How big is this Black Bear?

[BigWoods]

I've never tagged a bear, but have a tag in my pocket in case a nice once comes by my deer stand. I caught this bear on my trail camera a few nights ago. The bear is stocky and his belly is just about dragging on the ground. Any educated guesses on how big this bear would be?






I know bears are hard to judge, but the from the little bit I know this seems to suggest some age. There is a much smaller bear on camera from another night:

 

[JohnnyB]

That bear is a 282 pound sow.

 

[JohnnyB]

My weight estimate could be off by plus or minus 150 pounds. The estimate of sex is within 50%.

 

[BigWoods]

My weight estimate could be off by plus or minus 150 pounds. The estimate of sex is within 50%.

...So what you're telling me is that it is incredibly hard to judge a black bear then

 

[JohnnyB]

I love bears and spend way more time hunting them than mule deer. If you have an object in your trail cam area that you can mark for height and length, it helps. I would guess that is a sow from the shape of the rear end, but it is hard to tell from a still photo.

 

[DANNY-L]

The smaller the ears the bigger the bear

 

[Erict]

Yep - the ear thing.

Remember the kill zones are a little different than where you think of them on deer.

If not already done, take the time to think about what you plan on doing if you get one. The minute it's down you need to treat it right to get the best hide/rug. Even if it's 200 dressed, you probably don't want to drag it out over rocks and dirt - use a jet-sled if you have one. If you plan on a certain mount or rug it will determine where you make your incisions for gutting. If it's warm, like now, you will need to move quick to get the hide off. Line up a taxidermist now and get suggestions from him/her as well.

Good luck!

 

[Lowg08]

There is way to many variables that can not be answered in your picture. I would be much more comfortable sizing the smaller bear. The ears thing is usually pretty reliable. Also shape of the head. Distance between there ears. Length Snout. I could go on and on. I actually missed judge my wife’s first bear horribly. It was fuzzed up treed. We had a group rule nothing under 200 was to be killed and try our best to not kill any sows. Well we looked and got all different angles and well when it hit the ground it was more like 135