Black or grizzly ??

[jrebel]

Black or grizzly??    338 lapua rounds for size. 

[lewy]

Looks like the claws are far enough from the toes to possibly be grizz

[KFhunter]

Wide narrow pad, looks grizz

[Keith494]

Could potentially be a grizzly, where at?

[OutHouse]

Claw marks look too close to the toes to be a grizzly.   

[X-Force]

To put in prospective this is a black bear and the way my hand is positioned my hand is 4” across from thumb to pinkie and 7 1/4” from base of my thumb to tip of my pointer finger.

I think you have a black bear.

[jrebel]

If it’s a black bear, I hope we can find him.  Already have one bear down that likely cleared 400 lbs and this one’s foot puts the other to shame.  It is the same cut as well. 

Side note…..the lapua does nice work on these big critters. 

[buckcanyonlodge]

Looks like "Pork Chop" has headed your way from Bear Basin.  Big blackie track ..I know a couple locals that swear they have seen a grizz around these parts...close up

[jrebel]

Here is a pic of me laying next to it.  I’m 6 foot 265

[wadu1]

Here is a pic of me laying next to it.  I’m 6 foot 265

Nice bear, 7-footer +, skull is going to be massive.

[huntnnw]

Here is a pic of me laying next to it.  I’m 6 foot 265

Nice bear, 7-footer +, skull is going to be massive.

Skull size is genetics . Several big heads and book heads come from 300lb class bears. Body weight has little to do with skull size. I’d venture to say In this area 95% of bears will never in their lifetime surpass 19”

[buckfvr]

Or make 19" for that matter.

[jrebel]

It’s over 20”…..best we can measure it is 20 1/2 inches.  We will see when it dries.  It is not a Washington bear. 

[boneaddict]

Looks like a nice blackie.

[jrebel]

I’ll do a story when I have time.  Here is a head picture.

[timberfaller]

Way to go!!! Congrats! 

[zwickeyman]

20 1/2" is a really good Bear for sure.

[buckcanyonlodge]

Or make 19" for that matter.

Here is one from around here. Hunter said it was measured out to be #3 bear in the state....21" plus ? can't remember exact measurement he told me. That is me with the bear..and the mounted bear later..hunters I D hidden.

[buckcanyonlodge]

and a live pic of him with a large sow....spring bear

[jrebel]

Well, we never caught up to what made that track.  We do have a lot of griz in the area we are hunting as well as monster black bears.  Our primary target is moose so the bears are usually opportunistic kills...but this year the weather was stupid warm and bears were out thick.  Not really wanting to waste time or money with small black bears, we only shoot them when they are big.  This black bear is the biggest we have ever killed and now my son has one more black bear kill than his old man.   

Quick story:

First day of moose hunt 2022 and managed to swamp an Argo.....this lead to a swim in a very cold beaver pond, recovery and repair of an Argo (it was great fun and  great experience).  On our way back to camp that evening we decided to not let the entire day go to waste.  We stop at a cut with about 30 minutes left of light and do some moose calling...at this point we had 3 Argos full of eyes and a couple hunters.  I told the guide I was gonna walk up the road / cut line about 500 yards and look over the larger cut.  I no longer hit that larger cut when I laid eyes on this bear.  I knew instantly he was a shooter signaled the other Argos to move up.  As my son arrived in the Argo, I set up the Bog Pod Deathgrip and secured the 338 Lapua.  My best friend ranged the bear at 320 yards and my son saddled up to the rifle.  We dialed the scope and waited for the shot.  At this point the bear was facing us straight on.  My son was patient and just waited, keeping the crosshairs on him.  The bear turned his head and presented a shoulder, but I told my son to wait.  With light fading fast, I told my son....if he turns his head again, take him.  A few seconds later the bear turned ever so slightly to his left and gave a hard frontal quartering shot.  I told my son to take him.....my son shoots a lot and I knew he could 10 ring him at that distance.  BOOOOOOOOMMMMMMM.....the lapua barked and the bear pancaked and never moved.  Bullet entered the neck just in front of the shoulder hitting spine and exited just in front of the second to the last rib on the off side.  My son is 13 and now has 7 bears under his belt.  This one will be a hard one to beat.  The bear had 3 inches of fat everywhere......it was unreal.  Hanging weight of the carcass was 200 lbs at the butcher.  This was after cutting a ton of fat off it, gutting, skinning, etc....just meat / bones and a little fat.  We think he easily went 400...which as a general rule we figure carcass is about 50 percent of live weight for most animals. 


On a side note, the Hammer Hunter bullet worked flawlessly.  Third animal with Hammers and all have performed perfectly.   

[OutHouse]

Here is a pic of me laying next to it.  I’m 6 foot 265

Wow man you're at 265--that thing has got to be close or more than 400 pounds. Great bear!!

[jrebel]

Here is a pic of me laying next to it.  I’m 6 foot 265

Wow man you're at 265--that thing has got to be close or more than 400 pounds. Great bear!!

The hanging weight of the carcass was exactly 200lbs at the butcher.  This is minus the guts, head, hide and an estimated 30lbs of fat we cut off of it.  We estimate 400+.  Wish we could have weighed it in the field.....I will always wonder.  Three grown men with webbing straps had to do the, "1..2..3..heave....ho....heave..." to move it about 5 feet at a time.  It was a work out to move it 20 yards to the argo.  The skull green scores 20 7/16 based on my ability to measure.  We will wait for the drying period and then have it officially measured.  I think it will make the three year awards book which would be cool for my son.  I'm not a trophy hunter, but it is cool to see your son whack a nice one. 

[KFhunter]

Largest blackie I ever seen in my life was across the river on the res