Bear

[ColbyBruce]

This cuddly little critter showed up on a game camera at my son’s hunting club in Glascock county Ga today. This is the first time a bear, or sign of a bear, has appeared there. The members are all quite stunned. I figure this must weigh 500# or so.

 

[Rustyt1953]

 

[6518John]

WOW!! That is a big ol’ bear!

I took the liberty of looking this up for your son and his club:

https://georgiawildlife.com/sites/default/files/wrd/pdf/hunting/2022-23 Season Dates.pdf

 

[yaktamer]

Looks like a big one. You may be right about the weight, but that would put him at the upper end for the species.

 

[BKLooney]

That's a nice one!

This little guy walked up behind the neighbor's house the other day while he and his Dad were sitting at a picnic table about 10 feet away! I put two and two together and figured out why he had his Ruger Redhawk .44 sitting in front of him..

This one came around a few days before!

 

[wood714]

July 2016 my folks were visiting. I was in my garage having a smoke and saw a reflection on their car. Figured it was someone walking, or walking their dog. Then I saw a bear walking past my house.

Neighbor down the street was screaming her head off at her dog that was out off a leash. It just turned around and started walking the other way. Tried to get cell pics of it. The one of it and my Jeep I took holding a flashlight in one hand and my camera in the other.

It hung out a few days. Ended up in a business area 5 miles away in a KFC parking lot.

Really bad pictures. Click and they get bigger.

 

[Mule Packer]

Estimating black bear weight can be a little tricky because they look so darn big! Yaktamer is right. Five hundred pounds is really, really big for a black bear.

Here's something for a size comparison. My grandson shot this bear almost two years ago. It weighed 350 pounds. It was a spring bear. They figured that if it was a fall bear, it might've made 400 pounds...maybe.

 

[Peak53]

I think this is a 400 lb. blackie hanging around here. VERY large bear. I agree that estimating bear weight on the hoof is difficult..

 

[dmar]

Okay, great looking bear, but it looks like I’m first in on gun and caliber…. . Model 70, with .30-06, 180gr.

 

[twodog max]

During my career as a wildlife biologist I saw and handled a large number of bears. The bear in the picture is a nice one but far from 500 lbs. I will guess 200 or a little more. The big one do not look like they have ears the heads are so big. I have weighed many bears and most males fall into the 200-250 range.
The biggest I ever personally weighed went 684 lbs and have seen many 300 plus.
That 684 lb bear came to the check station in the back of a Ford F250 and the bed looked full. My first thought on seeing all the black hair was how many bears are in the back of that truck. Only one!
I live in bear country and have seen them here but not to often. They keep their distance unless hunger or stupidity forces them into contact.

 

[ColbyBruce]

How about this bear, any guesses on its weight? It’s been wandering around our home in NE Georgia every few days.

 

[Step N. Mud]

Been seeing a few Mexican black bears on my trail cameras some miles north of Terlingua Tx. These bears are smaller and legs seem longer than the Black bears up north. first pic appears to be a cub.

 

[TIMETRIPPER]

Yes, it's hard to guess a bears weight. Their fur is thick and most people see so few, even fewer that are actually put on a scale.
I've seen quite a few bears here in Pa, a place that's known for 600+ pound brutes.The old timers used to talk about dog bears and hog bears. Dogs had longer legs while the hog bears were stout and fat. But I wonder if it was more the time of year when seen as they do put on the weight in the fall.
The OPs bear is too slim in the body to be anywhere close to 500#. Plus his legs are too lanky. I'd wag 250 - 300 # but it's just that, a WAG. Still be quite a load to drag out of the woods
Now...if he'd be so nice as to step up on a bath scale, maybe we can get a handle on his size. He is a nice one. Thanks for the pics!

John

 

[Puller]

Lot of corn on the ground, what where they trying to attract?

 

[yaktamer]

Lot of corn on the ground, what where they trying to attract?

Lima beans?

 

[ColbyBruce]

The corn is for the deer. Some of the members put out corn, others put out high protein seed mixtures along with salt and mineral blocks. The feral pigs and turkeys help themselves too.

 

[paplinker]

Yes, it's hard to guess a bears weight. Their fur is thick and most people see so few, even fewer that are actually put on a scale.
I've seen quite a few bears here in Pa, a place that's known for 600+ pound brutes.The old timers used to talk about dog bears and hog bears. Dogs had longer legs while the hog bears were stout and fat. But I wonder if it was more the time of year when seen as they do put on the weight in the fall.
The OPs bear is too slim in the body to be anywhere close to 500#. Plus his legs are too lanky. I'd wag 250 - 300 # but it's just that, a WAG. Still be quite a load to drag out of the woods
Now...if he'd be so nice as to step up on a bath scale, maybe we can get a handle on his size. He is a nice one. Thanks for the pics!

John

I see plenty of bear in Clearfield Co in Pa and it seems most of the big guys over 500 lb appear to have little to no neck anymore. Also the head is rounder with less of a snout. Still a nice bear in the pic.

 

[kmyers]

I always thought it would be interesting to see a bear in the wild...walk up to it and say I have a question for you and the bear replies: Why yes, yes I do.

 

[Kinman]

I always thought it would be interesting to see a bear in the wild...walk up to it and say I have a question for you and the bear replies: Why yes, yes I do.

Thanks for reminding me of the story about Briar Rabbit and Bro. Bear walking in the forest one fine fall day.