Harvest includes a more than 700-pound bear taken in Blair County.
The first day of Pennsylvania’s statewide bear season resulted in a harvest of 1,508 black bears, according to preliminary totals released Monday 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 Monday were either estimated or confirmed to have live weights of 592 pounds or more.
The largest of those bears – a male estimated at 713 pounds – was taken in Blair Township, Blair County, by Richard A. Watt, of Gallitizen, Pa. He took it a 7:10 a.m. on Nov. 21, the season’s opening day.
Other large bears taken in the season’s opening day include: a 685-pound male taken in Letterkenny Township, Franklin County, by Dustin J. Foust, of Orrstown, Pa.; a 649-pound male taken in Limestone Township, Warren County, by Matthew B. Stanga, of Tarentum, Pa.; a 648-pound male taken in Brush Creek Township, Fulton County, by Andrew D. Fischer, of Crystal Spring, Pa.; a 640-pound male taken in Weatherly Township, Carbon County, by Kenneth J. Mehlig, of Weatherly; a 618-pound male taken in Blooming Grove Township, Pike County, by Brad D. Losito, Hamburg, Pa.; a 617-pound male taken in Henry Clay Township, Fayette County, by Glenn P. Pyeritz, of Markleysburg; a 614-pound male taken in Logan Township, Huntingdon County, by Glenn L. Hannah, of Warriors Mark; a 592-pound male taken in Packer Township, Carbon County, by Michael J. Ulinitz, of Barnesville; and a 592-pound male taken in Dunbar Township, Fayette County, by Jason K. Burns, of New Alexandria.
The 2015 first-day preliminary harvest is a decrease compared to 1,623 bears taken during the 2014 opener. Hunters in 2014 harvested a total of 3,366 – the seventh-largest harvest in state history. The largest harvest – 4,350 bears – happened in 2011, when preliminary first-day totals numbered 1,936.
Other first-day harvest totals were 1,320 in 2013; 1,751 in 2010; 1,897 in 2009; 1,725 in 2008; 1,005 in 2007; 1,461 in 2007; 1,461 in 2006; and 2,026 in 2005.
The preliminary first-day bear harvest by Wildlife Management Unit was as follows: WMU 1A, 10 (6 in 2014); WMU 1B, 35 (54); WMU 2B, 2 (0); WMU 2C, 133 (162); WMU 2D, 99 (84); WMU 2E, 20 (21);WMU 2F, 208 (171); WMU 2G, 275 (365); WMU 2H, 31 (49); WMU 3A, 27 (101); WMU 3B, 133 (133);WMU 3C, 41 (44); WMU 3D, 160 (105); WMU 4A, 76 (66); WMU 4B, 60 (67); WMU 4C, 46 (44); WMU 4D, 130 (132); WMU 4E, 17 (15); WMU 5A, 0 (3); and WMU 5C, 0 (1).
The top bear hunting county in the state on the first day of the season was Lycoming County, with 149.
Opening-day harvests by county and region are:
Northwest (277): Warren, 70 (69); Forest, 55 (32); Venango, 45 (42); Clarion, 41
(35); Jefferson, 40 (30); Butler, 10 (11); Crawford, 9 (15); Mercer, 5 (3); and Erie, 2 (11).
Southwest (144): Somerset, 45 (61); Fayette, 39 (62); Armstrong, 20 (21); Cambria, 14 (7); Indiana, 14 (5); Westmoreland, 11 (15); and Allegheny, 1 (0).
Northcentral (531): Lycoming, 149 (143); Clinton, 131 (91); McKean, 55 (60); Centre, 48 (60); Clearfield, 40 (36); Elk, 31 (46); Potter, 30 (64); Cameron, 19 (54); Union, 15 (24); and Tioga, 13 (130).
Southcentral (214): Huntingdon, 63 (45); Bedford, 43 (43); Fulton, 21 (19); Blair, 18 (20); Juniata, 17 (10); Perry, 15 (29); Franklin, 13 (6); Mifflin, 13 (22); Snyder, 10 (9); Cumberland, 1 (1).
Northeast (314): Pike, 77 (49); Luzerne, 44 (26); Monroe, 33 (25); Wayne, 32 (19); Sullivan, 29 (37); Bradford, 20 (31); Wyoming, 20 (13); Carbon, 18 (18); Susquehanna, 14 (23); Lackawanna, 13 (9); Columbia, 11 (6); Northumberland, 2 (2); and Montour, 1 (0).
Southeast (28): Dauphin, 12 (13); Schuylkill, 11 (17); Lebanon, 3 (1); Lehigh, 2 (0); Berks 0 (2); and Northampton, 0 (1).
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