Why so few bears in the pine barrens?

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Gibbs

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Jan 22, 2016
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NJ.
I was just reading an article on bears and how their population has exploded in NJ. Despite this there are few if any bears in the pine barrens. I guess it's as simple as there's just not enough food in the pine barrens to sustain them. I wonder though, what are bears eating in North Jersey that's not in the pine barrens?

Also have any of you old timers ever seen a bear in the pine barrens? I know here's a sign at Batso that says you are entering bear country but I never hear about anyone seeing them around here.
 
Gibbs said:
I was just reading an article on bears and how their population has exploded in NJ. Despite this there are few if any bears in the pine barrens. I guess it's as simple as there's just not enough food in the pine barrens to sustain them.
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What makes you say that? Just because no one sees them doesn't mean they are not there. More than enough natural food in the Pines for them, probably the reason they are not seen, no need to dumpster dive, and lower human population density than northern counties. I have seen tracks in Toms River and elsewhere. Only sighting I have had was in Sussex County; a sow and 3 cubs.
 
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I seen one three years ago in a residential area on the Millville side of laurel lake.It was in a 40 acre plot OF nature Conservancy woods running across a dirt road at dusk headed for the maurice River.Indeed the only way the bear could have gotten in there or out of there without wandering through someones yard would have been to swim the river from or to Maurice River twp and the bigger woods of Manumuskin Preserve into Peaslees.if had of went the other way through the yards it would have wound up in Bevan WMa.
 
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They passed through my area a few years ago and there were several verified sightings and videos of bears in Atco as well.
As 46'er said, there is abundant natural food for an omnivore such as a bear. The large expanses of State woods with the lower human population density reduce the chances of sightings.
 
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Gibbs said:
I was just reading an article on bears and how their population has exploded in NJ. Despite this there are few if any bears in the pine barrens. I guess it's as simple as there's just not enough food in the pine barrens to sustain them. I wonder though, what are bears eating in North Jersey that's not in the pine barrens?

Also have any of you old timers ever seen a bear in the pine barrens? I know here's a sign at Batso that says you are entering bear country but I never hear about anyone seeing them around here.
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I'm going to attribute this to mostly two factors. The first being out competed by a non native species, the coyote. Coyotes are omnivorous and so have much of the same good sources that bears have. Coyotes pack up, so they have strength in numbers. Black bears are poor predators, coyotes are not. Considering the advantage in numbers, it's unlikely a black bear will steal a kill. Black bears hibernate and are most in need of abundant food sources around the time of autumn. Not really a time when plant foods are abundant in the pines. The coyotes are active year round, meaning they will have first access to food sources at the time the bears are coming out of hibernation.
Second is probably some of the characteristics of the pines. The sugar sand makes poor dens. The bears may also not be accustomed to the acidic tanic waters. Bears are like us, they want to avoid bushwhacking and are known to make use of the trail systems we create. The thick understory probably puts them off, it's not like the much clearer understory of mountainous forest areas. I rarely ever see honey bees in the pines. Instead I see plenty of wood boring bees. I don't think the calorie packed honey is much of a resource in the pines. That's my two cents.
 
Jason Bladzinski said:
Black bears hibernate and are most in need of abundant food sources around the time of autumn.
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They do not actually hibernate as do others such as Griz and Brown, but enter a state called 'torpor', and can move around at times over the winter. Some info from the state and the Bear Trust at the links, and elsewhere on the net. Pretty amazingly adaptive animals.

http://www.njfishandwildlife.com/bearfacts_biology.htm#dormancy

https://beartrust.org/do-bears-hibernate
 
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46er said:
They do not actually hibernate as do others such as Griz and Brown, but enter a state called 'torpor', and can move around at times over the winter. Some info from the state and the Bear Trust at the links, and elsewhere on the net. Pretty amazingly adaptive animals.

http://www.njfishandwildlife.com/bearfacts_biology.htm#dormancy

https://beartrust.org/do-bears-hibernate
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I am aware of the more loosely committed black bear hibernation
46er said:
They do not actually hibernate as do others such as Griz and Brown, but enter a state called 'torpor', and can move around at times over the winter. Some info from the state and the Bear Trust at the links, and elsewhere on the net. Pretty amazingly adaptive animals.

http://www.njfishandwildlife.com/bearfacts_biology.htm#dormancy

https://beartrust.org/do-bears-hibernate
Click to expand...
I am aware of this. Not much for them to eat in the winter months. Even with the not fully committed state of hibernation they undertake, I rarely see them out And about in January or February.
 
RednekF350 said:
They passed through my area a few years ago and there were several verified sightings and videos of bears in Atco as well.
As 46'er said, there is abundant natural food for an omnivore such as a bear. The large expanses of State woods with the lower human population density reduce the chances of sightings.
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That poor Atco bear, just wanted to go on the swings and everyone got upset at him...
 
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Gibbs said:
I know here's a sign at Batso that says you are entering bear country but I never hear about anyone seeing them around here.
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Where is this bear sign located? I've never seen one... the only sign I've ever seen was a Smoky the Bear forest fire sign...
 
Ya gotta love how the APP press uses words :oops:

"The bear fled into a wooded area after police used air horns and water hoses to entice it to move."

en·tice
[inˈtīs, enˈtīs]
VERB
entices (third person present) · enticed (past tense) · enticed (past participle) · enticing (present participle)
  1. attract or tempt by offering pleasure or advantage
 
I saw my first black bear sighting in the Pines tonight around 6:15PM at Mount Misery/Southwoods Road. I had just crossed past Butterworth Road when I saw something further up in the middle of the road which ran off to the left. When I got closer I could see a small black bear climbing all the way up a tree. I parked my truck and watched it for about a minute until it was brave enough to climb back down and run off into the woods. I didn't see any others nearby. This was before you reach the Methodist Retreat Center.
 
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czdub said:
I saw my first black bear sighting in the Pines tonight around 6:15PM at Mount Misery/Southwoods Road. I had just crossed past Butterworth Road when I saw something further up in the middle of the road which ran off to the left. When I got closer I could see a small black bear climbing all the way up a tree. I parked my truck and watched it for about a minute until it was brave enough to climb back down and run off into the woods. I didn't see any others nearby. This was before you reach the Methodist Retreat Center.
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No cell phone camera? I've never seen one yet, and no photo yet.
 
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