Black Bear in laurel Lake

[manumuskin]

I am happy as a pig in poop right now.I would never have believed this if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes.Me and Momma had headed over to my oldest step daughters house to pick our oldest grand youngun an almost 12 year old girl named Taylor.There is a back way to her house which is a hair shorter then the blacktop road but slower because it is a dirt road and sometimes it is rutted.We went in that way and came back out the same way.This was about 20 minutes ago and it was raining and getting dark.I was looking into the very open pine woods and looked back just in time to see it's big black ass getting it across the road from right to left (south to north).It was not running like a deer,deer bounce,this was a low run.Momma seen the whole bear.We are both very into bears and have seen them in the wild in pa,wv and UP Mich. so we know what bears look like.She said it looked about 200 to 250 lbs. we jumped out and I tried to run into the woods to get a better look but it was fairly dark and I could see maybe 50 yards but didn't see it.No tracks on the hard packed dirt road and it was raining hard.I saw it here and it was headed north toward the river.
39.34083° N 75.02414° W
He ain't got much manuever room here.He was on nature conservancy land.Maybe he is going to hole up there through hunting season?No hunting,too close to houses.
Al

 

[Gibby]

Manumuskin, you are so lucky! How soon are you going to back to find that bear? Don't forget your camera!

 

[manumuskin]

might try to find tracks tomorrow.He was headed toward maurice river bluffs.lot of sany area there maybe get some good tracks.Enough room for him to get into bigger woods but north ain't the way to go.he's headed toward millville.Hope he swims the river and heads east.Wind up in manumuskin preserve.six day next week,hope he lays low.Some peckerhead will put a hole in him if he don't.

 

[Gibby]

The rain tonight could work in your favor. The wet sand will hold a track better and maybe that bear will bed down in the area you first saw him.

 

[manumuskin]

there are actually some man made structures,mini tunnels back there he could crawl down in and probably stay very dry.

 

[Teegate]

You need to carry a small camera everywhere you go. You are in so many places all the time this type of incident is certain to happen. Glad to see you saw one Al.

Guy

 

[manumuskin]

this was way to fast to get a pic.he shot across the road at high speed and it was raining hard too.I will be watching for bear and sign from now on.I had thought they were so rare I'd never see one like I've never seen Bobcat though I have seen sign.My cousin just informed me he saw a bear cross fortescue road two years ago just before you get to the trailer park and the marsh.They are here I need to zone in on em.

 

[dogg57]

This Black bear was seen setting up his tripod After watching Al. Glad you got to see one Al

 

[manumuskin]

Bill always said I was quite photogenic,I see he's not my only fan

 

[Teegate]

You need a game camera.

Nice photo dogg!

Guy

 

[Boyd]

Maybe this one is still hanging around? http://forums.njpinebarrens.com/threads/black-bear-sighting-in-millville.7419/

 

[manumuskin]

Maybe this one is still hanging around? http://forums.njpinebarrens.com/threads/black-bear-sighting-in-millville.7419/

I was thinking of that one.I know the guy who spotted it,he's a boss where I work.He said his was half grown.This one was full grown.The sighting spots were only about 3 crow miles from each other and this one was headed toward where his was sighted.They must be fairly slick to get around in these kind of residential areas with only an occasional sighting.

 

[woodjin]

That's really cool, Al. I'm still waiting on my first bear encounter. Everytime I hear of someone seeing one I get a bit jealous.

Jeff

 

[manumuskin]

I must have twenty books on bears in my library.My wife is a bear fanatic.She is still bubbling over about this bear.I still think the reason she makes me grow the beard and has fattened me up by 60 lbs since I met her is she secretly wants me to become a bear
I took her to Oswalds Bear Ranch a few years ago in the UP.It was a surprise since thats where we were going for vacation anyway.They let you in the cage to pet and feed the cubs.She was ecstatic.

 

[46er]

Congratulations AL!! One of the best experiences you can have is finding something where you least expect it, especially if its a bear. With this weather he/she should remain active for a while. You might consider making a trip up to Columbia NJ to the Lakota Wolf Preserve. You and your wife would love it, and you'd have a very good chance of seeing more bear up that way.

Since your more apt to see a bear in reduced light, instead of a regular camera, consider one of the 'nightshot' optioned camcorders. I have one from the 90's and got some great footage of a Griz in YNP as day went to night. It worked so well a ranger doing bear jam patrol asked to use it to keep track of the bruin until all the tourons had left after it got to dark to see. You can find used ones for as little as a buck on EBay.

 

[manumuskin]

We've been to Lakota,Momma is also a wolf fiend,she is fascinated with predator,birds,mammals,reptiles.
Is this camera your speaking of using infrared nightvision?Or is it juts making optimal use of the visible wavelengths?
We used NODS (Nighttime optical devices) in desert storm to drive missions across the desert.They were passive infrared.If there was any moonlight they worked very well but no moon and you might as well take them off and drive blind.No depth perception at all.You viewed out of a monocle and you had no idea how deep a ditch,pothole or tire rut was till you hit it because of the lack of overlapping vision.

 

[46er]

The one I have, an older Sony, is infrared. The way it works is you hit a button which moves the IR filter out of the way, the video is the same as normal, except its not in color. It also works pretty good thru the evening in the normal low light mode. With software available you can grab an individual frame for a snapshot.

 

[strom]

I am happy as a pig in poop right now.I would never have believed this if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes.Me and Momma had headed over to my oldest step daughters house to pick our oldest grand youngun an almost 12 year old girl named Taylor.There is a back way to her house which is a hair shorter then the blacktop road but slower because it is a dirt road and sometimes it is rutted.We went in that way and came back out the same way.This was about 20 minutes ago and it was raining and getting dark.I was looking into the very open pine woods and looked back just in time to see it's big black ass getting it across the road from right to left (south to north).It was not running like a deer,deer bounce,this was a low run.Momma seen the whole bear.We are both very into bears and have seen them in the wild in pa,wv and UP Mich. so we know what bears look like.She said it looked about 200 to 250 lbs. we jumped out and I tried to run into the woods to get a better look but it was fairly dark and I could see maybe 50 yards but didn't see it.No tracks on the hard packed dirt road and it was raining hard.I saw it here and it was headed north toward the river.
39.34083° N 75.02414° W
He ain't got much manuever room here.He was on nature conservancy land.Maybe he is going to hole up there through hunting season?No hunting,too close to houses.
Al

 

[strom]

manumuskin......................that is something.........................its good to feel that some wilderness is returning to the pines..................millville is pretty far south for a black bear though...................how the hell did he get there..............hope he sends some cubs north to chatsworth.......................is union lake as good a fishing spot as they claim..............im thinking of taking my kayak down there,but its a long drive.....................press on, strom, piner36@comcast.net

 

[manumuskin]

This isn't the first black bear thats been seen down here.I know of maybe five reports in cumberland county in the last three years,one was my cousin and it was down near Fortescue.I guess the Bear Swamp is getting it's patrons back.
I"m not much of a fisherman but I know Union lake like the back of my head,I mean hand.I used to live within a hundred yards of the lake and would drag my canoe to it almost everyday.I even swam it from end to end when I was 16.Slightly over 2.5 mi in 100 minutes even.I hear tell it is excellent bass fishing and I believe it because the western side and northern half are shallow and filled with grass and lilly pads and deadfalls along shore so it would appear to be good bass habitat.Beware in winter with a north or nw wind I have been in a canoe out there and have had three foot waves down at the south end from a two mile fetch.Try tacking across the lake from west back home to the east side with three footers wanting to hit you broadside.You have to head into em to gain some distance then spin quickly without getting dumped and angle se as much as the waves will allow till you get too far south and then spin quickly and repeat till you get past the yacht club point and that kills your wind.Of course now they have the launch at the sw corner and if you take out there the wind would push you right to it but I had to get back to sharp street because I was fourteen or fifteen