whelen36

hi , i'm going out for the pa bear hunting season and was talking about it with some of my co-workers who hunt , and the subject of field dressing came up , and they basiucally all differed on what they do and do not do and take out. now i've never been lucky enough to get a bear before and this got me thinking as to what the proper way is beings that you have to take them to the check stations, so i'm asking here .
what's the proper way to field dress a pa bear ????


P.S. - one guy also told me they take you at the check stations and ask you quiestions almost like an interogation , and in the process detain you for a while ( like a hour ) during this process sop ,

what are the check stations really like , and the processes at them ????

thanks in advance
whelen36
stephen d.

whelen36

aren't there any pa bear hunters on this forum ?????

livbucks

Depending on what kind of mount you would want, you might want to skip the field dressing and let your taxidermist skin it first. If you are just going to rug it, go ahead and gut it out, but try not to do a hack job on the incision.
I've never heard of check in stations "interrogating" lucky hunters. That's a new one to me. If you want to ask someone "in the know", send a PM to R.S.B. He does that sort of thing from time to time.

whelen36

thank you livbucks , appreciated

Bob1961

i'm from PA and they just ask you where you got it, weigh it, take a tooth to send out and age it then get you out the door to get the next bear on the scale....the stations i'v been at to get a look at bears that come in are real busy and get to the next bear in line......................bob

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pa257

Are you concerned about the gall bladder? As far as I know you can do whatever you want with it except sell it or receive money from someone else selling one. A couple of guys asked one year if it was legal to sell directions to the gut pile. I never heard an answer for that one.

Anyway, I worked at the check station on rt 423 in Tobyhanna 20+ years ago when Iwas inHS. We pulled a tooth, took a tissue sample for parasites, weighed it and off you went. Two years ago my friend shot a bear and we went to the same check station and he had to go into a room and asked a few questions, where he shot it (town) and where he shot it (place on bear), caliber, what approximate time the bear was shot. The game commision does a quick spot check to make sure you didn't shot the bear in a den, shot out of season, over bait etc. He was in there for about 20 minutes.

There was aguy in a suit taking pictures in the parking area, thought he was from the local rag but someone told me he was an animal rights activist.I never asked him, could really care less either way.

BarnesX.308

Don't bring it to the taxidermist with the guts still in it. He'll hate you . Plus, how you going to drag it out with the extra 50lbs still in there?

I got a PA bear. I gutted it out as I would a deer. I took it to the taxidermist and he had no problems with it. The only thing that annoyed him was the piece of skin/hide that they take at the check station.

livbucks

As long as your incision doesn't look likea lightening bolt, it would probably be OK. Some taxidermists are picky on how they skin them. Some like to skin an ungutted bear. I would find one you want to use and ask him before you actually shoot one, so you know.
Yes, the guts add poundage. That's for certain.

shott8283

you lost me on the "selling the gallbladder" part... like really lost me..

whelen36

thanks guys , yes it was about the gall bladder . my one co-worker said that they want it in and take it at the check stations , and they want directions to the gut pyles . once again thanks