837 Pound Black Bear-PIC

[Iron Buck]

This past bear season we had 3 bears taken that were over 800 pounds!

The largest tiped the scales at 867 pounds. I have been trying to get pictures for more than a month and FINALLY was able to get a picture of the 837 pounder. Sorry about the quality and composition...........looks like it was taken by a 3 year old

But it shows a HAWG of bear.

The hunters that took this bear were from New Jersey. Our bear season starts one week before the rifle deer season. In the picture, which ws apparently taken more than a week after taking the bear is a 200+ pound buck hanging. This gives a bit of a sense of scale.........but I sure wish someone would have been standing beside it. I have heard that it was about 7'-6" from nose to tail........and VERY big around the chest. Notice the size of the head compared to the bucks rear end......This is a BIG bear. The picture does not do it justice.

I will keep trying to get pictures of the other 800 pounders...and better pictures of this 837 pounder. BTW Moosie........this is most likely the first site to see this pic outside of PA

<FONT COLOR="#800080" SIZE="1">[ 01-06-2004 10:16: Message edited by: Iron Buck ]</font>

 

[Quick Draw]

GREAT BEAR Iron Buck. Thanks for the pic...nice deer too.

Quick Draw

 

[Elkhunter]

What a HOG!!!!!!!!
It doesn't look like it is hanging to far from the porchand the man on the porch is really dwarfed in camparison. I don't think my horse would like me very much if I was ever to get something like that.

Thanks for the picture of that pig.

 

[Kraven]

Thanks for the pic that is one huge Bear.

 

[Horn Seeker]

Well, MY lowly opinion, and truly not trying to start a pissing match, is that that bear cannot weight 837 pounds. The picture would have to be very decieving. I could see 500, that even seems to be stretching it. Absolutley not calling you a liar either Iron, its just one of those things I'd have to be standing there looking at the scale to believe I guess. Plus I'd have to check the scale!! :0)

 

[George P]

I too am not saying that it isnt a an 800lb plus bear BUT it sure doesnt look that big in the picture.Maybe its just not a good picture.I cant imagine that someone shot a bear that big and didnt take tons of pictures.Maybe a better one can be found.An 800 lb bear is just a monster.I cant imagine how big it would look in any picture.
If you got to my website at www.borderpond.com look at the bear on the homepage with the guy kneeling with his bear.That bear weighed 322 lbs. That means the 867lber would be almost 3 times as big.If you look at the 2003 photo page on my site ,the first bear you see weighed 422lbs.The 867 lber would be twice that size.I would like to see a picture of any of those 800lbers with people beside them for reference.I cant imagine how it would look !! Man, I about sh** when I walked into that 422lber bayed up on the ground by my dogs.I am sure I would about die if I saw an 800lber like that! Those are some huge bears in PA !!! Would love to see more pictures of them so I can dream.

 

[Iron Buck]

I agree that the bear does not look big at first glance in this picture (relatively anyway, people expect lots more from 800+ pounds)........but the weight was confirmed on a certified scale by the Pennslyvania Game Commission. Not guessed at.

The picture was taken by an old guy who has a camp down the road from these guys. The old guys son sent me the picture. I posted it on a PA web site to get confirmation before I posted it here. This is 100% a picture of an 837 pound black bear taken this past bear season here in PA.

The sad part of this story is that the guy who shot the bear did not know what to do with it. The story as it was sent to me was that they did skin the bear.......after it hung for more than a week and it had already started to spoil. I was also told that at the PAGC check site the guy offered to give the bear away..........he did not even want it! Shooting the bear of a life time and then not wanting it

I guess that is a Jersey hunter for ya....

 

[Horn Seeker]

That frigging guy should be hung by his sack for a week, then skinned.

Well, you sound like you are damn sure that is the bear that weighed 800+. Too bad its not a better pic. I will try and round up an OLD pic of a bear that likely went 500 pounds. I just cant imagine a bear being 300+ pounds bigger!

Yeah George, those 300+ pounders are huge bears. Over in Washington/Idaho/MT, they just dont get much bigger than that. 400+ is extremely rare. I never had the pleasure of walking in on a 300+ pound bear bayed, but i"ll tell ya what, a 250-275 pound bear bayed in the brush with 10 dogs makes for a dang exciting time!!

 

[George P]

I know just what you mean Hornseeker.The area in Maine where I real thick country.We shoot about half our bears there on the ground.We are only allowed 4 dogs at a time here and thats a rush when you walk in on them.I cant imagine 10 !! We shot one on the ground this year in a brook.My partner walked the hunter in and they shot it at less than 10 ft.The dogs were working it real tight and rough but that bear just wouldnt go up a tree.The weight ? 165 female but mean as all he**.
Ironseeker is right on about the reasons for big bears in PA.In Maine the bears have a hard time finding feed.No crops to speak of.Those corn fed bears can really put on the weight.Hard to get fat eating little beechnuts !Also the hibernation here is a long time,5 months or so.That doesnt give the bears a long growing season either.
Average bear in Maine or NH is about 150lbs. Anything over 200 is a nice bear. 300 is a bruiser,400 and above is a monster.We lucked out this year and only took 2 bears under 200. Man, I bet those 800lbers would be fun with dogs wouldnt they?I can imagine it would be a slow walk with the dogs.Jeez, even I could probably keep up with them.

 

[Gunner46]

Sorry, but I ain't buying it.

The first dead bear I ever saw was in Quebec. My pastor got it on a spring hunt with his sons, and my dad & me. It went 472 on a certified scale and went 6'7". Folks drove many miles to come see it, as did the news and papers.

Many years later, mine went over the edge on a 400# scale, and had to estimated by the AZ F&G, by length and girth. They put it around 525. Boone & Crockett, the Safari Club, the Az F&G, and U of Az all had their hands into that one.

I personally saw the N. Carolina 880+ bear taken near New Bern, and 3-4 400+ bears out of Pamlico county.

That one has a big head, yes, but it aint no 800 pounder! If it truely went 7'6" then I'd give it 600 TOPS!!! But that's a stretch.....

My guess is closer to 450. Probably alot closer to 6'6" too.

Pics should be a dime a dozen!!! Believe me, news of that size bear travels FAST, even when you don't personally try to show it off.

 

[Iron Buck]

Well Gunner.........don't know what to tell ya. This bear DOES weigh over 800 pounds. It(the picture) was taken by a hunter in Pike Co who's camp is down the road. His son sent me the picture. The name of the hunter (who killed the bear) is also posted on the PGC website confirming the weight. Again...not a guess. As for the weight being solely dependent on length...not so. There are short & fat people just like ther are short & fat bears.

All that said.....I totally agree that the picture itself is horrible. But it was all the guy had to send me. Looks like I will just have to bag my own 800+ pounder next year so we can get better pics

 

[Delw]

Gunner.

I know a chick who is around 5"10 she weighs over #300. I am 5 10 and I weigh under 200.
I also now a guy who weighs 300+ and he is only 5'8"

so length really doesnt matter

Delw

 

[Horn Seeker]

Yeah, weight and length dont necessarily correlate. The only 500 pound bear I've ever even been close to was a pretty short bear, i'll bet he wasnt 6'2. He had 11 inches of fat on his back. Dump bear.

Yeah George, sounds real similar to the northwest. The bears out here eat grass, carrion and huckleberries. Tough to get huge off that stuff. Most the bears I've been around have been 120-180. A big one was over 180. There was a summer where we killed one or two bears that field dressed 210-230 every weekend, that was an unreal year!

Turning on that 800 pounder would be awesome to say the least. 4 dogs do just fine, but man, you ought to hear 8-15 dogs dogs baying a walking bear, or treeing a low bear. Solid roar!! You know when you pull around the end of the ridge with your window down and you can just hear a ROAR that all the dogs are looking at him! Love that CHIT!

We kill a lot of bears on the ground too. A long time ago I ran into one of these "roars" to find a 90 pound bear in the creek. One of our dogs had him solid by the nose and the others were piling him. He was almost dead when I put the 30-30 up to his skull and ended it for him. I think he may have been partially drowned.

Its been a while since I've been on a good bear race. My dad lives a state away and I'm dang busy with my family nowadays. I miss it.

Good Luck with the cats!