Bowhunter Takes 770-Pound New Jersey Black Bear

A New Jersey bowhunter set a state record by killing a 770-pound bear (field dressed) in Morris County.

According to NJ.com, Brian Melvin first spotted the huge bear about three years ago and has been actively hunting it over the past two bear hunting seasons.

He arrowed the bruin from approximately 45 yards on Tuesday, October 15, 2024.

“He never stayed in the same place for more than six months,” Melvin said. “I spent weeks knocking on doors and getting permission for land that I thought he might be on or at least travel through. Last year I had him on camera. He vanished until May of this year.”

New Jersey Fish and Wildlife officials confirmed the 770 pounds is the largest dressed weight for a black bear recorded during the New Jersey black bear hunt.

Melvin said he spotted the bear Tuesday after re-locating the animal a month before the season.

“I found him (a month ago) a mile away in a new swamp and started to pattern him,” Melvin said. “I was able to determine the trail he was using to and from his bedding and waited for the perfect wind and setup on it and caught him going back to bed. The rest is history.”

Melvin field dressed the bear before having it officially weighed, meaning it was much heavier than 770 pounds.

According to the New York Post, Melvin estimated that had he not field dressed the bear before having it officially weighed, it may have broken the world record of 900 pounds.

“Records are cool and all but not at the cost of wasting an animal,” Melvin said.

The previous record was established on Oct. 14, 2019, when a bear that weighed over 700 pounds was taken by a bow in Morris County.