Bear Hunters...

[bryan r]

How do you all size and determine a shootable black bear?

This will be my first bear hunt, and really don't want to go into it blind.
Any suggestions are appreciated.

[buckeye_hunter]

Don't ask me! I thought mine was gonna be 150 pounds. Not even close....

Seriously, gotta look at the head and ears.

[WhiteOaks]

I'm no expert but I will tell you bear suffer severe ground shrinkage. The fur is thick and makes all bears look huge.

Look at the ears. Should appear short and on the side of the head. The width between the ears compared to length of the head. How far is the belly from the ground? Smaller bears will have longer legs and more ground clearance.

Hard to beat time in the stand watching bears.

Whether the bear is shootable or not is a personal choice.

A very smart Tradganger once told me, "To be a Bear Hunter, you Got to Kill a Bear".

Pick your animal and harvest your trophy. Set a bench mark and aim to beat your personal record on your next hunt.

[Kenneth]

I'm no expert but I have seen quite a few bear in my time and have manage to take a couple. Here are a few things I look for:

Look at the head and ears; ears usually look a lot smaller on a bigger bear.

If you're hunting over a bait barrel or have something else to use as a size comparison it helps.

The way they walk/move can also be used: smaller bears are a little more graceful where as bigger bears tend to lumber from side to side when they walk.

[arrowslinger22]

Good advice given above.  What I did was mark a height on a tree in line with the trail to the bait and if the bear covered it, then it was in the running.  Of course, I lined the mark up from the stand height.  Once you see a few, it gets easier.

[bryan r]

Thanks for the advice!

Had this guy cruise through last week... Thoughts?

   

   

[Bill Sant]

I'd guess a two year old about 100 to 120#.  Narrow head are possible indicators to it being a sow.  Ears also stick up on her head instead of laying to the side like a bigger bear.  JMHO

[buckeye_hunter]

I would go with 100 pounds too. It looks ALOT like the one I shot.

Beautiful coat!

[SheltonCreeker]

I will have to agree with everything stated above. Ears, Belly, Comparison to the barrel. I'm going on my first Trad bear hunt in sept. Ive been on bear hunts before so I'm stuck between waiting a bigger one out or just getting one down with my longbow..... what to do, what to do.... Glad Your DNR got started back up so you could get your tag Bryan I was a little worried for you there for a bit! Good luck. Only a few weeks away for us now!!!

[WhiteOaks]

About 100 lbs.
Possibly a SOW.

[WhiteOaks]

Some say guess what it weighs and divide by 2.

[bryan r]

Man, I love this site. Thanks for all the input guys, and thanks for the thoughts Dave! I am thoroughly excited to hit the woods this fall.

6 months since I put down the wheelie bow... Can't imagine a better decision. We'll see how confident I feel when the big one walks in and the adrenaline starts pumpin.     :eek:

[wapiti792]

Bryan good luck to you and David. My guide Ryan at Stickflingers made it simple for me...if he'd fit in the barrel don't shoot. If he wouldn't put an arrow in him. Funny thing though, I passed a P&Y bear 'cause he would just barely fit in the barrel with some hangin' out. I got lucky and killed one that could have swallowed the barrel later but this rookie bear hunter almost dropped the ball  

[Fish Finder]

Head size...if it looks like it can take a shovel and smile you got a biggun!

A big boar's head will form a perefect triangle from ear to ear to nose.

A big bear waddles it doesn't glide like young bears do.

If your hunting over bait if it walks in and eats without a care in the world its the bigger bear of the area. On the flip side if it sneaks in starts eating and either always runs off or is always looking over its shoulder it has gotten its butt kicked once before and hold off bc there are bigger bear coming.

Small ears spaced far apart, short stuby legs, a big saging belly, a big developed rump and front end indicate maturity...young bears will be slender.  

The size of the scatt...if you can lose a boot in it I'd shoot it.  And if there is a shoe in it someone has missed him already  :p

Getting really personal measure foot prints I think the rule is anything over 5" wide is a big bear. Also measure depth of the print in relation to soil quality and how deep other prints including your own. If you can jump and not leave a big print but that bears fresh print digs in good ytou have a volkswagon cruising by.

Observe the landscape. If overnight suddenly all the toung trees have been demolished and everything is cleared our a large bear exhibiting his dominance has been in there.

[TxAg]

Originally posted by WhiteOaks:
Some say guess what it weighs and divide by 2.

More people in tx should follow that rule when talking about hogs. It's amazing how many people I hear about shooting a 300# hog...only to see a picture later and realize it was half that.

Back to bear hunting...keep the pics coming. I like this thread.

[Rick Wiltshire]

No matter what size of the bear, since it is your first it WILL be the biggest one you have ever shot.  The next time out you can go for a bigger one, or perhaps a color phase.

A lot of times the first bear to the bait will not be the biggest on the bait.  Watch its body language, if nervous there may be a bigger one waiting in the bush.

In the spring, the boar may be moving through the bait looking for a female in heat and may not even go to the bait.

Enjoy the hunt - bear hunting can be addictive!