LEHMAN TWP. – Jude Schapert didn’t plan on going bear hunting this season.
But when his friends called him on Friday – the day before the Saturday opener – and asked Schapert to join them, he decided to buy a license.
It’s a good thing they called.
Schapert, of Hanover Township, was the only member of his hunting party to harvest a bruin – a 200-pound male taken in Rice Township.
“I’m glad I went,” Schapert said. “It was a beautiful, crisp morning to hunt and this is my first bear after five years of hunting.”
Successful hunters filed into the Pennsylvania Game Commission’s bear check station, held at the Back Mountain Regional EMA building, at a consistent pace on Saturday. While reports from area game wardens indicated participation was on the lighter side in spots, perfect weather conditions kept the bears active.
And in the northeast, not only was the harvest on pace with last season, but there were plenty of enormous bears as well. Five of the 10 heaviest bears taken in the state were from the northeast region.
The heaviest bear was a bruin from Monroe County that had an estimated live weight of 813 pounds. The second-heaviest bear weighed 747 pounds and was taken in Wright Township by Mountain Top resident Joe Kripp, who also harvested a 460-pound bruin on the opening day of last season.
“I’m not surprised,” said PGC biologist Kevin Wenner. “We know the big bears are out there. Today the weather was good, food sources are still available and it was just about guys having an opportunity.”
As of 5 p.m., 28 bears had been processed at the Lehman Township check station, compared to 49 checked on the opening day last year. Wenner expected more hunters to come in before the station closed at 9 p.m., and he said the final tally should fall in line with the 2018 opening day total.
This year, the game commission expanded bear hunting opportunities by extending the archery season and adding a muzzleloader season. Before Saturday’s start to the rifle season, hunters had already harvested 1,871 bears statewide. With the bulk of the harvest usually taking place during the four-day rifle season, which is followed by extended seasons in certain areas, Wenner was optimistic a record number of bears would be taken this year.
The statewide record bear harvest is 4,350, set in 2011. The average bear harvest falls between 3,000 and 4,000, Wenner said, and an increase of 1,000 would help stabilize or reduce the population in some areas.
Pennsylvania’s bear population is estimated at more than 20,000, and game commission sold nearly 175,000 bear licenses this year.
“We never had this much opportunity for bear hunters, and we’re definitely looking at a potential record harvest,” Wenner said. “The weather is going to be the deciding factor. The first day of deer season is also a big harvest day in places with extended bear opportunities, and if you have bad weather the harvest just drops.”
Jack Sorber attributed his opening day success to the weather. He harvested a 139-pound female bear in Lake Township while hunting with family members.
“Our entire group has harvested more than 40 bears over the years, and it’s always exciting,” Sorber said. “There were a lot of guys out in my area today because of the nice weather, and that kept the bears on the move.”
Ralph Schwartz of Tunkhannock brought the first exceptionally large bear to the check station on Saturday – a 400-pound male taken in Forkston Township, Wyoming County. Schwartz shot the bear at 8:30 a.m. and it was his first bruin in 40 years.
While Schwartz was thrilled to harvest such a large bear, he said it took a lot of effort to get it out of the woods.
“If I had access to a helicopter it would’ve been easier,” he joked. “We used a four-wheeler with a winch and had to cut a few small trees out of the way.
“I just can’t believe how big he is, and I don’t think I’ll ever top this.”
This story appeared in the Citizen’s Voice on 11/23/19
