Don't miss out on these large beauties

[bulletbob]

Originally Posted by acabtp

bears don't hibernate in NJ; it doesn't get cold enough. the snakes are probably hiding though.

Sad part is, if there are bears known to frequent a fishing area in NJ, and you go there wanting to fish or hike,, you are not allowed to protect yourself properly with a handgun like most other places in the US that has bears.

As bad as NY is, especially near NYC,upstate we can protect ourselves when enjoying the outdoor areas where one might encounter a rogue bear.. yes I know Black bears typically don't attack humans, but it happens every year somewhere, and the results are predictable and tragic.. NJ should be ashamed... bob

[FASTEDDIE29]

Thanks for posting Wilson! There’s gona be Turkey stuffed with smoked Trout for all this holiday season. Hahaha!

[Doug Vitale]

Originally Posted by Drossi

Mt Hope pond might be pleasant now that the black snakes and bears are in hibernation for the winter.

Black snakes can get pretty long but the few I've encountered were completely harmless. In fact, in 20+ years of hiking and trout fishing in NJ I've only ever seen three black snakes, 0 copperheads and 0 rattlesnakes. However, apparently there's no small number of rattlers in Worthington State Forest and the Water Gap. I'm surprised that there have been no fatalities from rattler bites in the Gap given how many thousands of people flock there annually.

There are plenty of water snakes to go around, though, and they can get feisty.

[Dave B.]

Originally Posted by acabtp

bears don't hibernate in NJ; it doesn't get cold enough. the snakes are probably hiding though.

Absolutely false statement. NJ bears absolutely do hibernate, albeit in the lower, central jersey areas where they abide they may not have to in some winters depending on the weather.

Every winter our wildlife biologists perform den surveys to check for new births as well as the health status of known animals and to locate new or previously unknown bears and/or dens.

[acabtp]

Originally Posted by Dave B.

Absolutely false statement. NJ bears absolutely do hibernate, albeit in the lower, central jersey areas where they abide they may not have to in some winters depending on the weather.

Every winter our wildlife biologists perform den surveys to check for new births as well as the health status of known animals and to locate new or previously unknown bears and/or dens.

https://www.state.nj.us/dep/fgw/bearfacts_biology.htm

Black bears are not true hibernators and may be active all year long. During the winter, black bears enter a state of winter dormancy called torpor. While in the state of torpor their heart rate and respiratory rate slow and their body temperature slightly drops, but not as much as in true hibernators (such as chipmunks or woodchucks).

...

While in torpor black bears are capable of being easily awakened if disturbed and they may leave their dens on mild winter days in search of food.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[acabtp]

Contrary to popular opinion, black bears don’t hibernate in the Garden State, they torpor and there’s a big difference.

“Black bears in New Jersey aren’t true hibernators. They will stay active all winter long if there's abundant food available and we have quite a few bears that you’ll see active in January, February and even with the winter that we had last year,” said Dave Chanda, director of the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife.

...

“A bear has a unique physiology,” Chanda said. “It slows down its metabolism. It doesn’t feed, but it is completely aware of what’s going on around it so if you were to encounter a bear denned up in the wintertime it will become active immediately. An animal that hibernates, that animal is to the point that you could go in and it’s not going to even know you were around it.”

Chanda said there is currently a lot of research underway to figure out how a black bear is able to torpor.

https://nj1015.com/nj-black-bears-dont-hibernate/

[thmyorke1]

So torpor is pretty much hibernating but it can get up from activity when it needs to.