State data reveals that the black bear harvest in Pennsylvania hit a 10-year low despite heightened interest among hunters. The Pennsylvania Game Commission disclosed that 2,920 bears were harvested during the 2023 seasons, marking an 8% decrease from the 3,171 bears taken in 2022. Although the peak was observed in 2019 with 4,650 bears harvested, the trend over the last decade typically ranged from 3,100 to 3,700 bears annually.
Commission officials attribute the decline not to a decrease in bear hunters, as evidenced by more than 206,000 bear licenses sold in 2023, the fourth-highest total on record. Rather, the drop is attributed to the absence of an extended bear hunting season in certain wildlife management areas (WMUs), primarily located in the south-central and northwest regions of the state.
Emily Carrollo, the Game Commission’s black bear program specialist, emphasized the impact of eliminating the extended season in these five WMUs on the overall harvest. She noted that while various factors influence wildlife harvests, the removal of these WMUs largely explains the decline.
Despite the decrease, bears were harvested in 58 Pennsylvania counties, with 1,100 taken by traditional firearm and 700 by archery. Notably, a 691-pound bear harvested in Porter Township, Pike County, during the extended rifle season by Mitchell Jonathan of Quakertown stood out as the largest specimen. Additionally, five other hunters harvested bears exceeding 600 pounds, with the top 10-heaviest bears weighing at least 576 pounds, as highlighted by the PGC.
Tioga, Lycoming, and Potter counties emerged as the top bear-hunting counties, with significant harvests also recorded in Pike, Bradford, and Luzerne counties. In 2015, the commission estimated Pennsylvania’s black bear population at 20,000, prompting plans outlined in the draft five-year plan for 2024-2029. These plans include annual population estimates statewide and by management area, identification of critical habitat characteristics, and acquisition of forestland in primary bear range.
Furthermore, the commission intends to conduct a resident survey by summer 2025 to mitigate human-bear conflicts and enhance public education. Given the steady increase in bear numbers since the 1980s, officials anticipate continued population growth.
One method employed by the commission to monitor bear populations is tracking vehicular collisions. In 2020, a record 531 bears were killed in road accidents across the state.
