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Five monster black bears have been harvest on the east coast within the last two years. Maine, South Carolina and New Jersey have new state record bears as the heaviest ever recorded. A week ago a Pennsylvania hunter just shot a seven hundred plus bear. My first comment has the five different links of east coast black bears weighting 829, 776, 772, 699 and 609 within a two year span. Can anybody tell me the reason why the eastern side of the country is loaded with heavy weight black bears that just started to show up since the year 2011?
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1. On December 9, 2011, Bruce Headley, bagged an 829-pound live weight New Jersey record black bear.
www.dailyrecord.com/article/20111216/NJNEWS/312160008/
2. On December 8, 2011, John Noon, shot a New Jersey black bear weighting 776 pounds
www.outdoorlife.com/blogs/newshound/2011/12/two-record-black-bears-taken-new-jersey
3. Pennsylvania 772 pound black bear was shot by Daniel Beavers in Lackawanna County
during the 2013 November bear season.
www.foxnews.com/us/2013/11/30/pennsylvania-man-reportedly-bags-772-pound-black-bear/
4. On September 7, 2012, Matt Knox, bagged a new state of Maine record black bear weighing 699-pounds shot near Greenville, Maine.
www.fieldandstream.com/photos/gallery/hunting/big-game-hunting/big-game-hunting-season-tips/2012/09/us-veteran-sets-maine-s
5. On October 23, 2013, Heath Smith bagged a South Carolina new state record black bear weighting 609 pounds shot near Landrum, South Carolina.
www.fieldandstream.com/blogs/field-notes/2013/10/609-pound-black-bear-may-be-new-south-carolina-record
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My best guess. Everyone I know hunts Deer and Pheasant. Couple that with a lot of cultivated land and Yogi getting in the news and drawing attention to himself. Putting him back on the radar.Comment
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Twenty years ago the only black bears being harvested were either by trappers or houndsmen, except for the occasional deer hunter taking a pop shot at one. Now you cannot buy a moldy pastry within 6 months of bear season because of all the baiters. It's an industry that's keeping alot of the sporting camps in business during what used to be a slower season. Thanks for taking such a proactive stance for bear hunting Gary. The easy coast bear hunts could be in trouble if it weren't for guys like yourself. +1 to you.Comment
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Phw, thank you for the kind words.
Baiting can make bears big but Pennsylvania has a no baiting law and I,m not sure if baiting is allowed in South Carolina.
The heaviest black bear reliably weighed in this country was another east coast Bearzilla, an 880 pound 10 year old male killed in Craven County, North Carolina, in November 1998.Comment
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Let me reword my poor statement;
There are 3-4-500% (<-- very vague guess) more bear hunters in the woods and the large bruins don't have as many places to hide. It's not the bait making the fat bear, it's the amount of bait sold which is evidence of the influx of bear hunters in the woods. Thus the greater chances of greater bears being harvested. IMHO.Comment
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Global warming also has a role to play. Bears are waking up earlier and with lots of fat still retained. They are going to sleep in better shape and fewer older bears are dying in their sleep as in the good old hard winter days.Comment
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I think Ontario is right. It's not unusual to see bears, especially the males, awake and feeding for all but a few of the coldest weeks late December through mid February. Bears have also not only adapted, but thrived as suburbanization has increased in NJ and the Poconos in PA. It's not bear baiting, it's the increased availability of food in general whether garbage, your cat, or the exploding population of suburban deer.
I believe there are a couple of world record black bears that will come out of Eastern PA and NJ in the next decade.Comment
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GLOBAL WARMING!!!!! Wow, even on this site.Comment
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Publicity. Big bears get more press in the internet era then years ago. I think there are more bears too therefore more big Bears.Comment
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More food and water on the east coast, and the acorns and other nuts have had bumper years. and then again it is the human trash and gardens that they love to feed on.They also do not have to travel as far to find food, so they are eating more frequently. as to Global warming, the east coast has for several years had worse winters that started earlier and lasted longer.Comment
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The last two New Jersey winters has been mild.
Big boars will not hibernate unless it real cold with deep snow therefore they are eating all year round packing on more weight.
The western part of the country has more snow and colder winters. All the bears hibernate for four to five months losing body fat and a large percentage of their body weight.
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My New Years Wish is to Have a Bear Season in Fl,
Just on Tonight News a Woman walking her Dog got attacked by a large Black Bear in Longwood Fl, She is in the Hospital with facial Reconstruction, this is starting to become common place here in Florida. JMO~~ Its Time for a Bear Season!!Comment
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My New Years Wish is to Have a Bear Season in Fl,
Just on Tonight News a Woman walking her Dog got attacked by a large Black Bear in Longwood Fl, She is in the Hospital with facial Reconstruction, this is starting to become common place here in Florida. JMO~~ Its Time for a Bear Season!!Comment
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Treestand, I don't how long it has been since the state of Florida had a black bear hunt.
It took New Jersey thirty years to wise up. When the New Jersey bear complaints started to skyrocket the hunt got started.
That woman being attacked in Florida is a major complaint to the state office.
When Florida finally understands the need for the bear hunt and more bear complaints come rolling in, then your bear hunt will get started. I know Florida hunters will shoot many monster bears weighting 600 to 700 hundred pounds because of the long hunting delay.Comment
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