BLACK BEAR SEASON HUNTERS HAVE FINE OPENING DAY

HARRISBURG - Pennsylvania Game Commission officials today announced that hunters started the 2006 black bear season by taking a preliminary harvest of more than 1,400 black bears in 50 counties.  This does not include the results of the state's first-ever archery bear hunt, which was held on Nov. 15 and 16.  Those results will be available on Nov. 29.

Game Commission employees processed 1,461 bears at the agency's check stations on the opening day of the three-day statewide bear season. The 2006 first-day preliminary harvest compares with 2,026 in 2005; 1,573 in 2004; 1,454 in 2003; and 1,348 in 2002.

"Yesterday's bear harvest is comparable to the 2003 and 2004 opening day harvests," said Mark Ternent, Game Commission bear biologist. "It is what we would consider an average year. Weather conditions have been agreeable for hunters - cool and cloudy. This first day harvest is below last year's mark, but then 2005 was a record year."

The top nine bears processed at check stations on Monday 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 included: a 677-pound male taken by Donald L. Stear of Sagamore, in Mahoning Township, Indiana County, at 7:15 a.m. Nov. 20; a 649-pound male taken by Leon L. Bonczewski of Glen Lyon, in Newport Township, Luzerne County, at 9:30 a.m. Nov. 20; a 622-pound male taken by Rick A. Warfel of Lancaster, in Cummings Township, Lycoming County, at 8 a.m. Nov. 20; a 621-pound male by Steven J. Craig of Montgomery, in Shrewsbury Township, Lycoming County, 9:30 a.m. Nov. 20; a 621-pound male taken by Jonathan E. Kio of Ulysses, in Allegany Township, Potter County, 3:15 p.m. Nov. 20; a 607-pound male taken by Terry S. Brungart of Rebersburg, in Greene Township, Clinton County, 9:15 a.m. Nov. 20; a 604-pound male taken by J.E. Allgyer of Kinzers, in Burnside Township, Centre County, at 7:12 a.m. 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. Nov. 20.

The preliminary first-day bear harvest by Wildlife Management Unit was as follows: WMU 1A, 9 (2 in 2005); WMU 1B, 21 (19); WMU 2C, 131 (183); WMU 2D, 47 (60); WMU 2E, 55 (62); WMU 2F, 128 (162); WMU 2G, 377 (506); WMU 3A, 143 (159); WMU 3B, 117 (204); WMU 3C, 48 (75); WMU 3D, 83 (175); WMU 4A, 70 (84); WMU 4B, 13 (25); WMU 4C, 40 (71); WMU 4D, 159 (195); and WMU 4E, 20 (40). 

The top bear harvest county in the state after the first day of season was Clinton with 123 (127 in 2005), followed by Lycoming, 107 (159); Potter, 95 (108); McKean, 85 (87); and Tioga, 83 (126).

County harvests by region for the opening day, followed by the opening day 2005 preliminary harvest in parentheses, are:

Northwest: Warren, 46 (52); Forest, 32 (47); Venango, 25 (17); Clarion, 18 (18); Jefferson, 13 (44); Butler, 8 (3); Crawford, 3 (1); and Erie, 1 (0).

Southwest: Somerset, 67 (65); Fayette, 29 (40); Indiana, 25 (38); Westmoreland, 14 (25); Armstrong, 10 (11); and Cambria, 4 (16).

Northcentral: Clinton, 123 (127); Lycoming, 107 (159); Potter, 95 (108); McKean, 85 (87); Tioga, 83 (126); Clearfield, 80 (85); Elk, 51 (68); Centre, 43 (83); Cameron, 38 (91); and Union, 19 (26).

Southcentral: Huntingdon, 65 (73); Bedford, 37 (55); Mifflin, 27 (19); Blair, 18 (27); Fulton, 10 (11); Snyder, 8 (9); Juniata, 7 (9); Franklin, 3 (5); and Perry, 3 (4).

Northeast: Sullivan, 35 (64); Pike, 34 (70); Luzerne, 31 (50); Wayne, 31 (45); Susquehanna, 24 (35); Monroe, 21 (54); Bradford, 18 (35); Wyoming, 16 (13); Columbia, 12 (23); Carbon, 11 (28); Lackawanna, 8 (14); and Northumberland, 2 (1).

Southeast: Schuylkill, 9 (21); Lebanon, 5 (4); Dauphin, 4 (13); and Berks, 3 (4).

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.

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