If you missed out drawing a tag or had to postpone that special big game hunt this fall, it’s not too late. Pennsylvania offers a chance at some of the biggest black bears in North America as this archer witnessed as he sat (trembling?) with his bow and arrow. PA offers an archery season and a rifle season with licenses available over the counter. Plus PA has tons of public land, the dense mountain cover that bears love. Black bears are far more common in the East than many sportsmen realize and their populations continue to expand. Maryland, for example doubled their bear hunting counties from two to four for 2016 and there is no quota limit as in previous years. Maryland allows a hunter who draws a tag to include two other people in his/her hunting party which helps greatly with extracting a dead bear. Since the animals can reach 500 pounds or more and have no antlers to use as handles, dragging a bruin from the woods can be backbreaking work. As you will see in this YouTube clip, bear hunting can be done in the same manner and time as hunting whitetail deer, wild turkeys, or both. For a taste of the excitement of a black bear at close range, check out this monster bruin: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fl-iz4UUvFI
