# 740 lb. bear killed near Orlando, Fl.



## David C. (Jan 21, 2015)

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/breaking-news/os-biggest-florida-bear-killed-20150121-story.html

They have 34 pictures on there, but not all of the 740 pounder, but still worth a look.


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## Lukikus2 (Jan 22, 2015)

They didn't kill it. They relocated it. I haven't seen one that size but I've seen some 500 plus. Some of these bears are pushing over 25 yrs old.


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## NCHillbilly (Jan 23, 2015)

The article says they euthanized it?  Relocating bears doesn't work, anyway. I read a study about a problem bear that was repeatedly caught in the Smokies and relocated several times, sometimes hundreds of miles away. It always came right back, and soon. They even carried it to central Virginia once and turned it loose, and it about beat the biologists back home.


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## flatheadfisherman (Jan 23, 2015)

That is a huge bear. I am ready for them to open some sort of season down here on bears. Even a quota hunt to begin with would be good.


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## Budda (Jan 23, 2015)

Well, they may have pics up in the story but my computer is so old, the message that popped up said that i was not absle to view the posting.  Goina need to git me another used computer i reckon


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## Lukikus2 (Jan 23, 2015)

NCHillbilly said:


> The article says they euthanized it?  Relocating bears doesn't work, anyway. I read a study about a problem bear that was repeatedly caught in the Smokies and relocated several times, sometimes hundreds of miles away. It always came right back, and soon. They even carried it to central Virginia once and turned it loose, and it about beat the biologists back home.



I have a good source that says it was relocated. Maybe the writer thought it was dead when it was tranquilized.

And you are correct. Relocating doesn't work. There is a reason they end up where they are caught. Most times they have been pushed to a new territory by more dominant animals.


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## Lukikus2 (Jan 23, 2015)

It's dead. My source was mistaken. It wasn't scared of humans so they had to euthanize it. My bad.


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## NC Scout (Jan 23, 2015)

*Tagged Bear*



NCHillbilly said:


> The article says they euthanized it?  Relocating bears doesn't work, anyway. I read a study about a problem bear that was repeatedly caught in the Smokies and relocated several times, sometimes hundreds of miles away. It always came right back, and soon. They even carried it to central Virginia once and turned it loose, and it about beat the biologists back home.



Friend of mine killed a bear in Clay Co., NC that had multiple relocation tags in his ears.  Friend researched markers and two in one ear indicated bear had been relocated into GSMNP twice and the other side there was a dayglo shoot on site streamer. That bear was probably on his way back to wherever he came from. It was a 250# boar with a blaze.


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## lampern (Jan 23, 2015)

No reason to kill it.


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## David C. (Jan 24, 2015)

Lukikus2 said:


> Most times they have been pushed to a new territory by more dominant animals.



Hard to imagine that there would be a more dominant animal than a 740 lb. bear, but it's possible that after 20 years with no bear season that there might be an even bigger one in the area... The record black bear is over 900 lbs.


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## David C. (Jan 24, 2015)

lampern said:


> No reason to kill it.



Might not be the tastiest thing on the menu, but bear meat is edible. (I hope that they gave someone the meat.)


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## C.Killmaster (Jan 24, 2015)

David C. said:


> Might not be the tastiest thing on the menu, but bear meat is edible. (I hope that they gave someone the meat.)



They can't be consumed after being given drugs to anesthetize them.  GA won't use drugs on a bear or any game animal within 30 days of the season opening and during the season.


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## NCHillbilly (Jan 25, 2015)

David C. said:


> Might not be the tastiest thing on the menu, but bear meat is edible. (I hope that they gave someone the meat.)



I think bear meat is very, very edible myself. Delicious, actually. It's like a beef/pork cross. I find that most folks who say bear meat isn't good to eat have never actually tried it, or either ate some old freezerburned scrap meat that somebody gave them and cooked it wrong. You can even use bear fat for cooking just like hog lard. I've eaten many a bear grease biscuit growing up.


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## jrmcc (Jan 25, 2015)

Another reason most agencies are reluctant to relocate a bear is that after they relocate a bear they are somewhat responsible for the bears actions. If a relocated bear known to cause problem is turned loose in your area, and then tears your truck up trying to get to a bag of garbage. You can see where this could result in a lawsuit. It is a lot simpler to just get rid of the bear.


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## BornToHuntAndFish (Jan 29, 2015)

Whoa, whatta whopper of a record bear for Florida.


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## blood on the ground (Jan 29, 2015)

So Florida doesn't have a bear season?


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## grouper throat (Jan 29, 2015)

No but we will have a season as soon as this year. Relocation is a thing of the past, all are euthanized. The FWC Feb 4-5 meeting in Jax will bring out more details. It should be an interesting meeting to say the least.


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## Rulo (Jan 30, 2015)

What was it eating to get that big?    Oranges laced with vitamin C????


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## David C. (Jan 30, 2015)

Rulo said:


> What was it eating to get that big?    Oranges laced with vitamin C????



Not according to the article;



> The Longwood bear most likely did not balloon to 740 pounds by sticking to its staple diet of nuts, berries and sabal-palm hearts. It probably feasted on a cornucopia of curbside garbage, too, said Thomas Eason, a bear biologist and director of FWC's Division of Habitat & Species Conservation.



Sounds like it was getting in people's garbage, probably eating whatever food that people normally throw out.


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## David C. (Jan 30, 2015)

NCHillbilly said:


> I think bear meat is very, very edible myself. Delicious, actually. It's like a beef/pork cross. I find that most folks who say bear meat isn't good to eat have never actually tried it, or either ate some old freezerburned scrap meat that somebody gave them and cooked it wrong. You can even use bear fat for cooking just like hog lard. I've eaten many a bear grease biscuit growing up.



I'm glad to know this. The only time that I had bear meat was when someone gave me some stew meat, I'm not even sure what cut it was. I made stew out of it, and it was ok, not great, but not bad. 
There are no bears (usually) where I normally hunt, so I never bagged one. (Greene, Oglethorpe, Hancock or Forsyth counties). I was drawn for Cohutta WMA quota hunt one time, I saw some bear tracks, but never saw a bear.


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## tree cutter 08 (Jan 30, 2015)

Hard to beat if cooked in a crock pot.


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## David C. (Jan 30, 2015)

blood on the ground said:


> So Florida doesn't have a bear season?



They had one 20 years ago but shut it down. Problems since then with bear attacks and some bears with no fear of man.

Interesting reading here if anyone has some time to kill. At one point, one of the commissioners gets involved and starts posting..

http://forums.floridasportsman.com/...Hunting-under-consideration-by-the-Commission


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## The mtn man (Jan 30, 2015)

tree cutter 08 said:


> Hard to beat if cooked in a crock pot.



Ever tried it canned? That's best.


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## flatheadfisherman (Feb 3, 2015)

tree cutter 08 said:


> Hard to beat if cooked in a crock pot.



I agree. I get some bear meat from my friends in Georgia every year a stew made in a crock pot is my family's favorite.


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