2020 bears

[Pacific Ghost]

I'm sure that question has been asked a thousand times. To me, he looks smaller in the pictures, but there was no way I would have been able to pick him up or even drag him, and I can manage a lot.  I will measure the skull as well, but not sure that is going to tell me much more.

[HillHound]

I got one of  my biggest bears out whole. He weighed just over 300lbs had a 19 7/8ths skull and was 11 years old. I couldn’t move him on my own so Yours was probably close to that. Bears are really the hardest things to judge in person while hunting and even more so in pictures.

[Pacific Ghost]

Ya, I was just about to tell Path that I figured it out. He was bigger than me, so say 185, then add 15 gallons of crushed blueberries for another 75; he had to take a leak pretty bad because he didn't want to leave the patch so that's worth a few pounds. Also was still a little Smokey up there that day and he had his hat and shovel complete with blue jeans and buckle for another 8 pounds. I'd say altogether about 270 pounds. 300 hmmm, I like that too.

[cantstump]

Thanks for the tips!

Olympic Mountains boar. Got him this month on a solo trip. Was nearly 4000' above my rig, so definitely took plenty of effort to get him packed up, over, and across, and then down to the bottom, about 4 miles away. Definitely left me in good shape for deer & elk season. This is actually my first bear in 33 years of hunting(primarily focusing on other types of game), so wanted to share a few things I've learned over the years with others who are just starting out or still looking for their first bear.
1. If you are serious, learn as much as you can about the habits of bears, what they eat, and where and when they eat it.
2. If you bring someone along to one of your deer hunting areas, they might fill their bear tag. Not necessarily a bad thing at all; just think it through.
3. Know your shooting ability, but also know that you seldom get the perfect shot.
4. If you are shooting at an extreme angle up or down hill, you will need to aim lower.
5. Always bring your gun with you, even if only pre-season scouting for deer.
6. Make sure you have cleaned your gun recently, and it will actually fire, even if you know "it's still on from last time".
This adds up to 5 potential bears that I "might" have gotten. Hope this helps somebody. Now you won't make these same mistakes, so get out there and get one sooner than I did.

[Pacific Ghost]

I actually have a pic of the one I missed in 2013 due to #4 above. Not a small bear.

[Timberstalker]

That one you missed is a dandy.
Congrats on the one you took.
Nice work!

[Pathfinder101]

Ya, I was just about to tell Path that I figured it out. He was bigger than me, so say 185, then add 15 gallons of crushed blueberries for another 75; he had to take a leak pretty bad because he didn't want to leave the patch so that's worth a few pounds. Also was still a little Smokey up there that day and he had his hat and shovel complete with blue jeans and buckle for another 8 pounds. I'd say altogether about 270 pounds. 300 hmmm, I like that too.

BTM + (CBBx15=75) + PEEx5 + SBHSBJ8 = Live Weight

Nice work.  That's the equation I use too... 

[TheStovePipeKid]

Out scouting blacktail today. I've got a bear and cougar tag so I toted the rifle. No shots but found a nice fresh track.

[snake]

Out scouting blacktail today. I've got a bear and cougar tag so I toted the rifle. No shots but found a nice fresh track.

Thats a grizz, run for your life.

[Bango skank]

I hope youre joking.  Looks like a dinky black bear track in soft mud to me.

[Skyvalhunter]

That would be a bear to pass on for sure

[TheArmoredShop]

Your gonna have to go to PA to beat that personal best! What a bruiser!

Old neighbor in Wisconsin shot a 600+ pounder two years ago. Stood well over 6+ feet. Biggest black bear I ever saw and apparently not long after someone locally shot a 700+ pounder

[TheStovePipeKid]

That would be a bear to pass on for sure

It's actually perfect for a first time bear for me. I wouldn't want to end up with 100lbs of meat if I don't like bear.

[greenhead_killer]

bear meat is awesome! go whack it and save some fawns in the process!

[RockChuck]

Ok, opinions on this ones size? I’ve yet to shoot a bear and watched it walk to about 20 yards of me and turn broadside but it didn’t look very big and it was opening day of the high hunt..