Woman's Suit Claims Husband Died Due To Doctor's Failures

Amount Of Toole's Going-away Check In Question

By GEORGE SMITH; Times Leader Outdoors Editor
 Tuesday, December 09, 1997 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 2B 





Pennsylvania bear hunters got off to a record-breaking start when they
killed 1,801 bears- five more than in 1996- after the first two days of a
three-day season. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 But when the season ended the day before Thanksgiving, hunters had killed
2,101 bruins, the Pennsylvania Game Commission reported Monday. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; This year's harvest ranks as the third-best since the Game Commission began
recording bear harvest information in 1915. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The state's best harvest of 2,220 bruins occurred in 1989. The 1995 harvest
of 2,190 is second-best. Last year's was 1,796. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Hunters were required to present harvested bears at Game Commission check
stations within 24 hours. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 That requirement gives commission biologists the opportunity to gather
extremely accurate harvest information. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 While harvest fluctuations occurred by county and region, Luzerne County
hunters bagged the same number of bruins as last year- 53. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The harvest by region included the Northcentral, 1,102 (849 in 1996);
Northeast, 437 (454); Northwest, 254 (200); Southwest, 169 (170);
Southcentral, 87 (94); and Southeast, 52 (26). &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Bears were harvested in 50 of the state's 67 counties, but Potter County
topped all other counties with a harvest of 175. Potter last led the state in
1967. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Lycoming, with 172 bruins, and Clinton, with 166, were a close second and
third and have been the state's top bear-producing counties since 1981. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Potter County's posting of the largest bear harvest is surprising, as its
1996 harvest was 69. But it's typical of the harvest swings that have
historically occurred in Northcentral counties, according to commission
biologist Gary Alt. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The swings appear to be related to food and weather. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Other top counties, all in the state's Northcentral Region, were Tioga,
122; McKean, 120; Centre, 114; and Clearfield, 110. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Alt said that about 20 percent of a statewide bear population of 8,500 must
be taken annually to keep bruin numbers in check. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 According to Alt, about 90,000 bear licenses are sold each year. And that's
exactly the number of hunters needed to bag about 20 percent of the state's
bears. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 ~Alt believes this year's harvest will not adversely affect the bear
population because as recently as 1995, when the state's second-largest
harvest occurred, hunters followed that in 1996 with a kill of 1,796, then the
third-largest kill. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 County harvest statistics by region include: &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 NORTHEAST REGION: Pike, 82; Monroe, 66; Wayne, 57; Luzerne, 53; Bradford,
35; Sullivan, 32; Carbon, 30; Susquehanna, 28; Lackawanna, 21; Columbia, 18;
Wyoming, 14; and Northumberland, 1. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 SOUTHEAST REGION: Schuylkill, 19; Dauphin, 9; Lebanon, 9; Berks, 7; Lehigh,
5; and Northampton, 3. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 NORTHCENTRAL REGION: Potter, 175; Lycoming, 172; Clinton, 166; Tioga, 122; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 McKean, 120; Centre, 114; Clearfield, 110; Elk, 64; Cameron, 36; Union, 23. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 SOUTHCENTRAL REGION: Huntingdon, 30; Blair, 19; Mifflin, 15; Bedford, 13;
Snyder, 7; Fulton, 2; and Franklin, 1. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 NORTHWEST REGION: Forest, 72; Venango, 66; Jefferson, 45; Clarion, 33;
Warren, 30; Crawford, 5; Butler, 2; and Erie, 1. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 SOUTHWEST REGION: Somerset, 69; Indiana, 30; Westmoreland, 27; Cambria, 18;
Armstrong, 13; and Fayette, 12. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

1997 Bear Harvest Ranks As 3rd-best For Pennsylvania