It’s too soon to tell yet since all of the bear seasons are not over, but we could be headed for a record harvest or at the least an outstanding year. For some, it’s already been an outstanding year, especially for Reuben Kennel, who this past week dropped a 620-pound black bear with one shot while hunting in Union County. Reuben was part of a group of 13 hunters, including my son Brian and his son Gavin. The gang hunts this location every year, but this year they decided to do things differently; they decided to wait until daylight, and each of them would still-hunt their way to a spot where they planned to sit. Reuben said he started up the laurel-covered mountain towards the ridge when at 7:00 a.m. he spotted movement; “I thought at first it was another hunter,” he told me. He continued watching until he realized it was a bear sitting facing away from him and seemingly distracted. When the bear turned its head presenting a good neck shot, Reuben’s 7MM Remington barked, and the bear dropped — it was 7:07 a.m.

Pennsylvania’s current record bear harvest of 4,350 was set in 2011. Last year hunters took a total of 3,153 bears, making it the 11th best season in state history; however, poor weather conditions played a role in the lower harvest. With the added changes to bear hunting seasons, it’s a good possibility we could set a new record harvest assuming too that weather cooperates. The number of days of bear hunting this year will double statewide, going from about two weeks of bear hunting to now being able to pursue bears for 32 days. We have gone from three Saturdays of bear hunting to now being able to hunt seven Saturdays, and bears could be hunted two weeks earlier this year.

The number of bears roaming Pennsylvania’s countryside has grown to around 20,000 bears, and those numbers have remained stable over the past four years. Bears have also proven to be very adaptable — moving into new parts of the state where sufficient food and cover is available, and the Game Commission now reports that bears have been taken in 60 of our 67 counties.

While some of these figures are probably surprising to some Pennsylvania residents, it’s also true that some of the biggest bears in all of the U.S. and Canada come from Pennsylvania. For example, last year in Pennsylvania, there were 70 bears taken that weighed 500 pounds or more, 20 weighing 600 pounds or more, and two that were over 700 pounds. In the past, a few bears of 800 or more pounds have been taken. In a recent report by the Game Commission, I read that Pennsylvania is ranked second among all states and Canadian provinces in the number of bears entered into the Boone & Crockett Club records. For Boone & Crockett, the combined length and width of the skull is taken; Boone & Crockett requires a 20-inch minimum. To make the state record book Pennsylvania requires a 19-inch minimum for a bear taken with a firearm and a 17-inch minimum for one taken with archery equipment.

Any way you look at it, Pennsylvania has certainly made a mark in the bear-hunting world, and I’m sure Ruben was obviously pleased and excited with this year’s bear hunting season. Still, he was also quick to point out how great it was to share this experience with his friends, and family — I’m sure many would agree.