it seems like every year i end up getting a few pictures of bears on my trail cam and was wondering how you experienced black bear hunters evaluate the size of a bear, and is it possible to do with just a picture? also, how do u tell a young bear from an older one and a boar from a sow? any websites other than this one? i'll try and put up a couple pics of the bears i got last year. thanks

here is the first of 2 pics

and here is the second. im pretty sure this is a small bear

Boy it's a tough call with those pictures. I would say that it is a small well-fed young one. Just looks like his ears are too big and his head a little too "pointy"in that first picture, imo. That one is really hard to tell.

The bigger black bears get--the "rounder" they get. A big bear is gonna have i big "rounded" head, big round belly, and little round ears.

I can't see the second pic very well, but theyappear to be young bears. The first I would say it most definaltey a sow, probably around 2 years old. the feet are usually a dead give away on the bears sex. Boars tend to have larger feet and forearms than do the sows in comparison to their body.

I have always found the head to be a good way. Big bear, head will look small compared to the body with the ears being less and less prominent. Also big bears will have quite a crease between the ears, fat, muscle, skin folds.
Sows will look "hippy". Bigger rear end, higher than the shoulders. Boars will have bigger shoulders, less in the hips and butt. A big boar will have shoulders much wider than the head.

Just my two cents.

hard to tell from those pics but i'm pretty sure you're looking at a young bear

From the looks of those pictures, those are definitelyyoung bears. As far as boars or sows, I can't tell from the pics. But young, yes they are. Probably 2 year olds.

I agree with the group, looks to be a younger one. Look at head or gut to tell maturity. Small ears big round head, older bear, big gut with no daylight under it, mature bear.