Esox_Hunter
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Proposed 2012 Bear Seasons
Did anyone happen to read the latest PGC meeting agenda?
An expansion of bear harvest opportunity is also proposed. The taking of black bear by properly licensed hunters during all deer seasons from September through mid-December in wildlife management units (WMUs) 1A, 2B, 5B, 5C and 5D will be allowed. Pennsylvania’s black bear population is larger and more widely distributed than ever and bear-human incidents are becoming commonplace, especially in more developed areas. Continued expansion of residential development into areas occupied by black bears has resulted in more frequent sightings and encounters between people and bears. In these five WMUs with relatively high human population densities there currently are low bear densities, the Commission wants to continue to have a minimum number of bears, and the Commission wants hunters to have an opportunity to play an important role in bear population management in these areas.
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fishin coyote
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RE: Proposed 2012 Bear Seasons
2012/01/19 13:09:59
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Just like the deer "kill them all" LOL
Although it may get the average hunter who wouldn't buy a B.L. to buy 1 just in case 1 stumbled by. I know I would even though I have no real desire to shoot one. Thus it would be another way for the PGC to pad their cofers
Mike
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S-10
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RE: Proposed 2012 Bear Seasons
2012/01/19 13:10:56
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What it means as a practical matter is they hardly have any bear in those WMU's and they want to keep it that way. They only average about a dozen taken a year in 1A and haven't killed a dozen total in the other four combined in the last five years.
What could be happening though is this is the beginning of expanding the season in other WMU's. They seem to use thse WMU's as their test vehicle for trying new ideas.
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Esox_Hunter
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RE: Proposed 2012 Bear Seasons
2012/01/19 13:21:36
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I am not a bear hunter and have never purchased a bear tag in the past, however if this proposal makes it through, I would buy a tag. Over the course of the last 6 years or so bears have become a fairly regular critter here in northern 2B. My parents have lived in the area for nearly 40 years and until recent times, they had never seen a bear or any evidence that they were around. There is no doubt that they have expanded their range and become more prevalent in more suburban settings. I am not sure that this is the proper solution. I just found this proposal interesting moreso than anything and was curious how others felt about it.
post edited by Esox_Hunter - 2012/01/19 13:22:17
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dpms
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RE: Proposed 2012 Bear Seasons
2012/01/19 14:24:41
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As S10 said, the population is low in these areas and they want to keep it that way. I am cool with that. I do know this, I wouldn't want to be a bear in the SRA or a pheasant in Pike Run for that matter.
My rifle is a black rifle
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eyesandgillz
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RE: Proposed 2012 Bear Seasons
2012/01/19 15:49:33
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Esox,
Same boat as you. Never really had the interest to bear hunt and didn't want to use another vacation day on it. But if this stays the course, I may just buy a tag "just in case." I still haven't seen a bear while hunting in 2B but have seen the evidence and the neighboring property had a lot of damage to his corn that he plants for deer from a bear this year so you never know. He actually kicked it out of the corn in late October while archery hunting and got to see it.
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S-10
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RE: Proposed 2012 Bear Seasons
2012/01/19 15:55:29
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If you have snow coupled with the energy and desire to go for a hike it can be a blast. No snow and it's pure S.H. luck. Snow with the bow can get real interesting.
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Claypool313
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RE: Proposed 2012 Bear Seasons
2012/01/19 18:38:56
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Add 3A into the mix and I'm all for it.
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psu_fish
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RE: Proposed 2012 Bear Seasons
2012/01/19 20:00:51
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I live near an area where the PGC drops off tagged bears near Kossuth/Camp Coffman and we see a few a summer attacking our hummingbird feeders and also our garabge and compost pile
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Esox_Hunter
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RE: Proposed 2012 Bear Seasons
2012/01/19 20:37:39
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They have been doing the same thing here in Allegheny Co. pretty frequently for the last few years. This guy has been coming around off and on for the last 2 months or so. Next year could be his last... 
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upland310
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RE: Proposed 2012 Bear Seasons
2012/01/23 14:36:02
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Cant understand why they would do this instead of just adding days to management units. What suprises me is how many of you would go along with this just because you can and it would save acouple of vacation days looks like the bear population going to end up like the deer in 2-3 years they will be saying wheres all the bear. We are our worst enemy the PGC didn't kill all the deer they just made the tags available for us to do it. (
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S-10
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RE: Proposed 2012 Bear Seasons
2012/01/23 14:46:56
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One thing to remember is that the bear is the largest predator of the deer and is one of the reasons the deer population remains low in the mountain areas even with relatively low hunter pessure in those areas.
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Ironhed
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RE: Proposed 2012 Bear Seasons
2012/01/23 16:35:41
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If this should happen to go through, I would definately buy a bear tag every year.
I say kill every one of them.
Ironhed
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Dr. Trout
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RE: Proposed 2012 Bear Seasons
2012/01/23 18:00:06
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I'd be adding my name to the list of new bear hunters that would shoot one if it just happened by in deer season.... 
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Claypool313
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RE: Proposed 2012 Bear Seasons
2012/01/23 19:32:34
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bear population going to end up like the deer in 2-3 years they will be saying wheres all the bear. I would really like to be saying this in archery season sometime soon. Getting the bear population back to what it was 10 or so years ago would be a nice change.
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ridgehunter
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RE: Proposed 2012 Bear Seasons
2012/01/23 21:10:57
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ORIGINAL: upland310
Cant understand why they would do this instead of just adding days to management units. What suprises me is how many of you would go along with this just because you can and it would save acouple of vacation days looks like the bear population going to end up like the deer in 2-3 years they will be saying wheres all the bear. We are our worst enemy the PGC didn't kill all the deer they just made the tags available for us to do it.(
You have to understand that this proposal in these particular WMUs are to harvest any black bears at large and help prevent or eliminate any encounters with the general public.
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Esox_Hunter
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Adopted 2012 SRA Bear Seasons
2012/09/20 12:11:03
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Since the expanded SRA bear seasons were adopted this summer, I figured I'd resurrect this thread from the dead since I just got word that a 17 year old killed a bear in West Deer Township (Allegheny Co) this week. Looked like it was a decent sized bear too... It will be interesting to see how effective the new bear season is in 2B, since it seemed like bear-human conflicts in this area were at an all time high this past spring/summer.
post edited by Esox_Hunter - 2012/09/20 12:13:40
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Esox_Hunter
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RE: Proposed 2012 Bear Seasons
2012/09/20 21:59:52
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wayne c
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RE: Proposed 2012 Bear Seasons
2012/09/21 01:55:37
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....and he "slayed" it from his "15 feet tall foot climber".
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BloodyHand
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RE: Proposed 2012 Bear Seasons
2012/09/21 07:51:09
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I always thought coyote predation was the deers natural worst enemy, not bears.
BH
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fishin coyote
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RE: Proposed 2012 Bear Seasons
2012/09/21 08:31:09
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Docto
fishin coyote I know I would even though I have no real desire to shoot one.
I have to ask...If you have no desire to shoot one, why would you pay for the privlidge?
Reread my post. Never in the post did I say I wouldn't shoot one. To me "no real desire" means I'm not going out of my way or specifictly targeting a bear. Mike
Nothing is Free!! Reward equals Effort
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eyesandgillz
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RE: Proposed 2012 Bear Seasons
2012/09/21 09:31:51
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Chris, Any idea what area or off of what road it was taken? I was out checking on the property I hunt up that way on Monday night and the neighbor lady said they had seen a bear, a decent sized one, several times over the summer. Since they have such a large range, I wonder if this was the same one. Maybe I won't be buying that tag this year.... I don't think they spelled his last name correctly in the article. Several people with a similar last name living in that area (to the west and east).
post edited by eyesandgillz - 2012/09/21 09:43:35
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Esox_Hunter
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RE: Proposed 2012 Bear Seasons
2012/09/21 16:49:57
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PM sent. I doubt the kid would want me to post the exact location for everyone to see; I know I wouldn't 
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