Posted on 02/14/2020 2:20:08 PM PST by Kid Shelleen
A 700-pound black bear killed by bow on private land in Morris County, N.J., has set a world record for North American black bear, besting the mark set in 1993, according to a national organization.
The bear’s size didn’t surprise at least one hunting advocate who said the high weight is the result of state restrictions on hunting that allow bears to multiply and get dangerously big. ---SNIP--- Melillo told Pope & Young that he had read an article in Outdoor Life magazine stating that a world record black bear would likely come some day from New Jersey.
(Excerpt) Read more at inquirer.com ...
Back home in Western MD, they reinstituted black bear hunts after 51 years because the buggers were becoming a nuisance again. A neighbor opened her porch door one day to put out the trash and found one about 125 pounds, up to his tuckus in her trash can and snacking on everything. The city police rarely respond; they say it’s the responsibility of city Animal Control. The biggest one so far weighed in at 575 pounds and was seven feet tall. Most are in the 125-250 pound range, some tipping the scales at over 300. The local paper now has a Bear Watch column, and there are several killed weekly on roads in the higher elevations. It’s just a part of living in the mountains. Another aspect of it is Washington sprawl spreading so far out into what used to be rural land, it’s driving the bears westward into the hills, looking for new territory. It’s like a winter drawdown on a lake; the same amount of fish are in there, they just have less volume to spead out in.
[I remember that. Why was the bear following the group? I thought they were shy and naturally afraid of humans?]
https://www.njherald.com/article/20141030/NEWS/909018023
Because not all black bears are shy and naturally afraid of humans. Predatory black bears are a reality. A very small percentage but bad news if you happen to stumble upon one.
Aaaaand now he’s dead. Lovely.
The sucker knew how to eat.
Wife: Honey, why are you putting on your sneakers for this hike in the woods?
Husband: So I can run fast.
Wife: You’re going to outrun a bear?
Husband: No, all I have to do is outrun you, dear.
Now, just what kind of “hunters credibility “ around the campfire will that get you?
“There I was, just minutes from the Jersey Turnpike, exit 104. The roars of wild semi-trucks still echoing behind me, I crept up on the infamous New Jersey black bear, still groggy from finishing the empties and wedding cake frosting thrown out in that morning’s trash....”
I could have tried to eat a kayak like this one did. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nU5cMZymSr0
Warning: very screechy idiot woman in this video.
Morris County isn’t really known for it’s garbage. It’s heavily wooded and, based on household income, one of the top 5 richest counties in the entire country.
I'd argue that the 300lb bear is more dangerous but frankly neither are. I live in bear country NJ, we see them routinely and have had one try to get into the kitchen some years back.
I've had a number of NBEs(near bear experiences) and ran into several that were 500+ lbs at spitting distances. Someone on crutches can move faster than these things. They just sort of amble along and aren't really in a hurry.
From a quick little skim of the reading, sounds like your bears are not particularly fearful and/or have gotten used to encountering humans?
I went looking for land speed of black bears and wound up finding a cute website article written from a Grizzly Bear’s perspective titled “ASK A BEAR”. WHen asked how fast bears run, the grizzly bear answers:
“Sigh. It seems like there’s always some human who wants to figure out a secret way to best me on foot. Can’t you just be happy that you’re (sometimes) smarter than me and have access to modern plumbing? It’ll have to do, because there’s pretty much no chance you’ll ever be faster than me.
It’s well-known that I can reach speeds of up to 35 mph; some scientists think I can even go faster than that. What’s less known is that I also have incredible endurance: On multiple occasions, scientists in Yellowstone have clocked grizzlies running 25-28 mph over a distance of two miles, and according to observers, I wasn’t even breaking a sweat.” MORE AT LINK
https://www.backpacker.com/stories/ask-a-bear-how-fast-can-you-run
I later found an article saying black bear speed is 30mph.
I lived in NJ for many years. It’s not unusual to see bears in dense suburbs. They like swimming pools a lot.
One wondered into downtown New Brunswick once and walked down the sidewalks with people before running up a tree.
That is the funniest video I’ve seen in some time.
She personifies Snowflakes.
You have no clue. A black bear can go from 0 to almost 30 mph in the time you blow snot out your nose. And they can do that through thickets,brush, trees, rocks, ravines, uphill and downhill where you would’t think a rabbit could go. In cover, you don’t see them running, you hear it, a huge crashing that diminishes quickly because of the distance and speed they cover.
The fact is they never really have to run because they are the bear and you are not. A big bear will usually only run because there is a bigger bear chasing it. Our out my way because we have hounds on it.
Don’t be telling fairy tales out of school.
The good part is, black bears can be killed pretty easily, when you have the shot.
Young adult males are the ones I'm worried about. Up to about 300lb and probably not even that big. I've seen them moving fast.
These big monsters? They plod along at a walking pace. The most I ever saw one do was a 10 step hop. I was trying to run him off and fired off the air horn. He just sorta sped up for a couple steps, then back to the lazy waddle.
They are definitely acclimated to humans around here. The young ones are very skittish and it takes nothing to get them to run off. The big ones don't care about much of anything.
LOL! I agree!
He goes fishing in Canada in the Spring; he’s got a whole trip planned so he can hunt bear up there right after.
It’s an obsession, I tells ya! And we don’t have any more wall space for trophies and animal heads!
But, it keeps him out from underfoot. ;)
Somebody doesn’t know what they’re talking about. The largest black bear ever recorded was killed in North Carolina, and weighed 880 pounds. This was in 1998.
https://bear-ology.org/BearFacts-Largest.aspx
“Kayaaaa”?
I thought it’s called a “Kai YAK”
“Please don’t eat my Kai yaa”
“Please don’t break my Kai yaa”
“Please don’t break my Kai yaa”
“Bear. Please stop breaking my things”
“Bear. Please stop breaking my things”
“Bear”
“Bear”
Rollseyes.
City dwellers should never enter the country without proper leashes and adult supervision.
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