Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game Black bear size?

wack it, then hang it on a scale then we will know it to the pound

A 55 gallon drum is about 36” tall. In my experience, every bear whose backline is above the barrel is large. I agree it’s probably a sow and I’d bet she’s very big with that winch at 53”. Biggest sow I’ve ever seen on a scale dressed at 305 or 308 (my recall is failing). The bear you have there is approaching that ballpark.

I know exactly how much this one weighed that my son shot

Truth…

I agree it’s a sow. Doubt it will break 200 lbs. most people though would agree it’s every bit of 400…

Todd

That’s a nice bear! Neck shot?

You have a measuring stick in that winch at 54". That bear at the shoulder is over 40". And ANY bear at or over 40" at the shoulder is over 300 lbs. I've shot many that were 200 +lbs and none were close to 40" at the shoulder. And one female in my sights was at least 350 lbs (I didn't shoot her because two of her yearlings were present, though she was legal). She might have been 3 and 1/2 feet at the shoulder (42") but not an inch more.

Bob
www.bigbores.ca

No weight but this one squared a bit over six feet.

This one weighed 260. The one in the photo appears to about the same weight.

https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/galleries/17241290/black-bear

Yup. That is the entrance side. .358 Win shooting 220gr Woodleighs. Mannlicher Schoenauer.

That's a good bear Ed.

An average adult polar bear when standing on hind legs is about 8' tall with its head level, not tilted upwards (that's average, not the largest), and on all four legs is about 52" at the shoulder. (4 ft plus 4 inches). A very large boar black bear of over 500 lbs, standing on hind legs with head not tilted upwards will be about 1 and 1/2 feet shorter than the polar bear.

How tall at the shoulder is a 500 + lb black bear? There are variables depending on amount of fat, of course, but one hanging on a meat poll that went nearly 600 lbs (where I did eight seasons of black bear hunting) would have been less than four feet at the shoulder standing on all four legs.

A general rule of thumb is that a black bear that squares 6 feet stands about 36 inches at the shoulders.

As stated, IF that bear in the pic is at least 40" at the shoulder, that's much more than the average adult male black bear. It's very important to have an objective means of measurement as bear images can be very subjective. The only objective means, in this case, is the height of the boat winch.

But I'll admit that the length of the bear doesn't match a bear that stands over 40 " at the shoulder, so the bear has to be at an unknown distance this side of the winch, as the length of the bear might only be five feet!

Bob
www.bigbores.ca

That’s not a 200lb bear if the winch is at 53”. Not even close. I’ve killed a few big bears and seen a bunch more.

(Weight by memory) all were dressed and weighed
488 Maine
335 NC
346 NY

The boy did good. Great bear and killed it with a cool gun.

10-4, Thanks all, much appreciated, good stuff getting the young folk out and getting it done too, as speculated, i sent pic to bow hunt Bud that has kicked 4 wives to the curb over hunting, long way around the barn to say he knows his chit, he states it's near impossible to put accurate weight on bear size because it may be an unknow distance [closer than pole] to trail cam, he also said shoot the damn thing, call him, and something else about a brine? and his big smoker LOL!

Nice bears hunter4623 and Sakoluvr

Jerry, i agree on it being a young sow. i'd say between 180-200 pounds.

I have seen a few wild bears in my life, two things that give a clue to size are ear to head size and length of neck to length of body on a broadside view. This bear probably is about 180. I don't know much about Oklahoma bears but I know its not know for huge bears. It may be a 3 year old female. If so and you want more bears leave her alone , If you don't blast her.

Any guesses on this one? The BOTTOM of the feed is right at 5' off the ground....

250lbs and 6 feet tall? nice bear.

I’m with Wyoming260. I feel comfortable with the opinion that’s a mature sow @ 180lbs give or take some. I can only suspect that southern bears don’t have the length or density of coat that northern bears do that would make them “fluffier”.