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Record Setting Black Bear Taken Down in NJ

New Jersey bear sets a new world record for largest yet to be shot down with a bow and arrow.

The Three B’s

A big black bear in New Jersey has overtaken the previous record for largest black bear killed by bow and arrow. National bowhunting organization Pope and Young Club announced the record last week, as long as the one claiming the bounty – outdoorsman Jeff Melillo. Melillo shot the bear on Oct. 14, in Morris County.

Feb. 8 saw the Pope and Young Club’s special panel of judges assessing and verifying the record at the Great American Outdoor Show in Harrisburg, Penn. As the black bear weighs in at 700 pounds.

“Many years ago, I read an article in Outdoor Life magazine stating that the new world record black bear will most likely come from New Jersey. They were spot on, and I never doubted it for one second,” Melillo said.
Melillo further added that he feels grateful to be a part of this and to be able to express his passion for the bow and arrow. The previous record was set in 1993 in California, though the New Jersey hunter toppled it over with a score of 23 5/16.

Pope and Young Club’s records director Eli Randall was quite shocked and “not prepared” at the bear’s size, despite knowing he would be looking at an “impressive black bear skull.”

The black bear hunt in the state has been causing controversy the last several years, as Gov. Phil Murphy has made it a point several times, including taking a vow, to completely ban bear hunts. The bear hunt was reintroduced in 2003 due to a growing population of the species, and last year’s hunting periods saw a total of 315 killed bears.

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