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PRELIMINARY BEAR HARVEST THIRD BEST EVER The Pennsylvania Game Commission reported that the preliminary bear harvest for 2003 of 2,995 fell just short of the record harvest in 2000 of 3,075. In 2001, the second best season, hunters took 3,063 bears. Three bears exceeding 800 pounds (estimated live weight) were taken in Pike and Monroe counties. The largest was a jaw-dropping 864-pound male bear taken in Dingman Township, Pike County, on Dec.1 at 9 a.m. by Douglas Kristiansen of Milford. Another, taken by Ray R. Reper of Branchville, New Jersey, was an 837-pound male harvested in Dingman Township, Pike County, on Dec. 1 at 11:30 a.m. The last of this 800-pound class was an 808-pound male taken in Middle Smithfield Township, Monroe County, on Dec. 1 at 10:30 a.m. by Jason A. Taddeo of Bethlehem. In the 700-pound class, the largest was a 739-pound male taken at 2 p.m. Tuesday in Weatherly Township, Carbon County, by Brian J. Coxe of Weatherly. Benjamin A. Long, a 14-year-old hunter from Coudersport, took a 725-pound male in Sweden Township, Potter County, on Monday at 7:45 a.m. Long said he lives to hunt, and until he took the big bear, his short hunting career had produced a couple of bucks and several handfuls of squirrels. In fact, four days after he shot his bear of a lifetime, Long was back in the woods hunting squirrels with his dad. "I got two squirrels today (Nov. 28)!" said Long, in an interview with a Pennsylvania Game Commission official. "But I'm still thinking about the bear. It's not an easy thing to put aside, even with deer season right around the corner."On the first drive of the day, during Long's second time bear hunting, the bear was flushed from atop of a wooded hill and ran down the side toward Long and his dad, Carl. "At first I couldn't see it, but I heard it running down toward me," Long said. "It ran about 75 yards in front of me and then stopped when it saw us."It was the first bear I ever saw while hunting. If fact, when I first saw it, I didn't think he was a very big bear!"Since he's taken the big bear, Long said life has changed somewhat. "Everyone's stopping and congratulating me now," Long said. "But I'm looking forward to getting back in the woods to hunt deer. I love being out there and seeing all the animals." In addition, there were 12 other bears that weighed more than 600 pounds. Preliminary county harvest results for the season, including 2002's actual harvest results in parentheses, are: Northwest - Warren, 71 (47); Jefferson, 54 (40); Forest, 43 (33); Clarion, 40 (21); Venango, 40 (37); Butler, 6 (7); Crawford, 6 (2); and Mercer, 1 (1).Southwest - Somerset, 75 (88); Indiana, 69 (51); Fayette, 61 (56); Armstrong, 57 (28); Westmoreland, 29 (38); and Cambria, 27 (27). Northcentral - Lycoming, 200 (224); Clinton, 192 (179); Tioga, 156 (109); McKean, 129 (108); Potter, 124 (97); Centre, 122 (114); Cameron, 102 (84); Clearfield, 101 (91); Elk, 87 (88); and Union, 46 (22). Southcentral - Huntingdon, 94 (78); Bedford, 39 (60); Blair, 38 (30); Mifflin, 28 (25); Snyder, 18 (17); Juniata, 11 (8); Cumberland, 2 (0); Fulton, 2 (6); and Perry, 2 (0). Northeast - Pike, 147 (225); Wayne, 130 (75); Monroe, 112 (116); Luzerne, 103 (67); Sullivan, 86 (28); Bradford, 59 (70); Carbon, 44 (102); Wyoming, 42 (18); Columbia, 41 (41); Lackawanna, 37 (27); Susquehanna, 37 (22); Northumberland, 11 (5); and Montour, 1 (0). Southeast - Schuylkill, 39 (49); Dauphin, 14 (9); Lehigh, 7 (5); Northampton, 6 (2); Lebanon, 4 (7); and Berks, 3 (0). After the Game Commission's Bureau of Wildlife Management has a chance to review all harvest reports, the agency will issue a final bear harvest report
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