Posted on 05/21/2003 10:22:35 AM PDT by tcostell
Many of you may know that the great State of New Jersey has approved a Black Bear Hunt for this year. According to my latest data, there are going to be 10,000 permits issued. This is great news to those of us in the Tri-State area who have an interest in hunting.
The hunt is going to be reserved to the area West of Rt. 287, and North of Rt. 78 in the northwest corner of the state.
If anyone knows of someone in the approved area who might have private land available for the Bear Season, I would appreciate a ping. I can reciprocate with access to excellent private Deer land in New York State's Putnam County, just an hour north of the city. It's shotgun and Bow only in Putnam County, but since I live on the land, I can assure anyone interested that there is a significant and healthy population.
I apologize in advance to any freeper who may find this kind of barter inappropriate for this forum.
Thanks.
ME TOO ! mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm cow maggots
The boy was scared , but unhurt.The writer opined the bear had merely been "curious", as it had not used its claws - and seemed a little dismayed that the (thuggish,jack-booted ?) police had subsequently shot and killed the 150lb animal.
What the writer did NOT know about black bears could probably fill the shelves of a fair-to-middling library - for example : With or without the use of claws,a bear could just about tear the head off a grown man with one determined paw swipe; that black bears are generally quite hungry this time of year; that black bears are almost totally unpredictable, etc., etc.
So: to all you NJ hunters ( if there are any of you left ! ): HAPPY BEAR HUNTING !!
I'm quite sure that those living in New Jersey find the whole situation unbearable.
According to a hunting Safety instructor I know, the town of Princeton NJ actually brought in hired guns under the guise of "Biologists" to thin their Deer herd rather than let hunters do it and make use of the animals.
It's a shame I think.
I don't know yet if there will be ANY permits for out of state hunters, but I would imagine there must be. Given New Jersey's firearms laws there probably aren't 10,000 active hunters left in the state.
The following pictures are of a guy who works for the Forest Service in Alaska. He was out deer hunting. A large world record Grizzly charged him from about 50 yards away. The guy unloaded a 7mm Mag Semi-auto into the bear and it dropped a few feet from him. The monster was still alive so he reloaded and capped it in the head. It was over one thousand six hundred pounds, 12'6" high at the shoulder,14' to the top of his head. It's the largest grizzly bear ever recorded in the world. Of course, the game department did not let him keep it. It will be mounted and put on display at the Anchorage airport (to remind tourist's of the risks involved when in the wild).
Think about it. You would be level with the bears belly button when he stood, he would look you in the eye when walking! This bear on its hind legs could walk up to the average single story house and look over the roof at eye level.
The bear had killed 2 other people. His last meal was the poor fellowon a nature hike. The Forest Service found his 38-caliber emptied. He shot6-times and hit the grizzly 4(they found seven 7mm slugs and four 38 caliber slugs in him) but obviously only wounded him since it was estimated to be 3 days prior to the bears death by the Forest Service man.
Personally I'd love a trip to Alaska and I'm going to do it one year but since out of state hunters must have a guide (or an immediate family member who is a resident) the total cost of a trip to the peninsula or Kodiak island for Brown Bear is something like $8,000 to $20,000.
If you consider that you really do need a stainless firearm for the weather, and you probably need a larger bore than is useful in the lower 48 (most guides recommend .338 or larger) you have to add in an additional $2,000 or so for a new weapon. Then you think about airfare (include local air taxi because they fly everywhere in Alaska), and the fact that a tag alone is $500 for the Bear, also there is the cost of enough ammo to gain a proficiency with a new gun (with a .338 that ain't cheap) plus any extreme weather gear you need including a pair of ankle fit hip boots which I hear are an absolute necessity, and rain gear to stand up to the pounding 50 mile an hour squalls, it looks more and more like the larger number.
Just chatting about it I can't wait.
Plus there is the cost of the survival gear for enduring in a forbidding climate on what is in essence a heavily armed two week camping trip, and to pack out a 100lb Bear skin (at least to your spike camp), and the cost of taxidermy afterwards. So I guess it won't be this year I go to Alaska. But I've seen mount Everest, and this trip is on the same list, so I'll get to it eventually.
Of course, that's Brown Bear, in our area, we really only have it's smaller cousin.
Even for the largest Black Bears it's rare to see one over 500 lbs, and in our area, it would be very unusual to see one more than 350 or so. But I'm still interested in the NJ hunt if you hear of anyone who is in that area and open to the idea.
FYI: The hunter in the picture is also USAF reserve.
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