NRA Hunters Leadership Forum | New Jersey hunter endures death threats and harassment after catching record black bear

When Brian Melvin captured a massive record-weight 770-pound black bear (that’s clothed weight, estimated to be between 880 and 910 pounds) during New Jersey’s 2024 archery bear season, it was a moment of celebration for Morris County, NJ, natives – a crowning achievement for a dedicated hunter who spent several years mustering the bear of his life and the largest bear in state history catch. But with the high came the predictable lows of public backlash and ugly behavior from anti-hunting extremists in a state with a highly controversial black bear hunt, leading to a barrage of harassment and even death threats against Melvin and his family.

For Melvin, the search for this grizzly-sized black bear began two years ago when he first encountered the giant bear while exploring a small patch of swampland near the end of the season. As he describes it, the sighting sparked an almost obsession. “I spent years trying to pattern him,” Melvin said, explaining how he knocked on the doors of several neighboring and nearby properties within a mile to ask for permission to hunt, but was forced out by the bear’s unpredictability him to adapt. “He did what all big bears do and disappeared a total of three times within a few miles.”

As any experienced hunter knows, bears don’t grow as big unless they learn to avoid people.

The challenge of relocating such a large bear to patchy land access was compounded by New Jersey’s strict hunting regulations, including a ban on hunting within a hundred yards of a bait station. Instead, Melvin used piles of bait to structure the bear’s movements and pinpoint its sleeping spot nearly a thousand meters away, deep in a swamp.

When the 2024 archery season began, the stars aligned for Melvin as he learned that the bear moved most often during daylight hours and northwest winds. He caught the bear on its way between its sleeping place and its feeding places and attacked it. The bear, estimated to have a live weight of between 880 and 910 pounds, was pulled out on a sled, with a final weight of 770 pounds.

Melvin’s high ended quickly. While he expected and received the usual Facebook and social media fire due to hunting opponents’ fundamental misunderstanding about hunting and its place in the North American model of wildlife conservation, the backlash soon escalated in a state where black bear hunting has been a lightning rod for years for controversy.

“Two days later I got my first call with death threats,” Melvin said. “It went from the usual comments like ‘How could you kill that bear?’ out of. to ‘We’re going to disembowel you, just like you did that bear.'” Others also made chilling comments about Melvin’s family, threatening his wife and parents and even his young son. Strangers called from blocked and unblocked numbers, telling him his home address, work information, Melvin’s wife’s work information, and even information about his son. Some even drove past his parents’ house and shouted obscenities.

“I believe in free speech and I don’t mind the initial criticism,” Melvin said. “You can’t agree with hunting… and while I might not agree, I grew up with a red-headed Irish mother, so I have thick skin,” he joked. “But when you start threatening someone’s family, my patience runs out.”

Despite the criticism, Melvin remains committed to educating non-hunters about the reality of legal, regulated hunting and its role in preserving our nation’s wildlife, including ensuring that none of his massive bears go to waste. He donated the animal’s fat for soap and candles and had the meat processed by an experienced local butcher. Still, the backlash reveals a deeper division over hunting practices, even (shamefully) among some fellow hunters.

“Many hunters have criticized the use of bait,” Melvin explained. “People think you just throw donuts into the woods and shoot a big bear. They don’t understand the discipline and strategy needed to shape an animal like this.”

The controversy over Melvin’s hunt is a perfect microcosm of the ongoing controversy in New Jersey over the management of North America’s densest black bear population. After the state briefly banned bear hunting in 2021, increasing human-bear conflicts led New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy to restart bear hunting in 2022. For Melvin, the harassment has finally subsided, but the experience has left its mark. “We’re all fine now, but those threats – they lost me there,” he said.

Hunting is not just about killing. It’s about protection, respect for the animal and being part of nature in a way that many people will never understand.

About the author
Cody McLaughlin is an Alaska-based outdoor writer, conservationist and hunting advocate. He recently founded Trout Stream Studios, where he serves as executive producer for hunting and veterans affairs podcasts and livestreams. McLaughlin is a board member of the Alaska Outdoor Council and a former board member and chief spokesperson for the New Jersey Outdoor Alliance, which helps represent the state’s 1.2 million athletes on the political stage.