Bear scouts in this area expect another high bear harvest when the season begins this week. As it traditionally does, the northcentral region led the state in bear kills last hunting season. Potter, Lycoming, Tioga, McKean and Clinton led all counties with a total of 1,062 bruins. The five-county local tally comprised nearly one-third of the statewide sum of 3,458, and even more bears were killed in other counties throughout the northcentral region. In 2007, Clinton and Lycoming counties led the state in bear kills. The two counties offer a large geographic size with lots of land open to public hunting and large tracts of forested land uninterrupted by development, according to state Game Commission bear biologist Mark Ternent. If the bears were born here, he said they probably won’t stray too far. Ternent said males usually stay within a home range of 20 square males; females stay within 8 to 12 square miles.