Curious if anyone (hunters or guides) have taken the time to confirm age on a brown bear they have harvested and what they found?

Husband's brown bear from the Peninsula unit 9e was 11 years 4 months according to the report he received from Alaska. He hunted with Gary LaRose in 1990. The bear made B & C three year book 26 14/16.

quote:

Originally posted by 505 gibbs:
Curious if anyone (hunters or guides) have taken the time to confirm age on a brown bear they have harvested and what they found?

The tooth is always pulled and aged I think?

In my cases I don't remember years any more but the interesting part was my 24 1/2" skull boar was several years older than my 27 3/8" skull boar. Several more years like 4 or 5 or something.

Correct, a tooth is pulled and if you call with your tag number they will give you the results, takes like a year plus though

I’ve had several bears aged that I found out about.
One 10’ boar off Kodiak was 5 years old.
A 10’6” boar was 11 years
A 9’2” grizzly was 20
A 8’4” grizzly was 6

But as others have mentioned age doesn’t nexcisarly correspond to skill size
Or square. I know some kids half my age that are twice my size. Same for any other animal.

I was in on the kill of a friend's 8' brown that aged 22yrs.

Took a sow brown several years ago that aged 18yrs.

I guided on a #3 b&c grizzly in 1983. He was 18 years old . From what I can recall the lager bears I guided were anywhere from 7 to 20

We have taken quite a few over 20 and the oldest measured by F&G was 31 years old

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Originally posted by 458Win:
We have taken quite a few over 20 and the oldest measured by F&G was 31 years old

Wow, what was the condition of the 31 year old bear?

Man in its 30’s is crazy! Wish those animals could share their story before we skin them out. I often just look at them and wish I could see some of what they saw and the crazy experiences they had. So much more there than just a carcass.

Now we’re getting somewhere, do any of you guides pay attention to the published data as to what the average (mean) is of the brown bears taken in the areas you hunt? Jake, not to get too far off the subject, but I know what you mean, I have shot one animal that affected me in a way I was not expecting. I shot a giant croc in Moz back in 2010 that they told me was somewhere around 80. For months after as I thought about it in relation to my own life, the creation of the lake I shot him in and history in general, it seemed unjust for lack of a better word.

I had a personal bear from Kodiak aged at 23. I guided a bear from the Brooks Range aged at 14.

The F&G guy in King Salmon estimated my bear between 20 and 25 but still waiting on the tooth sample results. His molars were worn to nothing and the left lower jaw looked like it had been broken and then healed. Also missing a toe.

quote:

Originally posted by 458Win:
We have taken quite a few over 20 and the oldest measured by F&G was 31 years old

31yrs dang! How long ago was that bear killed, Phil?