BarnesX.308

If you' ve taken a bear in PA - when, where and how? How big? It' s a real accomplishment. My father and I, combined, have put in about 35 years bear hunting and finally got one in 1996. The certificate we got from the game commission gave the number of bears taken out of how many hunters had bear tags. It works out to a 1.5% success rate. Let' s hear your story.

Scott Meier
White Oak Lodge

totemir

Not one yet but I got me a gooooood feeling this year Unless someone shoots him outta season

Matt / PA

Not yet, but I' m going to give it another try this season myself for a day........with the BOW!
I really want to take one with a bow, or maybe my flintlock. THAT would be special.
If we had a November Concurrent Archery/Bear season for those 2 weeks I would have 5 bears already to my credit with archery gear here in PA. Including one HUGE most definitely P&Y Clinton Co. Boar that would have run upwards of 550-600lbs without much difficulty. 10 yards right around me.
I have a spot in Schuylkill Co. that seems to be a hot ridge-top funnel/travel route that we had 3 different bears cross 2 seasons ago during archery season. I' m going to try there.

BarnesX.308

Schuykill County is nice hunting country. A lot of nice bucks in the farm country there. I have a buddy who runs a pheasant hunting deal on his farm in Pitman. Good luck.

Scott Meier
White Oak Lodge

Rob/PA Bowyer

I live in one of the best Co.' s for bear and that' s Lycoming....our lease also encompasses Sullivan Co..another great bear Co....I' ve never bought a PA bear license...I always see at least one bear and usually more while bow hunting but between bow and rifle and our outfitting business, I burn my vacation. My hunting partners father is one lucky guy when it comes to bears...but of course we do have the bears...I have one (at least) on a game camera....anyway, my buddies father is 5 of 11 years on bears and last year he passed 3.....the year before he passed on one hoping my buddy would get a shot and he didn' t and two days later, he shot his bear elsewhere......we call him a bear magnet...lol

juniorpc

Two bears in the 15 years I' ve been hunting them. We hunt out of Centre and Union county with about 15 guys. We hunt hard driving mountains leaving before light and getting home well after dark. I figured out that I travelled about 13 miles the day I shot my last bear. Our 15 to 20 guys dwindles to about 10 or 12 the second day and down to 6 or eight the last day. Both bears were slightly over 200 pounds, and both were running! Which for me is an accomplishment! Both went rump over tin cups with the first shot. The second bear got a finishing shot. We' ve averaged about 2 bears a year over the 20 years or more bear have been hunted as a group out of my camp. I also didn' t get a shot off on a bear in the laurel one year and blew an easy shot at a walking bear at about 50 yards one year. Killed a heck of an oak tree though! I also let a lone cub go one year that came within 10 yards of me. Tiny little thing that hopefully made it through to be a big un. I' ll tell you what though as I watched it come from a distance I couldn' t intially tell how big it was until it got pretty close. Glad it didn' t start going away from me sooner! One rug and one three quarter mount on the wall that look terrific. Good luck to all who are going out to hunt this year. I have to laugh because I was at the rifle range the month before I shot my last bear and was shooting off hand and also using the legs of the bench to steady myself just like using a tree in the woods. My groups were not terrificlly tight, but all would have been heart lung shots on bear and deer. The gentleman next to me was using a very expensive gun vise and rifle with very tight groups being made with some bullet holes touching each other. He chuckled a couple of times as he looked at my groups when we went down to check targets. I chuckled about him as I walked up to tag my bear that year. Never have been able to figure out how to mount one of those gun rests to the exact tree I' ll be needed to lean against when a bear comes by!! Paul Conway.

BarnesX.308

They are tough to guage. I thought mine was a 200 pounder and it dressed at 140. The fur fools you. Once you skin them, they get smaller. We usually only have my dad and me at camp for bear. The biggest group we had was 4 hunters. I wish we had more guys. There are thousands of acres to hunt up in Sullivan County made up of thick laurels, overgrown clearcuts and hemlock swamps. A bear is a needle in a haystack. I shot mine on the side of the mountain. I think it was pushed by some hunters on the other side of the valley. He was walking fast.

Scott Meier
White Oak Lodge

Joe D.

I always wanted to try it but with everything else (bow season, rifle deer season) it kind of takes a back seat due to the limited time to hunt with a wife and family. I normally hunt in Sullivan County at my Uncle' s cabin (Dushore area), but have never actually seen a bear. Hopefully one of these years I will purchase some land and there will be no excuses because I will be able to bring the family along.

lonewolf5347

When I had my place up in wayne county near pleasent mount one morning in my stand during the bow season I see a large black thing walking up the tree line First I thought it was the farmers dog from down the road as it got a little closer man what a huge black bear would say 400 lbs or better this guy just moving along with not a care in the world .The only thing I was mising that day was my camera.I would say in the 12 years I had the property I see a total 4 bear during the bow season
I myself would not shoot the bear never had a taste for bear meat tried it once did not agree with me

mauser06

my dad been going for a few years mainly just to get out and have a good time with the guys from work and to scout for deer.....this year he finally told me i can go with him!!! as far as i know its still on.....i cant wait....they usually have about 5 or 6 guys...about 8 SAY they will go but you got the no shows ect...so we might have a decint group....or it might just be me and dad.....either way it dont matter.....we will ahve a blast....he hasnt taken a bear yet...this is my first time if i get to go....depending on where i hunt and the weather i just might have the flintlock in my hands....im really liking that gun!! we' ll see about that though...i dont want my first bear to make it away scotch free becuase i messed up something with the flinter and it didnt go boom.....id kick myself forever....but if i got one with the flinter id be a pretty bad dude.....especially when i get back to school....most of hte guys at school cant even take a deer with a flinter!! i cant wait..it will be a nice trip reguardless of what happens...getting a bear will just make everything sweeter....i already got my mount picked out if i do bag one lol....good luck to all you guys