Sow bears and boo boos - let's see them.

That’s only one, and as I see it, our “vet forum poster” which sets the standards, is at least 3 ahead of me. Look out dinks!!!!! Here I come!!!! Hahaha.

Fun thread
I've got more still. But I've never done it on purpose, and it's been nearly 20 years since I've done that. Saw a mole on the trail last night. I didn't step on it, reminded me of a small bear.
 
I almost forgot about my favorite hunting promo pics ever; perfect for this thread. It could be smaller, but whole spectacle...just embarrassing. Go team!
The caption is really icing on the cake:
"Isaac Aleman, of Badlands Packs, sent us these photos of the great bear that Bryan Reed took this spring. Bryan was testing the new prototype Badlands Ox pack, which is due out this fall. As you can see, the pack is strong."

1653675095145.png


1653675337966.png
 
I almost forgot about my favorite hunting promo pics ever; perfect for this thread. It could be smaller, but whole spectacle...just embarrassing. Go team!
The caption is really icing on the cake:
"Isaac Aleman, of Badlands Packs, sent us these photos of the great bear that Bryan Reed took this spring. Bryan was testing the new prototype Badlands Ox pack, which is due out this fall. As you can see, the pack is strong."

View attachment 223823


View attachment 223825
The “diapered” bear just about killed me when I first saw it years ago. Thanks for bringing it back for all to enjoy
 
I've got more still. But I've never done it on purpose, and it's been nearly 20 years since I've done that. Saw a mole on the trail last night. I didn't step on it, reminded me of a small bear.
So clearly bears are hard to judge, you've done it many times and you have way more experience than most. What is the standard you would set for everyone else if you were god for a day? And how do you recommend people judge bears against that standard?

Also wondering if bears tend to not yield much more meat past a certain size, if someone is hunting for meat and not hide or head does it really matter how big they are once past a certain size? (I get not shooting a full on cub)

One of the biggest arguments in favor of spring bear season here in Washington was providing meat for the family. We still lost the season of course. I get the sense that the meat is unimportant to many compared to hide and skull, and that just supports the argument that bear hunting is only about killing animals for trophies.
 
So clearly bears are hard to judge, you've done it many times and you have way more experience than most. What is the standard you would set for everyone else if you were god for a day? And how do you recommend people judge bears against that standard?

Also wondering if bears tend to not yield much more meat past a certain size, if someone is hunting for meat and not hide or head does it really matter how big they are once past a certain size? (I get not shooting a full on cub)

One of the biggest arguments in favor of spring bear season here in Washington was providing meat for the family. We still lost the season of course. I get the sense that the meat is unimportant to many compared to hide and skull, and that just supports the argument that bear hunting is only about killing animals for trophies.
Edited.. I think you should shoot the first one you see, regardless of size/sex provided you post a picture on hunttalk.
Unless you're in MT BMU 520, then don't shoot a sow, ever.
 
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Standards are for you to set, I've no business setting somebody else standards. Killing a little teddy bears warrant some good ribbing, though regardless if you end up with one, or maybe two shoeboxes of bear meat. To me, bear hunting is fun. Killing boo boo is not fun. Carry on.
Fair enough, I assume for most it's situational like other animals, if it feels like the right one. Of course your standards become a bit more refined when you've punched dozens of tags compared to a few or none.
 
Seeing some of these pictures sure makes me feel better about that little sow I shot.

I was kinda curious if the younger people here know why a small bear is referred to as Boo Boo.
 
I can’t imagine that the guy in the logger cut jeans, with the .458 Win Mag checked his bear in. No way that thing is a legal bear. It’s still got milk on its lips.
 

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