Venango County Harvests 46 Bears, Forest 35 in Two-Day Preliminary Results

Joanne Bauer

Joanne Bauer

Published November 26, 2014 5:10 am
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Hunters harvested 417 bears during the second day of Pennsylvania’s statewide bear season, increasing the total harvest to 2,040 over the season’s first two days, according to preliminary totals released Tuesday by the Pennsylvania Game Commission.

Archery and other early bear season harvest data still is being entered into the Game Commission’s database, and is not available at this time.

Bears have been harvested in 53 counties during the statewide season so far.

The top 10 bears processed at check stations by Tuesday were either estimated or confirmed to have live weights of 552 pounds or more.

The largest of those bears – a male estimated at 677 pounds – was taken in Pittsfield Township, Warren County by James M. Hultberg, of Pittsfield, Pa.

Other large bears include: a 623-pound male taken in West Buffalo Township, Union County by Fred F. Stoltzfus, of Lewisburg, Pa.; a 598-pound male taken in Muddy Creek Township, Butler County by Jeffrey L. McClymonds of Slippery Rock, Pa.; a 574-pound male taken in Tyrone Township, Blair County, by Ray E. Golden, of Tyrone, Pa.; a 560-pound male taken in Black Township, Somerset County, by Derek J. Wheeler, of Uniontown; a 559-pound male taken in Delmar Township, Tioga County by K.L. Sarangoulis, of Reading, Pa.; a 558-pound male taken in West Branch Township, Potter County, by Colton P. Group, of Landisburg, Pa.; a 557-pound male taken in Portage Township, Cambria County, by Brett A. Robine, of Irwin, Pa.; a 553-pound male taken in Decatur Township, Clearfield County, by Quentin C. McClarren, of West Decatur, Pa.; and a 552-pound male taken in Bradys Bend Township, Armstrong County, by Travis J. Crawford, of Kittanning, Pa.

The 2014 two-day preliminary harvest is just four bears shy of the 2,044 bears taken during the first two days of the 2013 statewide season, when the overall harvest was 3,510 bears – the fifth-largest harvest in state history. The two-day total was 2,086 bears in 2012, when the season total was 3,632 – the third-largest harvest on record.

The largest harvest – 4,350 bears – happened in 2011, when the preliminary two-day total numbered 2,709.

The preliminary two-day bear harvest by Wildlife Management Unit was as follows: WMU 1A, 8; WMU 1B, 65; WMU 2C, 193 ; WMU 2D, 96; WMU 2E, 35; WMU 2F, 209 ; WMU 2G, 480; WMU 2H, 55; WMU 3A, 127; WMU 3B, 167; WMU 3C, 58; WMU 3D, 142; WMU 4A, 81; WMU 4B, 80; WMU 4C, 53; WMU 4D, 162; WMU 4E, 25; WMU 5A, 3; and WMU 5C, 1.

The top bear harvest county in the state on the first day of season was Lycoming County, with 183.

Two-day day harvests by county and region are:

Northwest (292): Warren, 79; Venango, 46; Clarion, 43; Jefferson, 42; Forest, 35; Crawford, 20; Erie, 13; Butler, 11; and Mercer, 3.

Southwest (202): Fayette, 73; Somerset, 69; Armstrong, 21; Westmoreland, 18; Cambria, 10; and Indiana, 11.

Northcentral (910): Lycoming, 183; Tioga, 158; Clinton, 124; Potter, 92; Centre, 73; McKean, 72; Cameron, 65; Elk, 63; Clearfield, 54; and Union, 26.

Southcentral (250): Huntingdon, 57; Bedford, 51; Perry, 33; Mifflin, 28; Blair, 27; Fulton, 20; Juniata, 13; Snyder, 9; Franklin, 9; and Cumberland, 3.

Northeast (345): Pike, 67; Bradford, 44; Sullivan, 42; Luzerne, 40; Monroe, 33; Susquehanna, 27; Wayne, 26; Carbon, 24; Wyoming, 22; Lackawanna, 11; Columbia, 7; and Northumberland, 2.

Southeast (41): Schuylkill, 22; Dauphin, 13; Berks, 3; Lebanon, 1; Lehigh, 1; and Northampton, 1.

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