Grizzly or Black Bear

[SC Living Outdoors]

Hey guys,
I spent a week up in the Montana back country bear hunting. I was right up above Yellowstone. This area is obviously known for grizzlies and I actually met Todd Orr a few days previously close to the trail head. On evening #6 I glassed up this bear. It was 1400-1500 yards away across a canyon. It was close to the top of a ridge. I actually have 10 minutes of video of this bear. We watched through the spotting scope for 20 minutes. There was another small bear with this bear (we guessed 100-150lbs) that my friend and I thought was a 2nd year cub. We thought after watching it that it was a sow grizzly so we didn't make a move on it the next evening. What do yall think? The bear was massive. It looked like a buffalo standing on the hill. Some people on my friend's facebook have been saying it is a black bear. I am not from an area that has grizzlies, but I trust most of the guys on here more then people on facebook. I have been looking at pictures online and I still cant decided in some pics it looks like a grizz and in some it doesn't. Below are some stills I took from my video.

 

[rwc101]

I'm not an expert in the slightest. My guess is black bear due to the head and shoulder shape. Interested in hearing what more knowledgeable people think.

 

[kwyeewyk]

I might lean towards black bear too, face profile, ears, lack of a real hump.

 

[JLS]

It's a black bear.

 

[Gerald Martin]

Big boar black bear tending a sow is probably what you were looking at.... where exactly did you say this was....?

 

[Cheater]

Non expert opinion, black bear.

Looks like a size XL though...

 

[The Hedgehog]

Please send me the exact GPS coordinates to that one. Asking for a friend.

 

[Irrelevant]

Dude, that's looks like the biggest black bear I've ever seen. You'd be advised to get back there and put your tag on him.

 

[SC Living Outdoors]

Welp, I guess better to be safe then sorry. This is disappointing news though

 

[406Born]

Black bear

 

[thusby]

Yeah, its a blacky. I had to analyze it for a minute there too. Unfortunate on the coloring for your sake, if he had been a jet black you wouldn't have second thought it and had a really nice bear to show us.

 

[SC Living Outdoors]

Yeah, its a blacky. I had to analyze it for a minute there too. Unfortunate on the coloring for your sake, if he had been a jet black you wouldn't have second thought it and had a really nice bear to show us.

We just weren’t 100% sure either way. Didn’t want to make a mistake of that caliber.

 

[Gerald Martin]

Please send me the exact GPS coordinates to that one. Asking for a friend.

Since you tagged out, I am the friend you are asking for, correct?

 

[MTPUBLICLAND]

Dang that’s a good bear.

 

[Sytes]

Uh, wow? Average "Joe" hunter here who's not smacked a bear in some 15+ years though dabble around spring bear as an excuse to get out... Lead (copper nowadays) would have flown had I felt the young one was good to go on its own.

A brute!

Like you though, better safe than sorry.

Every year it seems. Ammo for the extreme enviros.

Black bear hunters kill grizzlies by mistake

FWS is investigating both incidents that occurred on the Rocky Mountain Front

www.gohunt.com

 

[Huntnut60]

Looks like a blackie, and a dang good one.

 

[geetar]

An absolute stud but I would have been too scared to shoot too with my very little knowledge of bears.

 

[seeth07]

Black bear. The snout gives it away

 

[Schaaf]

Oofta, that things a fatty

 

[EYJONAS!]