Judging a bear!

[Jens22]

What are some things you looks for when sizing up a bear through the glass?

 

[EasilyExcited]

Small ears and more on the side of the head not the top

 

[Coveyleader]

How he walks, if he walks like he has a swivel in the middle start the griddle!

 

[Wrench]

Long neck with small ears outside his eyes. Big belly and small ass all has the makings of a big boar.

Judging by comparing to know objects is a preferred method. Grass height, flower diameter, tree diameter.... bait barrel....etc.

 

[hicountry1]

Agree on the ears....if they look like micky mouse ears, keep the safety on.

Also, look for a crease in the forehead along with small ears sitting on the side of the head....

Also, big ones like to take selfies, while trying to eat trail cameras.

This dude got a mouth full of steel bear box

But he still tried to eat it

 

[hicountry1]

Oh yeah...this is what a big one looks like.....

 

[roosiebull]

like mentioned above, small ears, far apart.

good boars also have a short snout vs a sow, their front legs are much bigger on a boar. sows are shaped more like a pear... the ridge on the back is another tell, but not a super reliable one.

boars waddle more bow legged, they have a swagger when they walk. if you see tracks that make you scratch your head for a second, that's a good sign... what i mean by that is big boars with their swagger twist their front feet as they waddle, so a big boar track on grass will look like an indentation down to mud and you can see how they twist their front feet walking... it looks like what i would imagine an elephant track looks like... when you see such a track, you will know what i'm saying.... nothing else in the woods that leaves a track that looks like a big boar track.

when i'm in a hurry judging a bear, i focus on the head/face and gait, if it's a big boar, it will be fairly obvious (same with small bear) it's the medium sized bear that are very difficult to field judge at times (175lbs-225/250lbs) a 250lb boar... actual 250lb, they start looking like a big bear and start having more distinct boar characteristics.

it's not super straightforward, i have watched a lot of bear, and still have some difficulty judging those medium sized bear, but when you see a BIG boar, you know what you're looking at... a big boar often looks so big it doesn't look realistic... like "that looks like a bear, but obviously it's not, because it's too big" i have had that thought more than once until it moves.

big bear are pretty easy to judge, small bear are easy to judge... medium bear are tricky unless you are fairly close and have a lot of time, which is barely ever in the spring, they are always on the move, and in and out of the brush.... nature of the beast, don't let it frustrate you, it will give you another look if you don't blow it out. there is no pressure to kill a bear the first time you see it, if it doesn't give you a good look the first time you see it, it's exciting going back and hunting that bear you already know lives there.... that's why i prefer earlier season... may not see as many bear, but generally speaking, the big ones come out earlier (mature boars) and when you find one, more often than not, you can reliably find that bear in that same area.... later in the season, the big boars start covering country pre rut looking for sows, and things become more luck of the draw, and gets tough patterning the boars.... they still have their zones they like to be, and still will be there fairly consistently, but they may disappear a few days.

 

[Lukeetreatz]

Easiest way to tell for coastal black bears is where the ears are on the head. If the ears are on top of the head it's a small bear but when you see the ears on the side of the head it's a big one!