bearklr

What is your opinion on the best state in the U.S. for hunting black bear. I guess this could be broken into 2 categories. One for which state you would have the best chance of harvesting one and another for which state harvests the biggest. Of course I have to place my vote for PA as the best state to harvest a record book and possibly a world record. I was just curious as to what others thought?

j3k2c1

Well the largest bruin on record is from utah. I know that we also have a lot making the book every year. All in all Pennsylvania or alaska is probably best.

James B

Maine would have to be in the running.

vtbuckrulrss

PA don't count! while they do have large bears, from what i have read, they harvest their fair share, they cheat when it comes to weighing in the bear. if you can get the animal to a check station, then you can weigh it in the way the rest of the country does their animals, completely gutted. while i live close to maine, i have read that the actual sleeper state for really big bears was n.c., i think it was. however, i have also heard that new brunswick, canada is also a good spot to go, once holding the record for bear.

bearklr

That's not true. I took my bear to the weigh station completely gutted. I have never seen a large bruin weighed in still in tact. Who the he!! want's to lug an extra 150 lbs out of the woods anyway. It was hard enough dragging 420 lbs out of the woods as it is I don't need any more. The only thing I could think of is that the game commission tells you an estimated live weight and that is what people may be using. I spoke with an officer last year who said they had tug 3 boars with live weights over 900lbs. Of course they wouldn't tell me where

noway

There are a few units in Idaho N of the Salmon River that allow two bears to be taken. There are some nice sized bears and many color phase bears.
Most of those same units allow two cougars to be taken.

Fish and game has to get rid of the bears and cougars because they are eating too many elk and they want the elk saved so the wolves can eat them.

ahunter55

I took a 19" P&Y (skull) bear in the boundary waters of Minn. several years back. Saw lots of Bears & we were hunting on our own. fall Hunt & my bear was est. at over 500 pounds live. My rug is 6'4" nose to tail...
We always see Bears in this area & I had a friend take a 19" one a couple years ago also & another friend take a 17 1/2" Bear. Everyone saw several bears. good Luck.

bearklr

Mine scored 20 11/16. 420 live weight 6' foot nose to tail.

SnoBall57

vtbuckrulrss, I don't know where you're getting your info from, but it's absolutely false, like bearklr said! In most cases here in PA you kill a bear far from any roads where you can get easy access. I've been in on a dozen or so bear kills over the years and never helped take an animal out of the woods with the guts still in it! AND, I've never seen a large bear weighed at the check station (mandatory) with the entrails intact, except for a few cubs. Try again!
It's a well known fact that the largest bears in the country are roaming the woods of PA., and I've talked to a few wardens who told me that the next world record black bear could very well be taken from PA. They are there, but the hunters have yet to get to them!

vtbuckrulrss

hey snoball, where i have been reading about the PA. bears has been in the northeast forum of this place, plus the PA. game commission website( 800 lbs bears?). i have no doubt PA has some big bears. bearkl, sounds like a great bear you got. i have had a couple of people tell me though that guts in were the way that PA did it. i don't know why they said that though.