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.

Star-Gazette
Kevin Alan Butler, 19, and Rhonda M. Butler, 45, both of Railroad Avenue in Roulette, Pa., have been charged in a rape case involving a 15-year-old girl. Read the Complete Story in the Star Gazette.

101 bears were checked in at the Mount Jewett Bear Station on opening day this week.

79 of them were from McKean County, seven were from Potter County, five from Cameron, and one from Warren.

Rumors have been reported of a 690 pound bear harvested in Potter County, but that number has not yet been confirmed.

A Committee evaluating the Homestead Act and it's applicability to school taxes in Oswayo Valley has set meetings on November 29 and December 6.

Residents are encouraged to attend and take a look at the payment of school taxes.

A Federal Judge ruled that former Adelphia Communications Executive Michael Mulcahey cannoy serve as an officer again within the company.

Mulcahey was acquitted of any fraud charges, but the Securities and Exchange Commission has applied the sancions against Mulcahey.

They say that while Mulcahey was not the "architect" of the fraud, he has "egregiously violated numerous securities laws."

State Police say 55 year old Margaret Shaffer of Coudersport was not injured in a crash last week on Route 449.

Shaffer was traveling too fast for conditions on Route 449 in Gold when she went over a bank and landed her car on it's roof.

Traffic charges are pending.

Purdue Farms sent a donation this year to Potter County Human Services that helped the Area Agency on Aging give a gift to purchase gift certificates for Potter County's elderly.

Fifty Senior citizens recieved 50 dollar gift certificates for grocery stores in Galeton, Ulysses, Genesee, Shinglehouse and Coudersport to help pay for their holiday meal.

Lyman Run Road has been closed for months while Lyman Run State Park is under consntruction.

Officials say the road was reopened from Billy Lewis Road to Lyman Run State Park.

Part of the road is still closed, because of the heavy equipment traffic, but the Lyman Run Dam Project is making headway.

State Troopers say 78 year old Sabinsville man William McMahon swerved to miss a pair of PennDOT workers on Route 6 in Pike Township, when he lost control and hit the PennDOT Truck. The incident occured a couple weeks ago.

McMahon was reportedly injured in the accident, and his truck was rendered inoperable.

The PennDOT truck was also seriously damaged.

Dear ABC News

After watching your piece on Crisis Pregnancy Care Centers, I have to
express my opinion. I am a journalist, and I wanted to throw the tv
across the room after watching such horrible and irresponsibly
reporting.

Every sentence of that segment was dripping with bias.

You did not give the Pregnancy care centers a reasonable chance to
explain themselves, you obviously took out what you wanted to use from
your interview footage to make them look dishonest and deceptive.

The placement and the flow of the story resulted in a similar air, and
to the millions of uninformed Americans that you have already
brainwashed into thinking your journalism is not slanted, the story
succeeded in vilifying good people who want to help people.

The children that "THEY" call a gift from God? I have four of them...
And I am angered and frustrated at your biased reporting. You have a
responsibility to inform, not influence.

The News Revolution is here, and you will see that this kind of
reporting will sink you and destroy your empire, if it doesn't destroy
our country first.

State Police say that someone stole a rifle last month from the home of
Linda Turner.

The .35 caliber Remington has been missing from the collection of a
deceased family member.

Police say that Turner has been receiving harassing phone calls
recently, and they think the missing gun and the calls could be linked.

Kevin Spink of Coudersport is facing charges of identity theft after
allegedly giving another name and birthday to Police officers after a
traffic stop in Port Allegany.

State Troopers released a report about a stolen computer from the PA
Pellet Factory in Ulysses Monday.

The owners valued the computer at 800 dollars.

Ruchita Patel of Paramus New Jersey was driving on Route 44 in Potter
County when she lost control Thursday. According to State Troopers.
Patel lost control on a snow covered Sharon Township Roadway. She was
wearing her seatbelt and was not injured.

State Police say it might have been snow that caused a 17 year old to
lose control and wreck on Route 4006 Saturday Morning.

The vehicle crossed both lanes and struck a tree. No Charges were filed.