Pennsylvania Bear Seasons Hold Promise

If you hunt Pennsylvania black bears, maybe for years without harvesting one, now is not the time to give up hope.

It’s true the odds of tagging a bear can seem long. Only somewhere between 1.5 percent and 2.5 percent of bear license holders get a bear in any given year.

But bears are again plentiful and widespread across Pennsylvania, with an estimated 15,000 roaming the woods. The 2023 seasons are long and varied, offering lots of opportunities, including hunting on three Sundays. And history shows there’s always reason for optimism.

In 2022, nine hunters born in the 1930s harvested a black...