Deer harvest figures jumped significantly this past hunting season in the three wildlife management units in northwestern Pennsylvania, according to Pennsylvania Game Commission statistics released this morning.

The Game Commission’s preliminary harvest figures indicate there was a 2 percent increase across the state in deer kills during the 2012-13 seasons over the 2011-12 seasons. Hunters killed 343,110 deer compared to 336,200 a year ago.

Read the rest of this entry »

Hunters killed 30 fewer bears in 2012 than they did in 2011 in the Northwest Region, according to the Pennsylvania Game Commission final harvest results released today.

There were 365 bears shot in the nine-county region including a high of 94 in Warren County. There were 395 bears killed in 2011 including 119 in Warren County.

Hunters killed seven bears in Erie County, the same number as in 2011. Clarion, Venango, Jefferson and Butler each had more reported kills in 2012 than a year earlier; Forest, Crawford and Mercer counties had fewer — 34 fewer in the Venango, which had 90 kills in 2011 and 56 this past year.

Robert A. Pitts, of Meadville, shot a 620-pound male Nov. 17 in Roulette Township,
Potter County, that is the fifth-largest harvested during the 2012 season.

The overall state harvest was 3,632 bears, the third-most in Pennsylvania history. The record is 4,350 in 2011.

Wildlife Management Unit 1B had 38 recorded kills, or 26 fewer than in 2011. WMU 1B includes all of Erie County, most of Crawford County and parts of Warren and Venango counties.

The final bear harvests by Wildlife Management Unit (with final 2011 figures in parentheses): WMU 1A, 4 (13); WMU 1B, 38 (64); WMU 2B, 6 (1): WMU 2C, 268 (226); WMU 2D, 162 (150); WMU 2E, 50 (79); WMU 2F, 285 (345); WMU 2G, 829 (1,086); WMU 3A, 342 (564); WMU 3B, 279 (479); WMU 3C, 146 (299); WMU 3D, 305 (318); WMU 4A, 139 (72); WMU 4B, 84 (70); WMU 4C, 163 (148); WMU 4D, 403 (355); WMU 4E, 110 (79); WMU 5A, 1 (1); WMU 5B, 2 (0); and WMU 5C, 16 (1).

Final county harvests by region (with 2011 figures in parentheses):

Northwest: Warren, 94 (119); Clarion, 77 (47); Venango, 62 (56); Forest, 56 (90); Jefferson, 51 (45); Butler, 11 (9); Erie, 7 (7); Crawford, 6 (16); and Mercer, 1 (6).

Southwest: Somerset, 94 (75); Fayette, 79 (67); Westmoreland, 37 (24); Armstrong, 35 (66); Indiana, 24 (33); Cambria, 11 (35); and Allegheny, 4 (1).

Northcentral: Lycoming, 341 (336); Clinton, 265 (205); Tioga, 227 (381); Potter 179 (399); Centre, 143 (129); McKean, 134 (258); Clearfield, 102 (154); Union, 82 (49); Elk, 76 (153); and Cameron, 67 (100).

Southcentral: Huntingdon, 125 (73); Bedford, 86 (44); Mifflin, 62 (48); Blair, 50 (32); Juniata, 37 (33); Perry, 32 (13); Fulton, 25 (15); Franklin, 14 (13); Snyder, 14 (29); Adams, 2 (0); and Cumberland, 2 (4).

Northeast: Pike, 108 (116); Monroe, 102 (88); Luzerne, 100 (99); Bradford, 86 (126); Wayne, 73 (208); Carbon, 67 (45); Sullivan, 60 (180); Wyoming, 57 (57); Susquehanna, 41 (92); Lackawanna, 37 (25); Columbia, 36 (26); Northumberland, 26 (11); and Montour, 3 (0).

Southeast: Dauphin, 48 (46); Schuylkill, 39 (34); Northampton, 21 (4); Lehigh 3 (3); Berks, 7 (2); and Lebanon, 4 (13).

The lucky number in the first NWPA Outdoors Deer of the Year contest is 17.

That’s how many points each of the winners’ bucks had: Rob Potter’s Clarion County trophy and Bill Wiltse’s Crawford County non-typical.

Potter, of Erie, received the most votes in online balloting from Dec. 12-31 and earned inaugural Deer of the Year honors in the Erie Times-News/GoErie.com-sponsored contest. He wins a prize pack including a 145-pound Camo Poly Rope by SecureLine; “Steelheader’s Journal,” signed by author John Nagy; four GoErie.com camp mugs; a GoErie.com bottle opener; and a game tag protector donated by James Wolfgang, owner of Wolfgang Products in Saegertown and a contest entrant.

Wiltse, also of Erie, was named the Editor’s Choice winner after a review of the entries. He wins a prize pack including a 110-pound Camo Poly Rope by SecureLine; “Beyond Catch & Release: Exploring the Future of Fly Fishing,” by Paul Guernsey; four GoErie.com camp mugs; a GoErie.com bottle opener; and a Wolfgang game tag protector.

There were 28 photos uploaded, and 98 people registered to vote. The photos were viewed more than 80,000 times during the duration of the contest, and are still available at GoErie.com/deeroftheyear.

For even more images of successful hunters, visit the NWPA Outdoors Hunting and Fishing gallery.

Bob Lewis, of West Springfield, shot a 10-point near his home. The deer was the largest in his 48 years of hunting; it had a 17 1/2-inch and 20-inch outside spread, and the rack was more than 15 inches high.

Jared Dikeman, of North East, shot a gorgeous 9-point while hunting in Wattsburg.

Dikeman’s deer was one of the finalists for the NWPA Outdoors Deer of the Year. Voting ended Dec. 31; watch for the public vote winner and an editor’s choice winner Jan. 6 in the Erie Times-News sports section and at NWPAOutdoors.com.

Bruce Long, of Erie, checks in with the final Deer of the Day for 2012. Long shot his 10-point buck locally during archery season while in the field with his crossbow for the first time. The buck’s green score was 135 inches, and it had a 23-inch neck and weighed more than 200 pounds field dressed.

Bruce’s Big Buck Down

Monday is the final day to cast your vote in the NWPA Outdoors 2012 Deer of the Year contest.

The Deer of the Year will be announced Jan. 6 in the Erie Times-News and on www.GoErie.com, along with an Editor’s Choice pick.

Deer legally harvested during any 2012-13 seasons were eligible; photo submission ended in Dec. 10. The contest was open only to individuals who were 18 years or older at time of entry. Entrants must have either harvested their deer in the Northwest Region or reside in the Northwest Region and have harvested their deer in Pennsylvania.

The public vote winner will get a prize pack including a 145-pound Camo Poly Rope by SecureLine; “Steelheader’s Journal,” signed by author John Nagy; four GoErie.com camp mugs, and a GoErie.com bottle opener

The editor’s choice winner will receive a prize pack including a 110-pound Camo Poly Rope by SecureLine; “Beyond Catch & Release: Exploring the Future of Fly Fishing,” by Paul Guernsey; four GoErie.com camp mugs, and a GoErie.com bottle opener.

George King, of Girard, used his crossbow to shoot an 11-point trophy buck in East Springfield during archery season. The deer weighed 198 pounds field dressed and had a 21 1/4-inch outside spread.

Vote for the NWPA Outdoors Deer of the Year at goerie.com/deeroftheyear. Voting ends Monday, and the Deer of the Year will be announced Jan. 6 in the Erie Times-News and on www.GoErie.com, along with an Editor’s Choice pick.

You can still submit your deer photo to the GoErie Hunting and Fishing gallery.

Marcus Yudt, 14, of Millcreek Township, shot this 8-point buck Dec. 1 in Forest County while hunting with his father and two brothers. His brother Steven spotted the deer.

Vote for the NWPA Outdoors Deer of the Year at goerie.com/deeroftheyear. Voting ends Dec. 31, and the Deer of the Year will be announced Jan. 6 in the Erie Times-News and on www.GoErie.com, along with an Editor’s Choice pick.

You can still submit your deer photo to the GoErie Hunting and Fishing gallery.

Brian Kightlinger, of Venango, shot a buck Nov. 28 near his home. It was his first-ever 10-point.

2012 PA Rifle Buck

Vote for the NWPA Outdoors Deer of the Year at goerie.com/deeroftheyear. Voting ends Dec. 31, and the Deer of the Year will be announced Jan. 6 in the Erie Times-News and on www.GoErie.com, along with an Editor’s Choice pick.

You can still submit your deer photo to the GoErie Hunting and Fishing gallery.