I wonder what the final harvest number will be? I've been hunting b. bear in PA now for almost 40 years. I've taken 2 (should have been 3). Our family has a camp in Clinton county and this is one of the worst years I can remember. In the 3 days of hunting from dawn to dusk, I heard only about 1/2 dozen shots being fired. That's not too good from the area we hunt.
We have also noticed a marked reduction in the amout of deer being seen too. I think the problem is way to much mature timber, especially in our area. The area our camp is in is in the Sproul State Forest. I wonder why the forest service doesn't do some timbering out. These huge tracts of mature oaks, hickorys, and maples are just dying of old age and rotting away. Money from timber and increased browse for game - sounds like a win - win situation to me.