A second bear in excess of 700 pounds taken on Monday in the Commonwealth.
Hunters during the second day of Pennsylvania's statewide bear season harvested 523 bears, including a second bear in excess of 700 pounds.
Additionally, it has come to light that some of the bears harvested during the season's first day were not counted as part of the first-day total.
Now that those bears have been counted, the two-day total stands at 2,224 bears, which is an increase compared to the 2,040 bears taken during the first two days of the 2014 season.
Archery and other early bear season harvest data still is being entered into the Game Commission's database, and is not available at this time.
Bears have been harvested in 54 counties during the statewide season so far.
The top 10 bears processed at check stations by Tuesday were either estimated or confirmed to have live weights of 614 pounds or more. Two taken on Monday joined the state's top 10.
The first, another 713-pound male, was taken in Granville Township, Mifflin County, at 8:20 a.m. on Monday by Gregory A. Wilson, of Lewistown, Pa. Wilson's bear ties a male estimated at 713 pounds taken in Blair Township, Blair County, by Richard A. Watt, of Gallitizen, Pa. He took it a 7:10 a.m. on Nov. 21, the season's opening day.
Central Pennsylvania currently has six of the state's top 10 black bears taken in the harvest. In 2014, only one bear from central Pennsylvania made the top 10 after two days of season.
Other large bears taken in the season's opening day include: a 685-pound male taken in Letterkenny Township, Franklin County, by Dustin J. Foust, of Orrstown, Pa.; a 649-pound male taken in Limestone Township, Warren County, by Matthew B. Stanga, of Tarentum, Pa.; a 648-pound male taken in Brush Creek Township, Fulton County, by Andrew D. Fischer, of Crystal Spring, Pa.; a 640-pound male taken in Weatherly Township, Carbon County, by Kenneth J. Mehlig, of Weatherly, Pa.; a 618-pound male taken in Blooming Grove Township, Pike County, by Brad D. Losito, Hamburg, Pa.; a 617-pound male taken in Henry Clay Township, Fayette County, by Glenn P. Pyeritz, of Markleysburg, Pa.; a 616-pound male taken in Shrewsbury Township, Sullivan County, by Wesley W. Sznaider, of Sugar Run, Pa.; a 614-pound male taken in Logan Township, Huntingdon County, by Glenn L. Hannah, of Warriors Mark, Pa.
Hunters harvested a total of 3,366 bears during the 2014 season – the seventh-largest harvest in state history. The state's largest bear harvest – 4,350 bears – happened in 2011, when preliminary first-day totals numbered 2,709.
The preliminary two-day bear harvest by Wildlife Management Unit was as follows: WMU 1A, 13 (8 in 2014); WMU 1B, 49 (65); WMU 2B, 2 (0); WMU 2C, 162 (193); WMU 2D, 126 (96); WMU 2E, 35 (35); WMU 2F, 280 (209); WMU 2G, 547 (480); WMU 2H, 53 (55); WMU 3A, 79 (127); WMU 3B, 190 (167); WMU 3C, 56 (58); WMU 3D, 195 (142); WMU 4A, 96 (81); WMU 4B, 72 (80); WMU 4C, 72 (53); WMU 4D, 175 (162); WMU 4E, 22 (25); WMU 5A, 0 (3); and WMU 5C, 0 (1).
The top bear hunting county in the state after two days of season was Lycoming County, with 208. It held off Clinton County, where hunters took 190 bears the first two days.
Two-day harvests by county and region are:
Northwest (355): Warren, 103 (79); Forest, 67 (35); Venango, 55 (46); Clarion, 50 (43); Jefferson, 49 (42); Butler, 13 (11); Crawford, 10 (20); Mercer, 6 (3); and Erie, 2 (13).
Southwest (187): Somerset, 58 (69); Fayette, 43 (73); Armstrong, 30 (21); Cambria, 21 (10); Indiana, 17 (11); Westmoreland, 17 (18); and Allegheny, 1 (0).
Northcentral (973): Lycoming, 208 (183); Clinton, 190 (124); Tioga, 103 (158); McKean, 80 (72); Clearfield, 89 (54); Centre, 87 (73); Cameron, 69 (65); Elk, 63 (63); Potter, 60 (92); and Union, 24 (26).
Southcentral (256): Huntingdon, 76 (57); Bedford, 51 (51); Fulton, 27 (20); Blair, 22 (27); Juniata, 18 (13); Perry, 16 (33); Mifflin, 16 (28); Franklin, 15 (9); Snyder, 12 (9); and Cumberland, 3 (3).
Northeast (409): Pike, 90 (67); Luzerne, 56 (40); Monroe, 48 (33); Wayne, 38 (26); Sullivan, 37 (42); Bradford, 37 (44); Carbon, 25 (24); Wyoming, 23 (22); Susquehanna, 20 (27); Lackawanna, 17 (11); Columbia, 15 (7); Northumberland, 2 (2); and Montour, 1 (0).
Southeast (44): Schuylkill, 20 (22); Dauphin, 18 (13); Lebanon, 3 (1); Lehigh, 2 (1); Berks 1 (3); and Northampton, 0 (1).
