Black Bear size, weight, or age?
- Thread starter NYDAN
- Start date
- Nov 4, 2004
- 25,488
- 9,377
Dan,
That is a nice bear. It is hard to judge the size of a bear but I would guess he is around 250-300 lbs.
JD338
That is a nice bear. It is hard to judge the size of a bear but I would guess he is around 250-300 lbs.
JD338
DrMike
Ballistician
- Nov 8, 2006
- 37,506
- 6,521
Looks to be a mature bear. Estimating weight/size is difficult under the best of conditions. Ears in relation to the head indicates a larger bear. Front legs spread are also indicative of a larger bear. He has a longish neck and his belly isn't near the grass, indicating that, not surprisingly, he has quite a bit of room for adding fat before fall. Without a gauge to use for estimating, size is all guesstimate. If the shrubbery in the picture is average, he could be a five and a half foot to six foot bear. The longer neck and slender skull profile will have an impact on skull size. Still, he is a respectable representative of Ursus americanus. Fall weight could easily go to as much as four hundred pounds, and not less than three hundred fifty pounds.
- Thread starter
- #4
LD375
Handloader
- May 18, 2009
- 1,239
- 3
He pretty much looks similar to some of the bears I've harvested, I'd say about 200-225lbs, and about 5 1/2 ft. Black bears seem much bigger in photos than they actually are.
Lou
Lou
Guy Miner
Master Loader
- Apr 6, 2006
- 17,842
- 6,339
Pretty good looking bear. If I wanted a bear, unless I knew there was a good chance of a bigger one, or a color phase bear, I'd be tempted to take that bear.
Really not sure how big he is though. Hard to estimate from one photo and unknown size background to me.
Really not sure how big he is though. Hard to estimate from one photo and unknown size background to me.
wildgene
Handloader
- Jul 4, 2011
- 1,597
- 2
...best gauge would be to scale a pic of his tracks, @ least front, front & rear preferably...
Yes, judging bears is always tough to do.
A tip that can help is to put a stake in the area where your camera is set to take photos, with markings at increments so that you can tell approx. how tall the animal in the photo is at the shoulder.
Even the photo of the doe doesn't help, as there can be as much variance in the size of one doe to another, as in bears. Plus she's running, and not walking which can make it hard to judge her actual height/size.
The bear at this time of year, if it were an older, mature bear should have more weight on it (belly line closer to the ground), and the ears would not be so prominent on the top of its head. So I would have to guesstimate that this a younger bear (3-4 years old). Don't think it would be two year old, as there seems to be more muscle mass in the front leg, where a two year old would have skinnier forearms. And since it is hardtop tell the width of its chest from this photo hard to judge if it is a boar or sow (boar would have a thicker, broader chest - easier to see in older, mature boars). In pics of head-on head shots, you can also tell if it an older, mature boar, as they would have a crease down the center of the skull, and make it easier to see how far apart the ears are.
And then there is your location and the genetics of the bears in your particular area. Knowledge of the local bear population and the average size of the bears in your area will also make it easier to make more accurate estimates to size and weight. Different locals have different genetic traits...Longer noses/wider skulls/larger framed bears/etc. Without that, tougher to do.
A photo of the front foot pad would definitely make it easier to judge size.
A tip that can help is to put a stake in the area where your camera is set to take photos, with markings at increments so that you can tell approx. how tall the animal in the photo is at the shoulder.
Even the photo of the doe doesn't help, as there can be as much variance in the size of one doe to another, as in bears. Plus she's running, and not walking which can make it hard to judge her actual height/size.
The bear at this time of year, if it were an older, mature bear should have more weight on it (belly line closer to the ground), and the ears would not be so prominent on the top of its head. So I would have to guesstimate that this a younger bear (3-4 years old). Don't think it would be two year old, as there seems to be more muscle mass in the front leg, where a two year old would have skinnier forearms. And since it is hardtop tell the width of its chest from this photo hard to judge if it is a boar or sow (boar would have a thicker, broader chest - easier to see in older, mature boars). In pics of head-on head shots, you can also tell if it an older, mature boar, as they would have a crease down the center of the skull, and make it easier to see how far apart the ears are.
And then there is your location and the genetics of the bears in your particular area. Knowledge of the local bear population and the average size of the bears in your area will also make it easier to make more accurate estimates to size and weight. Different locals have different genetic traits...Longer noses/wider skulls/larger framed bears/etc. Without that, tougher to do.
A photo of the front foot pad would definitely make it easier to judge size.
LD375
Handloader
- May 18, 2009
- 1,239
- 3
I'm hoping for a Blackie like that next week, Sunday can't come soon enough, my rifle and I are ready 
Lou
Lou
