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I definitely agree and I thought it was 100% broadside when I shot. Still not sure what happened but I think it had something to do with it pouring all night effecting my judgement a little.
It happens...in my bear camp I explain broadside and slightly quartering away shot are the only shots to take.
In 5 years of hunting Quebec on my own (with friends) we have taken 20 bears...4 bears have been lost and in every instance it was due to poor shot selection.
Two years ago I instituted a rule that if you take a bad shot...you're never invited back.(not make a bad hit..take a bad shot big difference)
Shot selection is the single biggest factor to shorr bloodtrails.
 
Wait for the first sacred Unicorn of the Forest to show up with an arrow hanging out of it's ass and it will be a top story in all the papers for weeks on end.
 
Bows are just as effective as slugs on bears but what we need to know is that shot placement is a little different from deer. Instead of shooting just behind the shoulder you actually want to shoot for center of the body about 6 inches behind the shoulder on a bear
 
WOW, Kind of surprised by some of the remarks by so called hunters. Weather anyone likes bow hunting bears or not its very important for everyone to stand united. The antis have an agenda to take our rights away and force their believes down our throats. I personally feel the way I do but it really doesn't matter, we have to fight for everything we get when this shouldn't even be a fight at all it should be our right. The population should have never been allowed to soar to what its been for years now, that alone is just irresponsible and clearly there to pacify the tree huggers in this state. IMO, Not a way to manage an over population of an apex predator in an already over populated state. Like them or hate them its no secret that they do a very good job at getting their views across to the general non hunting public. Granted most of the crap they spew is emotionally fueled opinions based on lies and fabricated stories but they can be convincing to people that don't know better. I know because Ive attended their meetings, been to their rallies, etc. They are very convincing at tugging on non hunters emotional strings by showing the ugly side of hunting and trapping. Be that as it may, the antis have nothing to loose by doing what they do. We on the other hand have been on the short end of the stick for way to long. If you hunt, fish, trap, etc you need to put your personal feelings aside and stand with a united front, we have enough people trying to take away your rights without our own turning on us.
 
WOW, Kind of surprised by some of the remarks by so called hunters. Weather anyone likes bow hunting bears or not its very important for everyone to stand united.
The very fact that "Hunters" are publicly debating the safety of bow hunting bear in NJ is music to the ears of the Anti's who will drum up this thread as evidence in their commercials that even hunters think its unsafe....
 
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WOW, Kind of surprised by some of the remarks by so called hunters. Weather anyone likes bow hunting bears or not its very important for everyone to stand united. The antis have an agenda to take our rights away and force their believes down our throats. I personally feel the way I do but it really doesn't matter, we have to fight for everything we get when this shouldn't even be a fight at all it should be our right. The population should have never been allowed to soar to what its been for years now, that alone is just irresponsible and clearly there to pacify the tree huggers in this state. IMO, Not a way to manage an over population of an apex predator in an already over populated state. Like them or hate them its no secret that they do a very good job at getting their views across to the general non hunting public. Granted most of the crap they spew is emotionally fueled opinions based on lies and fabricated stories but they can be convincing to people that don't know better. I know because Ive attended their meetings, been to their rallies, etc. They are very convincing at tugging on non hunters emotional strings by showing the ugly side of hunting and trapping. Be that as it may, the antis have nothing to loose by doing what they do. We on the other hand have been on the short end of the stick for way to long. If you hunt, fish, trap, etc you need to put your personal feelings aside and stand with a united front, we have enough people trying to take away your rights without our own turning on us.
I'm all for a bow hunt and I will be hunting bow if they have a season. That being said get ready for the public backlash the first time some hunter wounds a bear that shows up somewhere injured by an arrow. And it's going to happen believe me. No one is beyond making a bad shot and with some of the yahoos we have running around this state it's inevitable. Just look at the backlash hunters got when that deer showed up in the ladies yard with an arrow in it's face. That was all over every newspapers and TV for weeks. Do a Google search on "nj deer arrow head" and look at all of the news outlets that picked up that story. Wait until it's a bear it will be as if the pope got shot or something.
 
I'm all for a bow hunt and I will be hunting bow if they have a season. That being said get ready for the public backlash the first time some hunter wounds a bear that shows up somewhere injured by an arrow. And it's going to happen believe me. No one is beyond making a bad shot and with some of the yahoos we have running around this state it's inevitable. Just look at the backlash hunters got when that deer showed up in the ladies yard with an arrow in it's face. That was all over every newspapers and TV for weeks. Do a Google search on "nj deer arrow head" and look at all of the news outlets that picked up that story. Wait until it's a bear it will be as if the pope got shot or something.
Bud I've bowhunted Bears all over the east and Canada. Look only to neighboring states like Ny, Pa. They have a bear season n never once have I heard of a wounded bear in being found. It prob does happen, or it could and I understand your concern. I've also skinned for two different bear camps. Occasionally we had a track job. Even w dogs when not hit well they were not often found n certainly not looking to be near people. They'd head for the nastiest stuff.
 
Bud I've bowhunted Bears all over the east and Canada. Look only to neighboring states like Ny, Pa. They have a bear season n never once have I heard of a wounded bear in being found. It prob does happen, or it could and I understand your concern. I've also skinned for two different bear camps. Occasionally we had a track job. Even w dogs when not hit well they were not often found n certainly not looking to be near people. They'd head for the nastiest stuff.

As for the arrow in the deers face, that was def a bad thing. No one knows for sure whether a hunter or not shot that arrow. It was a helical twist, 5" feather. Not commonly used by modern archers. It was a traditional arrow. In my opinion many traditional guys are a step up in Hunter evolution and trying to self challenge themselves. They take only good, close shots. Of course not to say a mishap couldn't happen but a kid just out shooting in the yard w an old bow having fun could have had a deer approach and a shot was taken. Just something to think about.
 
Another thing to think about is the nearby liberal state of NY, full of the same type animal lover fruit loops, GIVES kids at the age of 12 bear tags for free with their bow license. 12 is the first year they can hunt anything in NY. The youths are inexperienced, yet we've to my knowledge had zero complaints about wounded bears. Another interesting thing I might add is people's perception as to shot placement. I've been in many camps and some guys swear by that middle of the body thing. My first bear hunt I read John trouts description in "Trailing Whitetails", in the bear track chapter as to bear shot placement. He advised the vitals were further forward on a bear and smaller compared to deer.
That's always stick w me n I've always kept em well forward n never lost a bear, myself or friends when hit there. Whatever works just study anatomy n shot angles.
 
I don’t claim to be an expert but I have shot 2 bears in NJ and our camp has taken 17 bears since we have been allowed to hunt them. From experience, ½ our bears were killed with 1 or 2 shots but the other half were not. The first bear I took was from a stick/tree ground blind. When I shot it, it turned and ran directly at me as fast as it could. I kept the scope on it and shot it at 15 yards. I was sitting on a hill when it came up and over. I did not see that it was a sow with cubs. She was protecting them. It took 2 more good shots to put her down.
My second bear was hit 2 times in the chest with a Light Field 12 gage slug and it still went 200 yards. They are very strong. I would not hunt a bear from a ground blind with a bow. The problem I see with the Fall bow season it that there are a lot of hikers and tree huggers on State land where I hunt. If someone wounds a bear it could run into a tree hugger and that would not be good Press. I hate to say it but there are more anti-s out there than hunters. The other thing is the meat spoils fast. If it is warm, 50 deg, the meet could spoil within a few hours. Putting ice in the cavity will not help. You have to get the fur off fast.
 
I don’t claim to be an expert but I have shot 2 bears in NJ and our camp has taken 17 bears since we have been allowed to hunt them. From experience, ½ our bears were killed with 1 or 2 shots but the other half were not. The first bear I took was from a stick/tree ground blind. When I shot it, it turned and ran directly at me as fast as it could. I kept the scope on it and shot it at 15 yards. I was sitting on a hill when it came up and over. I did not see that it was a sow with cubs. She was protecting them. It took 2 more good shots to put her down.
My second bear was hit 2 times in the chest with a Light Field 12 gage slug and it still went 200 yards. They are very strong. I would not hunt a bear from a ground blind with a bow. The problem I see with the Fall bow season it that there are a lot of hikers and tree huggers on State land where I hunt. If someone wounds a bear it could run into a tree hugger and that would not be good Press. I hate to say it but there are more anti-s out there than hunters. The other thing is the meat spoils fast. If it is warm, 50 deg, the meet could spoil within a few hours. Putting ice in the cavity will not help. You have to get the fur off fast.
Please enlighten us with all the archery gear wounded bear attacks on hunters or hikers in eastern PA which is as densely populated as most of NJ is.......
 
I don’t claim to be an expert but I have shot 2 bears in NJ and our camp has taken 17 bears since we have been allowed to hunt them. From experience, ½ our bears were killed with 1 or 2 shots but the other half were not. The first bear I took was from a stick/tree ground blind. When I shot it, it turned and ran directly at me as fast as it could. I kept the scope on it and shot it at 15 yards. I was sitting on a hill when it came up and over. I did not see that it was a sow with cubs. She was protecting them. It took 2 more good shots to put her down.
My second bear was hit 2 times in the chest with a Light Field 12 gage slug and it still went 200 yards. They are very strong. I would not hunt a bear from a ground blind with a bow. The problem I see with the Fall bow season it that there are a lot of hikers and tree huggers on State land where I hunt. If someone wounds a bear it could run into a tree hugger and that would not be good Press. I hate to say it but there are more anti-s out there than hunters. The other thing is the meat spoils fast. If it is warm, 50 deg, the meet could spoil within a few hours. Putting ice in the cavity will not help. You have to get the fur off fast.
I've had deer run directly towards me after I shot, doesn't mean it was attacking me It means it decided to run and happened to be towards me. Bears typically don't want anything to do with people and definitely don't want anything to do with anyone once wounded. just like deer they typically run into into swampy or very the thick areas where they feel safe not towards people.
 
I have had deer do the same but there is a big difference between the two. This bear knew where I was and if my gun had jammed I don't know what would have happened. I love my Rem. 1187. The special purpose is a great shot gun. I can take the barrel off and go duck hunting and put the slug barrel back on and go deer hunting, nothing changes.

Bears typically don't attack people either.
 
The bear I shot dropped in its tracks The bear my buddy shot the same thing. I have watched 100's of people on TOC and Sportsman channel shoot bears with bows. They aren't invincible they did like a deer. Archers are going to do fine in NJ I hope to read of a successful October season
 
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