First sighting and first harvest in NY state

[Gary DiPietroSr]

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[Ed Fenwick]

I hope that you are going to eat that thing!

 

[H D]

Apparently black bears have made their way to middle Georgia. Mix that with the alligators that have made their way up and we are starting to get some new predators.

 

[Gary DiPietroSr]

Ed, I have been hunting since 1972 and every deer, pheasant, duck, goose quail, chuckar partridge, and rabbit have ended up in my freezer for a game dinner at my home. This bear will not be different from all the rest. I believe in what the bible says: " Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. And as I gave you the green plants, I give you everything. ". Genesis 9:3

 

[H D]

It's been a very long time since I've eaten bear. I don't even remember if I liked it or not.



How much did it weigh? Rifle or archery?



Black bears are only legally hunted in the northern zone of Georgia so any that make it here are protected. I don't know if they want black bears to thrive here but they are being seen more and more. I suppose they're replacing the panther as our large predator. Hopefully they'll cut down on the feral hog population.

 

[Gary DiPietroSr]

Hugh, it was rifle season in NY. I used my .308 Savage 110. It's a small bear and was under 100 lbs. I didn't stop and ask how much it weighed before I shot. I had to make a quick decision as it was running at top speed. I paid the extra fee of $50 for the tag, so I took it. First bear I have ever seen in my hunting years.

 

[H D]

As I've never seen one hunting nor given much thought to hunting them, I wouldn't even know what a "big" one would be. I'm pretty sure adrenaline would tell me any bear I saw in the woods was huge.



The only time I've seen a bear in the wild was while hiking on the Appalachian Trail with my wife (then fiance) in Virginia. I heard a baby bear above us on the trail and my wife asked what it was but didn't believe me thinking I was trying to scare her. I ignored the assertion and let her just believe that. About 100 yards later we came across a mama bear and another cub...below us about 50 yards away. Considering we were still hearing the baby bear above us occasionally (or whatever non-bear animal it was in my wife's opinion up until then), my knees got shaky and I decided we needed to move on quickly. It was funny later but my wife decided we weren't going on any more hikes without taking our guns, even though our permits to carry were not legal in Virginia. I didn't argue.



Congrats on a nice shot.:supercool:

 

[Robert Thomas]

I don't hunt anything the dawg can't carry. She ain't movin that thing.

 

[Andy Chase]

100lbs is a small bear, at least for MN (not saying there's anything wrong with that - the meat probably tastes better anyhow). Can't blame you for taking it since it was a $50 license. You going to make something with the bear skin?



Here's a BIG bear from WI. A farmer supposedly ran into it with his combine, he later admitted he poached it

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[Jackson Ellis]

Nice bear Gary. We have bears in SC, but I've only seen them on trips to the NC mountains.



BTW, my maltipoo ran a 100 lb bear off a cabin's back front porch and up a mountain in NC a couple years ago.



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She's tougher than she looks!

 

[Gary DiPietroSr]

Thanks Huge. Andy, I'm familiar with the giant bear story also, went around the email circuit. I took the bear to my taxidermist and I'm having a full mount done of him standing. I didn't have time to butcher it myself, so that's being done at a local shop that does game only. ncstatewolfpacker, thank you too. P.S. your pooch looks like a great fun dog.

 

[Kevin Lang]

I suppose they're replacing the panther as our large predator. Hopefully they'll cut down on the feral hog population.

Apparently black bears have made their way to middle Georgia. Mix that with the alligators that have made their way up and we are starting to get some new predators.

...and the British said that Maryland was "unfit for human habitation"....

 

[Andy Chase]

How about an 800lb bear? Wonder how many guys it took to drag that out of the woods