A 700-pound black bear killed by bow on private land in Morris County, N.J., last year has set a world record for North American black bear, besting a mark set in 1993, according to the Pope and Young Club, a national bowhunting organization.

The bear’s size didn’t surprise at least one hunting advocate, who said the high weight was the result of state restrictions on hunting that allow bears to multiply and get dangerously big.

To determine if the bear was a record, the Pope and Young Club hosted a special panel for judging in Harrisburg on Feb. 8 during the Great American Outdoors Show. Pope and…