How about photos of 6 1/2' Blackbear

[bucklucky]

7 foot 3 nose to tail!

[bucklucky]

6foot 8 nose to tail.

[bearpaw]

Sorry about the poor photo, I've got a picture of the whole bear somewhere but couldn't find it, I will add it later if I run into it sometime. I will try to keep this fairly short.

A good friend from western WA killed this bear with me back when we could still use dogs. To date it's the biggest bear I have caught or killed out of many hundred bear. We used to run the dogs a lot just for fun, we took pictures and let as many or more bear go than what we killed.

This bear treed in heavy black pine cover over a mile hike in. Usually the really big bear will bay up on the ground but this one climbed a tree with only three dogs after him. I will never forget seeing this huge friggin bear up a small tree, There were no big trees in that overgrown mess. My friend wanted to kill a bear with his pistol so here we are standing there looking at one of the biggest bears in Washington with nothing but 44 mag pistols between us. OH SH$$.

A pistol will do fine at close range on most bear up to about 300 pounds if you hit them good. The problem with big bear over that size is that they are so thick through that a pistol just doesn't get enough penetration. Obviously my friend was not going to walk away from this bear so we got ouselves into the best position possible and he started shooting. Unfortunately it took more than one shot but this brute died. I respect game a lot, (especially bear), I like to see one shot quick kills whenever possible, it's our responsibilty as ethical hunters.

We couldn't hardly move him around for photos, so we propped his head up and took photos pretty much where he died. I also butchered him in the same spot. We managed to carry out the front shoulders and rear legs in two pieces but I boned out the neck and what was left of the back and rib cage meat. Having been involved in many bear that scaled between 400-500 pounds, I am certain this bear would have weighed about 550 so that's what I call him even though I didn't get to weigh him.

Just so you know, my friend shot well, but I found most of the bullets in the chest cavity and they were barely penetrating to the vitals and not having the energy to do enough damage for a quick kill. We were simply undergunned.

It was all four of us could do to carry out this bear in pieces. I remember his hide was close to 8', but I would have to get ahold of my friend to get the exact measurement. He said he entered him in SCI under handguns and at that time he was #7 in that category. The taxidermist used a grizzly form and adjusted the shape as needed for a live mount. It is an awesome huge mount.

[shanevg]

If you can, you should get a picture of the mount too.  It's a huge bear and a good story.  I'm sure that was pretty intense when you guys started shooting.

[oneezreiter]

Good story Bear, great looking bear.

[bucklucky]

WOW, Thats a monster!

[bearpaw]

This is a nice bear from spring season two years ago. He went 7'1" but only weighed around 300.

[bucklucky]

Nice bear!

[tlbradford]

Bearpaw, would you have shot that bear if you didn't have dogs with you?

[bearpaw]

I'm not sure in what respect you are asking??? Explain your question a little more so I know how you want me to answer.

Not Found The Bear
Passed The Shot
Shoot It Myself

Not quite sure what you are asking.

[zackmioli]

there is a picture on the board at the former Sportsmans Warehouse in Federal Way that says its over 8' tall. Shot in the quinalt. anyone know more about this?

[BC CHASER]

First is over 6' its mine and I left his ass end of the hide for the coyotes.  Second bear I will geat a rug photo of, the picture does it no justice.  He is 6' 11'' from nose to tail and is 7' 2'' from toe to toe.  It was his first bear.  7' 1/2''.

[bearpaw]

Some great bears guys.

Here is my son a few years ago when he was about 17. This was the first big bear that he was the guide. They killed it in the berries, the boy that shot it I beleive was only 15 and it was his first bear hunt. If I remember right the bear was 383 and real close to 7'.

[scroder]

Here is a pic of mine from 2009 spring bear in copalis and link to story.


http://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php/topic,28381.msg328966.html#msg328966

[tlbradford]

I'm not sure in what respect you are asking??? Explain your question a little more so I know how you want me to answer.

Not Found The Bear
Passed The Shot
Shoot It Myself

Not quite sure what you are asking.

I just meant that I would feel a whole lot safer with dogs between me and a big wounded bear.  I was asking if you were close enough to shoot that bear with a .44, but didn' have dogs with you, would you have taken the shot?