Bear hunter success rate: 3%

Bear season in these parts is no small event. In some counties the number of bear hunters may even surpass that of the deer season opener.

Bruin populations have been at very high levels the last several years. With about 20 percent of the state's bears killed each fall, Pennsylvania has been maintaining a bear population of around 15,000.

Now that is a lot of bears, especially considering that Pennsylvania has one of the highest human populations in the nation.

Reports from small game, turkey, and archery hunters confirm that bear populations are high in our area. As these animals try to put on a few last pounds before winter hibernation, they are going to be concentrated around food sources.

In much of the northcentral region, there was a fantastic mast crop of white and chestnut oak acorns this year. Bears will especially be concentrating their feeding around this highcalorie food.

Some other fall food sources that bears feed heavily upon when available are beechnuts, the pods of the cucumber magnolia tree, wild grapes, crabapples and hawthorns, and domestic apples. Black bears have been known to travel incredible distances to find good autumn food sources, such as acorns.

Hunters endeavoring to become one of the lucky three percent who harvest a bear next week are going to want to focus their efforts near these natural forest food sources or near agricultural sources in wooded settings, such as standing cornfields.

Heavy cover -- thickets, laurel patches, clearcuts, and steep boulder-strewn hillsides -- near these food sources are going to be where the majority of Pennsylvania's bruins will be found. As the masses enter the woods in the fading twilight of Monday morning, bears will head for the most rugged, thickest cover around to hide.

Since food sources are not usually evenly spread throughout an area, the key to success next week will be scouting. In my scouting I've seen areas which normally harbor bears, but this year have no food source nearby, void of bear signs. I've also run into other locations that have a heavy chestnut acorn crop where there is an abundance of droppings and tracks.

As far as other signs, look for fresh claw marks on trees, pushed over saplings or pole timber, and pine and hemlock saplings that have had their tops bitten or broken off.

In addition, be on the lookout for marked trees. These are usually large evergreens, especially pitch pines, which are used by bears consistently over the years. They are bitten, scratched, and rubbed on heavily and generally have a lot of sap oozing out of their scars and bear hair stuck throughout their bark and sap. Sometimes yellow pine utility poles take the place of natural pine trees as bear marking posts.

Despite the high bear population, the harvest may be a little low this year due to mild temperatures that are forecasted for the first half of next week, melting any hopes that bear hunters may have for a tracking snow.

Remember, perseverance pays off. Be sure of your target and enjoy every moment of the hunt.