emerging bear hunting hotspots
are located on the fringes of the more traditional
bear range.
Carrollo pointed to the eastern half of
the Southwest Region and the western
half of the Southcentral Region - basically,
where the two come together - as a
place with growing bear numbers. Think
of places like Armstrong, Bedford, Blair,
Cambria, Fulton, Huntingdon, Indiana,
Somerset and Westmoreland counties.
" There are just some really good tracts
of public land there that hold bears, " she
said. " They might be a little more broken
up than public lands in other parts of the
state, but these are good places for people
to go if they do not want to make the trip
CHECKING HARVESTS
Hunters who harvest bears must have
their bears checked by the Game Commission.
During
the four-day statewide regular
firearms season, as well as the extended bear
season that overlaps a portion of the firearms
deer season, check stations operate during
regular hours at several locations, which can
be found on pages 37 (regular season) and 38
(extended season) of the 2021-22 Pennsylvania
Hunting & Trapping Digest.
Hunters harvesting bears during any
archery season or the October muzzleloader
and special firearms seasons must contact
the appropriate Game Commission region
office for instructions on how to have their
bears checked. Contact information for
region offices and lists of the counties they
serve can be found on page 3 of the digest.
It's acceptable to bring only a bear's
tagged head and hide to the check station.
Hunters who bring bears whole should field
dress them before having them checked. It's
also helpful to check-station staff if hunters
use a stick to prop open the bear's mouth
soon after harvest and before the jaw stiffens,
since a tooth is removed so the bear's age
can be known.
Remember to bring your hunting license
and bear license with you, as well.
6
up north. "
The eastern portion of the Northwest
Region, around Allegheny National
Forest, also is worth a try, she added.
FINDING BEARS
As for getting on bears, many hunters,
in the firearms season especially, team
up to put on organized drives. Others go
it alone from the ground or a tree stand.
They key, no matter the hunting method,
is to be where the bears are.
" The most important part of any hunt is
preparation, " Carrollo said. " Understanding
where bears are on the landscape via
the use of game trail cameras or early
scouting is very important to not only
solitary bear hunters, but bear hunters who
use groups or drives as well. "
Finding bears involves looking for the
usual signs, like scat and tracks. Large
rocks that have been flipped over - as
bears root for grubs and insects - and trees
marked by claws and teeth are giveaways
to bear activity, too.
Often, though, the best way to find
bears is to find what they're eating. That,
Carrollo said, can vary by season. Bears
have a " very expansive diet, " with acorns,
beechnuts and hickory nuts hugely important.
But so, too, can be fruits and farm
crops like corn. So scouting early and
often is important.
" All wildlife moves with the available
food, " Carrollo said. " Hard masts
become an important fall food resource
for all wildlife, including bears, with oaks,
beech, hickory, and apples drawing the
most attention. Finding those stand types
will give you a better chance to find a bear
on the landscape.
" And while some individual bears
will likely move on from an area you've
scouted really early, it is still important
to identify the various natural resources,
Pennsylvania Game News - October 2021

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