Curiousity

[joshlaska]

We're newish hunters and my buddy Dave and I got to talk about how much Kenai brownies weigh.

The bear I shot was quite old 8' tail to snout and 27" and change on the skull. How much does a bear like that weigh?

Or the bear in ckreitel's video from his bow kill on the peninsula - awesome video, btw - what's the weight on something like that?

When wikipedia doesn't know, I ask you guys.

And while I (hopefully) have your attention.... what do you guys think of using predator calls for bears.

[kahahawai]

Skull size and length of bear is not consistent in determining the weight of bear, they are all built different, much like us humans, some fat with belly almost on the ground, and some skinny and long, they tend to come in different shapes and sizes.

[joshlaska]

Skull size and length of bear is not consistent in determining the weight of bear, they are all built different, much like us humans, some fat with belly almost on the ground, and some skinny and long, they tend to come in different shapes and sizes.

Yes - you are right.

I'm not looking for a specific number, just a relative range. To satisfy curiosity alone.

[paulfair]

When we packed out CKreitel's bear, we had about 650lbs of meat and 150/175 lbs of hide and skull. Reminded me of packing a big bull moose....

[swampdonkey]

There was an old Field and Stream magazine article on this yeeeeaaars ago about this very subject. They had this "chart" that you could use to get you within a ballpark figure (+/- 50lbs) for determining (guesstimating) field weight with guts in. The measurement used was taken from the body circumference directly behind the front shoulders. I cut it out, laminated it, and I keep it in my waterproof pouch thingy that I carry all of my tags, licence, clinic cards, hunter ed card, etc. in....
Like Maine, Wisconsin and wherever over there, they measure bears by weight. Like they do their moose instead of measuring antlers in their local contests....
I bet a little Google action would find this chart again...

[hodgeman]

I've heard from a couple of older guys that for spring bears- 100lb for every foot of "square" gets you in the ballpark and on a fall bear 150lb per foot is typical unless you get a really fat one or skinny one.

I'm pretty confident that the heavier versions of either have seldom been weighed in the field.

[MarineHawk]

I've always wondered the same thing. I've been told much lower numbers, but just visually, I figure I could fit about five or six compressed versions of my 190lb body into this 9'2" guy:

[hodgeman]

I've always wondered the same thing. I've been told much lower numbers, but just visually, I figure I could fit about five or six compressed versions of my 190lb body into this 9'2" guy:

I've always thought those numbers sounded a bit high...particularly on Interior bears. That is a right nice bear there Marinehawk!

[swampdonkey]

I've heard from a couple of older guys that for spring bears- 100lb for every foot of "square" gets you in the ballpark and on a fall bear 150lb per foot is typical unless you get a really fat one or skinny one.

I'm pretty confident that the heavier versions of either have seldom been weighed in the field.

I shot a fat ol' boar black bear while moose hunting in late September 2010. He squared 6'7" and was in prime shape. He was big bodied. He was a handful to move around, even with my 14yo son helping. It was doable, but heavy. I figured #450-ish on the weight. By what you heard, he'd be over 800#. Sorry man, I'm not seeing it... I'm curious as to how they came up with those numbers...

[sambuck12]

Same here on the 150lb per squared foot. My interior grizz a couple years ago was a handful and all my bro and I could handle w/o guts but I don't think he was even close to 975 lbs. I figured closer to 450 live weight.

[hodgeman]

I shot a fat ol' boar black bear while moose hunting in late September 2010. He squared 6'7" and was in prime shape. He was big bodied. He was a handful to move around, even with my 14yo son helping. It was doable, but heavy. I figured #450-ish on the weight. By what you heard, he'd be over 800#. Sorry man, I'm not seeing it... I'm curious as to how they came up with those numbers...

I agree- particularly the 150lb number...that'd be some dang big bears. For the Interior I'm thinking more like 50-60 in spring and a 100 in the fall. The number is probably just some campfire rule of thumb. Maybe only the biggest coastal brown bear boars go that big.

I'm certain it wouldn't apply to blackies though. A buddy shot a big old sow that went 6'8" and two guys could lift it- guts and all.

[Gary]

I agree- particularly the 150lb number...that'd be some dang big bears. For the Interior I'm thinking more like 50-60 in spring and a 100 in the fall. The number is probably just some campfire rule of thumb. Maybe only the biggest coastal brown bear boars go that big.

I'm certain it wouldn't apply to blackies though. A buddy shot a big old sow that went 6'8" and two guys could lift it- guts and all.

Even on a big brownie, your talking about them increasing their weight by 1/3. a 10' bear would be 1000 in May & weigh 1500 by October? That's a lot of fish. I just don't see it as originaly stated.

[Frostbitten]

I've heard from a couple of older guys that for spring bears- 100lb for every foot of "square" gets you in the ballpark and on a fall bear 150lb per foot is typical unless you get a really fat one or skinny one.

I'm pretty confident that the heavier versions of either have seldom been weighed in the field.

I don't know about all that. That makes a bear that is 12 inches long and 12 inches paw to paw a 150 pound bear.