Still learning

cfdjay

WKR
Joined
Feb 21, 2016
Messages
575
Would like to know what you guys judge this Bear’s size at and why. Thanks!



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cfdjay

cfdjay

WKR
Joined
Feb 21, 2016
Messages
575
Well, we did kill this bear. This is footage prior to shot. We thought it was huge. Lol. 4’6”


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Bigfeet

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Jan 24, 2013
Messages
127
Location
Alberta
By no means am I an expert at judging bears - still have a tough time with it but this looks to be an average bear.
Two things I notice in the video.
Neck. Looks like his head is bigger than his neck, although I saw only the profile quickly. Bigger bears usually have bigger necks, or almost no neck at all.
His head looks to be triangular shaped. Bigger bears have a blockier head, so a pointy face is usually not a big animal.
Beautiful bear though, with a thick coat. Nothing wrong with an average bear. For judging size, the neck and head on the video are two things I noticed.
 
Joined
Jan 12, 2021
Messages
715
Location
Upstate NY
Bears are tough to judge and there is a lot of fur around the body making them look bigger than they are. I am no expert but have been around a few of various size. Look at the ears. They look big sticking up off the top of his head. Bigger bears have ears on the side of their head and they look small. Another thing I have noticed is that big bears look like they have no neck. The head flows right into the shoulders and the shoulders have a hump on top of the back. They also sway when they move.
 
Joined
Jan 17, 2017
Messages
568
Location
sw mt
Bears are just hard to judge without seeing lots of them. Would of guessed that bear at 5 foot, younger boar.
 
Joined
Mar 27, 2021
Messages
307
Location
SW Wisconsin
I would have guessed bigger than 4’-6” I was thinking the 200lb range. Here we don’t measure them but we weigh them. Was it a female? That is my guess based on how “fat” it looks compared to the length.

For some context I shot a 240 lb sow that was 6 years old and measured between 5 and 6 ft. The same year my dad shot a 2 year old boar that was 240 lbs. not sure if it’s length but would guess longer. Big difference was when skinning it was very lean vs the sow had +2” of fat on its back.
These are Wisconsin bears so there may be different growth rates but an example. If there is interest I can post some pictures of bears the group I hunt with has shot. Everything from 200 up past 500 lbs
 
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cfdjay

cfdjay

WKR
Joined
Feb 21, 2016
Messages
575
I would have guessed bigger than 4’-6” I was thinking the 200lb range. Here we don’t measure them but we weigh them. Was it a female? That is my guess based on how “fat” it looks compared to the length.

For some context I shot a 240 lb sow that was 6 years old and measured between 5 and 6 ft. The same year my dad shot a 2 year old boar that was 240 lbs. not sure if it’s length but would guess longer. Big difference was when skinning it was very lean vs the sow had +2” of fat on its back.
These are Wisconsin bears so there may be different growth rates but an example. If there is interest I can post some pictures of bears the group I hunt with has shot. Everything from 200 up past 500 lbs

It was a Boar. Thanks for all the replies fellas. What a great trip.


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Joined
Aug 23, 2014
Messages
5,024
Location
oregon coast
bear are hard to judge even if you have seen a bunch of them... BIG boars are pretty straightforward, really small bear are pretty straightforward, but 75-ish% of bear fall into the average-ish size range, which are much harder to tell..... 125lbs-250lbs are tricky.... i have watched a bunch of bear, and still struggle with that mid-size range of bear

then you have different coat conditions that give bear an appearance too, that doesn't always accurately represent true size... a really rubbed out boar in the spring can look smallish without known references.... a 125# sow with a super full coat can look bigger. there is a good boar we have seen a couple times, and he has a terrible coat, with that orange hue and thin hair... if you just see his shape and profile, he looks kind of slender and long legged, like a sow.... get a good angle on his head, it's obvious he's a mature boar.... watch him walk, it's obvious he's a mature boar, but overall, from a long distance, i wouldn't even consider getting a closer look, his thin coat makes him look much smaller than he is, unless you have some reference of scale you are confident in.

bear are tricky
 
Joined
Jun 23, 2013
Messages
304
Location
Whatcom County, WA
My first bear was about that size. I was 200 yds away and the long hair made it look bigger than it was. But looking back it had big ears and a long neck. I didn't even notice at the time. You filled a tag and gained experience. Definitely a win
 

Isaac_SBO

FNG
Joined
Jan 22, 2021
Messages
49
Thanks for the replies everyone, although it was a small boar it was definitely a awesome experience to harvest him. Very glad all the pre season shooting and e scouting paid off. Here is a picture of him post harvest
970c0b1541a81188cb13817795a5c33f.jpg



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