Viewing a single comment thread. View all comments

25Bam_vixx t1_ixng87x wrote

Is this bad or good?

18

AbsentEmpire t1_ixnkzkh wrote

It just is, it's a necessary part of PA forest management.

The PA Game Commission has strict rules on hunting. They tightly regulate how many animals of what types and when, that can be harvest by hunters. They also require reporting by hunters of what they took and where.

They won't allow the animal populations to fall into endangered status, and use hunters for effective animal population control.

If anything this is a good thing because it indicates the PA black bear population is healthy.

118

25Bam_vixx t1_ixnopc7 wrote

Cool, thanks. If we have enough bears why aren’t they eating the deer. They need to eat some more deers. Lol

22

_Bee_Dub_ t1_ixnyqsb wrote

They occasionally eat fawns; they are not really a predator.

39

user_1445 t1_ixo8aze wrote

Bears eat as many fawns as coyotes, and in some cases, more. https://www.media.pa.gov/Pages/Game-Commission-Details.aspx?newsid=221

13

TOW2Bguy t1_ixogico wrote

But they do not chuck as much wood as a woodchuck would chuck, if a woodchuck could chuck wood.

25

cardboardunderwear t1_ixp7dhz wrote

which is a damn good thing...because we all know that a woodchuck would chuck all the wood if a woodchuck only could. No reason to think bears would be any different.

7

NotNowDamo t1_ixotc4g wrote

They are pretty lazy. They like berries and carrion and trash. I guess they will eat deer if it is an easy hunt.

29

sashslingingslasher t1_ixpz2m8 wrote

If you shoot the deer for them, they'll eat it.

Hunting is hard and blueberries are food too.

19

NotNowDamo t1_ixot8mg wrote

In the last 20 or so years, bear populations have risen despite record bear harvests.

I don't know if taking more bears has caused the population to rise or not, but I can't imagine the bear problem PA would have if we weren't culling them.

9

illbeinthewoods t1_ixpqk48 wrote

I think it's because our forests are healthier. About 20 years ago the PA Game Commission implemented "herd reduction" for deer and increased the number of doe tags to allow for more deer to be killed per season. This reduction allowed for more understory in the forest which increased available food for other species. I believe the reductions also happened in the fringes of where the bears lived, allowing their populations to increase and in turn spread.

We have also seen an increase in bears populations along our border with NJ. NJ has had a few canceled bears hunts which have allowed their bear population to climb. Bears swim across the Delaware river and find a nice home here.

13

TheTemplarSaint t1_ixr9p22 wrote

There are some really cool videos of the amazing restorative effect reintroducing wolves had on Yellowstone.

1