In preparation for the April 6 trout opener, the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) began its pre-season stocking of local waters last Thursday (2-22). 

The agency reported that they will stock approximately 3.2 million trout in 697 streams and 129 lakes. Of that number, they’ll stock 2.4 million Rainbow Trout, 702,000 Brown Trout and 132,000 Brook Trout. And these fish are 11 inches in length and weigh .58 pounds 

In addition, the PFBC says 70,000 will be brood trout that are 2.5 years old and 3.5-year-old hatchery-raised Rainbow, Brown and Brook Trout measuring 14-20 inches. Roughly 70 percent of these lunkers will be stocked prior to opening day of trout season and 30 percent during in-season stockings. 

As a bonus, approximately 14,000 golden Rainbow Trout will be stocked in 2024. These fish will weigh an average of 1.5 pounds with approximately 75 percent being stocked preseason and 25 percent will be stocked in-season. 

Added this, PFBC cooperative nurseries like the Lil-Le-Hi trout nursery and sportsman’s clubs, will add another one million trout to waters open to the public. 

Local pre-season stockings began on Feb. 22 with Laurel Run Creek receiving Rainbow Trout; Swabia Creek, Brown and Rainbow Trout; a portion of Little Lehigh Creek received Golden and Rainbows; 2-23/2-24: Little Lehigh, Rainbow and Golden Trout; 2-26: Kistler Creek, Rainbows; Ontelaunee Creek, Brown, Rainbow and Golden Trout; Switzer Creek, Rainbow and Goldens; 3-4: a portion of Jordan Creek, Brown, Rainbow and Golden; 3-6: Leaser Lake, Rainbow, Goldens; Trout Creek, Rainbow, Goldens; 3-7: Jordan Creek, Brown, Rainbow and Golden’s; Monocacy Creek, Rainbows; 3-11: Cedar Creek, Rainbows; Coplay Creek, Brook and Rainbows; 4-9: Lehigh Canal, Rainbow and Golden Trout. 

With stocking underway, all Stocked Trout Waters statewide are now closed to fishing until the trout opener on April 6, with the exception of Mentored Youth Trout Day on March 30. 
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However, there are some waters that will be stocked that you can fish right now. Among those waters are 24 stream sections in the Keystone Select Stocked Trout Waters program. Anglers, says the PFBC, may enjoy trout fishing immediately in Keystone Select streams as long as they use Artificial Lures and practice Catch-and-Release. To locate those waters, visit www.FishandBoat.com.

The final Pennsylvania bear harvest report is in and the season saw a decline of 250 bears when compared to the 2022 season. 

In the 2023 seasons, hunters harvested 2,023 bears compared to the 2022 seasons when 3,170 were taken. According to Pennsylvania Game Commission’s bear program specialist Emily Carrollo, fifty-eight of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties produced bears and at least one bear was taken in 20 of 22 WMUs. Additionally, hunters took bears in all the seasons. 

The decline, according to Carrollo, was due to the elimination of  bear season in WMUs 1B, 2C, 4A, 4B and 4D that produced an average of 375 bears on average from 2019 to 2022. 

Regarding the multiple seasons, the traditional statewide firearms season contributed 1,086 bears while the archery season had 695, the extended season saw 591, the muzzleloader season 424, the special firearms season 117 and the early archery season added seven. 

Of those totals, the largest bear harvested was a 691-pounder taken in the extended rifle season in Porter Township, Pike County by Mitchell Jonathan of Quakertown. Following that was a 645-pounder taken in the archery season in Foster Township, Schuylkill County; a 636-pounder in the firearms season in Roaring Brook Township, Lackawanna County; a 630-pounder in the firearms season in Hamilton Township Monroe County; a 616-pounder in archery season in Nesquehoning Borough, Carbon County; a 605-pounder taken in the firearms season in Upper Mount Bethel Township, Northampton County; a 589-pounder in the firearms season in Washington Township, Jefferson County; a 581-pounder, in the firearms season in Watson Township, Lycoming County; another 581-pounder in the firearms season in Cherry Township, Sullivan County; and a 576-pounder in the firearms season in Cherry Township, Sullivan County. 
Among the top producing counties were Tioga that gave up 176 bears followed by Lycoming with 170, Potter with 155, Pike with 142, Bradford with 138, Luzerne with 135, Monroe with 127, Wayne accounted for 124, Clinton with 108 and Carbon with 101. 

Final county harvests by region closest to the Lehigh Valley are (with 2022 figures in parentheses):

NORTHEAST: 1,067 (901): Pike, 142 (84); Bradford, 138 (126); Luzerne, 135 (126); Monroe 127 (114); Wayne, 124 (81); Carbon, 101 (78); Sullivan, 75 (84); Susquehanna, 67 (47); Wyoming, 62 (50); Lackawanna, 57 (51); Columbia, 27 (46); Northumberland, 10 (10) and Montour, 2 (4). 

SOUTHEAST: 159 (131): Schuylkill, 65 (65); Dauphin, 42 (27); Northampton, 21 (12); Berks, 16 (11); Lebanon 10 (14); and Lehigh, 5 (2). 

The final bear harvest by the nearest Wildlife Management Units (WMUs) were WMU 3D, 451 (344); WMU 4C, 220 (190); WMU 5C, 15 (8); and WMU 5D, 0 (0). 

Carrollo pointed out that in 2023, Pennsylvania had 206,124 hunters – the fourth-highest ever – which marked the fifth year in a row that bear license sales topped 200,000. Considering the recent total harvest, it’s obvious that only a tiny  fraction of bear hunters score. 

As these harvest numbers reflect, it’s a published fact that Pennsylvania has a lot of large bears and the largest number of 600 pound-plus bears of any state. 

NWTF HOSTS BANQUET

The Jerry Zimmerman Memorial Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF) will host its 26th Annual Hunting Heritage Superfund Membership Banquet on Friday, March 1, 2024 at the Homewood Suites, 3350 Center Valley Parkway, Center Valley. 

The Chapter does a lot for wildlife habitat improvement, they contribute to land acquisitions as well as sponsoring the “Wheelin Sportsman” program for disabled hunters and “Jakes” Youth Field Days for young hunters plus Women in the Outdoors events. 

In addition to the banquet there will be a live auction of wildlife prints, sculptures, home furnishings, jewelry and collectables. 

There will also be a gun raffle featuring a first prize of a Benelli Super Black Eagle III 12 ga., 28-inch Barrel-Gore Opitfade Timber Camo shotgun, or $1,000 cash; 2nd prize, a Kimber Micro 9mm handgun, or $500 in cash; 3rd prize, Savage Axis XP Camo Combo with winner’s choice of caliber, or $400 cash; 4th prize, Benelli Nova 12 ga. Shotgun; 5th prize a Traditions Muzzleloader Red-Pak. 

The banquet has several sponsor packages available as well as special Sportsman’s and Ladies raffles. 

For more information and to purchase advance tickets and packages go to https://events.nwtf.org/38032110-2024. Or call Bruce Dietrich, Banquet Chairman at 610-298-2424. 

Tickets may also be purchased at Bob’s Wildlife Taxidermy at 4642 Kernsville Road, Orefield. Call before you go at 610-398-7609.

At their recent meeting, the Pennsylvania Game Commission’s Board gave preliminary approval to the following hunting season changes. And for hunters who like to schedule their vacations around certain hunting seasons, the board gave approval for those dates as well. They are as follows:

*For black bear, the October muzzleloader season is proposed to be shortened to three days to reduce harvest rates on female bears and thereby promote stabilization of the bear population. 

*Pheasant hunting within the Central Susquehanna Wild Pheasant Recovery Area (WPRA) is currently limited to youth participation drawn in a lottery. The agency has proposed to eliminate the age restriction and permit requirements and provide the Executive Director the authority to annually designate WPRAs to be opened to hunting and establish appropriate season date(s) and bag limits.

*A proposal to include mentored hunters of all ages to be eligible to hunt in the early October pheasant season segment, known best as the Junior Hunt. 

*For wild turkey, fall season length changes are proposed for numerous Wildlife Management Units (WMU). Season length would be increased in 11 WMUs and WMU 5A, which was previously closed to fall hunting, would be opened for a 3-day season. Season length would be reduced in two WMUs 3D and 4C. 

PROPOSED BIG GAME SEASON OPENING DATES

*Spring Gobbler (bearded birds only): May 3-31
* Black Bear Archery: 2B, 5C and 5D; Sept. 21-Nov. 16; Sunday, Nov. 17; Nov. 18-23; Sunday, Nov. 24 and Nov. 25-29.
*Black Bear Archery: WMU 5B, Oct. 5-Nov. 16; Sunday, Nov. 17 and Nov. 18-23
*Black Bear Archery: WMUs 1A, 1B, 2A, 2C, 2D, 2E, 2F, 2G, 3A, 3B, 3C, 3D, 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D, 4E and 5A; Oct. 19-Nov. 9.
*Black Bear Muzzleloader statewide: Oct. 24-26
*Black Bear, Special Firearms statewide: Oct. 24-26.
*Black Bear statewide: Nov. 23; Sunday, Nov. 24; and Nov. 25-26
*Black Bear WMUs 3A, 3B, 3C, 4C, 4E and 5A: Nov. 30; Sunday, Dec. 1 and Dec. 1, 2 and 7.
*Black Bear WMUs 2B, 5B, 5C and 5D: Nov.30; Sunday, Dec. 1 and Dec. 2-14.
*Elk Archery: Sept. 14-28 via a lottery. 
*Elk Antlered or Antlerless: Nov. 4-9 via lottery.
*Elk Late: Dec. 28-Jan. 4, 2025.
*Deer Archery Antlered and Antlerless in WMUs 2B, 5C and 5D: Sept. 21-Nov. 16; Sunday, Nov. 17; Nov. 18-23; Sunday, Nov. 24; Nov. 25-29; and Dec. 26-Jan. 25, 2025.
*Deer Archery Antlered and Antlerless statewide: Oct. 5-Nov. 16; Sunday, Nov. 17; Nov. 18-22; and Dec. 26-Jan. 20, 2025.
*Deer, Antlerless Muzzleloader statewide: Oct. 19-26.
*Deer, Antlerless Special Firearms statewide: Oct. 24-26.
*Deer, Regular Firearms Antlered and Antlerless statewide: Nov. 30; Sunday Dec. 1 and Dec. 2-14. 
*Deer, Antlered or Antlerless Flintlock statewide: Dec. 26-Jan. 20, 2025.
*Deer, Antlered or Antlerless Flintlock WMUs 2B, 5C and 5D: Dec. 26-Jan. 25, 2025. 
*Deer, Antlerless Extended Regular Firearms in WMUs 2B, 5C and 5D: Dec. 26-Jan. 25. 
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As for the latest bear harvest numbers for the past seasons, Travis Lau, PGCs Media Relations Manager, said he is working with the bear biologist to finalize harvest numbers. We’ll publish those totals when they become available.