Lycoming County leads in bear season numbers as deer season gets underway
Trending
Lycoming County led the state in the number of harvested bears during the regular season last week.
The county's 130 contributes to the total of 1,796 bruins taken statewide, according to preliminary results released Monday by the state Game Commission.
The commission said the season saw about a 30 percent decrease compared to the 2,579 bears taken during the four full days of the statewide season in 2016. Extensive rain on opening day Nov. 18 is to blame.
The top 10 bears processed at check stations were either estimated or confirmed to have live weights of 576 pounds or more. The state's heaviest was a male taken at 700 pounds in Venango County during opening day.
Lycoming County held off Tioga, Clinton and Potter counties through most of the week.
Tioga led the first two days and ended close with 127.
The slow season comes after two of the largest. In 2016, the bear harvest was at 3,529 making it the fifth-largest in state history. A year before that, the third-largest was clocked in with a total of 3,748 bears.
The largest harvest -- 4,350 bears -- happened in 2011 when preliminary statewide season totals numbered 3,154.
Bear season is out, but regular rifle season for deer is in full swing. And some butchers in the area are saying it's been a very good opening day.
John Hollenbach, of Hollenbach Custom Butchering, in Turbotville, was pushing a hundred by the afternoon Monday. And he was expecting to have over a hundred as deer kept coming in closer to dark.
"There's some real nice European and shoulder mounts going out of here," Hollenbach said. "Real nice deer."
Opening day is one of the store's busiest days, but Hollenbach said he's expecting Saturday will be even busier.
"As doe and buck both start coming in, Saturday's gonna be worse," he said. But with about 9 people in to help skin, Hollenbach is ready.
Further north in Cogan Station, Dave Gross, of Gross' Custom Butchering, said they too were having an above average opening day as of Monday afternoon.
"It's hard to say as far as numbers because we will continue having a lot come in as hunters are leaving the woods," Gross said. "But it's encouraging so far. What I'm seeing is above average for this time of day."
Gross said there were a lot of nice trophy bucks coming through Monday -- some 8- and 10- points with spreads up to 18 and 20 inches.
The season began with antlered deer Monday. Anterless deer can be taken beginning Saturday and both continue until Dec. 9.