Oldest Black Bear you've heard of?

[babyblue7]

I was just wondering what are some of the ages of the oldest black bears you've known takin in Alaska area. We just got our bear ages back from our POW hunt in 2009 and my buddies Sow he took was 22 years old and we could'nt believe it we knew she was old but had no idea she was that old I attached a pic of her...

 

[Ibex]

Sow, age 22----- beats my boar, age 18.

 

[babyblue7]

Wow what did that boar measure and square Ibex must have been really nice and I would love to see a pic if ya got one???

 

[Hoytguy]

I got a big boar about 2-3 miles way back up in a draw at the end of a bay out in pws a couple years ago with my bow. Adfg pulled a tooth to have it aged. about 9 months later I got a report back saying it was 13 years old. Pretty cool of them to send a report back.

Bear squared 7'4" and had a 21 and change skull.

Hoytguy

 

[AZinAK]

Nice bear Hoytguy! Would love to see pics of that toad!

AZinAK

 

[Hoytguy]

Only pic I took of it was at home with the skin laying on my snowmobile trailer. Camera battery was dead and I didn't feel like post holing through waist deep snow to retrieve my back up camera from the boat. And humping back up through that tangle mess again. I skinned it on the spot and packed everything out. I did a life size mount of it and had it at the sci banquet/ show. I'll post what pics I have sometime tomorrow.. On another note, the skull was the most impressive, has the ridge down the top like you see on big brown bears.. Pretty cool

Hoytguy

 

[mallardman]

My first bear was an old sow up in the alpine. She was 17, I shot her when I was 14. Her teeth we almost non-existant. Pretty cool looking skull with a black line where all the teeth should be.

 

[babyblue7]

Yeah my buddies bear looked all worn we knew she was old we guessed around 8-10 she had baldness around her nose and both eyes and her teeth where a mess chipped and worn down it was pretty cool she was living on a small island bout 20acres Id say. LOL

 

[MEtracker]

Oldest I've every heard of was 19 in the wild, but I know of a black bear in captivity that is 28 y.o. Google says oldest in captivity was 32! I'll bet the majority don't make it to 10 years in the wild.

 

[270ti]

I got my report back from last year's bear and it was 6 years old. 20" skull. He'd have been a dandy if I'd have let him grow.

 

[Hoytguy]

AZinAK

AZinAK




Here is a pic of the bear hide.. Still kick myself I didnt walk back and return to get photos.. Bear died in a cool draw with deep snow and thick spruce.. would have made for some real nice Jurrasic park type pics..

 

[Hoytguy]

Mounted bear

Mounted bear



Poor lighting, but here is a picture I snapped of the mount at the SCI show/taxidermy convention.

Dahlbergs Taxidermy

Hoytguy'

 

[Rock_skipper]

A few years ago, about (4-5) there was this one that had a 7" across the front pad and over 12" long the back pad, in a area that I was hunting. This thing was huge.

I've been hunting this area since I was six, and have never seen anything like it.

Before you say it was a Grizz, lol, no the grizz get alot bigger than that. ( I broke a stick off in a grizz track one time and it mesured 18")

There were a couple of sightings of this brute, even walked right through our camp and ate the remains of the moose we shot, but nobody ever got a shot at him that I heard of.

I never did see him, but I did see where he tried to take down a cow moose, she got away from him by getting into the river.

For those of you that think that the big bears live down south, lol, all you have to do is get out into the outback of the interior, lol.

If I would guess, he probably would be at least a 9 footer or better.

 

[AZinAK]

Nice looking bear Hoytguy. The full mount turned out beautiful. Look to find me a nice one this spring.

AZinAK

 

[babyblue7]

Awesome bear mount Hoytguy that is a great mount love that pose great looking bear...

 

[crossfoxAK]

my father shot a small sow a couple years ago that aged 23 in PWS

 

[JAKEAK49]

Do you have to request fish and game to send you the age results? I have had several bears sealed and never heard back anything about age from them.

 

[muskeg]

Jeff took an old Sow a few years back ... it aged at 29.

 

[spoiled one]

View attachment 47814

Jeff took an old Sow a few years back ... it aged at 29.

Beauty truly is only a light switch away!

That is an old bear!

 

[Roland on the River]

Looks like she forgot to use the Coldgate!!!