Aug 24, 2008 By Pa. Game Commission 2 min read

HARRISBURG – Hunters interested in learning the age of the bear they harvested during the 2007 seasons can log onto the Pennsylvania Game Commission’s website (www.pgc.state.pa.us) and click on the “Black Bear Age Data” link in the “Quick Click” box in the right-hand column of the homepage. “As a cost-cutting measure, the Game Commission no longer mails a certificate and letter to successful bear hunters notifying them of their bear’s age,” said Carl G. Roe, agency executive director. “To maintain this valued customer service, however, we provide hunters with a certificate at the check station when their bear is processed, and information about how and when they can find the age data, which is determined by examining a tooth from the bear that is extracted as part of the check station processing, on our website.”

Ages are available only for bears from which a tooth was pulled. To access the data and learn the age of their bear, a hunter will need to have their legal seal number from the check station certificate. If the hunter no longer has the seal number, age data also is provided in charts broken down by county of harvest.

In 2007, of the nearly 137,000 licensed bear hunters, 2,360 bears were harvested and taken to check stations.