Bear Weight?
Contributors to this thread:Bears
From: Rub Line
21-Aug-15
Can you fellas give me an estimate on the weight of this bear?
From: BIGHORN
21-Aug-15
No, but I would arrow it in a heart beat. 450???
From: skull
21-Aug-15
Yes 450+
From: Jim B
22-Aug-15
Definitely huge but I'm thinking it's an old sow.
From: Shug
22-Aug-15
Impossible to tell from that one pic....I also believe it's a sow.
From: woodguy65
22-Aug-15
I also say sow - put something in the pic area of known size... a barrel, a 5' log, mark on tree etc.
From: TSI
22-Aug-15
Old sow not 450.300 maybe
From: Bow junkie
22-Aug-15
I've shot several blackies and have a great friend who's an outfitter. Not trying to sound like a know it all but they're very deceiving. If you look closely that a Pretty short bear. Def not a boar. I'd bet 350 max. Just my 2 cents . Nevertheless that's an OLD sow and def a beautiful bear.
From: TSI
22-Aug-15
You can see her nipple in the arm pit its a sow.tiny front feet.sows over 300lb are very very rare most that look like her are older over 15yrs and weigh 225-250.ive seen a few.they seem much bigger than they realy are.
From: Bow junkie
22-Aug-15
I agree tsi, gorgeous bear no matter what but imo too short and lacking that notorious hump behind the head. My money's on sow! Will someone plz shoot this damn thing so we can end the debate
From: trackman
22-Aug-15
no way that is a sow that is not a nipple no look at the neck that is a boar
From: carcus
22-Aug-15
Boar
From: safari
22-Aug-15
wicked nice bear, just shoot it
From: Jack Harris
22-Aug-15
Big very fat sow. 420 lbs. look at difference compared to length of this giant spring boar I estimated at 550-600.
From: FIP
22-Aug-15
I think I can help. I have viewed thousands of bear pictures over the years and have a good handle on what bear weigh. Bear are very deceiving and hard to judge. I will tell you what the bear above weighs but first all of you that took guesses above please tell me what you think this bear weighs. Please state weather you think it is bigger or smaller than the bear above. No matter what the turn out I think it will be fun.
From: moosenelson
22-Aug-15
1st bear has gotta be a male. Nice bear too.
FIP's bear is smaller and cuz bad angle pics of bears always screw with anyone trying to guess: 307lbs
Good luck guys.....
From: TSI
23-Aug-15
Ill bow out to the experts here and wait and see.but the rubbed out ass end seems to reveal something very female!!!
From: TSI
23-Aug-15
Ill bow out to the experts here and wait and see.but the rubbed out ass end seems to reveal something very female!!!
From: Shug
23-Aug-15
Again...as I said before without some thing to reference height and length there really is no way to give a great guess on weight.
Even with a barrel it can be tough at times with just a pic or two at deceptive angles.
As for this bear. It doesn't appear tall when compared to the tree its standing in front of.
The biggest telling factor in this pic is the front legs they scream mature sow...fine thin wrists where as a boar that scaled out to the same dimensions (IE filled out body but had the height and length of a mature boar) would have bigger shoulders and wrists. MHO...
From: bearbaiter
23-Aug-15
i think it's a sow too, it's got no hieght and front and back legs aren't big. however id say it's gotta be a 360-385lb bear.it does have abit of length to it however. i hope you shoot it and wieght it so we can all get the results back from you..
From: Jack Harris
23-Aug-15
Pretty sure this one's a male, about 200#... Of course, 50lbs of that is nut....
From: Jack Harris
23-Aug-15
Pretty sure this one's a male, about 200#... Of course, 50lbs of that is nut.... oh and this could be the first "chocolate" bear I have seen in NJ and I have seen A LOT of bears..
From: Buffalo1
23-Aug-15
I am speculating it is 400+. What the difference if it is male or female? I would say it is a shooter. Coat appears to be in nice condition.
From: FIP
23-Aug-15
When I posted my picture above here on bowsite back in 2007 I said the bear would go 600lbs. I was told I was insane and other things:^) My friend killed it a few nights later and it went 580. This is the kill picture.
As I have already told Rub Line via a PM he is hunting a GIANT. That is a bore and it will be very close to the 600lb mark. Of all the things said above the one that has me scratching my head the most are the ones that said it was a short bear.
Good Luck and please let me know the outcome.
From: TSI
24-Aug-15
Either the guy in the picture is 6ft behind the bear or the maple leaves there are big as a mans head.
From: TSI
24-Aug-15
Either the guy in the picture is 6ft behind the bear or the maple leaves there are big as a mans head.bears stories are getting as bad as fish stories.
From: carcus
24-Aug-15
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fBUN7y6cQ68
Boar or Sow?
From: FIP
24-Aug-15
Good eye TSI we almost got away with it. the bear is 175 pounds and the guy behind it is a midget. those damn maple leaves!!
From: Outdoorsman
24-Aug-15
My best guess is you have a 375 pound sow on your hands! Curious to see how close I am if you get a chance to take the animal.
From: Jack Harris
24-Aug-15
FIP - Do you think I am "close" on that big spring boar I posted at 550-600lbs? (will probably weigh more this October of course). Not the one with the dangler between his legs, that one is probably 200 or less but may be chocolate?
From: britfan
24-Aug-15
A spring bear weighing 550+ lbs is very optimistic I would say. Biggest one I shot in the spring ( 19 3/8 skull) weighed in at 327 on certified meat scale. Boar of course and I don't think a sow in the fall would go much over 350- 400 even less if she has cubs on her.
From: Sage Buffalo
24-Aug-15
TSI What do you know about bears! :)
From: TSI
24-Aug-15
Not a darn thing!just playin along.but in over 1000 dead bears ive seen biggest sow was 325lb.
From: FIP
24-Aug-15
TSI what is the weight of the biggest Boar someone killed up by you?
From: TSI
24-Aug-15
Heaviest on scale ive touched is 550lb spring bear.heaviest shot near here 902lbs fall bear.
From: TSI
25-Aug-15
Heaviest on scale ive touched is 550lb spring bear.heaviest shot near here 902lbs fall bear.
From: Sage Buffalo
25-Aug-15
Yea so I think TSI is pretty qualified - just saying...
From: TSI
25-Aug-15
FIP not saying there not big bears.just error on the side of caution when estimate weights i get fooled both over and under all the time.Pictures with hunters in the back ground are impossible to scale they always exaggerate sise by alot.175lbs can look 580 in apicture and 580 can look 175 .
From: FIP
25-Aug-15
On offence taken. This is the internet it means nothing to me. You are welcome to your opinion as am I. You did infer the kill picture I posted above was a fishing story because of "Maple Leaves". The bear was 580 on a certified meat market scale I was part of it. Wisconsin produces huge bear year after year. Google Wisconsin 800 pound bears and you will find plenty of stories.
Your estimate of 300lbs on the bear that Rub line posted is WAY off and its not a Sow because of a "nipple". The boar I posted a kill picture of above has nipples and I saw his pecker:^)I bet you have nipples and you a man right? Hope Rub line kills it and posts the results then we will know.
Good luck to you and your clients this year.
From: Ace
25-Aug-15
I don't know what that first bear weighs, but I bet the one it swallowed went at least 150 pounds!
From: Jim B
25-Aug-15
FIP,your bear does look very similar to the OP's and the OP's looks even longer.I'm definitely rethinking my guess.I hope someone gets it.If that's a boar,it's huge.
From: stealthykitty
25-Aug-15
maybe its a Caitlyn Jenner bear .... born a sow but really believes its a boar ?
From: TSI
25-Aug-15
FIP my refference tto fish stories was in refference to the weight guessing not the photo but yes the bear does appear larger with the hunter sitting back is what it is.I hope im wrong heck im wrong as much as right but based on the photo i see real big older sow that had cubs recently.wouldnt be the first or las t time i was fooled.there is definately more than one picture of that bear that may shed some light on the guessin game.my bet is theres cubs there too.
From: KJC
25-Aug-15
It looks like a sow to me. No doubt a big sow. The ankles and the nipple are the give away. The stove pipe ankles in Jacks picture are typical of a boar. The dainty tapered ankles of a sow are evident in the OPs picture.
From: SlipShot
25-Aug-15
I would guess 550lb
From: TSI
25-Aug-15
Doesnt anyone else see the swollen female parts at the back end?the ass of the bear has very little hair on it!
From: TSI
25-Aug-15
Maybe its a mole?lol 550,600,800 these weights being tossed around are rare animals anywhere and gives hunters wild expectations.a big black bear is 250-300lbs in spring and 300 in fall.larger animals are special and harder to harvest.400lb spring bears are 170 whitetails.ask yourself how many 170 inch deer youve killed and then relate that to a 400lb bear and how special and rare that bear is..most extreme weights are acheived by obeseity its unnatural for a bear to weigh 800lbs.Max natural weight on black bears is 500-600lb and there not behind every tree.Some of the giant weight should come with aan * saying morbidly obese.lol
From: TSI
25-Aug-15
Maybe its a mole?lol 550,600,800 these weights being tossed around are rare animals anywhere and gives hunters wild expectations.a big black bear is 250-300lbs in spring and 300 in fall.larger animals are special and harder to harvest.400lb spring bears are 170 whitetails.ask yourself how many 170 inch deer youve killed and then relate that to a 400lb bear and how special and rare that bear is..most extreme weights are acheived by obeseity its unnatural for a bear to weigh 800lbs.Max natural weight on black bears is 500-600lb and there not behind every tree.Some of the giant weight should come with aan * saying morbidly obese.lol
From: Rayzor
25-Aug-15
I say preggo sow.
From: milnrick
25-Aug-15
I'm in the camp that thinks this is a big, old, mature sow and agree that the nipple, tiny feet, rubbed rump, and short snout are a couple of the visual cues I'd base my guess on. As for weight, without any reference points (barrels, buckets etc) to really base chest depth or girth on, I'd guess it around 300, not much more.
I spoke with our Taxidermist several years ago about bears and bear weights and was told that while many hunters envision their bears to be in the 300# or 400# class the truth is that most come in well under that. It's also a reason he doesn't weigh them - because he doesn't want to ruin the hunter's 'moment'.
I have several friends that are Bear Guides and have talked with a few taxidermists that specialize in bears. Each of them uses an analogy similar to TSI's 170-class buck analogy. A 400# bear is like a 170, a 500# is about as rare to see as a 180.
I've shot plenty of 50's and 60's and am still waiting to take my first bear >300#. I'll know it when I see it.
From: FIP
26-Aug-15
FIP's Link
I think its a location thing. People who don't regularly get to see Big Bear have a hard time judging them. If you look at the top 20 bear killed and the best 10 places to go hunt them I can't find New Brunswick anywhere. I live in 1 of the counties listed as the 3rd best places to go in the world. Is New Brunswick in the Middle East?
TSI all that was said with a smile on my face:^)
From: FIP
26-Aug-15
FIP's Link
From: TSI
26-Aug-15
Lol.i dont see too many places either.thought it was P&Y we were talking.You got me!ive never seen but one 200lber some 20 yrs ago.lol best ive seen with bow is 21 5/16 and gun 21 9/16 and an aditional dozen from 20 10/16 -21 4/16 all since that artical in 2012.im talking mostly bow kills.yes in new brunswick!!no hound hunting,trapping or bear gangs here.those that hunt new brunswick know for bow hunting big bears new brunswick holds its own but very few hunters relitive to most other places.Im smileing too
From: Bou'bound
26-Aug-15
I have little clue but know with certainty who is credible above and worth listening to and who are just uninformed guessers
From: Bou'bound
26-Aug-15
I have little clue but know with certainty who is credible above and worth listening to and who are just uninformed guessers
From: TSI
26-Aug-15
From: Jack Harris
26-Aug-15
Not the first time I posted this 2010 bear that I had on cam for a few weeks, even saw it cross in front of my jeep as I pulled into the driveway, and said "I need a bigger jeep". I know what he weighed, it was shot 1/2 mile as the crow flies in early December during NJ bear season.
What did it weigh?
From: FIP
26-Aug-15
Its a sow.....300lbs:^)
I am not afraid of being wrong so I will take a poke at it 600 live weight.
From: Rub Line
26-Aug-15
Thanks for the estimates fellas I have been out of the loop the last several days so I apologize for not responding. I have a lot of bear hitting the bait that one is the biggest. I do have a sow with 3 cubs coming but she is much smaller. I hope to be able to tell you its weight my hunt will start 9-16-2015. Took 11 years to get the tag so hoping for a big one. I did ask a local bear guide for his opinion and he thought it would go 500 pounds. Good hunting to all this fall.
From: Rub Line
26-Aug-15
one of the many average bear coming to the bait
From: Rub Line
26-Aug-15
From: Callingalldeer
27-Aug-15
It looks well over 500 pounds. I have a pic of me with a live 600 pounder . And they look the same. The guy had his bear at a store opening and charged 10 bucks a pic.in Michigan early 2000's.
From: shade mt
27-Aug-15
Any sow that goes 300+ is one BIG sow that has been eating lots of donuts.
Sows normally, rarely go over 300.
From: woodguy65
27-Aug-15
Why don't you simply make a mark on the tree or cut a couple 5' logs and leave on ground. There is a good chance your camera will get a shot of bear by the 'marks". It would make estimating a bear MUCH easier.
From: TSI
27-Aug-15
Got another photo of the sow with cubs,my bet its same bear just different exposure between night and day plus the night shot is much closer to the camera.I have pics of sows last few days and the differences in where they stand an time of day exposure id swear they are different bears but the cubs are there with her.Here is a massive boar note his heigth yes theres a barrel there.I know the exact weight of the bear curious what the guesses are?
From: TSI
27-Aug-15
This is the same bear trying to get his head in a 55gal barrel.
From: Rub Line
27-Aug-15
Thanks TSI I do have lots of pictures of the sow and cubs. I have been baiting since early June and unfortunately she has been with me the whole time. I have gotten hundreds of pictures of her at night, day, rain, sun, up close, far away, and so forth. In my mind there is no possible way they are the same bear.
In regards to your bear I am thinking 340ish and I say that because the space between the belly and the ground.
Jack I am thinking 550 on yours.
Thanks
From: TSI
27-Aug-15
RUBLINE add another 135lbs. Scored 21 4/16
From: TSI
27-Aug-15
Rule of thumb on bears.tall-boar short-sow. If the belly is almost to the ground in most cases it a sow.rarely are boars sagged that low.
From: TSI
27-Aug-15
Rule of thumb on bears.tall-boar short-sow. If the belly is almost to the ground in most cases it a sow.rarely are boars sagged that low.
From: Jack Harris
27-Aug-15
Ok the bear I posted last weighed 725 and that was still less than biggest taken at that time. Yep - that's right, 725. My taxi shot one the following year weighed 776 and held the NJ record briefly before an 829 was later taken and still stands as NJ record and was one of fewer than a dozen black bears that ever topped 800 lbs in 35 states and Canada. The state record taped out at 6 feet 11 inches from tip of nose to base of tail. I don't know skull measurements but my taxi has two in B&C that made all-time over 21". His 560 lb bear had skull only 1/4" smaller than his 776. Yep we do grow them big in the garden state and I may partake next fall in first ever bow hunt.
From: TSI
27-Aug-15
Rule of thumb on bears.tall-boar short-sow. If the belly is almost to the ground in most cases it a sow.rarely are boars sagged that low.
From: Rub Line
27-Aug-15
TSI does New Brunswick have a lot of Ag land? Where I am there is lots of Ag with thick forest around it. Bear have huge food sources such as corn and can eat until the cows come home. The reason I ask is all the big bear I have seen taken around here have the huge belly to the ground like Jacks bear and FIPs bear.
From: TSI
27-Aug-15
Rule of thumb on bears.tall-boar short-sow. If the belly is almost to the ground in most cases it a sow.rarely are boars sagged that low.
From: TSI
27-Aug-15
85% of nb is forestland.some areas in our area are edged by farmland.
From: Jack Harris
27-Aug-15
Exact specifics on my buddy's two B&C all- time NJ bears..
566 lbs, 21 2/16", 8 years old.
776 lbs, 21 3/16", 12 years old..
Pretty cool stats, not sure what it means, except that NJ bears are extremely fat due to a lot of dumpster diving and garbage eating and agriculture, in relation to the skull size...(we don't have any over 22" from what I know). I believe the top 20 biggest skulls al start around 23" and up, and most seem to be shot in PA, several Canada, a California, a Colorado, and a Wisconsin giant.
If you want BODY WEIGHT, come to Jersey, if you want all time skull size, PA seems to have it all over everywhere else...
From: Jim B
31-Aug-15
Jack,there are only 7 bears 23"+.
From: Jack Harris
31-Aug-15
Jim - I just glanced through it, I probably should say top 20 black bears start at 22" and up... Our Jersey Giants can put 800+ lbs on which is rare, but their skulls can't seem to get out of the 20s...
I guess the perfect bear has 24" skull and weighs 250lbs (much easier to deal with :)
