Pennsylvania’s black bear hunting seasons will soon begin, and black bears can be hunted in several seasons. The regular statewide firearms season will run from Nov. 21-24, the statewide archery season is Oct. 17-25, and the statewide muzzleloader and special firearms bear season is Oct. 22-25. There are also some special and extended firearms seasons, but you should check your Hunting and Trapping Digest for details on those special seasons.

Pennsylvania offers a number of opportunities for hunting bears and for good reason, since we have a pretty good population of bears and it’s important to keep the numbers under control.

Bear sightings seem to be pretty common lately from what I’m hearing from several people.

I know my wife and I have had several bears show up on cameras we have in the local woods and even in our own yard; one looked like about a 500-pounder walked down our driveway one Sunday morning earlier this summer.

An even more surprising sighting was when our coffee gang was at Wendy’s one morning a few weeks ago, and a black bear was spotted crossing the busy road in front of the bank next to Wendy’s. Several years ago, while at Dunkin at the intersection north of Muncy, we watched a black bear cross right by the light and head across nearby Muncy Creek.

In Pennsylvania, bears are mostly found in the large, forested areas of the state, and much of that is in the northern half of the state.

Bears in Pennsylvania currently occupy over three-quarters of the state, but bear sightings have been confirmed in every county of the state.

Of course, as our population continues to spread and urban centers continue to expand, sightings and conflicts continue to increase, especially in the southeast and southwest corner of the state.

So how many bears are there in Pennsylvania today?

It is believed that the bear population in the 1970s was around 4,000, but today it is estimated at around 18,000 bears. It’s also true that more hunters are successful at taking bears these days. In 2004, hunters took 2,972 bears, and in 2011, 4,350 bears were taken.

Sighting a black bear is fairly easy since they are all black, except in some cases there may also be a white mark, sometimes in the form of a prominent “V.”

Be aware, too, however, that on some fairly rare occasions black bears may also turn up a cinnamon color. I have never seen a cinnamon-colored bear in Pennsylvania, but in 2009, while hunting bears and elk in Montana, I was successful in shooting a 200-pound cinnamon bear. Since I have a life-size mount of that bear, I get to see a cinnamon bear every day!

Well, if you haven’t seen one of our black bears yet, keep your eyes open, especially now that all of the hunting seasons are beginning.

Be on the lookout; one might even show up near your gang’s coffee spot.