Story highlights Four black bears were found dead in the New Hampshire woods after a chocolate overdose

A hunter was said to have left about 100 pounds of chocolate out as bait

Wildlife experts in New Hampshire are looking at possible ban with such bait

(CNN) Four black bears that died in the New Hampshire woods last year overdosed on chocolate bait, wildlife officials said this week.

A necropsy by the University of New Hampshire showed the bears -- two adult females and two cubs -- died from too much theobromine, a chemical compound in cocoa that's toxic to animals.

The bears were found dead in September within 50 feet of where a hunter said he placed 90 pounds of chocolate and doughnuts as bait, officials said.

Andrew Timmins, wildlife biologist for the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department, and his team presented their findings to the state's fish and game commission on Wednesday.

It's an awful way to die, Timmins said. Too much theobromine in a bear's system can cause severe illness, inducing vomiting, hypothermia, seizures, coma, respiratory and heart failure.

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