Judging a Black bear

[Ntuttle15]

Hey guys, was able to find this bear this past weekend. I'm new to bear hunting and just wanting a little bit of help on how big you guys think he is. From my zero experience of judging bears in the field I felt like he was pretty dang big.. the spotting scope pictures are from 1 mile away, and the close ups are from 400 yards, zoomed at 50x.. I'd just like some verification and insights from some more experienced bear guys that he is a big bear.

 

[roosiebull]

it's a good bear.... not sure exactly how big, but he's big enough to tell he's a mature boar which makes him big enough. my feelings on that bear is it's a really good one, he has all of the right characteristics.... i would be shooting.

guessing exactly is really tough without some relativity, but i would say over 300lbs, maybe a good deal more...

 

[Ntuttle15]

it's a good bear.... not sure exactly how big, but he's big enough to tell he's a mature boar which makes him big enough. my feelings on that bear is it's a really good one, he has all of the right characteristics.... i would be shooting.

guessing exactly is really tough without some relativity, but i would say over 300lbs, maybe a good deal more...

That's what my feelings are. But like I said I'm just not experienced with them. I'll get some video uploaded and posted on here of him walking around.
I just didnt feel comfortable beyond 300 yards with what I had. Coming back this weekend to try and get him. Will be able to shoot him out to 450. That's as far as I'm comfortable with.

 

[rclouse79]

Looks good to me, but that doesn't mean much. Last year my buddy and I were surprised to find the monster we had shot looked more like a golden retriever as we walked up to it.

 

[roosiebull]

you will be very happy with that bear if you connect. it's exactly what we're all looking to glass up right now. he's big enough he will do some damage to your freezer space..... bear like that have high recovery meat-wise vs a regular size bear... those mature boars carry way more muscle.

i hope you get him, if you ever wanted a bear rug, he would be great for that too, i'm very confident saying he's over 6ft, and my feelings are about 6.5' but pics are hard to tell.... he's big

a lot is impressive about big mature boars, of course their paws, but also when you start skinning them when you have them rolled on their back, the size of their chest/shoulders and neck area is crazy.... alpha animals for sure.

just don't get your wind in there, if your wind gets bad, you'll probably not see that bear again, or at least not for awhile. DON'T hunt him on an iffy wind.

 

[Ntuttle15]

you will be very happy with that bear if you connect. it's exactly what we're all looking to glass up right now. he's big enough he will do some damage to your freezer space..... bear like that have high recovery meat-wise vs a regular size bear... those mature boars carry way more muscle.

i hope you get him, if you ever wanted a bear rug, he would be great for that too, i'm very confident saying he's over 6ft, and my feelings are about 6.5' but pics are hard to tell.... he's big

a lot is impressive about big mature boars, of course their paws, but also when you start skinning them when you have them rolled on their back, the size of their chest/shoulders and neck area is crazy.... alpha animals for sure.

just don't get your wind in there, if your wind gets bad, you'll probably not see that bear again, or at least not for awhile. DON'T hunt him on an iffy wind.

We made a stalk on him that day with good wind. And right as we were beginning in on him he got up and started walking into the timber. Wind was in our face the whole time. He never gave an impression he knew we were there. Never would have seen us. But we couldnt find him the rest of the day, then a couple hours later a big storm rolled in and he has been in the rain for 2 full days now. I feel confident he is still in there, but I dont know these critters well. Tomorrow is the first day of sunshine... thinking about going up tonight to find him on that hillside again.

 

[Bighorse]

Looks like he’s sitting on a kill to me. Are you watching him feed too?
It’s a mature bear.... if that’s your target shoot and skin. Repeat as needed

 

[Ntuttle15]

Looks like he’s sitting on a kill to me. Are you watching him feed too?
It’s a mature bear.... if that’s your target shoot and skin. Repeat as needed

I thought so too at first, but it wasnt.
We spotted him evening before. He fed down that ridge into the bottom of a bowl. We located him in that bottom the next day, and watched him feed his way into the timber, that's where the close up pictures were taken. Rain came in and so we left and went home. Still hasnt cleared up.

 

[roosiebull]

He never gave an impression he knew we were there. Never would have seen us. But we couldnt find him the rest of the day

spring bear can be so frustrating in that regard.... spot a good one, stalk in, they're out of sight for 5 minutes and vanish in those 5 minutes, haha. they never stop moving, and seem really random most of the time. sounds like you are in good shape, and he should be moving well when the rain quits. that looks like a great spot with no reason for him to leave.... he'll be around. good luck and keep us posted!

 

[Ntuttle15]

Will for sure keep you guys posted! Thanks for the info and encouragement

 

[rclouse79]

We made a stalk on him that day with good wind. And right as we were beginning in on him he got up and started walking into the timber. Wind was in our face the whole time. He never gave an impression he knew we were there. Never would have seen us. But we couldnt find him the rest of the day, then a couple hours later a big storm rolled in and he has been in the rain for 2 full days now. I feel confident he is still in there, but I dont know these critters well. Tomorrow is the first day of sunshine... thinking about going up tonight to find him on that hillside again.

Hope to see a success pic shortly! I am hoping to sneak out Thursday afternoon weather permitting.

 

[rino]

Boom!

 

[Ntuttle15]

Hope to see a success pic shortly! I am hoping to sneak out Thursday afternoon weather permitting.

Good luck on your outing!

 

[Gunnersdad49]

Little ears that are far apart are a pretty good indicator that it is a good bear. That one looks like a shooter for sure.

 

[JMDavies]

I'm by no means and expert. The outfitter I've used in the past always suggests picturing a 50 gallon drum. If the bear fits in the drum it's small. If there is no way it will fit, it's a big one. He also said, you'll look at it and immediately know if it will fit or not. If you are questioning it, it is smaller than you think. Judging a bear is difficult but that exercise helped me with both bear trips I've been on. Good luck and send pictures regardless of the size.

 

[notradame]

thats a good size but not fully grown.

 

[MrTim]

Great to see some spring bear! Look forward to your follow report.

 

[Ntuttle15]

I'm by no means and expert. The outfitter I've used in the past always suggests picturing a 50 gallon drum. If the bear fits in the drum it's small. If there is no way it will fit, it's a big one. He also said, you'll look at it and immediately know if it will fit or not. If you are questioning it, it is smaller than you think. Judging a bear is difficult but that exercise helped me with both bear trips I've been on. Good luck and send pictures regardless of the size.

Definitely would not fit! Thanks for sharing

 

[FLAK]

I'd say that's a shooter. Not a Monster, but I wouldn't pass him up.
Pics when you kill please.

 

[tdot]

That's a strange one. Face on, his ears suggest he's a bigger bear and he looks like he has the start of a pumpkin head w/a big solid neck. But that side profile shot makes him look like a younger bear. My guess is good genetics, but youngish.

Probably be a pretty good first Bear though and very good if you have a challenging pack out!

One question I always ask myself. Did he appear smaller as I got closer? If he does, then that trend usually continues. If my impression of him gets bigger as I approach him. Then those guys have never let me down.