A black bear killed by a hunter in Morris County, New Jersey, last fall set a North American record as the largest of the species to ever be harvested by bow an arrow, a hunting organization announced recently.
The 700-pound bear that was killed in Morris County, New Jersey – which is 30 miles west of New York City – sets a North American record as the largest black bear ever killed by a bow. It also is potentially the largest black bear killed internationally, but it's not official yet whether the bear sets a world record.
Hunter Jeff Melillo shot the bear during the five-day, black bear hunting season in October. It was one of 315 bears killed during the 2019 hunting period.
"I’m very grateful that I get to be a part of all this," Melillio said in Pope and Young Instagram post. "Pursuing bears with bow and arrow is a passion of mine."
Hunting of black bears is legal during specified periods in New Jersey, the state with the densest black bear population in the country. Gov. Phil Murphy has expressed desires to end the tradition of hunting black bears in the state. At one point bear hunting had been banned but then reintroduced in 2003 to control the growing bear population.
Melillo's new record tops one set in California in 1993.
The bear will be preserved by taxidermy and displayed at the Pope and Young annual convention in Virginia this March.
