PA bear hunting

[yobuck]

Well at least in Dubois there would be things to do other than hunt bears on rainy days.
As for close to Quehanna, its about 45/50 miles.
Clearfield would be a better choice, as there is Grices gun shop for the bad days. lol

 

[birddog 68]

Well at least in Dubois there would be things to do other than hunt bears on rainy days.
As for close to Quehanna, its about 45/50 miles.
Clearfield would be a better choice, as there is Grices gun shop for the bad days. lol

It always costs me a lot of money when I visit Grices. I'm like a child in a candy store!

 

[yobuck]

Unfortunately my favorite store in Clearfield recently closed.
That being Bobs Army&Navy.

 

[birddog 68]

I've never been there but I loved going to the army navy stores. Unfortunately I think most have closed. I still have some surplus pants that I purchased years ago but I think my wife shrunk them.

 

[yobuck]

I bought guns at Grices for myself and both my sons.
One is now 59 and the other 53.
About 15 years ago i went in there to buy a lefty Savage 22 mag.
The sales clerk had shown me a right hand gun.
He told me to fill out the form while he went in back to get the lefty model.
When he saw i was a Florida resident he told me they wouldnt sell me the gun.
The manager told me the same thing.
Apparently Florida has a law stating that Florida residents must buy guns in state, or in an adjoining state.
So i went around the corner to Bobs, told them i was a Florida resident, and asked if they would they sell me the gun?
I brought the gun back to the camp with me.
So i lost a lot of interest in Grices as a result of that.

 

[std7mag]

One thing with a decoy.
Ya gotta sell it!
That fawn/rabbit/elk has to be screaming bloody murder to get & keep a bears attention.
They are opportunistic predators.
Any call that works on coyotes/foxes/bobcats works on bears.

I've had several times calling coyotes and had bears come in.

 

[birddog 68]

I've got another question. The PA game commission requires that you bring the bear into a check station and it must be the whole carcass minus the guts of course. I have a game cart that resembles a dolly that I have used for deer. I think it'll work for a average size bear but what if we get something over 300 lbs? Only going to be 2 of us! Any suggestions other than calling 10 friends? By the way I don't have 10 friends.

 

[yobuck]

We use what is known as ( Mule Tape ) for getting dead animals to the vehicle.
Mind you now, were not moving about while hunting, we set up where we can glass hillsides, and we shoot from the same spot we glass from.
Mule tape is as the name implies a nylon tape about 1/2" wide but very strong.
Ours is 1800 # breaking strength, and it is also available in stronger sizes.
Primarily, it is used for pulling cable and wire thru underground conduit, by cable and utility companies.
Best to also have a nylon strap and a pulley for attaching to the strap.
You need that attached to a tree say next to a road, then the Mule tape run thru the pulley, and not just around the tree.
The friction will cause the tape to break without the pulley.
Of coarse for a direct or straight pull, the pulley isnt necessary.
We have pulled 2 deer at a time up a steep hillside using the Mule tape.
And thats also what we used to pull my bear up to a dirt road.
We just wrap the tape around the bumper and drive the vehicle
forward maybe 100 feet or so, then back up and do it again till we have it on the road. We leave a long tag end at the animal end, and the guy guiding the animal along gets drug uphill as well. We use radios to keep things under control.
Actually, its best to drag a deer by the back legs as opposed to using its neck.
How i got my tape? lol
First off, i knew people who were using it before we were.
And i knew how they got theirs.
But one day driving down a road here in Florida about 20 years ago, i spotted some workers pulling wires thru an underground conduit.
So i made a U turn and went back.
I asked one of them about getting some of the tape, and he asked what i wanted it for.
I told him dragging dead animals up steep hillsides.
He just laughed, and told me he was an Elk hunter.
He then got up into the truck and got a whole brand new roll and gave it to me.
And were still using it, knots and all where we broke it on rocks.
About a year ago i got some more the same way, but this guy only gave me a about 100 yards.
But enough to lengthen what we have due to loss by breakage.
We keep it on a garden hose reel, and when the guy goes down the hill to retrieve the animal he just pulls the end of it along with him. Just like a fishing reel in free spool.

 

[std7mag]

Put DCNR & Game Commission phone numbers in your phone!!

If you can get specific ranger/game officer #s all the better!
They will help you out.

Also, check the book again.
I know they'll let you quarter out an elk.

 

[birddog 68]

Put DCNR & Game Commission phone numbers in your phone!!

If you can get specific ranger/game officer #s all the better!
They will help you out.

Also, check the book again.
I know they'll let you quarter out an elk.

The officer that gave me the information on the hunt area gave me his number and he is local to the area. I will add it to my contacts.
I will definitely check the regulations again since it would make it much easier to quarter it.
Thanks

 

[Frank in the Laurels]

Unfortunately my favorite store in Clearfield recently closed.
That being Bobs Army&Navy.

Good news spike, someone bought it and it's reopening, honestly !! Lots of people are very happy..

 

[yobuck]

The officer that gave me the information on the hunt area gave me his number and he is local to the area. I will add it to my contacts.
I will definitely check the regulations again since it would make it much easier to quarter it.
Thanks

As a rule you wont get the area warden when you call, but a regional office. That person takes the information and if warrented will pass it along to the local warden. You may or may not get a call back, depending upon the urgency of the situation. So consider yourself fortunate to have gotten thru to the warden.

 

[yobuck]

Good news spike, someone bought it and it's reopening, honestly !! Lots of people are very happy..

Yes that is good news. Bob was the second generation there, the business being started by his father. Both he and his wife worked there, and i suppose they wanted to retire.
They apparently had the place for sale for quite awhile, but no takers.

 

[birddog 68]

Also, check the book again.

I looked at the online regulations book and didn't see anything against quartering a bear. I will check in my paper book that I received with my license and confirm with game commission before bear season.
Not sure if they changed this regulation or I misinterpreted it a few years ago.