It's Black Bear Season In Pennsylvania: What You Need To Know

PENNSYLVANIA — Of all the creatures great and small in the wilds of the Pennsylvania backcountry, perhaps none inspires the awe, fear, and rancorous misunderstanding of Ursus americanus, the American black bear.

As of a 2015 census, there were some 20,000 black bears spread across Pennsylvania, although the most recent estimates place the number of the secretive mammals claiming state residency slightly lower, at around 18,000. It's a trend that's been mostly on the rise for years: the state bear population was around 4,000 in 1970.

In 2020, significantly fewer bears — around 3,600, according to state game officials — were killed by hunters than in 2019. That's more than a thousand less than 2019, when the state issued more bear hunting licenses than it had in years in an effort to control the bear population growth.

With the warmer weather, bears will be coming out of their winter hibernation dens in search of food. Spring and summer are their most active months, and they can be found in just about every county in Pennsylvania.

It may be treated as a spectacle when a bear is spotted in an urban or densely suburban environment like the greater Philadelphia area, but the reality is that this land was never not home to these majestic creatures, and as human populations continue to grow, sightings inevitably will become more likely.

Black bears range widely in size, but 200 pounds is their roughly average weight, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. Bears often weigh up to twice that, however, with 600 pound-bears not uncommon, and some rare individuals drawing close to the 900 to one thousand pound range.

Much like coyotes, suburban sprawl and its attendant impacts have created "problem" bears, or bears that become reliant on human civilization as a food source over time. Humans are not a part of a bear's diet, but things like trash, pet food, bird seed, unclean cooking grilles, and the other scattered and odiferous effluvia of humanity prove quite attractive to bears and their powerful snouts.

Bears do not want to eat humans; in fact, they eat a largely vegetarian diet. Nonetheless, their strength should be respected and a dose of fear is healthy. The National Park Service offers the following tips for what to do if you see a black bear:

• Remain watchful.
• Do not approach the bear.
• Do not allow the bear to approach you.
• If your presence causes the bear to change their behavior (stops feeding, changes its travel direction, watches you, etc.) you are too close.
• Being too close may promote aggressive behavior from the bear such as running toward you, making loud noises, or swatting the ground. The bear is demanding more space. Don't run, but slowly back away, watching the bear. Increase the distance between you and the bear. The bear will probably do the same.

If a bear persistently follows or approaches you, without vocalizing, or paw swatting, officials recommend that you:

• Change your direction.
• If the bear continues to follow you, stand your ground.
• If the bear gets closer, talk loudly or shout at it. Raise your arms to make yourself appear larger.
• Act aggressively to intimidate the bear.