NC Man Arrows 780-Pound Black Bear
Bears
Contributors to this thread:
Zbone's Link
"North Carolina Man Arrows Massive 780-Pound Black Bear"
https://www.fieldandstream.com/hunting/north-carolina-man-arrows-massive-780-pound-black-bear/
Wow! Good thing he was able to shoot it before it died from diabetes.
NC produces some corkers. I hunted down there several years ago and the guide had a 600+ pounder mounted in the living room.
DanaC's Link
The Largest Black Bears on the Planet It is a little known Bear Fact that coastal North Carolina is home to the largest black bears on the planet! How big are they? North Carolina’s coastal black bears average 50-100 lbs or more than their cousins. The current World Record black bear is an 880 lb. giant from Eastern North Carolina recorded in 1998. In most of their North American range, an adult female black bear weighs an average of 150 lbs and an adult male weighs an average of only 250 lbs. Coastal female, (sow), bears sometimes weigh 300lbs or more with the state record sow is over 500lbs. and many adult male bears weigh 500lbs.or more!
Four Major Factors Abundant Food supply There are three major reasons our bears get to such large proportions. First of all, consider that the diet of bears in most areas consists of mostly berries, nuts, grasses, insect larvae, and carrion, (black bears are perhaps the least carnivorous of the omnivores). By contrast, coastal North Carolina bears gorge themselves on high protein agricultural crops growing in the fertile soils of the coastal plain. Their favorite of these foods include wheat, corn, and peanuts.
A friend from NC sent me this a few days ago. Pretty much the same pictures and details.
There is data to show that black bears grow bigger in eastern North Carolina, compared to bears from the mountains which can grow to be about 600lbs. The current world record black bear, from Craven County was bagged in 1998 and weighed 880 lbs. This year, a man from Hyde County harvested the second largest black bear in North Carolina records, weighing in at 782 lbs. Wildlife Resources Commission Wildlife Biologist Mike Carraway says agricultural lands provide a reliable and plentiful source of food, allowing bears in eastern North Carolina to grow larger.
“When farmers plant things like corn and peanuts, things that bears like to eat, then it provides a much bigger food source and bears tend to get bigger when they eat things like that.”
He says another reason why bears are bigger in eastern North Carolina is because we have a longer growing season.
They cant run dogs in Eastern NC for bears either. That helps them survive a bit longer im sure.
^^^ wadr, I believe they do use dogs, at least where I hunted (Tarboro area)
My family company which I am retired from has a produce sales office near the coast there and those bears are very impressive. This is a huge agricultural area with thousands of acres of corn ?? soybeans,peanuts, many other crops.Another huge plus is those bears don’t have to hibernate as the weather is pretty mild so they just eat most of the year.Good luck Lewis
"^^^ wadr, I believe they do use dogs, at least where I hunted (Tarboro area)"
I just rechecked, and you are correct. Now its prohibited in Central NC , but allowed everywhere else. Didnt realize it had changed. I live in WNC ,where its always been allowed. Now NC is trying to reduce bear population. Damn things are everywhere. Baiting has helped a lot tho.
Weight is a fun stat but Skull size determines B&C and P&Y ranking.
In Maine they have the “200 club” for whitetails but it’s by weight.
Congratulations on a fantastic animal.*
*Assuming we're all not reading about an illegal harvest on down the road.
The largest black bear was from New Brunswick in the 1970's it was 902 lbs dressed.
"Weight is a fun stat but Skull size determines B&C and P&Y ranking. In Maine they have the “200 club” for whitetails but it’s by weight."
I killed a 20 1/8" green score Black bear a few years ago. Only weighed 356lbs. Measured 6'7" nose to tail. I would rather have killed the 780lb bruin any day regardless of skull size. Do you think there is any chance this 780lb bruiser wont make P&Y at a minimum? Id say very unlikely that it wouldnt make it.
The Current World Record P&Y Black bear was bow killed a few years ago in New Jersey measuring 23 3/16”. 18” is P&Y minimum so the 780 pounder will likely exceed 18”. Ha Ha!!
Many of the top black bear skulls entered in B&C come from NE Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. NC has been recording more into B&C recently.
I fish and duck hunt in this same county. I like going out early in the morning at day break and watch the bears heading back to their den. I have seen in one morning at least 4 500+ pound bears in soybean and cornfields. There was no baiting at all in his area. Very few people seem that enthused about hunting them for some reason. I have only asked one person about hunting their property and they said sure. I remember in the 80s and 90s people were loading candy and cakes like products out for bait . It got so bad the bear had rotten teeth. I don't think its near as bad as it used to be since I think these type baits may be illegal now.
Wow, that's a monstrous bear!!!
We have some true whoppers here in PA and it's amazing to see a really, really big one in person.
The ones I see in Virginia have been between 100 and 300 pounds. To see a whopper at 75 yards is like seeing a black VW waddling thru the soybeans.
Yow, nice bear! Biggest one harvested in my area was 721#, however the largest ever recorded was 848#, so they can get big up North too yah know. Took 5 of us to get my neighbor's 510# off of the trailer to get hung and skinned. She shot that one with a bow while on the ground.