Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game Bear, right fair sized one.

https://www.witn.com/2023/12/18/potential-world-record-breaking-bear-taken-by-bow-arrow-chocowinity/

This is in the Eastern NC for those not familiar wif norf by gawd cacalacky.

Not quite sure of the hunting method employed, but a whopper with a bow or for that matter any weapon.

I didn’t see where they mentioned skull size?

The article says,

Jones said that he intends to get the bear skull officially scored by Pope & Young as well as Boone & Crockett. Before an animal can be officially measure, a “drying period” of at least 60 days must elapse.

Just found it odd that they mentioned “world record” without a green score
Weight means nothing

Well in their defense, it's from the TV news.

That bruin will make a nice wall rug.

L.W.

The word "Potential" is a sufficient modifier, especially for a news story.
F01

Regardless of skull, that's a big ass bear.

Great bear, one very happy hunter! Good for him

Potential world record? Based on what, surely not weight and nobody measured the skull. BS speculation!

NC has a higher density of black bears than any other state. I've seen and photographed bears in eastern NC that were 600-700 lbs. And I have seen 500lbers on a fairly regular basis. NC grows them big. There's lots and lots of food year round.

NC is a natural bait state. But many bears are taken using hounds. Eastern NC is a quagmire. Hounds make sense in these areas.

That’s a good sized bear, I would like to make a trip up there for bear eventually.

That was a nice bear.

The picture shows a nice big melon and proportional to the body. I’m quite certain it is well over 20” for the books. I shot a black bear last year that was 430# and 19 2/16”. That bear is substantially larger. The Carolina’s produce some monster black bears.

Bucket list has a bear over hounds in the hills in the Carolinas and a lion over hounds. Preferably Plotts or Walkers but any will do. 😆

I know of an outfitter in E.NC who put clients onto 500lb and 700lb bears last year. The 500lb bear's skull was larger than the PA state record, where the hunter resides. It was also larger then the 700lb bear's skull. I think he charges between $2500 and $3000 for a hunt with hounds. His success rate is nearly 90% and he book quickly with lots of repeat business.

I may get ahold of you one of these days for that information. I’m trying to work on the misses to get a hound or two when I fully retire in four years. She loves dogs, even hounds but hates to see them get beat up by bears or wolves. I’d love to have a couple of Plotts because I love the history and grit. But, treeing Walkers are great dogs too and I’ve had good luck getting bears over them as well. If it were up to me I’d have a kennel full.

Lived in Hampton Roads VA for20 years. Farmers in SE VA an NE NC grow massive amounts of peanuts and corn yearly. And black bears don’t hibernate there and eat 7 days a week. Lots of big bears there.

Looks like a great bear. I don't doubt it's 780 lbs A pet peeve of mine, I hate when the hunter sits so far behind the bear to make them look bigger. Not necessary, here's a picture or a monster brown bear with a 30-30 leaned up against it. It's from the great book "Pinnell and Talifson: Last of the Great Brown Bear Men" found the picture on the Internet. Gives you the size in perspective.

Indeed. They're all over Va now. There are big bear where there were scarcely any bears 10 years ago. I think a 650+ lb bear was harvested in Fauquier County in the last couple of years. And a 700+lb bear was killed by a combine in Dinwiddie County when it came out of its den as the combine was going over.

The Virginia peninsula (Charles City, New Kent, York, James City, etc) has historically been bear-free. I-95 and Richmond to the west, and major rivers to the north and south have kept bears out for a long time. But even that has changed. They've been seen in the middle of the James River swimming over from Surry. The police chased one around the coal terminals in Newport News until it was darted. There's at least one big bear living on Ft Eustis that is regularly seen in the marshes near a neighborhood, digging for mussels. A big bear is reportedly living in Lackey, Va near the Yorktown Battlefields and the Naval Weapons Station. And panic set in a couple of years ago when one big bear was seen at a school bus stop in Williamsburg. The DWR is saying there is likely not a city or county in Virginia without at least a few bears. There's a state-wide firearms season now, except on the Eastern Shore. In years past, that season was only in the mountains and in the Dismal Swamp area.