An increase in population and hunting opportunity has led to an early season black bear harvest that is on pace to exceed last year's total harvest in Butler County.

The 27 bears killed in the county during the archery, muzzleloader and a special firearms season for junior, senior and disabled hunters is slightly more than the 23 harvested by this time last year, and there is one day left in the archery season. A record 44 bears were harvested during all seasons last year in the county.

Saturday is the last day for the statewide archery season. The muzzleloader season was Oct. 17 to 24, and the special firearms season was Oct. 22 to 24. Those seasons overlap the ongoing archery deer season, which runs from Oct. 3 to Nov. 20.

The statewide firearms season is Nov. 21 to 24, including Sunday, Nov. 22. That Sunday hunt is one of three Sundays the commission opened for hunting this year. The other Sundays are Nov. 15 during the archery deer season as well as Nov. 29, the second day of the firearms deer season.

Before the start of the 2020-21 season, the Pennsylvania Game Commission expanded bear hunting opportunities for archers by adding a week to the archery season and overlapping it with the first week of the muzzleloader deer and bear seasons.

Last year in the county, hunters killed 13 bears in the muzzleloader season, eight in the archery season, two in the special firearms season and 21 in the firearms season.

“Due to a trending up population and the opportunities, the harvest has increased,” said Jason Amory, information and education supervisor of the commission's Northwest Region, which includes Butler County.

An increase in nuisance bear complaints, road kills and harvest numbers over the past few years is a reflection of a growing population in the county.

“There's definitely an upward tick in the population in Butler County,” Amory said.

Last year, the commission sold a record 202,043 bear hunting licenses and a record harvest of 4,653 bears took place. This year, bear license sales were 18% ahead of last year's pace as of early October.

Despite the record harvest, the bear population estimate remains 20,000.

Last year's record harvest broke the previous record harvest set in 2011, when 4,350 bears were taken. In 2018, hunters took a total of 3,153 bears. The only other year hunters took more than 4,000 bears was in 2005 when 4,164 were taken, according to the commission.

“I'm speculating, but based on the weather, we have the potential to set another state record for bear harvest,” Amory said.

Acorns, a staple food for bears and deer, are plentiful. Acorns from red oak trees are abundant, but white oak acorns are good in some areas and sparse in others, Amory said.

“We have quite a bit of food in the woods at this point, which is surprising because of the dry weather we had this year,” Amory said.

He said acorns are scattered, which causes bears and deer to move around to find them.

Hunters in the county are keeping pace with those in some surrounding counties that traditionally produce large harvests. Venango County, where 80 bears were killed last year, had 30 killed so far this year. Clarion County has 20 bear harvests so far this year and a total of 64 last year.

Statewide, 1,756 bears have been harvested during the early seasons. Top producing counties are Potter County with 125, Clinton with 106, Tioga with 99, Monroe with 94 and Lycoming with 92, Amory said.

The largest bear killed so far this year weighed 657 pounds and was harvested in Pike County. A Clearfield County bear weighed 633 pounds. Four bears weighing more than 600 pounds have been harvested, Amory said.