In October of 2019, a New Jersey bowhunter killed a bear weighing in at 700 pounds. That bear has held the state record ever since. That is, until this season, when 39-year-old Brian Melvin dropped the string on giant New Jersey black bear that easily broke the previous record and claimed the spot as the new state record black bear in the Garden State. Melvin’s bear weighed in at a hefty 770-pounds!
Melvin says he’s been watching, scouting and gaining access to hunt the bear over the last 3 years.
“I wasn’t really chasing records – it was an incredible honor to have chased him because he was the smartest animal I had ever chased,” says Melvin.
Melvin shot the bear at 45 yards with a compound bow.
To prevent meat spoilage, Melvin gutted his bear prior to weighing it on the scales. Even still, state wildlife officials say his bear was larger than any other bear ever recorded in the state, gutted or live weight.
New Jersey bear hunters killed some 285 bears in the first segment of the season, playing a vital role in the much needed bear management for the state.
New Jersey hunters are allowed to harvest one bear per hunter each season, and bears must be larger than 75 pounds.
A big congrats to Brian Melvin and the many successful New Jersey bowhunters this bear season!
