Bear jargon

[Brambles]

I noticed when some guys post measurements of there bears they either do "nose to tail" which is the one I use and some people use "squared". What is the difference so we can compare apples to apples.

Also how much more length do guys get when they measure the hide off the bear vs on the bear

Thanks

Brambles

[Iron-Head]

The replies to this thread will be interesting as these are some questions I am curios about as well.
Thanks for taking the words outta' me mouth Brambles;)

[bigwhiteys]

Skull Measurments and hide squared are what really matters I think if you are measuring correctly. Nose to tail can easily be manipulated by stretching the hide. So can hide squared I guess but I have been told it was hide squared was the serious one.

Happy Hunting!
Carl

[Brambles]

O.K. Here's what I found on the internet

Much confusion exists as to what bear size stands for. Is it the height of the bear? - No. Is it the length of the bear? - No. It's the SQUARE of the bear. "What the heck is that" you ask? It's easy..once the hide is off the bear, fleshed and laid flat of the ground, you take the measurement from claw to claw, with no wrinkles in the hide. Then take the measurement nose to tail, with no wrinkles in the hide. Add them together and divide by two. There you have the "Squared" size of the bear, that this article talks about. Every guide wants his bears to square big, so there are different ways to do it. The easiest is to lie. Outfitters also like to think everyone else lies, but paint themselves as very pure in their personal measurement. They probably aren't. One theory says you should lay the hide on the ground and then never tough it when you measure it. Those that don't hunt bears hold to this theory. Another one says that you measure from nose to anis when you measure length. The late Clark Engle, was never at a shortage for colorful words, put it this way. "Hell, the tail is part of the bear, and the hair at the end of the tail is part of the bear, I measure all of the damn thing." Well put Clark, I do too. I measure the "square of the bear" not the measure of "part of the square of the bear".... smile. Others claim you can stretch a bear a couple of feet if you put enough guides on each side. Those that claim this usually take only little bears themselves and are trying to degrade outfitters that take big ones by drawing their honesty into question. You just can't stretch a bear, though we have shot one or two where we wished we could. Everyone repeats the stretching story, so everyone thinks its probably true, outfitters included...but it isn't. I've tried. With three guides on each leg pulling for all they are worth, you can get about an additional inch or two, max. It's not worth the effort. Some cut across the crotch low on the belly. This leave a flap that extends well beyond the tail when opened. Doing this gives a bear another 6 to 8 inches total, or 3 to 4" on the square. Cute...but not even Clark would approve of that!
So, how do we measure our bears. Skin 'um, flesh 'um, split the hide clear up to 1" from the chin. Lay them on the ground. Pull on ONE PAW until the other paw moves, let go and measure from claw tip to claw tip on the front paws. Pull on the nose until the tail moves, let go and measure tip of the nose, to tip of the tail. (or tip of the hair on the tail if I think Clark is watching over my shoulder. "Hell Larry, the hair is part of the bear!" Ok, I always measure to the tip of the hair ... go away Clark. Now add those two numbers together, and divide by two. Presto, the square of the bear.

[3kills]

squared is almost the same as nose to tail...u will only have a few inches different imho...taxadermists used to alwasy got by so much per square foot....but i think most of them now are going so much per foot from nose to tail...

[boxhitch]

Usually when I first measure a bear, it is when he's laid out dead, and we're taking pics. Lay a tape or string along the back, nose to tail (no stretching) follow the contours close. This is roughly in 1/2 foot increments, only to compare with my others. I do it the same each time, so I know how it reads. 5'6", 6', 6'6" etc. Maybe has to be classed as 'rough, in the field' , But good enough.

[blacktailslayer]

The 2 measurements for any bear are the squared hide measurement, and the skull measurement.
The squared measurement of a bear hide is:
Length from nose to tip of tail + length from front paw to front paw. Then divide that number by two. For example 6'8" long + 6'10" wide is a bear that squares 6'9".
The reason for doing this is big bears are often wider across the front paws than they are long.
The other measurement is the length of the skull + width of skull. Most island bears that make the book are roughly 12" long and 7" wide, and would score 19". You also measure bears to the 1/16th not 1/8th like deer antlers.

[todbartell]

I always was under the impression that the hide's "squared" measurement was :

nose to tail
+
front paw to rear paw on opposite sides
- divided in two
= squared hide

:confused:

[youngfellla]

I usually square them nose to tail, and across the front paws.

Squaring them gives you a better idea of the size, especially comparing grizz and black bears. For instance, if you have a grizz and a black both measuring 6'5'' nose to tail, the grizzly will 'square out' larger than the black, because the grizzlies are quite a bit taller in the shoulders.

[ramcam]

I like the old nose to tail, a seven foot nose to tail says it all. My opinion only.lots of stories get going when you throw to many measurements in.

[Stone Sheep Steve]

I take it one step further and say no touching the bear between the two measurements.

Squared measurements definitely give you a better indication of the size(mass) of the bear. You can have a "lanky" bear that measures the same head to tail as a much bulkier(heavier) but using the squared method would tell you which one was more massive.

Last year my partner shot a "massive" blackie that only measured 6'8" nose to tail but claw to claw he went 7'3"(squared at 6'11 1/2"). His squared measurement was much more indicitive of his actual size.

SSS

[Brambles]

Since there are a couple different ways that people measure bears I always find it helpful when guys actually state in there posts how they came to their measurements

ie: he measured 6'5"
- nose to tail on the bear
or
-nose to tail off the bear
or
-Squared ( now that we know what that means:roll:)

Skull measurements kind of speak for themselves. These measurements are outlined on the boone and crockett website but the hide measurements are not and this is were the confusion started for me.

Looks like we got it figured out now, lets try and stick to one measurement or at least describe the method used.

[mcrae]

I always do nose to tail in the field. I just do it for a rough idea for myself about size. My little "gang" all use the same meat cutter so we get them weighed with hide and head off for bragging rights. Mine was the longest so far but not the heaviest. My buddies bear was 5'5" nose to tail in the field but was "144lbs on the hook". Mine was just six feet, and I mean just by the hair on the end of his tail but was only 129lbs on the hook. I would never use my field measuremnets to compete with another fellas bear because mine are not by the book. Its still fun though:grin: I want 6'6" min for my next bear grizz or black.

[3kills]

i go nose to tail cuz all the hide measurement does is give u braggin rights its skull measurement that puts u in the book...

[Gateholio]

Squared bear measuremnets is somwhting made up by outfitters to make thier clients happy.

Stretch and measure one way, stratch nd measure the other...:p

[Elkhound]

Well at least I know how to take a square measurement now. But for my bears I measure nose to tail. Hide still on the bear. And skull measurements. It seems like the squared measurement is just trying to make your bear's measurements a little bigger. I am only competing with myself anyway so it does not matter.

Except for the bear contest this year;)

Oh and I have to beat my buddies 7 1/2 foot blackie from this year. Damn that Moose Spotter. Hahahaha good luck:frown: