Pennsylvania Game Commission Rules that the First Bear Taken in Lancaster County was Illegally Killed

With no records of a hunter ever successfully killing a black bear in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, the news of a dead bear earlier this month was seemingly a cause for celebration.  

The bear was shot by hunter John Stoltzfus, 47, of Drumore Township on December 10th on a parcel of land owned by Constellation Energy. According to Stoltzfus, he stated that he has been hunting that very same hillside that leads down to the picturesque Susquehanna River for many years and, until this incident, believed it was allowed.

With both a bear tag and a deer tag with him that day, Stoltzfus was ready for anything to walk out to him when the 240-pound boar finally made an appearance. Excited to see the bruin, he took the shot and promptly punched his tag on this apparent once-in-a-lifetime bear and headed home to finish field dressing the animal.

Despite it being his first bear hunt, Stoltzfus stated that he knew that all bears had to be checked in at a local check station for inspection by Game Commission officers. He placed a call to state officials and was soon visited by State Game Warden Daniel Gibble who was to inspect the bear.

As Gibble and Stoltzfus interacted about the bear, information about where the animal was shot was revealed to the Game Warden who then immediately suspected foul play. Despite his ignorance, Gibble soon informed Stoltzfus that he would be cited for trespassing and that the first bear taken in Lancaster County, was, unfortunately, killed illegally.

“The first bear ever taken by a hunter in Lancaster County – we wish it would have been a lawful bear,” said Sgt. Matthew Johnson, the Game Commission’s Game Warden Group Supervisor for Lancaster and Chester Counties. “It would have been a great story.”

Despite his best laid plans and all of the proper licenses, Johnson reiterated that Stoltzfus was trespassing when he shot the bear, in which case, the taking of the bear is considered to be unlawful under state wildlife laws and regulations.

State officials decided to donate the meat from the bear, but have retained both the head and the hide as evidence in the pending case. 

As for Stoltzfus, he is now facing fines of over $1,200 for both the trespassing citation and the unlawful taking of wildlife charge. Stoltzfus has stated that he is still considering fighting the charges based on his attestation that the property was not properly marked against trespassing.