Big Black Bears In The East

[Sourdough]

Had a friend just come back from caring for his invalid mother.  She lives on a farm, in New Jersey, and he was down there for six months.  He was there for the Black Bear hunt they had there in New Jersey.  He was telling us about how fat the bears were.  He mentioned 500, 600, and even 700 lb bears were not all that uncommon.  The bears had been eating from the huge mast crop last fall and getting into the corn fields.  This man knows Black Bears, he has been a guide and a member of our Game Board for many years.  He was telling us that the Black Bears were huge by Alaska Standards, the pelts were not all that good.  Alaska has the longer haired pelts.  Any of you guys get any of those bears last fall?

[dukkillr]

Just take a look at the B&C and P&Y top records each period.  Huge bears come from the non-traditional places like NC, NJ, WI, AZ, etc...  They almost never come from the more traditional US places of Maine and Minnesota.  Less pressure, I would guess?  Considering the number of bears taken Alaska and Alberta are both surprisingly under-represented.

[Sourdough]

Yea, and we got both Black Bears and Grizzlies running out our ears.

[Bigeasy]

Here in PA, we have some of the biggest black bears around when it comes to body weight.  Besides genetics, I think its a combination of heavy mast crops, farm crops, and an extremely short season, usually only three days.  I noticed the same thing about smaller bears in traditional spots like Maine and Quebec.  A couple guides have told me its all about hunting pressure and food availability, and that makes sense,

Larry

[Mohawk]

I think black bears will start moving themselves into their original habitat. Even to LA and TX. The way mountain lions have.

[Doublebass73]

Here in central NH we have a healthy black bear population but they don't get that big. A big bear around here is 450 pounds. We have a long hunting season and our winters are long here so the smaller weights go along with the hunting pressure/food availabilty theory that has been mentioned.

[wreckhog]

Had a friend just come back from caring for his invalid mother.  She lives on a farm, in New Jersey, and he was down there for six months.  He was there for the Black Bear hunt they had there in New Jersey.  He was telling us about how fat the bears were.  He mentioned 500, 600, and even 700 lb bears were not all that uncommon.  The bears had been eating from the huge mast crop last fall and getting into the corn fields.  This man knows Black Bears, he has been a guide and a member of our Game Board for many years.  He was telling us that the Black Bears were huge by Alaska Standards, the pelts were not all that good.  Alaska has the longer haired pelts.  Any of you guys get any of those bears last fall?

I think that he is full of it. A LOT of guys report 700lb bears. No one shoots them. No one mounts them. The actual record is 726lbs in NJ and that was trapped and released. Last year, someone got an honest 800lb+ next door in PA The equivalent of a 40lb house cat. It have been fed donuts behind a restaurant for 15 years. That beats cattle corn in carbs. A local hunter decided screw it, and bagged it.


http://blogs.wvgazette.com/johnmccoy/2010/11/24/more-on-that-record-breaking-pa-black-bear/

[Brett]

I think that he is full of it. A LOT of guys report 700lb bears. No one shoots them. No one mounts them. Last year, someone got an honest 800lb+. The equivalent of a 40lb house cat. It have been fed donuts behind a restaurant for 15 years. That beats cattle corn in carbs. A local hunter decided screw it, and bagged it.

Did the hunter bag the doughnut eating bear or the 40lb house cat?   That cat looks like he'd make a heck of a throw.   

[mechanic]

The Georgia state record is 574#, and the bears taken have been getting much larger over the last several years, mostly in the south.

http://mainehuntingtoday.com/bbb/2007/11/06/georgia-15-year-old-takes-state-record-bear/

Ben

[chefjeff]

Eastern NC. Fat ones.

[billy_56081]

I would think that the shorter hibernation periods would help in generating larger skelatal growth.

[Qaz]

I live not far from the Skyline Drive in the Shenandoah National Park. The park is known to have some of the largest bears on the east coast, and no hunting pressure. The bears eat very well, don't have to worry about being shot and are very easy going around people, a little too easy going in my opinion. Although it is hard to judge their weight most of the time because of the fur, I have seen many 500-600 pound bears in the park. I have also seen a few that if not 700lbs were awfully close. The reason that you don't hear of them being shot is because they got that big from being smart and not making many mistakes. I would venture to guess that they are shot, but not in season, so it is kept quiet. Occasionally one of the big ones comes down off the mountain out of the park, and they get shot during bear season, but I don't remember the last time that happened. For those that have never seen a BIG black bear, once they break 500lbs, that is a big animal!

I think you will find that a 700lb black and a 700lb grizzly are the same size billy_56081.

[1911crazy]

Were just about being over run with blackbears in CT too.  I live in a rural farm area and i have bears in my back yard.  They go from the bottom land across the street thru my land up to the water shed area behind me.  I see tracks and bear droppings all the time.

At my place in VT i'm seeing bear tracks with the paws the size of my 13'' sorrel boots.  I'm seeing these big tracks in three different far apart areas so its not one bear.  We hunt in far out of the way places too were no one hunts or anyone goes.  Its off the beaten path for hunters who generally stay near the car.                 CZY

BTW;  At work I had one kid fresh out of college ask me how do you get a big bear out of the woods after you kill it?  I told him its easy we run up to it and kick it in the @ss and he chases us to the car were we shoot it.

I fish for big large mouth bass.  I hear the local tornie guys say there's no bass bigger than 6lbs here maybe 7lbs if that.  I caught a 10lber and seen bigger in the smaller places were i fish.  My point is they are there but there not being caught because there smart thats why they got to be big.  Its the same with big bears there like ghosts and stay out of sight again thats why there so big in the first place. Heck is seen mountaionlion tracks in the upper elevations in the snow.  It took me well over ten years to finally see one because there so elusive just like the big bears. These are bears and aminals in large forests, they people shy. Now bears in the populated human areas are bold and get bolder as time goes on. I have 5 cats to control the rodent population.  One night my cats were on the way in and there heads were going like 360 degrees along with there ears looking for something acting weird walking low to the ground too.  The next day my neighbor came over and said did you see the bear lastnight?  I said no but the body english of my cats told me something was going on.  The next day i found scat and tracks in my fresh tilled corn field. My point is read the body english of your pets too. They can warn us if something is wrong. if we don't see or know it. If the wind is right you will smell crap too for they smell really bad too. Thats another warning sign too. Be alert all these predators are making a comeback in every state.

About 60%++ of my corn goes for the deer too.

PETA People eating tastey animals

[wild country]

I think in todays world there are many things around us that we don't ever see.  I would have to say that big bear are located in every state that has bear.  I'm from Maine and yes we have big bear.  I have seen bigger bear in Alsaka and other states in the lower 48, but if one looks long enough and hard enough you will find the biggest bear in your area.  Like most animals they have a few needs, find out those needs and you will find what your after.  I have found that killing them can lead you on year long chases.  It has taken me many years to understand the how, why and whens of any of the big bear I have in my area.  You never stop learning.  You will have more chances at your big bear the longer you "stay in the game"  I'm lucky in that I live in a place that has a lot of bear.  I get to see them from the time they leave the den to the time they den up.   I spend many hours in the woods becasue bear hunting brings in cash flow for my family.   If you look in the right place, find the bear trails, study topo maps and understand what makes them "tick"  you will be able to score on some of the biggest bear in your area.  Th bottom line is, they do the same things day in and day out.  They can't see past 20 feet, but if fool there nose and hearing you might have a chance to wack one of those big bears in your area............Spring is almost here in Maine and yes I look forward to seeing all the bear out in the fields...Pete 

[SHOOTALL]

I think black bears will start moving themselves into their original habitat. Even to LA and TX. The way mountain lions have.

I agree as we are seeing them where I live and they haven't been here since the 1800's or before.

[wreckhog]

If they are rare, they won't get shot, if they are common, they will get shot. The original premise was that they are common. I am positive that if you wanted to shoot a 700lb black bear, that you could fence off an area and feed one til it could not move anymore and then shoot it. But they don't typically get that big without people feeding them treats, and sooner or later, one of those people will kill it.

[trkyman1]

I live in n.e. pa. and there are some big bears killed here every year. We have a lot of beech nut and oaks for them to feed on. We also have a lot of mtn. laurel and berry swamps in which these bruins hide. If you question what I say just look at the pgc website for the bears that are weighed in . They are all posted on this sight.

[Mack in N.C.]

Biggest 2 out of nc are a 720 and an 880.....yes 880........bears all over nc .......biggest in nc are found in the coastal swamps
 
http://www.americanbear.org/Size.htm

[mcwoodduck]

NJ for years had a halt to bear hunting and gave the bruins a long time to get big and old not to mention the ability to raid small farms and gardens (it is not called the garden state because of the parkway).  Almost all neighborhoods where i grew up had gardens and were close to large wooded lots of 100+ acrers and it was not uncommon to see deer and quail in the back yards of houses with out dogs.
States like NC have a short season (about a week in November and the costal swamps are thick, and the farms produce a lot of food) also there is a lot of carrion wiht the long deer season.  We have shot deer at dusk and come back at dawn to find the gut piles a greese stain and even 1/2 a doe missing.  hung by the barn and jut eaten.  We think we scarred it off driving in before dawn to go duck hunting and then process the deer.  Much like I have found that Southern deer as we can shoot 5 or 6 a year do nt get very big and a 6 point (3X3 for my western friends is now a big rack) where 8s were common and 10's were the big racks.  I am not saying we need to stop shooting seer in NC.  I know people that all they live on as meat is wild game for the year and the farms that grow year round that can hold 300 deer with crops down can only hold 175 after harvest and we we need to keep the deer population managed and better that we take 125 deer and eat them than have 20 starve to death that are not eaten (well except by the bears and buzzards)
On our farm in Eastern NC large bears are there, mostly nocternal and the mild winters do not have the bears hibernating like the colder climates.  I was suprised to see fresh bear poop around new years day a few different years when AK and MN bears are fast asleep till March or later.  These Southern bears are up and feeding. Yes the fur is not as long and rich but with weather in the 40 to 60 some winters, it does not need to be long and thick to keep out the cold.   Some years I have been duck hunting and needed to bring misquioto repellant and was hot in a windbreaker or BDU jacket used as camo over a polo shirt in late December.  Heck two years ago I was out on the river in shorts and a tee shirt kyacking on Christmas day.  With waether that warm bears are up and moving around feeding and not living off of their fat reserves allowing them to get larger and larger.
In places like Hyde county,NC were they are known for big bears the guids put out large quantitiens of high calorie feed as baits for them.

[mcwoodduck]

I think black bears will start moving themselves into their original habitat. Even to LA and TX. The way mountain lions have.

I agree as we are seeing them where I live and they haven't been here since the 1800's or before.

Since we have not had Grizzley bears in CA since then, do you think we will see some of them?  Can we get some from AK that Sarah has trained to eat liberals?      Then we could have 7 and 800 puond bears.  But then again I don't think a bear would eat a liberal, too scrawney and full of Bull.   

[BUGEYE]

The Georgia state record is 574#, and the bears taken have been getting much larger over the last several years, mostly in the south.

http://mainehuntingtoday.com/bbb/2007/11/06/georgia-15-year-old-takes-state-record-bear/

Ben

and, they are spreading. Ga. now has a 1 day season in the middle of the state.
I never thought I'd see that.

[cowboy66]

Yes here in eastern NC we have some pretty big bears. There is a lot of agriculture and a lot of federal land (national wildlife refuges) where they are protected. And they also eat a lot of deer that are shot by bow hunters, bow hunting is allowed on the refuge at certian times, if the hunters don't find their deer and get it out pretty quick the bears will take it.

[chefjeff]

Yeah , a sow bear < 300# tried to take my muzzleloader buck last year. She had already eaten a good bait when I found him.That time I chose to not let her have it. We have many bears in Hyde/Terrell Co. #1 area in the state.My personal biggest is about 500# (7.75 years old) but some of my fellow club owners have harvested bruins in the 650-700 range. Our almost 2000 acres of woods are surrounded on three sides by large agriculture and the bears have lots to eat and very thick cover,they get a chance to get big.Funny, they usually eat the ears and nuts of any fresh killed buck they find first, so I wish they ate liberal dems too.

[KAYR1]

I took this one in Northern NY last fall. can't attest to actual weight, but it buried the pin on a 400 scale.
 
 
 

[ironglow]

I think that he is full of it. A LOT of guys report 700lb bears. No one shoots them. No one mounts them. Last year, someone got an honest 800lb+. The equivalent of a 40lb house cat. It have been fed donuts behind a restaurant for 15 years. That beats cattle corn in carbs. A local hunter decided screw it, and bagged it.

Did the hunter bag the doughnut eating bear or the 40lb house cat?   That cat looks like he'd make a heck of a throw.   

''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''
   CAREFUL !!!
    Shooting certain "doughnut eating" bears is highly illegal !!!

[dantana]

NC had a big black bear harvested well over 800#s several years ago.

[muznut 54]

We have big bears in Maine but they are not as dumb as the younger ones and they have millions of acres of woods to hide in.

[streak]

I think black bears will start moving themselves into their original habitat. Even to LA and TX. The way mountain lions have.

That`s a big 10-4! on that! We have cougar sightings in parts of E.Texas.

[cowboy66]

That 880# bear was killed near a hog farm where he had been eating out of a dumpster that they put dead pigs in to be desposed of.

[ppine]

I agree with Wreckhog.  People over-estimate the weight of bears consistently.  Except for coastal browns and polar bears, a 650 pound grizzly would be considered very large.  Most black bears are in the 175-300 pound range unless they have access to garbage or other human sources of food.  If someone weighs a 600 pound black bear then we have to believe it, but the field estimating by most people is in the humorous category.

Lake Tahoe is about 40 minutes from my house and is full of Californians.  They do a terribel job of bear management, and now there are black bears that don't hibernate and live on garbage.   A few of them have been weighed at over 500 pounds, with one at 660 pounds.  They get air-lifted and released in the mountains behind my house (Pine Nut Range, NV).

I believe in bear-proof storage of trash and food for solving a lot of the bear-human conflicts.  Some hunting pressure and the use of dogs can help alleviate the problem further.