NJ hunter kills 770-pound black bear, setting state record: ’Smartest animal I’ve chased’

A New Jersey bow hunter just set a state record by killing a 770-pound black bear — a beast he’d been eyeing over the past two bear hunts. Brian Melvin, 39, first spotted the bear three years ago during a hunting session and has been tracking it during his past two bear hunts, knocking on doors and getting permission to check land the bear might’ve traveled through. “I wasn’t really chasing records … it was an incredible honor to have chased him because he was the smartest animal I had ever chased,” Melvin, who struck the bear Tuesday morning in Kinnelon using a compound bow, told The Post Friday. Read more at #newjersey #bear #hunting The New York Post is your source for breaking news, news about New York, sports, business, entertainment, opinion, real estate, culture, fashion, and more. Subscribe to New York Post Sports: Ca