For the first time since 2007 Pennsylvania’s bear harvest is on track to be below 3,000.
But according to a Pennsylvania Game Commission biologist, that doesn’t necessarily mean the state’s bear population has dropped. As of Dec. 10, the unofficial 2023 bear harvest stood at 2,898 for the early, statewide and extended seasons combined. Last year, hunters harvested 3,170 bears overall, down from 3,621 in 2021 and far below the record of 4,653 which occurred in 2019.
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