Pennsylvania Game Commission
bear check stations recorded a preliminary harvest of 2,553 bears during
the recently completed three-day season, and an additional 73 bears
during
the state's first-ever, two-day archery bear harvest.
The three-day season, held Nov. 20-22, preliminarily ranks as the
eighth highest statewide harvest. When adding the archery take, the
total
preliminary harvest of 2,626 moves up to seventh place. However, Mark
Ternent, Game Commission bear biologist, noted that with the extended
bear
season in certain Wildlife Management Units (WMUs) running from Nov. 27
through Dec. 2, the total preliminary harvest is likely to approach
3,000,
which would put this year's combined bear harvest in line with the
previous
five years' harvests.
"While this year's bear harvest, so far, pales in comparison to last
year's season, hunters still are on course to register an impressive
harvest," Ternent said. "So far, this looks to be a typical season for
bear
hunters."
Last year, hunters set a record harvest of 3,331 bears during the
three- day season and, by the end of the extended season, had pushed the
record to 4,164. The combination of record license sales, high bear
population estimates, abundant fall foods and favorable weather
conditions
aided in reaching that mark. Preliminary total bear harvest figures -
two-day archery, three-day statewide and six-day extended - are expected
by
Dec. 6, but official total bear harvest figures for all three seasons
won't
be available until early 2007.
A printing error in the 2006-2007 Pennsylvania Hunting and Trapping
Digest incorrectly lists on a detachable pull-out card found between
pages
28 and 29 that the extended bear season (Nov. 27-Dec. 2) is open in WMU
4C.
The extended bear season is not open in WMU 4C.
Bear licenses had to have been purchased prior to the start of the
two-
week rifle deer season on Nov. 27.
The top ten bears processed at check stations for the three-day bear
season all had estimated live weights that exceeded 600 pounds. The
largest
was a 693-pound male taken by John D. Eppinette of Adamstown, in West
Branch Township, Potter County, at 3:30 p.m. on Nov. 20.
Other large bears taken during the three-day season were: a
677-pound
male taken by Donald L. Stear of Sagamore, in South Mahoning Township,
Indiana County, at 7:15 a.m. on Nov. 20; a 661-pound male taken by
Samuel
I. Fisher of Loysville, in Southwest Madison Township, Perry County, at
8:49 a.m. on Nov. 20; a 649-pound male taken by Leon L. Bonczewski of
Glen
Lyon, in Newport Township, Luzerne County, at 9:30 a.m. on Nov. 20; a
622-pound male taken by Rick A. Warfel of Lancaster, in Cummings
Township,
Lycoming County, at 8 a.m. on Nov. 20; a 621-pound male by Steven J.
Craig
of Montgomery, in Shrewsbury Township, Lycoming County, at 9:30 a.m. on
Nov. 20; a 621-pound male taken by Jonathan E. Kio of Ulysses, in
Allegany
Township, Potter County, at 3:15 p.m. on Nov. 20; a 607-pound male taken
by
Terry S. Brungart Jr. of Rebersburg, in Greene Township, Clinton County,
at
9:15 a.m. on Nov. 20; a 604-pound male taken by J.E. Allgyer of Kinzers,
in
Burnside Township, Centre County, at 7:12 a.m. on Nov. 20; and a
601-pound
male taken by Andrew M. Miller of Mill Hall, in Greene Township, Clinton
County, at 7:10 a.m. on Nov. 20.
The preliminary three-day bear harvest by Wildlife Management Unit
was
as follows: WMU 1A, 12 (9 in 2005); WMU 1B, 37 (37); WMU 2C, 253 (308);
WMU
2D, 98 (127); WMU 2E, 97 (114); WMU 2F, 203 (258); WMU 2G, 680 (900);
WMU
3A, 225 (284); WMU 3B, 208 (288); WMU 3C, 90 (115); WMU 3D, 120 (237);
WMU
4A, 114 (147); WMU 4B, 32 (41); WMU 4C, 69 (104); WMU 4D, 281 (297); and
WMU 4E, 34 (60).
The top five bear harvest counties in the state's three-day season
continue to hail from the Northcentral Region. The leading county was
Clinton with 213, followed by Lycoming, 196; Potter, 180; Tioga, 142;
and
Clearfield, 130.
County harvests by region for the three-day season, followed by the
three- day 2005 preliminary harvests in parentheses, are:
Northwest: Warren, 78 (78); Forest, 46 (67); Venango, 42 (38);
Clarion,
36 (30); Jefferson, 28 (62); Butler, 10 (10); Crawford, 5 (10); Erie, 2
(0); and Mercer, 2 (4).
Southwest: Somerset, 122 (108); Fayette, 59 (73); Indiana, 46 (65);
Armstrong, 31 (33); Westmoreland, 22 (44); and Cambria, 13 (30).
Northcentral: Clinton, 213 (227); Lycoming, 196 (238); Potter 180
(211); Tioga, 142 (217); Clearfield, 130 (157); McKean, 129 (146);
Centre,
92 (138); Elk, 83 (109); Cameron, 67 (170); and Union, 40 (33).
Southcentral: Huntingdon, 95 (127); Bedford, 72 (94); Mifflin, 42
(29);
Blair, 36 (44); Fulton, 16 (21); Snyder, 15 (11); Juniata, 14 (11);
Perry,
8 (7); Franklin, 4 (6); and Cumberland, 1 (0).
Northeast: Sullivan, 67 (80); Wayne, 56 (74); Pike, 48 (94);
Luzerne,
46 (75); Susquehanna, 38 (53); Bradford, 33 (55); Monroe, 30 (69);
Wyoming,
24 (24); Carbon, 21 (50); Columbia, 17 (36); Lackawanna, 13 (18); and
Northumberland, 4 (2).
Southeast: Schuylkill, 14 (28); Dauphin, 13 (14); Lebanon, 8 (4);
and
Berks, 4 (4).
The largest bear harvested during the two-day archery season was a
458-
pound male taken by Christian Landis of Lancaster, in Cogan House,
Lycoming
County, at 8:25 a.m. on Nov. 15. Other large bears included: a 457-pound
male taken by Michael Rapsky of Cairnbrook, in Shade Township, Somerset
County, at 4 p.m. on Nov. 16; and a 407-pound male taken by Shane Emel
of
Mill Hall, in Bald Eagle Township, Clinton County, at 4:30 p.m. on Nov.
15.
The two-day archery season harvest by WMU was: WMU 2C, 9; WMU 2D, 3;
WMU 2E, 2; WMU 2F, 2; WMU 2G, 32; WMU 3A, 8; WMU 4A, 2; and WMU 4D, 15.
County harvests for the two-day archery season by region was:
Northwest: Butler, 2; Venango, 1; and Warren, 1.
Southwest: Indiana, 4; Fayette, 3; Cambria, 1; and Somerset, 1.
Northcentral: Clinton, 12; Centre, 8; Potter, 7; McKean, 5; Tioga,
5;
Clearfield, 4; Elk, 3; Lycoming, 3; Union, 3; and Cameron, 1.
Southcentral: Huntingdon, 4; Blair, 2; Mifflin, 2; and Fulton, 1.
Created in 1895 as an independent state agency, the Game Commission
is
responsible for conserving and managing all wild birds and mammals in
the
Commonwealth, establishing hunting seasons and bag limits, enforcing
hunting and trapping laws, and managing habitat on the 1.4 million acres
of
State Game Lands it has purchased over the years with hunting and
furtaking
license dollars to safeguard wildlife habitat. The agency also conducts
numerous wildlife conservation programs for schools, civic organizations
and sportsmen's clubs.
The Game Commission does not receive any general state taxpayer
dollars
for its annual operating budget. The agency is funded by license sales
revenues; the state's share of the federal Pittman-Robertson program,
which
is an excise tax collected through the sale of sporting arms and
ammunition; and monies from the sale of oil, gas, coal, timber and
minerals
derived from State Game Lands.

I found this article about another Borough considering a teen smoking ban after Emporium's model. Click Here to Read it.

Ken Maurer
With the river being out of sorts, it didn't bother me too much to head for the north country and take the gun for a walk. Serious bear hunters gather in groups and drive large parcels of real estate to successfully hunt bears. I usually just wander about in the boonies, more looking for deer than anything, but you never know when you will see a bear.
This year, I accompanied my cousins to a camp in Cameron County. I was looking forward to retracing some of the steps I took deer hunting there in the 70s and 80s. The wilds of Cameron County are both beautiful and desolate. Read the Complete Story Here.

Sportsmen will not have to supply their Social Security numbers in order
to obtain future hunting and fishing licenses under a new law supported
by Rep. Martin Causer (R-Turtlepoint).
 
"This is an important step that will help protect our sportsmen
from identity theft," Causer said. "Identity thieves are getting more
and more creative in their methods for stealing people's money and
destroying their credit - the last thing we want to do is make it easier
for them."
 
Pennsylvania had been collecting Social Security numbers on
various state forms, including hunting and fishing license applications,
because of a federal welfare reform law that was aimed at identifying
parents who were not living up to their child support obligations.
 
The new legislation, signed into law by the governor Thursday,
allows sportsmen to instead supply their driver's license number, or a
non-driver identification number supplied by the Pennsylvania Department
of Transportation, on such applications.
 
"This law should keep us in compliance with federal welfare laws
but without putting the identities of our sportsmen and women at risk,"
Causer said.
 
A companion bill that authorizes PennDOT to provide non-driver
identification cards to children age 10 and older was also signed into
law. That will ensure young people, who are unlikely to have any child
support obligations, aren't forced to list highly sensitive information
like their Social Security numbers.
 
Causer said people applying for driver licenses or for
non-driver photo identification will still have to provide their Social
Security numbers.