After last week’s story about Melinda LeBarron’s encounters with bears over the past couple of years, I suspect more people are more inclined to hunt them or, at the very least, be on the lookout for them.

While I always get a bear tag, I have yet to take a bear in our state, but I’ll admit, I’m not a real dedicated bear hunter. While I have yet to take a bear in Pennsylvania, I have certainly seen my share of bears, especially while archery hunting. Years ago, I was fortunate enough to take a 200-pound cinnamon bear while on an elk hunt in Montana. However, the truth is that if you want to kill a bear, there’s probably no better place to start your venture than right here in Pennsylvania.

Make no mistake about it, Pennsylvania has a very healthy bear population with an estimated 20,000 bears roaming our forests, fields, and yes, sometimes even our backyards. In my high school days, I remember there was excitement on the part of hunters when our bear population was approaching the 10,000 mark. What’s even more interesting is that we have taken record numbers of bears in recent years, and the population seems to continue to grow.

The fact is, there are bears now showing up in every county of the state, and they are increasing considerably in counties where numbers were traditionally low. Why the increase in numbers, you may be wondering? Well, for one, bears are extremely adaptable when it comes to food, cover, and shelter, and our bears have an amazing annual reproduction rate.

When you delve into the numbers, you’ll find that last year, hunters took a record bear kill of 4,653 bears, and we’ve approached those figures more than once in the past 20 years. Of course, part of the reason for our high harvest rates is that the Pennsylvania Game Commission has greatly increased our bear hunting opportunities, especially in recent years, with new and expanded bear seasons being introduced in 2019.

According to Game Commission statistics, there were 1,340 bears taken in 2019 in the partly concurrent new muzzleloader and special firearms seasons as well as 1,117 in the extended season. Archers accounted for 561 bears, and another 1,629 were taken in the general season. Make no mistake about it, the Game Commission is expanding our opportunities, and more hunters are buying bear tags and doing their part to keep the population in check.

There are certainly ample opportunities to take a bear in Pennsylvania. This year there will be 13 bear hunting days in October, 11 bear hunting days in November, and five more days in December. This year’s bear hunting calendar also offers — for the first time — a Saturday opener followed by a bear hunting Sunday.

In addition to good numbers of bears, Pennsylvania also offers some of the country’s largest bears. This past year an 813-pound male was taken in Monroe County. The state record of an 875 pounder from Pike County in 2010 remains intact. There have been seven black bears weighing at least 800 pounds taken in Pennsylvania since 1992.

Trust me; you don’t have to head out west or the far north to find a good bear hunt; it’s very likely right here in our own backyard.