3 Places You’re Most Likely to Encounter a Bear in Pennsylvania This Fall
The bear is one of the most iconic large mammals in North America. Three species of bears live in North America the North American black bear the brown bear and the polar bear. Almost every part of the continent is home to at least one of these bears. Here are three places where you can find bears in Pennsylvania.
Are there bears in Pennsylvania?
Yes there are bears in Pennsylvania. Although three types of bears live in North America the only type of bear in Pennsylvania is the North American black bear. More than 16000 black bears live in Pennsylvania. There have been bear sightings in every Pennsylvania county but not every county has a thriving population of bears. Some counties do not have suitable habitat for bears so bears seen there were just passing through. Most bears in Pennsylvania live in the northern and western parts of the state. The fewest bears live in the southeast corner of Pennsylvania especially near the city of Philadelphia because bears do not like to live near human development. Bears are more active in the fall when they are preparing for hibernation so thats when youre most likely to see them outside of their usual range.
Black bears may visit houses or yards in search of food.
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The Pennsylvania Game Commission has specific advice to help Pennsylvania residents coexist with bears.
Bears in your yard
If you live in bear country the most important way to avoid conflict with bears is to avoid providing them with food on your property. It is illegal in Pennsylvania to intentionally feed bears as this poses a safety risk to both bears and humans. Your yard may provide bears with unintentional food sources such as trash grill grease bird feeders compost pet food or fallen fruit from backyard trees. Remove these food sources or keep them in secure places. To prevent dogs from getting in a fight with a bear keep them indoors or in a secure pen and always keep them on leashes when out walking.
If you see a bear in your yard you have two options. First you can try to scare the bear away by making loud noises from a safe distance. Second you can wait until the bear goes away. Afterward clean up any mess the
