Pennsylvania’s archery bear season holds some real potential this fall.
Photo: PIxabay
Pennsylvania’s longest- and earliest-ever archery bear season is upon us.
What will it bring?
Not even the experts profess to know.
Some things are certain, though. And they all point to a potentially historic season.
For one thing, the statewide archery bear season that kicked off on Monday runs through Saturday. That’s six days, one more than ever before.
For another, the season falls within the archery deer season. That’s a first for the state, too.
Then there are the bears themselves. As recently as 2000, there were an estimated 15,000 living in the state, said Mark Ternent, the Pennsylvania Game Commission’s black bear biologist. That jumped to 18,000 in 2008 and stands at about 20,000 today.
Finally, there is the hunter pool. Archery deer hunter numbers have increased in recent years, so that there were more than 330,000 out last year, for example.
Add it all up and right now, more archers are likely spending more time chasing more bears sooner than ever before.
What will all that lead to in terms of harvest?
Ah, there’s the question. And, as of right now, the mystery.
Traditionally, the statewide archery bear season has led to a harvest of about 200 to 300 animals. Ternent expects that to climb to 700 to 900 this year.
But, he admitted, that’s only a guess.
“We do have room to increase the harvest across the state. And the archery season will certainly do that,” he said. “But in terms of how much, we don’t have a lot to go on.”
In the past, about 20 percent of all archery hunters purchased a bear license. Ternent expects that to climb. But how high, he can’t say.
“Even if that only increases by 5 percent, 5 percent of 300,000 is a big number,” he said.
Those are what might be called incidental bear hunters, deer hunters who will buy a license just in case they come across a bear.
“But I think there will also be some dedicated bear hunters, for sure,” Ternent added.
Where should any and all of those archery bear hunters spend their time?
Ternent suggested focusing on food sources. The animals will be heavily feeding in anticipation of winter.
“The bears will be into the acorn stands by then. And of course, apples are a big food in the fall, as any archery deer hunter can tell you,” he said.
The hope, he added, is that hunters will do well.
The need for more archery bear hunting
The growth in the state’s bear population has not been without problems.
“Habitat carrying capacity isn’t an issue, unlike what it is with deer and other species,” he said. “But the problem with conflicts is real. We certainly don’t want the population to go any higher.”
It’s climbed despite some big harvests.
Last year, for example, despite poor weather in the firearms season, hunters killed 3,529 bears across the fall. That’s the fifth-best harvest ever.
Only 2001 (4,350), 2005 (4,164), 2015 (3,748) and 2012 (3,632) gave up more.
