A big bear!

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contender

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Lake Lure NC USA
Locally, (and I do mean within an hour or so of me,) a black bear was killed AND registered officially.
What makes it big?

Well, it was killed in Haywood County NC, on 10/18/22. It officially weighed 695 lbs. Breaking the previous record, held for 30 years of 688 lbs.
They did not say if that was "live weight" or dressed.

And folks wonder why I carry a big bore SA a lot when woods tromping.

We just got a copy of the story off another website, with a picture. I'm trying to get it sent to me so I can post the picture. I'm computer stupid,, so if I don't succeed,, maybe someone else can find it.

The story can be found at wlos.com

 
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contender

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Lake Lure NC USA
Dog hunting,,, and a hunting party. However,, the guy who made the shot got to claim the record. From what I could tell, two guys got to the bear about the same time.

The story didn't say if it was treed or not.

But don't let his size fool you. We have steep mountains, rough brush, and hard conditions to hunt. Just because dogs are used, does not make it easy. I've followed a few bears with dogs on them & had to go to my hands & knees to get through the brush, on a steep hillside. Plus,, a bear this size often will stand & fight. That means injured or killed dogs. the guy who works for me was on a hunt with his club, and they had a big one that they got. But not before it killed on dog,, and injured another one so bad it had to be put down. So when dogs get on a bear,, you hope it'll tree, and then you try & get there as quickly as you can.
 

contender

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NC is known across the Country for having big bears. We get bears topping 500 lbs on a regular basis. I know of one killed a few years ago that dressed 585 lbs. It was taken less than 6 miles from my house. And one of the ones my helper's party killed was over 500 lbs this year. (That one mentioned above.)

But I will say that Wendy's comment made me laugh out loud.

Our bears get a pretty good smorgasbord of good food annually. We have lots of acorns, wild grapes & berries, & all kinds of "fattening" foods for them.

A few years back, I was on the phone with a western outfitter about hunting with them. He mentioned a "trophy" bear fee if I got a bear tag. I asked him what was a trophy? He said; "200 lbs or more." I chuckled & said; Around here,, a 200 lb bear is considered very small. I mentioned I was in NC,, and he said; "Oh crap."
I was in a group this past season where we had treed 3 bears. All were 150-200 lb bears. I was offered a chance at one, (as I haven't killed any bears yet,) but I passed. We did have one young man (teenager) who wanted a bear, so he killed one. We let the other 2 go.

Many of our "average" bears weigh 300+ lbs.
 

contender

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"I love bear hunting but my opinion of using dogs will remain quiet."

I truly understand & FULLY respect your thoughts.

Many feel the use of dogs isn't sporting, proper, ethical, unfair, or many other emotions. Everyone has the right to their feelings.
I teach Hunter Safety, and part of my class is "Ethics." And I use dog hunting as a good example for part of that. The use of dogs in hunting for many species is as old as time itself. Not just bears. Many breeds of dogs were bred just for specific purposes. Terriers were bred to go into holes after foxes & groundhogs or such. Pointers were developed for birds. History is full of many things relating to dogs being used in hunting.

Here in the mountains of WNC, or the swamps of ENC, dogs are used for bear hunting. The terrain, combined with the thick foliage, or swampy places, can make it very hard to even get a chance at a bear. And hunting is a good, ethical method of assisting the population control of bears. I'll use our local area, and even this bear hunt as a prime example.
Locally, we have Buncombe County, and especially Asheville City. It has the largest population of bears of all the surrounding counties. Why? Asheville City & much of the county is some form of sanctuary for bears. No hunting allowed. Many of the residents there fight fiercely against any form of controls. So we have an over-population of bears. As such, humans encounter bears daily there. And yes,, there are many problems with bears. The local hunters all have discussed the fact that it's not "if" it's a matter of "when" a kid gets killed by a bear. We went almost 100 years around here w/o any bears attacking a human. But a few years back, a woman was killed by a bear. We hear stories daily here of different interactions with bears. Some,, not so good.

Personally, I wish hunting bear w/o dogs around here was a bit easier. The western method of "spot & stalk" to me would be exciting. Here.. we are lucky to be able to see 100 yds,, much less a few miles like many western states.
And in many states,, the "Hunting over bait" is the preferred method. Many oppose that as well.
There needs to be a balance.

That said, I will also offer this.

SOME bear hunters who use dogs are not the best people to be around. How those types treat their dogs etc is wrong to me. I won't go into many details,, but I do my best to avoid having anything to do with those types.
But it's like just about every subject out there. There is good & bad in everything.

Heck, look at gun owners.

Some gun owners dislike AR-15's. Some feel we should all own anything w/o any restrictions. I know shotgunners who push for bans on AR's.

My point is,, we need a balance in everything.
 

nekvermont

Buckeye
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vermont
Bear hunting with dogs is not only a tradition but an important tool in maintaining a healthy population of bears especially when baiting is illegal. That being said, the houndsmen I know will encounter a lot of bears but shoot very few. Bears can be very destructive in a corn field and the farmers welcome the bear hunters.

Not much different than coon hunting or chasing bunnies and coyotes with dogs. But yes, a lot of people around here hate houndsmen and hunting in general.
 

Ranger

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Just got back from that area. Can see how it'd be challenging to hunt them without baiting or dogs.
 

contender

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Just looking at some of our mountains,, can show the challenges. But to actually get out there,, AND trying to go where the bears live,, can double your appreciation for the difficulty of hunting them in many places. Many places,, you are climbing uphill, hands & knees, in thick mountain laurel thickets,, trying to just get to a place where they might be, because the dogs are baying them.
We have several places where we hunt,, that we often say; "If he gets in the cliffs, we've lost him."

I hope you enjoyed our area Ranger.
 
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