It was taken a couple of days ago. 780 lbs on a certified scale. The #1 Bear still stands at a crazy weight of 880 pounds!

Makes my 175 pound boar that I shot this week seem like a new born cub.

I will get pics and a link when available.

Looking forward to seeing the pictures. That has got to be one Hoss of a bear.

Never happened till there are pics>>>

They grow em big down in the Swamp.

Didnt know NC had a big black bear population, very interesting.

Large population and still spreading. We have the world record Black. At one time the western part of the state (smokey mountain region) held the densest population. The eastern part, with its huge farms now has way more, and way bigger bears.

Does NC have a better success rate for hunters than PA?

Have no idea. If you are looking for an outfitter, Conmans is supposed to be very good. Deer are on the small side (my opinion), but he kills some big bears.

http://conmans.homestead.com/index.html

BTW, baiting is strictly forbidden.

Let's see some pics!

What's the green score of the skull?

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GFY

Trophy bears are measured by skull size, Weight and hide demensions are for bragging not the record books.

Yes. I am talking weight here. You are correct. Did not mean to mislead.

I know it sounds funny but southern california has been growing some big ones too. They have been coming out of the hills and tearing into the avocado orchards, nothing like a 20,000 calorie a day diet to fatten you up!

Conman is a regular on NC hunt and Fish. He also has a site for his guide service. He makes it look alot easier than it is here in NC If you look at statistics the vast majority of Bears killed in NC are killed on private land on the East Coast. More killed on public land in the mountains but not anywhere near as big. I have been researching it since I moved here. And as stated earlier the average deer is under 150 lbs. and even the mature deer are lucky to break 120-140". We definitely make up for it in volume though. This year I had four buck tags and 6 total tags and I believe there is bonus doe tags available.

Hyde County is a place I've long wanted to go in search of bruins.

Dober

All I can say is wow! I've killed one black bear in my life...150 lb in Maine.

Those have to be "garbage dump" bears...there is no way they could grow to that size on natural forage in the Eastern swamps or hardwoods.

Heres one from the Nov hunt in that same area that went 508lbs on the biologist's scale. This one was up close and personal as the picture shows. not sure how you measure the skull but it was approx 10" between his ears.

The Dismal Swamp along the VA and NC is famous for it's bears. Surrounded by rich farm lands of corn and soybeans make for big bears. The Dismal Swamp asways has a big mast crop of acorns too.

The Navy has a signal center in Chessapeake VA that allows deer hunting. Bears on the base are protected and they are plentyful.

Nope , they just eat year round. If you want to see some southeast bear hunting where the bears are BIG and the hunters are crazy check out the bear crazy video series. The hunters shoot these bears by literally crawling up to the bears and hounds , I would pay to do it!

Dead wrong. The area has thousands of acres of peanuts, soybeans and corn. Most growing in river bottom fertile soil. These bears do not hibernate either. They do lay up when it's really cold.

Lots of food + lots of cover (look up pocosin) + no hibernation + no baiting (very strict) = potential for a big ass bear.

Don't forget, we are talking weight not skull measurements. The vast majority of bears killed are run by dogs because these bears are for the most part nocturnal.

Went on a bear hunt down there in Gates county years ago, and let me tell you them local boys are damn crazy. The dogs will back a bear into a thicket of some kind and them boys will slither in there and press the barrel of a 30-30 up to the bears head and pop him. They drug out a 612 pound bear the day I was hunting. It was a brute.

NC held the record for black bear until a few years back when an 800+ pound bear was killed in PA.

That is a BEAST of a bear.

PA kills a number of bears each year that top 600 lbs and usually every year someone shoots one over 700 lbs. No garbage dumps anywhere in the vicinity. 400 lb bears in PA are almost common..............

Holy schneikies!!! That is a BEAR!!!

If anyone needs more confirmation, Craig Boddington did an article many years ago about bear hunting in eastern NC. He said some good ole boys approached him at a convention or something, claiming 600+ lb bears, and he didn't exactly believe them. So they invited him on a hunt. He shot a brute with his 8mm RM out of a tripod stand overlooking a field. I haven't read the article since it was first published, probably 10-15 years ago, but I'm thinking Craig's was approaching 500 lbs(490?) and that someone else took one over 600(630?) while he was there.

Wow!

I gotta get me a bear.

You have to literally crawl through tangled underbrush and tree roots to get a shot at most of the Eastern NC and VA bears. Talking extremely up close and personal.

Without dogs, hunting in eastern NC is a huge challenge. If you can find private land with some food crops still in the ground, it gets easier. With thousands of acres of soy, corn and peanuts they get BIG. Not to mention acorns and black gum mast. And a mild winter. The down side is that almost all of them are jet black. Another reason to move to AZ ...

Here is one shot last week from "Down East" on a lease some of my pards are in. Not the best photos but this what I was emailed. Bear went 535 Lbs.

Yeah right...you have no idea how many peanut and soybean fields are in the area

Those are some nice bears. I was fortuante enough to get a bear this year that went 358#, this was after field dressing too. Funny thing is he wasn't the biggest bear I had on camera, I know I had a bear that would have been over 500. In MN the largest bears are usually shot in the transition zone between the northern forest and the agricultural areas. Good cover combined with excellent and easy food sources. (Sound alot like what you describe in NC) I'm not sure how I would have gotten a 500+ pound bear out of the woods. It was difficult enough just to roll him into a sled!

Big buck, what area do you hunt?

51

http://www.northcarolinasportsman.com/details.php?id=3104

That is a BEAST of a bear.

Yeah, that's a big bear!

I'm not sure if that was a general comment, or a "holier than thou" remark?

You must be looking for an argument if you can read that much into it. To satisfy your curiosity, I couldn't give a rats ass if it was shot over peanut butter, peanuts or in a corn field.

Now GFY

Got tired of spending all day pulling a big bear out so we bought one of these winches with 500' of 5/16 braided line. It paid for itself the first week of season. Simple to operate and pulls about 30'/minute under load. Definetly $ well spent.

http://www.capstanropewinch.com/

JB, yep you cannot use any "processed food" as bait for deer where there is a bear season.

You cannot hunt bear over any bait, period.

My point above is simply to state that I don't take issue with baiting for bears where it is legal, and I am not holier than those who do.

From what I heard, the NCWRC is taking another look at the baiting issue. Years ago, you could bait with anything. Now, if you get caught killing a bear near (and how near is up to the enforcement officer) some corn that was put out for deer, you get busted pronto!

BUT, you can start dogs over a corn pile that a bear previously visited and kill the bear within sight of the corn. This is perfectly legal!

The bear baiting laws are screwed up to say the least.

That 880 Lb bear was killed on a hog farm right here in Craven county. That bear made it's living off of hog carcasses from the dumpster.


Mike

I can't wait till still hunting over bait is legal!

These bears really screw up our deer hunting but our state wildlife department sees them as a cash crop for out of state licenses and tourism dollars.

Still hunting bears in North Carolina is legal.

I meant I cant wait till still hunting black bear over bait is legal. Sorry!

I dont see NC permitting open "baiting" any time soon for several reasons.

Those reasons are political BS as usual! There aint no damn diffrence in sitting in a blind over bait, and turning a pack of hounds over bait. I know of several guys that hunted with hounds this year that killed any from 6-13 bears in a weeks time. Weights ranging from 250-600 lbs. When you bring in cargo trailers filled with granola and have 20 55 gallon drums of raw peanuts out you have set the table for bears. But if you shoot a bear still hunting within 300 yds of this you can lose your truck, licesnse and your gun. Plus pay court costs and restocking fee.

I hunt alot with hounds and love it. But just don't see the diffrence!

Sakoluvr, I prayed for ya this am after all the "GFY" comments! Haha

I wanted to edit/delete the GFY, but it was too late. I let it fly. And yes, I went to church this morning too.

Sakoluvr,

Great thread and thanks for sharing. I too remember that Boddingon article and was surprised! Always cool to learn something new as well as get the local perspective.

Bob

Thanks. Here is the little guy my daughter and I got a few weeks ago. It weighed 175 pounds.

She must take after your better half!