My biggest Black Bear yesterday.

Very lucky to get him. Only had a couple of minutes of legal light left and black cross hairs on a black critter required a little bit of "estimating". Made a great neck shot that went to top of opposite shoulder. Actually caught my TSX just under the hide. 350 pound boar and my biggest.

.350 Rem mag , 200 gr TSX over TAC. Rem custom shop model 7 kevlar stock.

Great work!!! Beautiful bear..

Very nice bear.....

Coming from you Alaska and Wyoming guys, that's a compliment. Thanks!

Nice bear. And for once I actually might believe the weight estimate. Since it looks like it is hanging from a scale.

What state?

Nice!

I have been hoping on a black bruin that big for some time now. I know they are out there it's just finding them. Oh heck it's still fun looking.

Congrats!

Sakoluvr: Congratulations on that fine trophy!
Good for you.
What state did that Bear live in?
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

Congratulations

Thats a dandy anywhere!

Congrats!

Mike

Looks like a big 'un with nice, thick fur.

nice one,,,,congrats!

Nice black bear. Even nicer you got it with a 350 Rem Mag which is my bear rifle.

nice one!!

Ed

Beauty! Congrats.

Beautiful bear!

Good looking bear. Will make a great rug.

Have to agree with ingwe....conrats!!

For those that asked, this is an Eastern NC Bear. I wonder why I did not get over penetration? <grin>

Actually, this is the first .350 mag TSX that I ever caught, which surprised me. That said, his neck was crazy thick with dense muscle to support that noggin.

I guess you can't have it all; penetration and expansion but I am a real big 2 hole fan.

Again, thanks for the compliments. This time of year the sows tend to hole up before the boars and chances increase to kill a nice one despite the overall decrease in sightings / activity.

I scouted a place where the bears leave a huge bottomland thicket to enter the farm I hunt in the evenings. Because of farming activity it is almost impossible to spot a bear anytime but close to dark. Baiting is illegal during the second 2 week season (now), but that may eventually change. In the first part of the season, baiting is legal. That said, it is hard to be anywhere in eastern NC without being in close proximity to a deer bait pile. That can make for some splanin to a wildlife enforcement officer!

Interestingly enough, hound hunters can start their dogs on a bait pile and shoot a bear within sight of one and be perfectly legal, thus my comment about a change in baiting laws.

Great bear and weapon/caliber choice. Congratulations!

Hide size? Green skull measurement?

Nice Bear

Originally Posted by ironbender

Hide size? Green skull measurement?

Yes, please. Great looking bear! Big, nice hide, and it looks like you didn't have to pack him.

CONGRATS!

the original short mag! 350 and just go hunt! but i do use the nosler in mine.

Never measured a thing. In eastern nc weight is what folks go after. My buddy running dogs has killed 500+ pound bears. Hard to get a book bear despite weight but I am sure some make it. Lots of agriculture plus bear sanctuaries produce some real fatties.

cool! congratulations

Nice one. Good shot!

Real late to chase bears here. Lots of bad weather to contend with. I think I'll just sit on my couch.

Great looking bear. Good job!

Beautiful bear!

nice bear! 350 is a damn good bear in my neck of the woods. I'm jealous...love bear meat and won't get a tag myself for another two years

My wife will pass up a venison roast for a bear roast any day. So will I. Never ate one this big before so I am hoping it will be just as good as the smaller bears we have taken. Thanks guys.

Did he have much fat? Will you render some?

Nice Bear. Looks like a dandy. I love the 350 mag. I've had a couple, still have one left. I like what it does to deer and elk.

Great Bear - Congratulations !

Very nice bear. I use the same load, good to see it works great!

350 mag will certainly do the job!

Originally Posted by ironbender

Did he have much fat? Will you render some?

Yeah, he was covered up with thick hard fat. Tell me about rendering fat. Uses?

Makes the best pie crust, makes great tortillas. Blended with beeswax, makes great saddle grease. Use it anywhere you can use shortening.

Works pretty good for boot dressing too. Nice bear!

I am glad I didn't dump all of the fat. Rendered some today. Looking forward to making some biscuits and pastry. May even try frying some eggs with it. I dig using as much of the bear as I can. We love the meat. Thanks.

Make a pie crust with it and mail me one!

Pls report back as you go.

I appreciate the tip! It came out great. My wife loves to cook and bake so we are looking forward to trying it.

Sako-, I've read of your NC bears. Do you have a good population and why do some seem to grow so very big? Good feed, cover, genetics? What's the story there? Thanks.

Nice job! A real trophy animal.

George,lots of bears especially on the coastal plain. Population has been increasing and spreading. Farms are abundant with corn, soybeans and peanuts. There is extensive dense cover (called pocosins and bays) in addition to designated "bear sanctuary's" where no hunting is allowed. We grow some big bears (actually fat bears) but that doesn't automatically make them book bears by measurement.

Hound hunting is by far the most successful way to kill one, but in the right situation stand hunting works too. Up until recently there was no baiting (see a previous post in this thread).

Hey, did you ever shoot that old Win 94 .30-30 that I sold you a few years back? I wish I would have kept it! Great bear rifle when hunting over hounds.

Here is a picture my buddy sent me from the first half of the season. My son and I hunted with him last week with his hounds. Maybe the most fun hunt we ever had. Definitely going to hunt with him again.

Wow, what a nice bear! I would hate to bump into that guy in the middle of the night while taking a pee.

Congratulations on a nice trophy and a great hunt.

(Although, bear meat isn't something I hunger for, shooting one is always a thrill.)

BH63

I do the bear lard anytime I have a chance. It is fantastic to cook with, you'll be glad you did. And that pic of the buck with the 3 bears is great. Those look like 3 big bruins.

Originally Posted by Sakoluvr

Hey, did you ever shoot that old Win 94 .30-30 that I sold you a few years back? I wish I would have kept it! Great bear rifle when hunting over hounds.

I not only didn't shoot it, I sold it almost immediately to a local non-Hunter, non-gun guy who just wanted a Win 94 30-30 in a fairly serious way. But it was a very nice piece Sako- and I thank you. But like you, I wish I would have kept it.

Originally Posted by Sakoluvr

George,lots of bears especially on the coastal plain. Population has been increasing and spreading. Farms are abundant with corn, soybeans and peanuts. There is extensive dense cover (called pocosins and bays) in addition to designated "bear sanctuary's" where no hunting is allowed. We grow some big bears (actually fat bears) but that doesn't automatically make them book bears by measurement.

Hound hunting is by far the most successful way to kill one, but in the right situation stand hunting works too. Up until recently there was no baiting (see a previous post in this thread).

Hey, did you ever shoot that old Win 94 .30-30 that I sold you a few years back? I wish I would have kept it! Great bear rifle when hunting over hounds.

Here is a picture my buddy sent me from the first half of the season. My son and I hunted with him last week with his hounds. Maybe the most fun hunt we ever had. Definitely going to hunt with him again.

Wow! Nice critters!

Fine bears and great whitetail too!

Very nice, congrats!

Very nice bear.

Great pics and beauty of a bear.

Seriously fantastic bear; I NEED a monster like that!

Cool rig too!

Weird how the unstoppable get stopped on occasion eh? I bet that bullet/cartridge combo could penetrate a concrete bunker!

Great bear, Congrats!

That is heckuva bear! I spent some time trying for a big blackie in Quebec. Got a few but none like that. Congrats!

Sakoluvr, you're one heck of a hunter!

Congrats!

Wow congratulations!! I didn't realize NC has such big black bears! It's a trophy worthy for sure.

BTW: Nice set up for weighing and skinning your critters.

Regards,

Congrats. Hunting with hounds sounds a lot easier than it really is. Doing it out west you had better be in shape!