HARRISBURG — The Pennsylvania Game Commission today reported that hunters harvested an estimated 323,070 deer in the state's 2007-08 seasons, an 11-percent decrease from the previous seasons.

Hunters took 109,200 antlered deer in the 2007-08 seasons, down 19 percent from the previous license year's harvest of 135,290. Also, hunters harvested 213,870 antlerless deer in 2007-08, a 5-percent drop from the 226,270 antlerless deer taken in 2006-07.

"What stands out most when looking over the harvest data is the difference in the opening-day deer kill of the two-week firearms season," said Christopher Rosenberry, Game Commission deer section supervisor.

"Report cards sent in by hunters show the antlered deer harvest on the opening day, Nov. 26, dropped more than 50 percent from 2006. Daily harvests for the rest of the two-week season, Nov. 27-Dec. 8, were similar to 2006.

"The firearms season's opening day antlerless deer harvest also dropped nearly 50 percent from 2006," he added. "However, the antlerless harvest throughout the remainder of the two-week season increased and, in due course, erased some of the opening day's harvest shortfall."

Based on past years' results, Rosenberry noted that it wasn't surprising that the drop in opening day harvests had a larger effect on the antlered harvest than the antlerless harvest.

Harvest estimates for 2007-08 seasons are based on 124,569 usable harvest report cards (40,482 antlered; 84,087 antlerless) returned by hunters to the Commission and 25,400 deer (7,338 antlered; 18,062 antlerless) examined by Game Commission personnel in the field and at processors.

For an explanation of the agency's deer harvest estimating procedure, visit the Game Commission's website, www.pgc.state.pa.us

According to official 2007 bear harvest figures released recently by the Game Commission, hunters took a total of 2,360 bears, which included 41 bears during the second archery bear season, Nov. 14-15; 2,026 bears during the statewide 3-day season, Nov. 19-21; and 293 bears during the extended season, Nov. 26-Dec. 1, that was open in select areas of the state.This harvest ranks ninth in the overall Pennsylvania bear harvests. In 2005, hunters set a record harvest of 4,164 bears. Other recent harvests were: 3,075 in 2000; 3,063 in 2001; 2,686 in 2002; 3,000 in 2003; 2,972 in 2004; and 3,122 in 2006.Bears were taken in 49 counties. The largest bear was a 727-pound (estimated live weight) male taken in Dingman Township, Pike County, by Scott Spaeth of Philadelphia Nov. 28. In all, nine bears taken by hunters weighed 600 pounds or more.Harvest of selected counties in the northwestern and southwestern regions, with 2006's figure in parenthesis: Warren, 71 (79); Forest, 55 (46); Venango, 39 (43); Jefferson, 38 (28); Clarion, 24 (36); Butler, 9 (12); Crawford, 4 (5); and Erie 2 (2); Armstrong, 43 (31); Westmoreland, 40 (24); Indiana, 31 (51); and Cambria, 10 (14).