NJ is getting to be a big bear mecca! 700lbs on 12/8/14

[Mustang51js]

Are there guides booking trips??

Not sure but I bet you could find one if you look around. You could park in my driveway and walk across the street to get one. Almost all the people hunting bear set up a bait pile weeks before opening day. You can't hunt within 100 yards of the bait pile though. I got the permit just in case I see a bear while deer hunting,I don't go for bear.

[Mustang51js]

I fail to see how NJ is a mecca for any sort of hunting? Just because a 700 lbs bear that was probably getting his meals from garbage cans gets shot doesn't make NJ a bear hunters heaven.

I would say there's a better chance to shoot a bear in nj than ny or pa and that's what draws the people in

[turkeyfeathers]

I fail to see how NJ is a mecca for any sort of hunting?  Just because a 700 lbs bear that was probably getting his meals from garbage cans gets shot doesn't make NJ a bear hunters heaven.

I have a similar theory on strippers too

[thphm]

Bears 600 pounds + are not un common in New York , I have seen some and let them pass by , one has been shot down the road from me in a corn field.

[BizCT]

Not sure but I bet you could find one if you look around. You could park in my driveway and walk across the street to get one. Almost all the people hunting bear set up a bait pile weeks before opening day. You can't hunt within 100 yards of the bait pile though. I got the permit just in case I see a bear while deer hunting,I don't go for bear.

 

When is the bear season in NJ? I would like to come park in your driveway and leave a few bucks under your doormat.

[Mustang51js]

Bear season right now is during 6 day in nj, so this week only. They may change that next year. Your more than welcome to park at my house,I can even show you some spots where the bear may be. Would be tough now since it's halfway through the week so they are running scared. I can pm you my address and you can check the area out with google maps. And no money needed

Edited December 11, 2014 by Mustang51js

[BizCT]

Bear season right now is during 6 day in nj, so this week only. They may change that next year. Your more than welcome to park at my house,I can even show you some spots where the bear may be. Would be tough now since it's halfway through the week so they are running scared. I can pm you my address and you can check the area out with google maps. And no money needed

 

I would definitely be interested next year. Thanks!

[Fishon]

Theres a lot of state and federal land to hunt on in NJ. Check out bingmaps. Most of the land is in the northern part of the state. You can hunt for bear or shoot a buck. The state record is 829 lbs.

Edited December 12, 2014 by Fishon

[Mustang51js]

Theres a lot of state and federal land to hunt on in NJ. Check out bingmaps. Most of the land is in the northern part of the state. You can hunt for bear or shoot a buck. The state record is 829 lbs.

Yeah,you can look at the maps in nj fish and wildlife website. There's 3 zones for bear which is only 4-5 counties. The rest of the state is off limits right now

[spltlim]

 

 

I fail to see how NJ is a mecca for any sort of hunting? Just because a 700 lbs bear that was probably getting his meals from garbage cans gets shot doesn't make NJ a bear hunters heaven.

 

 

In 2005 739 lb (Live weight) NJ Bear was harvested

 

In 2010 David Price harvested a 875 lb (Live weight) ranked #1 in PA and # 2 in the world., this bear was captured several times by NJ Fish and Wildlife several times. So he spent a great deal of time in NJ 

 

In 2011 John Noon harvested a 776 lb (live weight) in NJ

 

In 2011 Dennis Headly harvested a 829 (live weight)  Just a day after Noon shot his bear 

 

2014 Steven Polanish Harvested a 736 lb (live weight) bear in NJ

 

How can you not say it is a bear hunting mecca ?

[Mr VJP]

It's easy for someone to say NJ isn't a good bear state, if they have never hunted northern NJ, and probably never even been there.

 

The NW corner of NJ is more like the Pocono's of PA than the rest of the state of NJ.  Big woods, forests, mountains, Wildlife Management Areas and The Delaware Water Gap National Rec Area are the norm there.

 

It's perfect habitat for bears and few of them live where they eat at garbage dumps because NJ has hardly any open dumps anymore and all residents in the bear areas have to use bear proof trash cans now.

 

These bears get big because they have been allowed to live a long time in NJ.  The state only recently allowed bear hunting and relatively few NJ hunters seek them out, preferring to hunt for deer during the deer/bear season.  they only issue 2000 to 3000 permits for each bear zone and less than 10% are filled.

 

Many NJ bears have also learned to live in the areas where hunting is not allowed by local ordinance.  They may live there for decades before they get pushed out for some reason and wander into an area that is hunted.

 

[Setters4life]

Another big fella taken the end of the NJ 6-day season - 627 lbs.

 

[steve863]

In 2005 739 lb (Live weight) NJ Bear was harvested

 

In 2010 David Price harvested a 875 lb (Live weight) ranked #1 in PA and # 2 in the world., this bear was captured several times by NJ Fish and Wildlife several times. So he spent a great deal of time in NJ 

 

In 2011 John Noon harvested a 776 lb (live weight) in NJ

 

In 2011 Dennis Headly harvested a 829 (live weight)  Just a day after Noon shot his bear 

 

2014 Steven Polanish Harvested a 736 lb (live weight) bear in NJ

 

How can you not say it is a bear hunting mecca ?

 

 

So you got some lard butt bears in NJ, how does that make it a mecca?  Hunting on the outskirts of suburbia will NEVER be a hunting mecca for me.  Lots of big deer on LI, too, yet to me that is not the type of hunting I want to participate in.  In NJ you have political fighting on even holding a bear season at all, so in my way of thinking the state is far from a mecca for any kind of hunting.  They can keep it.

[Mr VJP]

Steve, have you ever been to Sussex County NJ, just south of Port Jervis, NY and Milford, PA?  I don't know what your idea of a hunting "mecca" is, but there are a whole lot of bear hunters, from a whole lot of places around the country, that are suddenly taking a very big interest in those very large black bears in NJ.  

 

The political fight was history in 2010 and the hunters won.  Since then, bear hunting has proven to be very good for NJ, proving the hunters were right all along.

 

BTW, Barnegat Bay in NJ is, and has always been, a waterfowl hunter's mecca as well.  You should learn more about the state prior to making such judgments.  

 

Regarding bear hunting, I'm sure they do intend to "keep it".

Edited December 15, 2014 by Mr VJP

[steve863]

A hunting "mecca" to me is where you have a large chunk of land, and a good amount of game.  Iowa, Kansas could be considered whitetail meccas along with Saskatchewan and Alberta in Canada.  You can put Sussex county NJ along with a bunch of other counties in NJ together and the land mass is a drop in the bucket compared to anything I'd consider a mecca.  Good luck to all those non-residents flocking into NJ to hunt bears! LOL

 

 

 

[BizCT]

On the topic of big bears, how about this recent video of a bowhunter and a Brown Bear? https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=FsJLISMIPjg pretty crazy stuff.

 

The full and true story is here > http://forums.bowsite.com/TF/bgforums/thread.cfm?threadid=438153&messages=84&forum=6

[steve863]

On the topic of big bears, how about this recent video of a bowhunter and a Brown Bear? https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=FsJLISMIPjg pretty crazy stuff.

 

The full and true story is here > http://forums.bowsite.com/TF/bgforums/thread.cfm?threadid=438153&messages=84&forum=6

 

 

Got to love these bowhunters who want to kill a brown bear with a bow and then they have a guy with a rifle standing right over his shoulder just in case he screws it up.  If he wants to kill one with a bow, then leave the rifles out of it.  Otherwise just hunt with a rifle and be done with it.   

[Mr VJP]

By law in AK, all non-resident bear hunters must be guided.  All guides carry rifles, for clients who are bow or gun hunters.  If you want to hunt brown bear in AK, you will have a guide with a .375 or larger rifle with you, no matter if you want him there or not. 

 

[spltlim]

 

 

there are a whole lot of bear hunters, from a whole lot of places around the country, that are suddenly taking a very big interest in those very large black bears in NJ. 

 

 

During the 2013 season bear permits were sold to hunters from 30 different states.  Not sure what the non-resident tally was for this year, but will find out shortly 

[Lawdwaz]

By law in AK, all non-resident bear hunters must be guided.  All guides carry rifles, for clients who are bow or gun hunters.  If you want to hunt brown bear in AK, you will have a guide with a .375 or larger rifle with you, no matter if you want him there or not. 

 

 

I'm mulling over a black bear hunt, the statements above have me confused.

 

Show me the law on "all non-residents bear hunters must be guided" and "If you want to hunt brown bear in AK, you will have a guide with a .375 or larger rifle with you, no matter if you want him there or not"

 

TIA

[BizCT]

Straight from the AK website below. I've looked into AK hunts for years now, just not sure what I want to hunt there and the big $ is the other thing holding me up.

A nonresident who hunts brown/grizzly bear, Dall sheep, or mountain goat must be personally accompanied by an Alaska-licensed guide OR by an Alaska resident 19 years of age or older who is within the "second degree of kindred" (see definitions below).

Since you are a US resident the below does not apply, but would apply for someone from say Europe

A nonresident alien must be personally accompanied by an Alaska-licensed guide to hunt ANY big game animal, including black bear, brown/grizzly bear, bison, caribou, Dall sheep, deer, elk, moose, mountain goat, muskox, wolf and wolverine.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Edited December 23, 2014 by Biz-R-OWorld

[Lawdwaz]

Straight from the AK website below. I've looked into AK hunts for years now, just not sure what I want to hunt there and the big $ is the other thing holding me up.

A nonresident who hunts brown/grizzly bear, Dall sheep, or mountain goat must be personally accompanied by an Alaska-licensed guide OR by an Alaska resident 19 years of age or older who is within the "second degree of kindred" (see definitions below).

Since you are a US resident the below does not apply, but would apply for someone from say Europe

A nonresident alien must be personally accompanied by an Alaska-licensed guide to hunt ANY big game animal, including black bear, brown/grizzly bear, bison, caribou, Dall sheep, deer, elk, moose, mountain goat, muskox, wolf and wolverine.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I was hoping for a response from the fellow who made the statement.

[BizCT]

I was hoping for a response from the fellow who made the statement.

 

Oh, I apologize.