[Everyday Hunter]

On Monday morning, the opening day of deer season, the Warren Times Observer mistakenly announced that bear season was extended through Monday, November 28 in Warren County. That was a mistake on two points. First, it wasn't extended through November 28. It was extended beginning Wednesday, November 30 through Saturday, December 3. And it was extended only in WMU 1B which includes part of Warren County.

Some hunters who read the front page story in the morning before heading out were convinced that they could legally harvest a bear. And I know of one hunter who in fact did shoot a bear, called the PGC office to report his success and to ask where he should take it to get it checked.

Does anyone know of other cases where bears were illegally taken on the opening day of deer season because of what the hunter read in the newspaper?

Steve.

 

[JasonN]

I saw that in the paper....and then corrected ON TUESDAY!

I wonder what the outcome of the situation you posted about is going to be. Do keep us posted, please!

 

[gearhart15]

I could definitely see it happening. Wonder what kind of charges he will get for that.

 

[RacksnQuacks]

Hopefully he is let off easy. Ideally he should have double checked the game commission website to verify. It's an unfortunate situation.

 

[JasonN]

The guy should get nothing but praise and get to keep his bear too! The paper had it quoted from a WCO that bear was extended starting Monday in Warren county. Tuesday they corrected it to be 11/30-12/3 and only in 1B. The original write up is gone from the papers' website. I might be able to dig it up. I'll post it if I can.

 

[JasonN]

Here's what appeared in Monday morning's Warren Times Observer....

Bear season in county extended into Monday
28 Nov 2016 — Times Observer
Stacey Gross
The Pennsylvania Game Commission has released its preliminary three-day bear harvest results.
The bear season in Warren County, according to WCO Eric McBride, was extended into Monday, Nov. 28, due to an increase in human-bear interactions and in an attempt to lower them.
The total number of bears harvested across all three days was 2,308. That's about eight percent less than the first three days of the 2015 season, which saw a total three-day harvest of 2,487.
Those bears were harvested across 53 counties. The top ten bears processed at check stations by last Wednesday were either estimated or confirmed to have live weights of 616 pounds or more; one bear, taken on Tuesday, Nov. 22, joined the state's top ten.
Gregory Fuller of Williamsport harvested a male estimated at 649 pounds in Armstrong Township, Lycoming County, on Tuesday. The largest of the state's heaviest bears - a male estimated at 700 pounds - was taken in Barrett Township, Monroe County, by Chad Nauman of Cresco at about 7 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 19, which was the opening day of bear season statewide.
Other large bears taken in the statewide season include a 666-pound male taken Monday in Leidy Township, Clinton County, by Ryan Grieb of Leesport. A 662-pound male was taken Saturday in Homer Township, Potter County, by Grant Ruhl of Lebanon. A 642-pound male was taken Saturday in Sterling Township, Wayne County, by Randy Elders of Greentown. A 635-pound male was taken Monday in Hebron Township, Potter County, by Andrew Tiffany of Athens. A 622-pound male was taken Saturday in Porter Township, Pike County, by Joseph Skutches Jr., of Nazareth. A 621-pound male was taken Saturday in Tionesta Township, Forest County, by Ronald Reitlinger of Cranberry. A 621-pound male was taken Monday in Briar Creek Township, Columbia County, by Kerry Lauer of Berwick, and a 616-pound male was taken Saturday in Tuscarora Township, Juniata County, by Arron Zimmerman of Port Royal.
The overall 2015 harvest brought in 3,748 bears and was the third largest in state history. In 2014, hunters took a total of 3.366 bears, which made it the seventh largest harvest of state history. The largest harvest, with 4,350 bears taken, was in 2011 when preliminary two-day totals numbered 2,709.
The top bear hunting county in the state after three days of this year's bear season was Clinton County, with 179 bears taken. It held off Lycoming County, where hunters took 156 bears the first three days of the season. In a typical Pennsylvania bear season, the press release states, these counties are often the top two.
The three-day harvest for Warren County was 106, with 116 bears taken in 2015.
"Bear season in county extended into Monday" Times Observer 28 Nov 2016: A1

 

[RacksnQuacks]

The guy should get nothing but praise and get to keep his bear too! The paper had it quoted from a WCO that bear was extended starting Monday in Warren county. Tuesday they corrected it to be 11/30-12/3 and only in 1B. The original write up is gone from the papers' website. I might be able to dig it up. I'll post it if I can.

I don't necessarily disagree Jason. My guess would be the writer messed up. Thanks for posting the article. Please post any updates if you hear of anything. I'm curious to hear what comes of this.

 

[JasonN]

I have a feeling that's what happened too.

 

[Everyday Hunter]

In the only case I know of, the guy called the PGC to him he shot a bear, and asked where he should take it to get it checked. They told him to call the local WCO, which he did. They arranged to meet at a convenient place. As the WCO looked at the bear, the hunter asked him if he needed to take a tooth and how he was going to weigh the bear. The WCO told him it was an illegal bear.

After the WCO explained the situation, and said he was praying no one would shoot a bear, he said he'd have to take the bear, haul it to Franklin where it would be skinned, and the meat given away. He didn't know what would happen to the head and hide.

The hunter felt awful. He was saddened that a bear had to die because of a mistake in the newspaper. He also was concerned that if a young hunter had done that, it may spoil him for hunting.

Some might criticize the hunter for not checking the rule book, but this was presented as a change that could not be verified by the rule book. Some might criticize him for not checking with the PGC, but he only saw the newspaper just before heading out. There would have been no way to get hold of anyone from the PGC to verify it at that early hour.

The WCO did not fine the hunter. He explained that bear season would re-open in 1B for Wednesday through Saturday, and even issued him a new bear tag in case he decided to hunt there. Well handled by the WCO.

It was obviously a case of the writer's failure to understand what she was told by a representative from the PGC. And the headline, though accurate to the article, put the mistake in big, bold type.

I hope it happened only once. When I see the WCO I'll try to remember to ask. I started this thread only because I wondered how many times it may have happened.

Steve.

 

[RacksnQuacks]

I looked it up Sunday night on the computer at camp because I saw somebody here mention that their area was open and wanted to check ours. It listed the WMU's that were extended and the dates. I'm not saying I blame the hunter but there was a way to check. Had I been in that WMU I would have probably done the same as the hunter and took the paper at its word. He may not have had service or a way to look it up anyhow.

 

[6-DASHER]

He will win that in court, as a matter of fact it won't get that far, any magistrate will toss that out in a second.?Keep us informed those that live in that area.?

 

[Everyday Hunter]

I looked it up Sunday night on the computer at camp because I saw somebody here mention that their area was open and wanted to check ours. It listed the WMU's that were extended and the dates. I'm not saying I blame the hunter but there was a way to check. Had I been in that WMU I would have probably done the same as the hunter and took the paper at its word. He may not have had service or a way to look it up anyhow.

If you have a computer and Internet service at camp, you're one of the few who do. Some camps don't even have electricity, and many camps don't have cell access.

When a buddy shows up at camp with a freshly printed newspaper at 5:30 AM on opening day, and the front page story is about an extension of bear season where the camp is, and the camp has no Internet service, the only information you have to go on is the newspaper you're holding. Even if you had cell phone service, not even a phone call to the regional office would verify anything, because the office would not be open. Clearly, in this case, there was no way to verify the information. Most extensions of bear season into deer season were decided in plenty of time to print it in the rules.

He will win that in court, as a matter of fact it won't get that far, any magistrate will toss that out in a second.?Keep us informed those that live in that area.?

No charges were filed and it will never go to court. Everyone knows the hunter clearly was acting on the best and only information available to him. It's a case of "I'm sorry" and "That's too bad" all around -- the hunter, the WCO, the official misquoted in the article, the PGC, and the newspaper. I just hope it didn't happen more than teh one case I know about.

Steve.