I wouldn't want to try it on a 700 lb bear like the one just shot in Wisconsin this year.
Generally that's just fat--although fat can slow a bullet down too!
According to the biologists I've talked too, bears in Colorado are about the same size as bears in say, Pennsylvania. But the bears in Pennsylvania are a lot fatter in the fall and tend to weigh a lot more. A 600lb Pennsylvania bear will have the same size skeletal structure as a Colorado bear, but have 150lbs more fat than a Colorado bear.
Interestingly, bears in the Southern Rockies tend to have larger skull size than other regions, making it easier to qualify for the record books.
Casey
