After hunting over 25 years , I finally shot a good bear !!

My nephew shot and hit this bruin just back a little too far and perhaps too high .. A few minutes later this black form come walking into the Mt. Laurel patch that I was standing in , he turned broadside and I shot him through neck at about 20 yards !!

He dressed out at 392lbs. and estimated live weight of 462 ... it took five of us everything we had to get this beast out of the woods ..
I was using my ol faithful 77 ruger ultralight chambered in 270win, using 130gr. Nosler partitions ... for those who are wondering !!


Here's a few pictures ...

Nice bear We found on bears that big a 4 wheeler works well.

I always said when a big bear is down nothig sounds better then the 4 wheeler getting close.

Good looking Bear, congrats!

Nice bear. Congratulations.

A black bear over 400 lbs is a big bear! Congratulations.

Crotloer(my Dutch is a bit rusty). A PA bear is tough to come by. I've spent a lot of years looking. With a tang safety Ruger, and that looks like a sport jacket from a Pennsylvania Tuxedo, truly proper attire. Nice bear, and a long sought trophy. Enjoy the moment.
Bfly

Congrats on that bear.HOW much did it weigh again?

Live weight was estimated at 463 lbs. ... and the dressed weight on the PA Game Commission scales was 392 lbs .

Black Fly ... Thanks .. I like a the retro flavor .. and thanks to all who commented . My Pa dutch is fading as well !!
I took the skin/head back to my nephew who a taxidermist .. for now lets get the skin including the head and feet tanned .. We'll decide later what to do !!!

I prayed hard for a 4 wheeler but none came by !!

Congratulations on a beautiful bear!

Congratulations... good looking bear!

Last night I was looking through some photos and found one of a bear .I first saw it at 15' We figured it was 400 lbs .At 15' it does get your attention !
Yours is a fine example !
At the diner a hunter talked about an area that took 9-10 bears on opening day! I asked where it was ."a place called Bear Swamp !! "
Yes guys , just read the sign !

A good sized PA bear is one of the hardest trophies to collect. Congratulations!

Great bear - congratulations!

Record PA black bear is 900 lbs !!

Looks like a great bear! Planning on a rug or a mount?

what did he square?

Beautiful coat. That will make a hell of a rug!

Allen, that's a very nice bear. Congrats. What county were you hunting in? I didn't see a single bear in the 3 days I hunted in Schuyklill County...however I usually hunt at a freinds cabin in Clinton County...many more bears there in the "endless" mountains. It just wasn't to be this year though.

As of right now I'm just getting the whole hide tanned ... will decide later what to do with him . I'm thinking a shoulder mount to show off is wide head ..... but we'll see !!
He measured about 7ft. long ..

I shot him Union County ... just about 5 miles from the house ...Not too far off Rt45 about 1 miles or so from the check station .....

Happy Thankgiving .. to all ..

It should be a good bear year in much of the NE.Here in Sullivan Co NY [Catskill Mtns ] They've taken lots of bears more so than in any year I can remember.
Adjoining Pike Co PA has lots of bear though I haven't heard the numbers taken. PA game officials say three, four, and even five cubs are not uncommon now.We did a check there two years ago and the sow had 4 very healthy cubs !