bc7mm
11-20-2022, 08:46 AM
Just picked up a bear skull from its appointment with the dermestid beetles. A sausage bear we’d harvested this spring, having the skull cleaned happened more by coincidence than because I thought it was larger than average. In fact we never even green scored it as the bear was well under 6 feet. I’d largely forgotten about it in the freezer and if not for an unrelated trip to drop off supplies at the beetle cleaner I’d likely never have bothered with it. When i got it back, I pulled it out of the bag And was surprised at the size. No it’s not some massive record book animal, however, for an average sausage bear it seemed rather large. When I put a tape to it I got just over 12” by 6 3/4, not at all what I expected. I delivered the skull to its rightful owner who was equally surprised. Now with renewed interest, and a larger caliber it was checked again. 18 15/16, after months of drying. Turns out it’s his largest scoring bear.
I shot my first bear in 1992, and since that time have taken 15. We rarely miss a spring bear hunt, have taken over 30 bears and still we mis-judge them. My 2021 bear was another good example of my inability to judge their size. That meat bear, that I almost passed on, was also 18 15/16 after its trip to the beetles. The difference here was once on the ground it was very obvious this was a big mature bear. The classic wide forehead, smallish ears and a tough pull out of the alders. He was heavy and difficult to load, unlike the bear from this spring.
We have harvested three bears now that scored 18 15/16 ( we call these our glass ceiling bears as this is as big as we ever get’ ‘em ) The first was 6’5” nose to tail, the second 6’2”, and the “little” one from this spring 5’10”
With the snow barely on the ground and this years moose cut and tucked away we are already talking strategy for next years glass ceiling sausage bear hunt. Have a great winter folks.
I shot my first bear in 1992, and since that time have taken 15. We rarely miss a spring bear hunt, have taken over 30 bears and still we mis-judge them. My 2021 bear was another good example of my inability to judge their size. That meat bear, that I almost passed on, was also 18 15/16 after its trip to the beetles. The difference here was once on the ground it was very obvious this was a big mature bear. The classic wide forehead, smallish ears and a tough pull out of the alders. He was heavy and difficult to load, unlike the bear from this spring.
We have harvested three bears now that scored 18 15/16 ( we call these our glass ceiling bears as this is as big as we ever get’ ‘em ) The first was 6’5” nose to tail, the second 6’2”, and the “little” one from this spring 5’10”
With the snow barely on the ground and this years moose cut and tucked away we are already talking strategy for next years glass ceiling sausage bear hunt. Have a great winter folks.