Colorado Bear scouting trip... Help judge please..

[just_a_hunter]

I managed to get a quick picture of this guy the other day in the unit I have a tag in..

What are your thoughts. It's blocky head tells me it has a good chance of being a boar. Good space between little ears. Legs don't seem to be too long... Everything about it tells me it's a good mature bear, a little better then 5.5 feet and I figure 215ish to 225ish pounds.

How far am I off?

 

[crotch horn]

very nice picture. i would guess about 200. somewhat depends on far away the picture was taken. we will see what the other folks have to say.

[COLongbow]

Um, give me the gps coordinates and I'll go check out his tracks!  
nice looking country. Co has tons of bears. I've seen more bears inside the city limits of Co Spgs than I ever see in the mountains.

good luck with this guy!

[JimB]

It is really hard to judge from one picture but at first glance,your guess sounds right.It looks like a boar to me,judging by the front legs.

It has a good bit of space between the ears and considering it has summer hair,and the small looking size of the ears,it wouldn't shock me if he turned out to be a good bit bigger than your guess.Nice bear for sure.

[mnbearbaiter]

Id say you are close 200-225lbs, he will probably weigh more when hunting time arrives!!!

[K.S.TRAPPER]

I'm no good at judging size Todd but I think your pretty close and I sure like his color.

Good looking Bear    

Tracy

[just_a_hunter]

It was probably 25 yards from the no zoom phone camera.. No time to dig out the big camera..

Thanks for the replys

Todd

[Jerry Jeffer]

I would say your description probably fits. If that is the kind of bear you are looking for, then you should be happy.

[steadman]

I'd say      SHOOT!! Good luck out there! That looks to be a pretty bear.

[fatman]

yep, color alone would make me pull back.....
 

[bowfiend]

I'm not an expert by any stretch, but I'd say he's a shooter. The distance between his ears in relation to the length of his head looks equal, which to the best of my knowledge is a good sign. I'm guessing, since he's headed up hill, that he's longer than he looks in that pic. Plus, he's got two months to put on hibernation weight. As the Fatman said, his color alone makes it worth it for me - beautiful. I bet if you catch this guy again in mid-september or October he'll be a pig.

Good luck and good on you for putting in the work to have a successful hunt!

[ron w]

That chocolate coat says to me pick a spot and let it rip, nice bear!!      

[ChuckC]

From what I have seen, chocolate is a common color phase in central Colorado.  There are some very healthy bears there.  This one looks nice, and will only be fatter in two months.  I think you can find some bigger if you hold out though.

I think that they tend to move around quite a bit following the food.  That changes a LOT up in the hills with acorns and berries and then carcasses. Ridge trails are used quite a bit to move from one valley or drainage to the next.  Near the tops of the drainages you can often find berries.  Look for turned over and shredded down trees.  And keep an eye on the water holes.  They get warm too.

Good luck
ChuckC

[wapitimike1]

I'd say your about right on that 200 to 250. It took me 45 mins on the phone last week to get a left over tag! That's a shooter for me.

[ksbowman]

He doesn't look as big as the one that can after us last year! There is a chance though that my mind made him look bigger as he came charging down the mountain! Be sure and take Gauge with you just in case.LOL  Ben

[Bowwild]

Looks like a very nice bear!  I've only shot two and it was a long time ago in Ontario Canada on DIY bowhunts. I don't know if baiting is legal in Colorado.  If it is, and if you are baiting, a rule-of-thumb I heard in the mid-1980's was spacing between uper canines. If is 2 1/8th or greater you have a PY Bear. I measured four bears this way.  Two had canines that exceeded this and were PY and two didn't and weren't (2 of the bears were my buddies). Of course you may be asking, how to get this measurement on a live bear?  The trick was to smear grease on a block of styrofoam (not too much or they will break it up) to get the bear to bite the block. Then measure center of hole to center.  Of course many don't  care about PY score. If the bear is cool enough to make yours, have at him.

[joe ashton]

pick a spot and drop the string.   Joe

[Ragnarok Forge]

He's a beauty.  Take the shot when it comes.  Bear susage is tasty and tag soup is not.

[Over&Under]

Good looking bear Todd - I am no expert by any stretch but your assesment seems pretty close to me.  Hope to see you guys together in a pic this fall!

 

[Gatekeeper]

Hi Todd    

Yep, I would say that bear would have no problem holding it’s own in the 200# + class. A dandy for sure! I look forward to seeing hero pictures in a few months.

Good luck my friend.