Pennsylvania Game News - October 2022 - 10

SEASONS AHEAD & BEHIND
This fall's bear seasons kick off with archery
hunting in WMUs 2B, 5C and 5D from Sept. 17
through Nov. 25.
That includes two Sundays, Nov. 13 and
Nov. 20.
Archery hunting is permitted in WMU 5B from
Oct. 1 through Nov. 18, including Sunday, Nov. 13.
Archers can pursue bears in all other WMUs
from Oct. 15 through Nov. 5.
The statewide muzzleloader bear season,
meanwhile, runs from Oct. 15-22, with the
special firearms season for juniors, seniors and
some other hunters, such as those on active-duty
military service, going from Oct. 20-22.
The general statewide bear season runs from
Nov. 19-22, including Sunday, Nov. 20.
Extended bear hunting is permitted in WMUs
1B, 2C, 3A, 3B, 3C, 3D, 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D, 4E and 5A
from Nov. 26 to Dec. 3, including Sunday, Nov.
27. It's permitted in WMUs 2B, 5B, 5C and 5D
from Nov. 26 through Dec. 10, again including
Sunday, Nov. 27.
Hunters can take one bear per season with
the proper license.
Here's where hunters got bears last year,
broken down by county and WMU, with 2020
harvest figures in parentheses for comparison.
Northwest - 451 (475): Warren, 87 (86);
Venango, 81 (84); Jefferson, 72 (76); Clarion, 60
(59); Forest, 44 (61); Butler, 43 (42); Crawford, 38
(43); Erie, 13 (18); and Mercer, 8 (4).
Southwest - 247 (260): Armstrong, 58 (56);
Somerset, 58 (70); Fayette, 49 (43); Westmore " Later
in the season, bears are looking
for any place that has hard masts like
acorns or beechnuts. They make up a
large portion of their diet during the fall.
Hunters that scout before these seasons
to find stands of oaks or beech trees that
have quality crop production will have a
better chance of encountering a bear later
in the fall. "
It pays to be flexible, though.
A hungry bear can take in a lot of territory.
Carrollo said a male bear's home
range is around 20 square miles, while a
10
land, 41 (32); Cambria, 19 (24); Indiana, 12 (30);
Allegheny, 7 (3); and Greene, 3 (2).
Northcentral - 1,220 (1,310): Lycoming, 212
(186); Potter, 180 (188); Tioga, 166 (185); Clinton,
156 (150); Centre, 118 (117); McKean, 107 (87);
Clearfield, 94 (158); Elk, 80 (140); Cameron, 68
(61); and Union, 39 (38).
Southcentral - 464 (419): Huntingdon, 115
(91); Bedford, 82 (82); Mifflin, 55 (30); Fulton, 47
(51); Perry, 42 (36); Blair, 39 (29); Juniata, 36 (35);
Franklin, 17 (31); Snyder, 12 (20); Adams, 10 (7);
Cumberland, 8 (6); and York, 1 (0).
Northeast - 1,121 (988): Pike, 167 (105);
Bradford, 136 (108); Sullivan, 127 (71); Wayne,
120 (100); Luzerne, 111 (125); Carbon, 103 (97);
Monroe, 95 (152); Susquehanna, 77 (54); Wyoming,
66 (42); Lackawanna, 62 (56); Columbia,
36 (53); Northumberland, 16 (22); and Montour,
5 (3).
Southeast - 156 (169): Schuylkill, 61 (78);
Dauphin, 54 (37); Northampton, 13 (23); Berks, 12
(15); Lebanon, 8 (9); Lehigh, 6 (7); and Bucks, 2 (0).
The final bear harvests by Wildlife Management
Unit were: WMU 1A, 26 (22); WMU 1B, 96
(121); WMU 2A, 5 (9); WMU 2B, 10 (6); WMU 2C,
192 (176); WMU 2D, 206 (191); WMU 2E, 45 (75);
WMU 2F, 245 (277); WMU 2G, 519 (628); WMU
2H, 90 (141); WMU 3A, 238 (199); WMU 3B, 403
(273); WMU 3C, 218 (170); WMU 3D, 426 (409);
WMU 4A, 173 (177); WMU 4B, 121 (113); WMU
4C, 224 (228); WMU 4D, 300 (236); WMU 4E, 97
(135); WMU 5A, 14 (13); WMU 5B, 1 (0); and
WMU 5C, 10 (22).
female's is around 6 to 8 square miles.
They will use all of it, too. Bears " have a
great memory " and know where they've
found food, water and other resources
within their range in the past. They return
to those spots time after time, Carrollo
said.
But if something changes - maybe a
food source dries up, such as when there's
a poor mast crop - bears move. Hunters
need to be ready to do the same.
" If you see bears in an area where
there's some sort of food source, it can
Pennsylvania Game News - October 2022

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