Warning ..New Jersey hiker killed by black bear

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New Jersey hiker killed by black bear : police

Reuters
By Ellen Wulfhorst 6 hours ago

By Ellen Wulfhorst

(Reuters) - A man hiking in a heavily wooded area of northern New Jersey was killed by a black bear during the weekend, police said on Monday, in what experts called an extremely rare attack.

Darsh Patel, 22, of Edison, New Jersey, and four friends encountered the bear on Sunday afternoon in the Apshawa Preserve, about 40 miles (64 km) northwest of New York City, according to the West Milford Township, New Jersey, police department.

The bear began to follow the hikers and they scattered, police said in a statement. Four of them regrouped but Patel was missing and they contacted police, it said. Patel's body was found about two hours later.

"Evidence at the scene indicated that the victim had been attacked by a bear," the statement said.

A bear was found at the scene and killed, police said.

Black bears are common in New Jersey and have been seen in all of the state's 21 counties, but attacks on humans are unusual, according to experts.

"It is definitely rare," said Lawrence Hajna, a spokesman for the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP).

The current number of bears in New Jersey is about 2,500, he said.

New Jersey, which the DEP said has one of the highest black bear densities in the nation, holds a six-day bear hunt in December.

No one had been killed by a black bear in New Jersey since 1852, according to a 2010 report on black bears by the New Jersey Fish and Game Council.

In New York state, a bear killed a 5-month-old girl in 2002 after knocking her out of a stroller and dragging her into the woods of the Catskills Mountains.

Four years ago, a bear in northwestern New Jersey attacked a man and took his sandwich, leaving him with cuts, bruises and a dislocated shoulder. Police at the time said the incident was the first of its kind in Vernon in more than 25 years, despite a large number of bear sightings.

Typically, black bears are not aggressive and tend to flee from humans, according to the New Jersey DEP website.

They create a nuisance by getting into residential garbage and tend to be active in the fall when searching for food ahead of the winter, it said.

Apshawa Preserve is a 576-acre (233-hectare) nature preserve of oak and sugar maple trees that is popular with hikers and bird watchers.
 

No comment on why Mr Patel was chewed on, this is why I carry my .45 into remote locations. This is in ecoast and my backyard. .interesting
washed-my-hands-7-times-still-smells-like-curry.webp
 

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5minutes from here...

we have a female /2 cubs- very aggressive--

heard a noise and came up from the basement to find a cub knocked down slider screen and was in the kitchen--weeeeeeeee!
 

I'm no animal Lover, But my Guess the fact they scattered contributed.
5 men beside each other hollering would have convinced it to think twice :laughing7:

If they had all stayed together & made allot of noise it
would have most likely climbed a tree or went off.

But once they scattered the bear probably felt surrounded and decided to
wrestle it's way out, by jumping the guy
 

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I'd have to agree with what Jeff said, running is the worst thing you can do. still odd to hear of a black bear killing a person.

Mike

Must have been city Folk
 

I always carry when hunting/hiking is remote bear country, to prevent situations like this from happening...one warning shot, bear still hanging around acting aggressive, two in the head..
 

they had water out.
this is why they say don't feed the bears.
once fed they feel entitled.

of course there is nothing wrong with feeding them, as long as you don't
try to take it away after. they will come in the house.

Donuts. Game commission here put Donuts in the cages to catch them.
If those people had put Donuts accross the street it would have gone over there.
 

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left the garage open the other day; momma came in and grabbed a bag of trash from can.

chased all three yelling/throwing things--but that bear just stood in the d-way holding the bag in it's mouth looking at me!
the cubs treed.


No comment on why Mr Patel was chewed on,
View attachment 1057318


did not know black bears like 'Indian'

oh well, one less patel
 

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left the garage open the other day; momma came in and grabbed a bag of trash from can.

chased all three yelling/throwing things--but that bear just stood in the d-way holding the bag in it's mouth looking at me!
the cubs treed.





did not know black bears like 'Indian'

oh well, one less patel

I was going to say something, you beat me to the punch, all kidding aside..since the guy was Indian, I wonder if the scent of all the spices set the bear off?
hqdefault.webp
 

Bear stood its ground with you in the garage ? I'd like to see it try that with BigCountry..I'd tackled that sob lol.
used to be a time and place you could wrestle black bears..think its illegal now..bleh, to many laws.

BigCountry
 

Here's what I carry anytime I am in the woods. Too many hostile critters up here.

 

What a terrible way to go!Bears are very rare around here,but I go to West Va sometimes where they are pretty populated.If it is not hunting season and I am not armed, every once and awhile I will give a hoop and a holler while in the woods to make my presence known.Last thing you want to do is sneak up on one,especially if they have young one's.All a cub has to do is let out a little yelp, and Big Mamma is acomin.
 

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left the garage open the other day; momma came in and grabbed a bag of trash from can.

chased all three yelling/throwing things--but that bear just stood in the d-way holding the bag in it's mouth looking at me!
the cubs treed.
Bear took several bags off the back of my truck the other night and scattered it. That kind of stuff happens often. Last month it was a timber rattler under my truck. Wouldn't trade it for nearby neighbors.
 

We had a huge 3D setup at the archery range at our town's sportsmans club. The bears had their way with them big time one night. Full size deer targets, coyotes, turkeys, and even a bear 3D target. All destroyed. They were chewed, eaten, clawed, batted around and shredded. What a horrorshow. We had benefit suppers and raffles to get all of them too. Gone.
 

no known bears in Indiana, but we do have some really grumpy chipmunks
 

Sometimes you get the bear.

Sometimes the bear gets you.
 

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