Pennsylvania Game Commission officials have released the preliminary results of the first three days of the 2018 bear harvest.
The three-day total is 1,833 bears harvested, which the game commission said is a 12 percent increase over the 1,628 bears taken during the 2017 season’s first three days.
Officials said bears have been taken in 54 counties so far during the statewide season.
The top 10 bears processed at check stations either estimated or confirmed to have weights of more than 600 pounds, officials said.
A bear that weighed 780 pounds was taken with a rifle by Michael Rubeo of Mercer, Forest County, then a day later, a 708-pound bear was taken by Timothy Weaver of Dallas, Luzerne County, again with a rifle.
Officials said one of the more intriguing bear harvests was a 679-pound male taken at 5 yards with a .357 handgun by Jordan Tutmaher, of Warren. They said the bear appeared in the drive of a Christmas tree patch in Warren County.
Officials said the overall 2017 bear harvest was the ninth-largest in state history with 3,438 being taken. In 2016, hunters took 3,529 bears, for the fifth best all-time harvest. The largest harvest, 4,350 bears, happened in 2011, when preliminary three-day totals numbered 2,709.
The statewide season closes Wednesday.
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