I found the Pine plains!! thanks everyone here are the photos!

[turtle]

Bear ! ! !

Guy, Al, Jeffrey, 46er......

At the Lower Bank Clamhouse on June 4, 2005. I took the first two. The third photo was taken by my friend and published in the Burl. Co. times a few days later with an article. Someone saw it swim across the river to the Atlantic Co. side where it disappeared from sight within a couple of weeks. There is a copy of it on the Clam House wall. Notice that Mr./Mrs. Bear has a tag in each ear. We watched this bear eat a hearty meal out of the dumpster. In 2008 there were 2 bears roaming between Wading River and Lower Bank. Haven't seen one since.

 

[Teegate]

Thats for the photo's Turtle!

Guy

 

[46er]

Very nice, you were fortunate to get those pictures. I saw a sow with 5 cubs up near the gap a few years back, since then, only the sign they have been around. Unfortunately that bruin has learned about free buffets. The state is trying to educate folks, but down here they are still a novelty and have not caused the problems the northern part of the state has seen. The last estimate I saw said over 3400 were roaming north of RT 80, which is a pretty small area for such a number. Perhaps is was a misprint.

Out west they are having problems with their larger relatives. Recently there was one fatality and 2 maulings in the same incident at a campground. Many campgrounds now have bans on tents, allowing only hardsided campers.

 

[woodjin]

Jeffereydollars, glad you found and enjoyed the plains. Manamuskin gave you a pretty good run down with the other plains, you ought to get out there as well. There are spots near spring hill where the trees are still pretty small compared to how the trees appear along route 72.

Turtle, great bear shots.

Jeff

 

[Bachman's Ivory]

That was made by Barry Caselli and is at this link.

Here is a small article I posted about them from the Batsto Citizens Gazette.

http://teegate.njpinebarrens.com/09242009/cypress.jpg

And if you want to follow the posts about it on Barry's site start here at post 7972.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ghosttownsofsouthernnj/messages/7968

Guy

Thanks for the info Guy! I've been going through Barry's entire Youtube stream the past couple weeks. Great stuff here http://www.youtube.com/user/MillerMeteor74

Very interesting that they were planted by a surveyor for Wharton. I had just assumed they were a rare northern outpost. What was his reason behind planting them? If any?

Are you aware if the cypress in Cape May County still stands?

 

[Jason Bladzinski]

Oh and quick question... I saw a sign near Bass River state park's entrance that they are having a Bear talk??? anybody know about this? Are bears more common now in the pines than back in 05 to where they are having talks about them? Is anybody going????

there were a rash of bear sightings a couple summers ago.they were spotted in every south jersey county.at least some of these sightings were actually legit but alas I have no news on sightings last summer or this one.I'd definitely like to see bears in the barrens but there are many terrified of them who would rather not.I fear any that show up may end up on the wrong side of a pineys gun.
You were in the largest plains usually referred to as the lower plains.I think their the best for views and short trees.the upper plains are even larger but the trees tend to be a bit taller but for the most isolated also with a few really nice vistas is spring hill plains.You will most likely be alone out there without the annoying bombing practise your subjected to at lower plains six days a week,that is if they've started bombing again which I'm not sure of.been there twice since the fire and have heard no bombing
Also if you want a look at canada then find some nice meadows backed by cedar swamps and it does look a lot like canada.some meadows on the lower tulpehocken come to mind.
Al[/quote]
Bears, I hear there are a handful only. I am in deep areas of the pines often, just spent a week in the mullica area of Wharton and... I never see any signs of them. It's not like the Appalachian areas of Jersey that's for sure, because there everywhere up there!

 

[Boyd]

FWIW…. did you notice that you are replying to a four year old thread?

The bears keep coming farther south. We have a few more recent threads on the topic, here are a couple

http://forums.njpinebarrens.com/threads/black-bear-with-cubs-spotted-in-vineland-this-morning.8415

http://forums.njpinebarrens.com/thr...-when-in-brendan-byrne-sf-yogi-is-coming.9282

 

[Jason Bladzinski]

I don't doubt it, I was just remarking on my personal experience. For the vastness of the pinelands forests and the ratio of black bears living there in contrast to a place like Jenny Jump Mountain let's say, with far more bears in that place in a smaller area you are bound to see them and have encounters where as coming across one in the pine barrens is quite rare. It can be seen by the fact that little campers in the barrens worry about eating in tents and leaving food close or exposed need worry about attracting attention to the bears, but doing so in bear country nj would be foolish.

 

[Jason Bladzinski]

Besides, those sightings are not uncommon in many places in NJ. Bears have been reported in every county in NJ. I live in woodbridge and we have had some sightings even here.

 

[manumuskin]

No wonder I don't remember posting this.Four years is quite some time to remember what i wrote.And the bear sightings have seemed to dry up since then.saw a bear a mile down the road from my house a couple years ago but I don't hear about them anymore.

 

[46er]

Bruin's over the years. Unfortunately, there is no breakdown by county.

http://www.state.nj.us/dep/fgw/bearactivity_reports.htm

 

[NJChileHead]

I don't doubt it, I was just remarking on my personal experience. For the vastness of the pinelands forests and the ratio of black bears living there in contrast to a place like Jenny Jump Mountain let's say, with far more bears in that place in a smaller area you are bound to see them and have encounters where as coming across one in the pine barrens is quite rare. It can be seen by the fact that little campers in the barrens worry about eating in tents and leaving food close or exposed need worry about attracting attention to the bears, but doing so in bear country nj would be foolish.

My wife and I came within 10 feet of a black bear on Jenny Jump Mountain. I didn't think that I would be able to get my wife back into the woods after that. She didn't seem to blink for several hours afterward.

 

[Jason Bladzinski]

My wife and I came within 10 feet of a black bear on Jenny Jump Mountain. I didn't think that I would be able to get my wife back into the woods after that. She didn't seem to blink for several hours afterward.

Nice, did you feel threatened though? I have had the luck of stumbling onto 2 while hiking in the highlands. Once at Jenny Jump on a Midnight halloween hike and it scared the bejesus out of me and my un-outdoorsy legally blind friend who accompanied me. I was scared because I am aware coming upon one at night could mean a predatory intent, him because he couldn't make out the threat very well visually and I imagine he feared he wouldn't be able to navigate his way out of the woods or the bear's mouth had I gone down. The second time it was in Stokes while I hiked with my girlfriend at the time up to sunset mountain, it was day in January and we had stopped for lunch. This bear seemed groggy as he was most likely awakened from one of his winter hibernation naps but he seemed interested in our lunches. Funny thing is what happened with these bears, they tell you don't run or they will chase you right. But both times, after a moment of realization, the bears ran one way, we ran another way. They are mostly chicken-!@%!, I know of a person who owns a 10 pound ball of tabby cat ferocity that has numerously ran down black bears causing the bruins to make a hasty retreat. One time it even chased a bear right up a tree and the bear stayed for a couple of hours before getting down, and not until the cat lost interest and strolled back inside. Seriously though, as humorous as these stories are and as bumbling and cute as these bears can be, they are still very powerful and don't underestimate them.

 

[NJChileHead]

Funny that you go for Halloween hikes on Jenny Jump. We do that too.

We didn't feel threatened, but it was definitely eerie because we were the only ones there in the forest with the bear. The bear ran about 50 feet and hid behind a tree and kept playing peek-a-boo around the tree. I am pretty sure that the bear didn't see us anymore from where (s)he was because of the way that it was looking in our general direction. Amazing and beautiful creature. It looked almost child-like, the way that it was looking at us and peeking around the tree. I took a picture, and we went to the park office to report the sighting and showed the picture to the woman at the office. I estimated that the bear was about 250 lb, which she confirmed from the picture. She then told us that there are bears up there that are 700-800 lb. My poor wife almost fainted. I do sometimes carry bear spray up there if in a group smaller than 4, but I know that my chances of needing to use it are far less than my chances of having a fatal accident on the road on the way to the hike location.

 

[46er]

Pussycats compared to other parts of the country. With Ursus americanus your more apt to survive an attack by using spray and fighting back with whatever comes to hand. They use their sense of smell more than sight. The largest taken during the hunts in NJ was an 829 pounder in 2012, one big bruin and one of only about a dozen that size ever taken in the US.

Be careful out there, they are still hungry from their winters slumber

http://news.gnom.es/news/alaska-woman-called-heroic-after-surviving-bear-attack-while-jogging

 

[Boyd]

I came across one hiking around Wawayanda back in 2004 and was able to get this picture, although it's not very good. He really wasn't very interested in me and just continued on his way.

 

[NJChileHead]

Pussycats compared to other parts of the country. With Ursus americanus your more apt to survive an attack by using spray and fighting back with whatever comes to hand. They use their sense of smell more than sight. The largest taken during the hunts in NJ was an 829 pounder in 2012, one big bruin and one of only about a dozen that size ever taken in the US.

Be careful out there, they are still hungry from their winters slumber

http://news.gnom.es/news/alaska-woman-called-heroic-after-surviving-bear-attack-while-jogging

Agreed about the bears here vs. other parts of the country. I understand that black bears in British Columbia are typically more aggressive and 'wilder' if you will, and you are more likely to experience a predatory attack from a black bear there than here. I wonder if it has anything to do with cohabitating with grizzlies, or if it's that these backcountry bears are not finding the same food supplies in the boreal forests than we have here in the deciduous forests in temperate zones? I have read that the reason why black bears climb trees is beacuse they evolved along with short-faced bears and saber toothed tigers. Maybe there is not much interference from the grizzlies there and therefore they more readily assume the role of 'top predator' there for survival whereas in more productive ecosystems they are more omnivorous? Not saying any of these things for a fact, just speculating to continue to the conversation-anyone have insight into this? I'm very curious.

 

[manumuskin]

Black bears climb because they have sharper more curved claws and can climb.Griz claws are now as curved and more blunt and designed for digging in hard ground for roots and tubers.Young Griz can climb because their light but a heavy grizz cannot do it because of the blunt claws.Also Black bears regularly get their butts tromped by grizz and perhaps this could make them mean.Most Black bear attacks are predatory and are by young males who have recently been run off by Mom (the daughters are not run off but allowed to stay in area,this prevents mother son breeding)so they are without a territory and are getting beat up and run off by any older stronger bear so their hungry and mean and are testing everything.If a human clobbers them once or twice without killing them they learn humans are not food but it's very hard for a human to clobber them without killing them except perhaps with bear spray.Black bears love the taste of bear spray and are less affected by it unless you get a lot of it in their eyes.Grizz hate the stuff.Grizz usually attack because of cubs or fear (you get too close before their aware of you)They are more an open space bear and demand more personal space to feel safe.Black bears will often slink away at very short range because their prefer thick cover.A black bear is much more likely to eat you after killing you,Grizz only do this occasionally.PS How did grizz deal with Saber Tooth Tigers? they don't climb.

 

[46er]

Some of the best bear pix I have seen. Met this kid when he was just getting started. Caution - X bear rated at the link. I've heard this is what they do to you after they swat you.

http://www.backcountryimage.com/backcountry-blog/

 

[Jason Bladzinski]

Funny that you go for Halloween hikes on Jenny Jump. We do that too.

We didn't feel threatened, but it was definitely eerie because we were the only ones there in the forest with the bear. The bear ran about 50 feet and hid behind a tree and kept playing peek-a-boo around the tree. I am pretty sure that the bear didn't see us anymore from where (s)he was because of the way that it was looking in our general direction. Amazing and beautiful creature. It looked almost child-like, the way that it was looking at us and peeking around the tree. I took a picture, and we went to the park office to report the sighting and showed the picture to the woman at the office. I estimated that the bear was about 250 lb, which she confirmed from the picture. She then told us that there are bears up there that are 700-800 lb. My poor wife almost fainted. I do sometimes carry bear spray up there if in a group smaller than 4, but I know that my chances of needing to use it are far less than my chances of having a fatal accident on the road on the way to the hike location.

I think that ranger was lying to you, I have never heard of any black bears in new jersey that grow to 700-800 pounds, that's Siberian tiger sized! I understand that black bears have poor vision, so the peaking behavior was probably secondary for its amazing ability to smell