This giant bear rivals any ever killed in SC

Regardless of what people think about bear hunting, one thing is certain: the bruin Phillip Gosnell killed last month near Landrum was a whopper.

The 597-pounder that Gosnell brought down is the second-largest black bear ever killed by a hunter in South Carolina, according to the the state Department of Natural Resources. The largest weighed 609 pounds.

“This was not a normal-sized bear,” DNR biologist Tammy Wactor said. “We don’t usually get 600 pounders popping out.”

In South Carolina, the average-sized male bear is about 350 to 400 pounds, Wactor said. She noted Gosnell’s near-record bear was found in a mountainous area of Greenville County that has produced big bears in the past.

The area is near the Greenville Watershed, a protected section of the mountains where it’s illegal to hunt bears. The watershed gives refuge to bears so they can grow older — and larger, according to Natural Resources. In this case, the big male may have wandered out of the watershed in pursuit of fruit from nearby peach orchards, she said.

This year’s big bear was shot during one of the most prolific mountain bear-hunting seasons in state history. State officials say 108 bears were killed by hunters, second only to the 127 killed in 2013.

Bear hunting raises concerns from animal welfare groups who consider it little more than cruel trophy hunting. Those who stalk bears in the S.C. mountains, like Gosnell, say it keeps the population in check, while maintaining a local tradition.

Gosnell, 36, said the bear he shot was both a challenge to kill and to haul off. He downed the bear Oct. 19, during the state’s two-week bear-hunting season.

After spotting the bear in the Gowensville area of Greenville County, Gosnell took a shot from about 200 yards away, but that didn’t drop the animal. Enraged and wounded, the bear charged Gosnell, before he managed to kill the beast, Gosnell told The State.

“He stood up and I shot him in the chest and then I ran over there,” the Greenville County water company employee said. “Then, the bear came at me, and I shot him two more times.

“It was a little scary.”

Gosnell said he then had to use a tractor to lift the animal into a pickup truck because it was so heavy. He plans to mount the animal’s head and arms in his house.

This story was originally published November 3, 2017 at 12:01 PM with the headline "This giant bear rivals any ever killed in SC."