I just sent an email to the PA Game Commission with what I think is a great idea; A one week, statewide archery bear hunt during the last week of archery deer season! Just think about having the chance to take a bear in PA with a bow while hunting during the rut! What do you guys think about this idea? Here' s a copy of the email I sent:

I don' t know how else to get this moving with the Game Commission, if you think it' s a good idea, let them know!

Never hurts to ask! Sounds like a feasible thing to me, but i' m not the Game Commission. I would definatly like to see this happen.

Good luck,
-BJ

If you get a good response to this, you may want to start a petition at your local archery shop, and have the forum members here write letters/emails as well.

May be just rumor, but heard it' s already being discussed?!! Have said for years that it seemed a good idea, I' ve hunted em for 20 yrs and am always close but that don' t cut it. If there had been bow season for them I' d have gotten atleast one by now!!! I see them every archery season.

With all the complaining about bear problems, I would hope they' d think of us! I' ll tell you what, if they do this, I know where one week of MY vacation is going!! Actually, the only thing I use my 7mm Mag. for anymore is bear... can' t get into rifle hunting for deer anymore in PA, and I wouldn' t mind hanging up the rifle for bear if we could just get this season!

The only problem may be the use of scents. Scenting is OK for deer but unlawful for bear. Could get into a fuzzy area if you' re using food scents for deer and a bear comes in to it... Maybe if you are restricted in using deer only scents like estrous, tarsal, etc. that would be ok. I have a hard time understanding why it' s perfectly OK to use scents for one animal but not for another.

I' d love to take a bear with a bow. It' s something I' ve wanted to do for some time now. I think it' d be great if they created the season for it.

can you eat bear meat?

i' m just asking cause we don' t have bears around here where i live and i don' t know a whole lot about them.....

I' ve got to cross the border! Here in NJ we are fighting like heck just to get a bear season (I' ll have my own season if he doesn' t stay off of my deck) I have to take a four hour class to be able to hunt bears here. I can go to PA or any other state and just hunt them. Are our bears more dangerous than yours? Are NJ hunters less proficient? (Now there is an arguement) It isn' t the #of people here it all
@#$%^&* politics.

Gripe #1 Does that guy that majored in Biology have anything to teach me?
Maybe but why do I have to give a Saturday in the beginning of the
rut to listen to him?
Gripe # 2 I can only hunt with rifle slugs. Why not the bow?
Gripe # 3 Bear season will be the same week as opening of buck season!
Gripe # 4 I can hunt them on one side of the street but not the other? Jeeze!

Soon as the kids grow up, I' m moving to a real state. Thanks guys, I' m better now!

Oh yeah, middittman, I think it is a great idea and it wouldn' t hurt the bear population any. Don' t they have the season later in PA so that the females are pretty much denned up by the time hunters can hunt them? This way they get more males than females.

Greg

Apparently we don' t have any United Bowhunters of PA members here like myself or you would know. ...the UPB has been talking with the PGC for years about a bear season during the fall archery.....letters might help but it' s been in the works.

Easy there Rob- I' ve been a member since they started, and Yes Rob is right, they' ve been trying for the season for several years, but apparantly the PGC has deaf people presiding.

ATTA Boy Big John, you just hadn' t chimed in as of yet....