Bears and Bear Country | The Boneyard

Bears and Bear Country

Joined
Apr 16, 2020
Messages
1,765
Reaction Score
2,869
I am hearing about a New Jersey bear hunt and Maine seems to have them regularly.

Anyone ever been on one and if so, how was the experience? Ever eaten bear meat?

Or, anyone ever confronted a bear while on a hike or on your property? If so, how did you react?
 
Joined
Dec 25, 2011
Messages
7,188
Reaction Score
8,765
This year the bear season, which in 2020 was October 12-14 (archery), October 15-17 (archery & muzzle loaders), December 7-12 (general firearms). The State reports that 315 bears were harvested in October. Not sure what the limit it. One does need a specific permit for bear hunting, though.

Not a big fan of bear hunting myself; but, I agree that the numbers do need to come down as they are getting more numerous and more aggressive when it comes to foraging everywhere. The community b!tch page (Faccebook) would have a bear sighting once a month when I first moved to Bergen County. Now it's once a day. They hit my garbage can Thursday night and have hit my neighbors 3 times in the last month alone. Went hiking in the early summer in Ramapo State Forest with my family and while in a ravine came across a really fresh set of bear tracks that made me a bit nervous.
 
Joined
Jan 6, 2015
Messages
6,882
Reaction Score
55,006
My wife is from Montana. Never saw one in the wild, but the first and only time in my life where I've gone on day hikes and had to first review what to do if a bear were around.

They take their wildlife seriously out there with a level of respect unlike much of America. It's pretty cool.
 
Last edited:

nwhoopfan

hopeless West Coast homer
Joined
Feb 16, 2017
Messages
28,787
Reaction Score
53,007
For many years, never saw any bears when hiking. I don't know what changed, but I started seeing them regularly. Mostly here in Washington, I've also seen them in California, Montana, Wyoming and BC. Every bear I've encountered has done 1 of 2 things--run away or ignore me and keep doing whatever it was doing. Most of the sightings were a comfortable distance, but twice within 20 feet or less. The vast majority I've seen were black bear, but a few griz in Glacier NP in Montana.
 
Joined
Aug 13, 2013
Messages
8,406
Reaction Score
7,935
We live a couple of miles through the NFS from the Fires Creek Bear Sanctuary (in North Carolina)...we have no outside garbage and take it daily down the mountain....bears do wander through. Our neighbors took video of one on their porch a while back and we had one patting our front door glass and looking in a month ago.

In the Smoky Mountain park this year, a bear was found eating a camper's remains outside his tent. Hunted down and euthanized.

Our bear season is on right now through November 21 and again in December from the 14th through the end of the year...you may hunt with dogs. It is not sporting at all....dogs chase a bear up a tree and the hunter shoots him down. If the bear is desperately tired, he may turn and fight the dogs.

Bear meat will taste like the bear's meals....here in October, they will have gorged on berries during the summer....but in areas where bears eat fish (salmon runs on the Pacific, say) they will taste fishy. In North Florida, they eat a lot of acorns and have a specific taste.

Like boar, a bear cornered by dogs on the ground, can cause serious damage....

(I do not hunt bear..)
 
Joined
Apr 16, 2020
Messages
1,765
Reaction Score
2,869
Very interesting and very informative.

A bear that tastes like a fish. Wonder if the consumers or customers know that already down there, or if they think the bear meat is spoiled because it tastes fishy.
 

Online statistics

Members online
105
Guests online
2,982
Total visitors
3,087

Forum statistics

Threads
155,799
Messages
4,032,030
Members
9,865
Latest member
Sad Tiger


Top Bottom