Bear Hunting In New Jersey
10-12-2016, 06:58 AM
#3
Nontypical Buck
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Warren County NJ USA
Posts: 3,899
Thank you jerseyhunter
I have a few big bears coming in, a few times at first and last light but mostly at night. This bear kept coming in at all hours...She came in at 7am and I allowed her to walk, then while sitting all day I kept going over in my head the trail cam pics and the chances of the bigger bears coming in during shooting hours was nill.....At 3:45pm I was looking up the hill and I saw a bear coming down, but it wasn't the one from the morning this one was smaller, then around 4pm I look to my left and I see her coming in, she took a donut and walked off about 50 yards and ate it, then came back in, giving me a quartering away shot, I had a complete passthru, she ran about 100 yards the blood trail was excellent.....live weight 152lbs, dress weight 132 lbs.
I have a few big bears coming in, a few times at first and last light but mostly at night. This bear kept coming in at all hours...She came in at 7am and I allowed her to walk, then while sitting all day I kept going over in my head the trail cam pics and the chances of the bigger bears coming in during shooting hours was nill.....At 3:45pm I was looking up the hill and I saw a bear coming down, but it wasn't the one from the morning this one was smaller, then around 4pm I look to my left and I see her coming in, she took a donut and walked off about 50 yards and ate it, then came back in, giving me a quartering away shot, I had a complete passthru, she ran about 100 yards the blood trail was excellent.....live weight 152lbs, dress weight 132 lbs.
10-13-2016, 07:23 AM
#6
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Nov 2014
Posts: 2,743
congrats I guess
But I honestly wouldn't shoot a bear that small, my dog was close to that size?
But its legal and that's all that matters I guess? and old saying, you'll never get a big one if you shoot a little one!
some times you have to wait and see?
as winter gets closer, big one eat more often and they break there routines as temps drop?
But I honestly wouldn't shoot a bear that small, my dog was close to that size?
But its legal and that's all that matters I guess? and old saying, you'll never get a big one if you shoot a little one!
some times you have to wait and see?
as winter gets closer, big one eat more often and they break there routines as temps drop?
10-13-2016, 08:42 AM
#7
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Audubon & Red Rock, Penna.
Posts: 4,472
Archery bear in NJ is quite a feat.
mrbb - where do you bear hunt? I know in PA, our success rate for bear is 3%. A bear, any bear, is a once in a lifetime for most hunters. I don't think a lot of people pass up bears and wait for the bigger one.
mrbb - where do you bear hunt? I know in PA, our success rate for bear is 3%. A bear, any bear, is a once in a lifetime for most hunters. I don't think a lot of people pass up bears and wait for the bigger one.
10-13-2016, 01:49 PM
#8
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Nov 2014
Posts: 2,743
BUT just like with deer, I don't shoot small one's there either
as I said, you won't get a BIG one if you shoot small one's
I ain't bashing here, just saying
I have known guys here in PA that have shot bears that weighted out on the check station scale under 40 lbs
I wouldn't shot one of them either?
and I wouldn't call them a ONCE In a life time BEAR either
ONLY about 10% of deer hunters harvest a deer too
SO
odds?
just cause you can doesn't always mean you should?
JUST MY 2 cents
everyone else can do what ever they like
just voiced my Opinion! and offered some advice about HOW later in the season biggers one's MIGHT change feeding patterns and maybe then can wait for that bigger one!
IF I had a BIG buck on cam but ONLY at night, I wouldn't shoot the the first legal buck that came by either? I would HOLD out!
as I have NO use for a SMALL deer or BEAR!
to each there own!
OH and for the record I have passed on about 20+ bears over the yrs IN PA!
small one's, females with cubs, MY standards I guess are different than your's?
doesn't make me right or you wrong, just different!
10-14-2016, 04:09 AM
#9
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Audubon & Red Rock, Penna.
Posts: 4,472
If you have passed up 20+ bears, you must be in a target-rich environment. I'm sure it's easier to pass up a bear when you see so many. For a lot of guys, 30 seasons go by without them ever seeing one. For bucks, lots of people have already got one.....or at least a deer. And deer season stretches out from October through January. Even a bunch of Saturdays in there. So many more opportunities to look over deer than bear.
I still contend that any bear in PA (and probably NJ) is a once-in-a-lifetime for most hunters. The stats say that, for 97% of hunters, a bear is a never-in-a-lifetime.
I still contend that any bear in PA (and probably NJ) is a once-in-a-lifetime for most hunters. The stats say that, for 97% of hunters, a bear is a never-in-a-lifetime.
10-14-2016, 04:18 AM
#10
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Nov 2014
Posts: 2,743
all hunting is hunting, and the more you do, the harder you work at it , the more successful you become
PA right now has a very long bear season , in some places its months long?
I have self bear hunted , hunted in larger groups and small groups
for many yrs, the group I hunted with, we killed 4-7 bears a yr, and almost everyone in the group seen more than one bear Every yr
we hunted HARD and covered tons of land doing drives in swamps, of the NE< NE central, and southern PA
SO< bear rich area??
since I hunted and seen them in about 10 different counties?
I have to say NO not really, we just made the extra effort to find them and hunt them!
A trophy is what ever someone wants it to be
if your happy, have at it
but I won't consider a small young ANY big game animal to be a trophy really!
and to me, that MY choice.
you can have things your way!
PA right now has a very long bear season , in some places its months long?
I have self bear hunted , hunted in larger groups and small groups
for many yrs, the group I hunted with, we killed 4-7 bears a yr, and almost everyone in the group seen more than one bear Every yr
we hunted HARD and covered tons of land doing drives in swamps, of the NE< NE central, and southern PA
SO< bear rich area??
since I hunted and seen them in about 10 different counties?
I have to say NO not really, we just made the extra effort to find them and hunt them!
A trophy is what ever someone wants it to be
if your happy, have at it
but I won't consider a small young ANY big game animal to be a trophy really!
and to me, that MY choice.
you can have things your way!