Scoring question for the bear hunters

[threeunder]

For a black bear, does anyone have a rough rule of thumb for a percentage of loss when a green score and dried score are compared?

Let's say a skull green scored at 21 2/8"...anyone give me a ball park on dried score?

[Ken Taylor]

Bear skulls really don't shrink much.

I think that I've had them shrink from 0 to 2/16", or ever so slightly more (of course, I'm going by memory and I'm 61, LOL!).

However, the potential for a greater discrepancy is there, as it also depends on several factors such as:

How clean the skull was when it was measured fresh, how "tight" or how strictly it was measured, what was used to measure it, if any fractions were rounded off, who measured it, and where and for how long will it be drying (60 days is the minimum but I've waited a few years sometimes because of where I live).

And make sure not to lose the little teeth in the upper front.

I've been "playing" with bear skulls a long time.

[Gun]

What Ken said. I used to be a P&Y measurer. I might add when cleaning watch the rear part of the skull. I've seen them sawed off and lose a fair bit. I've always boiled my own. I would think using beetles may be better but who cares. You get any Bear with a Bow its a trophy.

[YORNOC]

Id say if you shot a black bear with a 21 2/8 skull, you have yourself one hell of a bear!
I shot one in Alberta that just squeaked over 21 green, and final scored 20 9/16.
Not that I care, I am definitely not a numbers guy. I didn't enter it in P+Y or anything, but my buddy is a measurer and HAD to score it for his own satisfaction.
It was a huge beast for sure.
 As said above, any bear is a trophy to the one that shot it. Numbers are for the office, not the woods... IMHO of course!

[threeunder]

Thanks guys.

I am a bear neophyte.  I did not arrow a bear that measured out like that.

My 12 yr old daughter did take one last September though and that is the measurement at this point (green).  Wasn't taken with trad gear (so can't get into the details here), but we are just trying to figure out what to do at this point as it appears it should make B&C after it dries.

[YORNOC]

Awesome!