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| one of us |
The average bear in the wild is probably around 200lbs.Any bear over 300 lbs would be a mature bear and over 500 lbs a very large bear.One of the best things to look for when judging bears is how large their ears look and the distance between them.Ears that look small and far apart usually indicate a large head and therefore an older bear. | |||
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Moderator |
Hi X, Sounds like your hunting the same areas as me. On the coast and in wetter places in the interior, the average bear size seems to increase quite a bit. FWIW, | |||
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| Moderator |
Hey stubblejumper, I guess we posted at the same time. I forgot to mention trophy judging and you hit the nail right on the head. I've heard a saying that goes something like "If a bear has ears like Mickey Mouse, it is.". The head really is the only reliable way of judging size when there is nothing to refer to. If there are bait barrels around, etc, it gets a little easier. | |||
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| one of us |
I would say a avg bear is around 200 . We shoot a lot of ones in the 175 to 250 range. Quite a few in the 300 to 400 range and every year a couple of real monsters over 600 lbs. I would say if you shoot one over 300 you have a your self a very nice bear. 200 to 300 a good bear. I like placeing size stakes next to a bait. I have seen many first time bear hunters shoot very small bears thinking that they were big. For eating you can not beat one in 150 lb range. | |||
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| <sure-shot> |
X-ring, Keep in mind Montana does not have many if any B&C bears. I believe the hibernation period, food sources and genetics play a big part in this. Neverthe less Montana black bears have excellent pelts if taken in early spring. I would consider any Montana spring bear(boar) over 250lbs to be an excellent trophy if the hide was not rubbed. I once jumped a nice 300lb boar while spring bear hunting in the Libby area, he got away! Out here in California, there are many, many big bears. The record book tells us only part of the story, many record skulls are never entered. Abundant mast crops(acorns), a short hibernation period, kill quotas and a fall only hunting season are some of the reasons. After hunting in Calif bear country the last twenty years, judging big bears comes naturally- you just know it when a big bear presents itself. I have one bear in the all-time book. When looking at a big bear look for several features: small ears, short stocky muzzle, a full heavy body, short looking legs and a wide a$$. Track sizes will vary among individual big bears but a wide 9" long rear pad or larger is a good bear. A big bear also leaves good size scat. Figure polish sausage size or bigger for a big one. Hope this helps ya, good luck! sure-shot | ||
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one of us |
There are three counties in Pa. that are noted for BIG bears. I saw the full mount of one of these critters at a taxidermist shop near Camelback ski area. The Taxidermist told me it was 836 pounds live weight and was taken with a 30-30. That's a big bear and dirty shorts.. I have seen a few bears in the big woods of N. central Pa, and I would guesstimate them at 175-250 pounds. I have seen a couple HUGE ones too. These were in Monroe/Carbon/Pike county area over the last 25 years or so. more info: ------------------ [This message has been edited by Pa.Frank (edited 04-23-2002).] | |||
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One of Us |
I understand the Black Bears from the coastal area's of the Carolina's can be very big. | |||
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| one of us |
In addition to the comments about ear size I've found that a big bear acts like a big bear...he has a certain attitude when he wlaks....imagine John Wayne in a bear suit. | |||
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| one of us |
Well since I noticed you are posting from Montana I'd say most of the bears you have seen are likely on the smaller side. I read last year that the average bear killed in Montana is 2 years old. Man, that's almost a cub. A bear like that would likely weigh 200 lbs or less in the spring, most likely a lot less. There are some big bears in Montana, but they are few and far between. If you want a big bear go to the coast as suggested or to Alberta, Sask, or extreme northern Manitoba. You can hedge your bets in those places. | |||
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| one of us |
Spring or Fall? There's a big difference in body weight in the same bear, depending on whether its just come out of hibernation, or has been gorging all summer in preparation for hibernation. I would guess the weight difference to be as much as 50% of the spring weight: A 200 lb bear in May (which is good size most places for an adult, but not old bear) might be more like 300 lbs. in October. Also, inland mountain bears just aren't likely to get as large as coastal or farmland bears because of the relative food sources. | |||
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| <Juneau> |
DB Bill, Good analogy! The big ones (browns and grizzly's too), have that kind of rolling, tough guy, gait. Just like the "Duke"! | ||
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| one of us |
A recent Outdoor Life had an interesting piece on black bears. Last year, 2 were killed in North America (one in Canada, the other ?) that weighed 850+. The Canadian bear, unfortunately, was killed by vehicle. I'd hate to see what that car looked like afterwards. 850 is well into the weight range for grizzlies in some locations. | |||
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| one of us |
uuuhhhh, I think 850lbs would make for a big grizzly. | |||
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| one of us |
quote: Right on, Brad. A couple of years ago, one was taken that was over 800 lbs. There are a lot of commercial hog farms in the eastern (flat) part of the state, and it seems that this fella discovered where the plant was disposing some carcases that apparently weren't healthy enough to sell. The report said he may have been eating a hog a day. Witness reports said the fat was over 8" thick and he was so bloated, you could see the skin right through the fur. I wonder what his cholesterol count was? A monster bear (in weight), but nowhere near a record in skull size. Rick. | |||
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| one of us |
I have hunted for bear in Saskatchewan for the last 5 years with group of around 8-9 people. Lots of bears... Success ratio is around 95%. Those that go home w/out a bear are usually the guys who are infamous for falling asleep in their blinds or, the guy who passed up on one or two bears waiting for Godzilla. Luckily for me it has been 100%....but then I'm not particularly picky...... more than one day up in a tree with the mosquitoes and that hard seat....and I'll shoot the first bear to come to the bait!! Our group hunts in the fall and our outfitter has trained us to measure size of the bear by comparing it to the 55 gal barrel he uses for the bait.....nonetheless, you'll know a big bear when you see one. In this particular area, average bears (the ones we have gotten) are in the 250-300 lb range. Largest we have ever bagged was around 450. | |||
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| one of us |
I hunted the blackies in Alaska a couple of years ago. Our guide had a video of 4 guys from the hunter group that preceded us trying to carry a bear that squared out at 7' 4", and it was almost more than they could handle. This was a huge animal! One of the guys in our group (he's in Africa right now, damn him!)shot another monster the first night of our hunt that was almost as big. Most of the mature bears we saw were probably in the 150 to 250 lb.range. I took one that I think was close to 300 lbs--it was a tough carry out to the boat, even though the trail was pretty easy. We used the 'how far apart are the ears' method, plus the height of the bait can (1/2 of a 55 gal drum), plus marks on some of the trees. If you can get a front view, a bigger bear will also have a wider stance. When checking the baits, the guide would try to measure how wide the teeth marks were in the chicken lard used for bait. The area we hunted had a 3 bear limit, and the bears were all over the place. ------------------ | |||
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| one of us |
Canuck:::: Why would you know what a bear next to a bait barrel looked like? Hopefully not here in BC..... | |||
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| one of us |
From what I remember of the story, here it is. The new world record black bear killed by a vehicle a year ago or so was north of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. It's weight was 886 lbs when weighed by Conservation officers hours after it died. (missing lots of fluids by then...) The kid that hit it said he wasn't sure what it was that he hit, (it was early morning 12AM - 2AM) but he knew it was big because it lifted the front end of his small car up as it crawled out from under his car and into the ditch. It did this with two broken hind legs. There are pictures somewhere on the net, but I can't remember where... Also, for hunters looking for BIG black bears, check out the Queen Charlotte Islands, in BC, Canada. When doing a job there a couple years ago, I saw many, many bears; and NOT one small one. According to the locals, the Black bears on this ocean island chain don't hibernate. Only the sows do, and only long enough to have their cubs and get them to "walking around" stage. The big boars just walk the coast line, and tidal rivers eating shell fish, salmon, trout, and whatever else washes up on shore with the tide, ALL YEAR LONG!!! The bears also get quite a feed of Queen Charlotte deer fawns in the spring, as the islands are literally overrun with them. Incidently, the season for bucks runs from June 1st to February 28th, each year, and the limit is ten deer a year. The doe season only runs from September 1st to February 28th. Tiny deer though..A nice buck may be only 100 - 125 lbs live weight. | |||
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| <303hunter> |
the big black bear from East NC weighed 880 pounds. It was killed in front of dogs with 12 gauge single barrel buckshot. That was in '98 and it is the state record (weight). Last season the largest taken in the East was 757 lbs. There were a few between 6 and 7 hundred and several between 5 and 6. | ||
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| <cohoyo> |
the alaska hunting regs has a chart tittled estimated weights of some alaska game and it shows the weight of a black bear to be 70- 350 pounds and of a brown bear to be 375- 1250. this is the average weight of male and femal 4 year olds. it says that a bear can weight 25% more in the fall. a guys shot a 9 foot 3 inch brown bear last weekend here, I don't know the weight yet but i'm going to fish and game tomorrow to register to hunt and i'll find out. | ||
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| Moderator |
quote: From watchin' too much TNN on saturday mornings! Most of the popular bear hunting destinations allow baiting, so I was just keeping my comments relevant to most of the readers. It sure does help having a bear stand next to something of a known size when you are trying to field judge it. | |||
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| <bearguide> |
Also keep in mind that a fall bear will generally weigh 40% more than the same bear in the spring. | ||
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| one of us |
I live in the big bear country and have noticed when the avg guy sees a bear, the bear is always a big one. lol. I've seen a few big bears but I'm no way near an expert at guessing weight of the live animal. I doubt I could guess within a hundred pounds on a big one and the really big ones are not common at all. I look at a couple of features on bears to size them up and the ears ain't it for me. If the head is as big or bigger than a basketball and if the bear is 4' or more tall when sitting, it gets your attention. The few really big ones I've seen look very thick across the back...like a 4X8 sheet of plywood would almost cover them but maybe not. Bottom line, if you think it is a big bear, it may not be. The really big ones do not get quick comments from onlookers, mostly silence or a wow....kinda stops the show. | |||
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| one of us |
I've seen blackbear from Eastern Canada to California and most are in the 175 to 200 range. The biggest bears I've seen were in Pennsylvania. I've never seen an 800lb blackbear but have seen several dead one in the 600lbs+ range and they were monsters. For some reason though a 500lb grizz looks bigger to me. I think it's the head size and that hump and claws that make them look bigger.I would agree though that when you see a big one you don't have to think about it if you're honest with yourself, you'll know. [This message has been edited by Pathfinder (edited 05-04-2002).] | |||
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| <Albertahunter> |
X-ring, Along with the mickey ears,you can look for a muzzle that is short in appearance,a rounder look to the head,and he should look as yhough his legs are to short.Also what was said about fallbears is true.The hide on a fall bear is less of a crap shoot as well.It may not be as long,but it will be thick and healthy.I find in the spring,you have to find him one yawn and strech from the den,or he'll have started rubbing.Also if you're interested,fall bear eats better and makes great sausage mixed with deer Yours in the outdoors ABH | ||
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Around here I would guess that the average every day black bear is 3 or 4 yrs old, 4 to 5 ft long and about 200 lbs. You have to look at a lot of bears to find a decent one around here. I really haven't seen that many "shooters", which I would define as 6ft+ and in the 300+ lb range.
Canuck