Last summer my daughter and I were hiking in Waway and I was telling her that if by chance we ran into a bear that she is to not yell or make a commotion but to not make eye contact and slowly back away until we are a safe distance. Well. I was half kidding around to make her a little nervous and sure enough after about 45 minutes of hiking we hear a commotion in the brush about 30 yards in front of us. We stopped and a cub popped out of the woods onto the trail (I think it's Old Coal trail). As we were checking the cub out I'm thinking to myself - Ok where's mom. About 10 seconds later - here comes mom - she was big. She came onto the trail between us and the cub and just gave us a passing glance, turned tail and slowly walked away. My daughter followed my instructions to the letter and had moved about 30 yards back up the trail by the time I turned to ask her what she thought. It was very cool and something she will never forget - she was a bit shook up. I saw a monster of a bear while deer hunting up there two seasons ago. I didn't have a permit but could have shot it any one of a dozen times in a period of 20 minutes or so - it was within 40 yards of me feeding on a bait pile someone set up. Afterwards I went over to see what it was eating and it looked like Crispy Creams and bagels. Maybe if we ever get a bear season again.....they are impressive animals for sure.
Bear sighting in Wawayanda - funny
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Just can't hunt them within a hundred yards of a bait pile. Even if it's not yours. If you shoot a deer first you must drag it out of range to tag and gut it. Otherwise it is considered baiting. Cool story though. Something she and you will remember for a long time.
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JH,
You can sit right in the bait if you like as long as you are not elevated or in a blind.
You can sit right in the bait if you like as long as you are not elevated or in a blind.
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Again, baiting for bears is perfectly legal in NJ (if the season is open) as long as you are not elevated in a treestand ot in a blind.
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Your right I looked it up in the 2003 issue.
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I took the bear course last year... I believe it was a Game Warden/Conservation Officer who told us that hunters are permitted to place a box of Dunkin-Donuts and sit there... just as long as you are not artificially elevated or have blind.
Oh yeah... placing sticks/leaves in front of you counts as a blind...thus illegal.
Oh yeah... placing sticks/leaves in front of you counts as a blind...thus illegal.
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I clarified that too... but you can sit in anything non-man made or alrtered, such as a blowdown.
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