Recovering a BIG Black Bear
 

In PA, we have to take our bear to the check station whole. We can gut them, but there's no quartering. They have to arrive at the check station whole.

Also, every year in PA, there are several 700+ pounders and 800+ pounders are taken from time to time.

I've dragged a 150lb bear up a mountain and we just got a 300lb bear last week on level ground and both were a real pain to get out of the woods.

How do you drag out a 500-800lb bear?

You don't. That's like dragging an elk out.

You need to get some sort of vehicle near it.

Call the warden and have him come to the kill site and do his thing. Then quarter it and tote it out. You can't realistically be expected to bring a 700 pound animal out whole.

That wouldn't work in Colorado. You need to go to an inspection station to get the head and hide inspected.

No way would a warden go to a kill during hunting seasons. He's way to busy, and if you can't get the bear out. You must be in the boonies. The wardens here would say good luck, you're on your own.

Where we hunt, it's about 2 miles through an overgrown clear cut and then down a steep mountain side. There's no way of getting a vehicle in. The other spot is deep in a swamp. I was "fortunate" enought to shoot a small bear when I was really deep in.

The last bear, the 300lb, was about 400 yards in from the road. The last 200, we cut a path for the ATV. We were still on private property. If we were deeper in, it would have been state game land and cutting would be a no-no.

I've never heard of the game commission coming out to the kill site. Have they done that with those 700+ pound bears? How do they register the weight?

Crazy law to have to bring out the whole bear. I guess more thought has to go into where you shoot one.

We have to bring out the head and hide. Plus, all the edible meat. So, we're sort of bringing out the whole bear, but we can break it down, and carry it out.

If I thought there was a chance of taking a bear that big in a place I can't get a vehicle, I'd look into having some friends handy or arrange a horse. But, bear over 500 lbs live weight aren't common. That's why they end up in the paper when they are taken. So, I wouldn't get too hung up on it.

I've been involved in recovering several bear. To me, they seem harder to drag than deer or even elk because they don't have an antler or hoof to get ahold of. We drug a 7'1" black bear my father took about 1/4 mile to a place we could get a truck and it literally kicked our butts. That is why I like a pack frame if the law allows it.

In Pennsylvania, a big bear is a very real possibility. Every year there are several that top 700 pounds. 400, 500, and 600 pounders aren't that rare.

Not saying they don't get taken every year, but what is the average for the state? The point is, the average bear is probably around 300 lbs or even less. The bigger ones get in the paper and get publicized. Saying there are "several" doesn't mean much. Define "several" and then tell us what the overall harvest is. PA kills a lot of bear and it kills some very big bear but the average bear a hunter runs into isn't anywhere near 500-700 lbs. Those are the exception and not the rule.

I've hunted whitetails in Galeton, PA on a club a buddy is a member of. They take some good bear off the club property every year and they have a bulletin board with photos of most the bear they have taken. For every 500 lb or better bear they have pics of, there are a few dozen between 250-300 and I'm willing to bet that holds true for most the state.

I liken it to trout fishing. The average trout taken in most the country runs less than 2 lbs. But when someone gets one 10-15 lbs it makes the paper. That doesn't mean everyone is realistically going to catch a 10 lb trout on their next outing.

I wouldn't let the unlikely possibility of having to worry about getting a huge bear out of the woods deter me. I would understand that the chances of getting one like that is somewhat remote and if I did get lucky, I'd be making a call to some friends to get some help if I didn't have horses arranged.

If only 2% of the bear taken are over 500lbs, then you best be prepared. Can't count on shooting a small one.

If you are hunting in Maine with an outfitter over bait, you are likely to take a 150lb cookie-cutter. We only take about 3000 bears a year so there are a lot more mature boars out there.

The average mahi mahi might be 2-5 pounds. But I'm not trolling offshore with 6lb test. :D