avg bear weights in washington

[jackmaster]

The biggest we got was 556 lbs about a mile outside of orting  but mostly the one we killed were 150 to 250, we have killed a couple that tipped the 300 lb Mark, my little brother killed one that didn't quite make 100 but it was the best eatn bear out of all of them.

[wheels]

i have second question how about qaunity or oppertunity

[RadSav]

Weight has a lot to do with time of year and berry crop by area.  An August bear in a bad berry year will be considerably smaller by weight than the same bear in October during a good berry year.  Skull size is a different story all together.  You can refer to the Washington record book for good information on best locations by skull size.  Washington seems to have good bear most everywhere.

As far as opportunity I would venture to say it's easier to find bear in the NE and high cascades due to concentration of food source and visibility.  Although I believe the coast has more bear per square mile.  I have not read the states published reports in that regard so that is just my personal opinion.

[rasbo]

165 to a little over 200 has been the average for me,I have one the weighed 350 gutted,he was a dog bear...the wetside has a ton of bears,being where they are comfortable is a real plus and knowing some routes the males work for breeding really helps..this one was taken at 10 feet,sorry for the pic I didnt have a digital camera at the time

[Hangfire]

According to the book Black Bear of Washington by Richard Poelker and Harry Hartwell ( 1973),  There is a tremendous difference in size of Black bear of the same age. The mean live weight of 5+ year old males was 220.6 pounds, females of the same age was 142.4 pounds. Examples of the size deviation  for 3 year old males captured in June ranged from 68 to 165 pounds. One 3 year old male captured in September weighted 358 pounds. Male cubs captured in September ranged in size from 18 to 60 pounds.  The largest male weighted was 444 pounds. The largest female was 246 pounds. They remarked that size was not a good indicator of age or sex.

Of interest is the color of Black bears. The coastal bear were very high percent black phase, while west slope of the cascades more brown color.

The study was mostly western Washington.

[Gutpile]

I read somewhere that the average is 200. I've never actually weighed one but 3 of my 5 were five footers and I'd say pretty close to 200.

[wheels]

thanks for all the good info

[MtnMuley]

165lbs is what I'd say the average non-cub/juvenile bear in Washington state is.

[Jonathan_S]

Most bears I see killed are 160-230ish.  Anywhere in that range is normal and anything larger than 250 is a good bear.  300+ is very good and 400+ is almost non-existent, it is a true trophy. 

The weights you'll read on here are greatly exaggerated... "Keep in mind I'm 6' 5" 260 lbs so this bear is bigger than it looks."

[mountainman]

Unless they are actual weighed numbers..

[Jonathan_S]

Unless they are actual weighed numbers..

What I meant was, overall weights should be taken with a grain of salt.

[Buckmark]

maybe i sh bould have asked this question what part of state has the largrst bears

Quinault indian reservation, they have a way of fattening them up...

[JackOfAllTrades]

maybe i sh bould have asked this question what part of state has the largrst bears

I have seen some pretty large bears in Skamania area. One I took down that way squares just over 6'. Never put a scale on him in the field, but had 200 on the hook at the butcher. Rainier National Park has some brutes. I've seen some much larger in the north/central cascade high country. Don't expect the big heads as the norm (like what's on Vancouver Island), the gene pool seems to be different.  I have seen some real brutes in NE Wa. but on the same day seen smaller ones.
 
Some of the credible publications list the average adult male in the 190 pound range. Anything smaller would generally be an immature or under nourished animal. A male larger than that would approach a quality bear for Wa. (Hide and color phase not withstanding) A black bear in Wa. more than 300 pounds would be a real trophy here. -And they do exist in just about all areas of the state. There just aren't as many of the big ones.
 
-Steve

[boneaddict]

165-180 would be a good average, as stated, there is a lot of variety.  Some of us are better at finding groceries than others.   The boyz tend to be bigger.  The big ones are where you find them.   The average on huntwa and in magazines tend to be about 100 pounds heavier than they really are.   A 300 pound bear is a trophy in this state.  Best way to win a contest guessing bear weights, take your best guess, then knock 50 pounds off.

[Jonathan_S]

Best way to win a contest guessing bear weights, take your best guess, then knock 50 pounds off.

Only 50?   

I recall last fall Bearpaw saying that a lot of bear weights he would estimate are off by 50%