Pa known for it's large black bear population as well as the size of those bears has a new record. Actually it ties the world record for skull size. The bear was 15 yrs old and weighed 700# on scales at the PGC check station. read about it at pgc.state.us

Try www.pgc.state.pa.us The heaviest I remember in the last few years was 862 lbs !!

In killed one that weighed 476(dressed) the next day at the scales this past season in Pa. it was 11 yrs old I am told.
was hunting by myself and had one hell of a time getting it to where I could reach it with a tractor
You just gotta love those bears in Pa!!

Cats post a photo of that big beast!
The bears in PA must be unbelieveable, out west (Colorado) they just don't get those kinds of weights on Black Bears.

Here is some more info

Bagged black bear ties record for size. A.J. Seman killed the bear, with a skull size of more than 23 inches, in Nov. in Fayette County.By Don SapatkinInquirer Staff WriterA black bear killed by a Pennsylvania hunter in November ties for the record of largest ever taken legally in the world, according to preliminary measurements announced yesterday by the Pennsylvania Game Commission.
If the score is corroborated by a panel of judges during the Boone & Crockett Club's next awards program, in 2007, the bear would also tie for third-largest taken by a hunter legally or illegally. The No. 2 world record was killed illegally in Lycoming County, Pa., in 1987.
In his 15 years hunting black bear, Andrew "A.J." Seman, of Dunbar Township in Southwestern Pennsylvania, had glimpsed his quarry just once during the three days it's legal to hunt them. After lunch Nov. 22, the second day, he hiked with his two brothers up a ridge in State Game Land 51, Fayette County.
It was a rugged patch of saplings, laurel and rock - good terrain for the animals to hide - and they had seen signs of bear there before.
Brian Seman probably approached the male bear unknowingly, and it bolted toward his brother. A.J. Seman, 40, spotted it at 25 yards. The first bullet from his Sako 75 Hunter rifle hit a tree; the bear kept coming. The second shot killed the bear.
Since Seman had never gotten a bear before, he said he couldn't tell at first how big it was. But the women at the check station knew it was huge. The field-dressed bear weighed 621 pounds, putting its estimated live weight at 733 pounds.
Big-game records don't depend on weight, which can fluctuate from year to year. Official records use skull measurements, which stay consistent.
A certified scorer measured the skull last month at 23 and three-sixteenths inches.
That preliminary score ties with a bear taken in California as the largest legally killed by a hunter in the world.
Two other black bears have scored higher. First is a skull found in Utah that measured 23 and ten-sixteenths inches. Second is the bear illegally killed in Lycoming County. Its skull happens to be on display at Cabela's retail outfitting store in Hamburg, Pa., off I-78.

Snellstrom, I do not have a picture of the big beast that weighed 700 # as I just read about it on the PGC website like everyone else. If you were refering to my bear 476# I've learned long ago not to post pics of any game I harvest. I posted a picture of a 310# hog I killed with my 45LC BH a few years ago and got several pages of posts on another forum as to how that pig didn't weigh more than xxx#s. Even though it was weighed on a certified scale at a scrap yard. I've also taken quite a beating for not posting pics here on the African forums of some of my game taken there. Until some of the asswipes whom post there go silent into the night I will not post any pictures...sorry

the Pa bear that was killed illegally in Lycoming County , Pa was well a brute..I've seen it in Hamburg.
There have been black bears here in pa killed well over 800# (3 in one year)

Thats a good one for sure.

But unless it is stored properly untill the panel gets it .... it will continue to shrink a little. Probably dropping it to 4th or 5th place.

It sounds like they have big bear in Pa. As a matter of interest the Manitoba record stands right at 23 and was shot by John Bathke from Mendota Hts. MN. Scull length 14 6/16, Width 8 10/16. The largest recorded weight of a bear in Manitoba is 886 lbs. and was killed by a car north of Winnipeg. My Dad was a Park Warden in Riding Mountain National Park for 35 years, (retired in 1980) and he believes he saw a bear that was over 1000 lbs. Hes probably seen more bear than anyone I know and has a very good estimation of bear size.

Cats, I saw the link and photo of that Pa. bear, I meant for you to post a picture of your big brute.
My brother got a bear here in Colorado a couple years ago that got honorable mention for B&C but didn't make the all time book. This bear was huge by Colorado standards but was no where near the weight of these bears you back east and eastern Canada guys are talking about. We just don't grow them that big here (body size) California and Oregon get bigger weight bears than us beacause of the better richer feed for them (Acorns?).

quote:

Originally posted by Snellstrom:
Cats, I saw the link and photo of that Pa. bear, I meant for you to post a picture of your big brute.
My brother got a bear here in Colorado a couple years ago that got honorable mention for B&C but didn't make the all time book. This bear was huge by Colorado standards but was no where near the weight of these bears you back east and eastern Canada guys are talking about. We just don't grow them that big here (body size) California and Oregon get bigger weight bears than us beacause of the better richer feed for them (Acorns?).

Follow the below link, look on page 10 under history in the section Physical Characteristics.
The largest black bear (weight) ever taken in the wild is officially entered at 880lbs from Carolina. I don't want to give up too many of my secrets, but they've been taken bigger than that. To the best of my knowledge, 962lbs is the biggest but it was decided to keep it unofficial to keep others away. It's pretty common too see and take big bears yearly. Many big ones taken w/out too much bragging.

http://www.dgif.state.va.us/hunting/va_game_wildlife/ma...lan%20_compiled_.pdf