|
Public land Bruiser, Pix
Well I finally harvested my big black bear I had been after for 3 years. This ole feller and I had a couple close spot and stalk encounters in the past while hunting him. It all came together on April 30th at about 5 p.m. My brother his wife and I were all bear hunting and shooting video. We hunt public land high mountain glades and spot and stock bears with both rifles and bow. We were rifle hunting on this day. We set up across canyons and glass glades, then make stocks using the wind on the bears when we locate them feeding. My brother actually had a shot on this same bear last spring but held off, because he wanted me to get him, since I had introduced him to this spot and was after this specific bear.
After glassing/videoing this big fella along with 5 cow elk and 2 whitetails on 50 yards apart at about 4:00 pm, my brother and his wife split off from me. I went after him and they went to watch another glade I had seen a nice big color phased boar feeding in two nights earlier that I passed on since I was after this big black tank. I slipped across the canyon about 3/4 of a mile and stayed in the timber. The thermals were working perfect, blowing down hill in the evening. I first checked one of two glades for the big black, he wasn't in that glade feeding, I sat for 15 minutes to let the sweat die down then I slipped in the timber over to the next glade we had just videoed him in 30-40 minutes earlier. I was working along really slow when I picked up this big ole black back. It was him feeding on grass in an alpine patch of timber. I snuck up to 40 yards as he mostly had his head down, the wind was perfect, (wish now I would have packed my bow like I have so many other times in this same area), I knelt down and took a nice broadside lung shot. I hit him right behind the front shoulder. The big fella didnt even act like I hit him, he whirled around and ran straight up the hill. He turned at 70 yards and faced me. I put another 165 grain, 7mm shot right under throat, It exited his flank. He humped up and ran in the timber. I then heard thrashing. I thought he was kicking around and dieing. I walked up to the timber and snuck in looking for him when I heard more sticks breaking violently. To my suprise this tough buggar was up a tree almost 25 feet. Not to mention in a big 4 foot on the base Red Fir tree that had a split in it 12-15 feet up. He was positioned on one of the splits. I slipped up under him and took the final kill shot, I didnt want him to suffer or climb any higher; only to have him fall right in the wedge of the split tree. So here I am with a 300+lb springer wedged solid in this tree split about 17 or 18 feet up. It was unreal, I couldn't believe it. I gave him 5-10 minutes. Just to be sure he was done and then I climbed the little cedar tree right next to him and then jumped over onto him. I got myself wedged above him in between those two fir splits and lifted him by his hind end as hard as I could. After about 5 heaves I dumped him out on the ground below. Wow did he make a thud when he hit the ground! I shimmied down the cedar and then grabbed on to this magnificant bears head. I was just awestruck at his girth and over all mass. After this I prayed; thanking God for such a majestic animal. I grabbed onto the big feller and couldn't move him except for straight down hill, and it was steep! He almost took me with him. I got him down to a nice spot, layed him out, took some photos of him and went to get my brother and his wife. He and his wife had heard the shots and were on the way over with the video camera. We took some nice pictures, had a great time vidoeing the after the harvest. Then the work began. We were 5 miles in from our rig and over 2 from our quad. We ended up cutting a trail into the big boy getting our quad pretty close. We got home at 3 am. It was just an awesome hunting evening. My brother Rob was a great help. I mean I couldn't have drug him out that night alone without quartering him out. Robs wife couldn't believe the size of this bear, That was her first spot and stalk bear hunting experience. The next day we caped him out and weighed him. He field dressed exactly 300 lbs. So he was a 340-350 lb April 30th bear. Pretty decent for a mountain bear. Hes a public land bruiser forsure. I had him aged at 12-15 years old by my local hide and fur company man. His teeth were all wore to his gums, flat. He measures 6'-10" from nose to tail and thats NOT stretched out. Just lying there caped. He had a 32 inch neck. I have a lot of respect for this ole fella, hes evaded me for 3 years spot and stalking him at least once each season. He is in my eyes just a magnificant reflection of the greatness of creation. What an animal. I am very happy and thankful to have been blessed with this harvest. His meat will make a ton of sausage for my family. He smelled very clean and no stink to him at all! With one bear tag left, I look forward to hunting a big blonde bear that lives in there as well.  |
RE: Public land Bruiser, Pix
Rob and I
 |
RE: Public land Bruiser, Pix
Thats a dandy for sure, great story and good job.
|
RE: Public land Bruiser, Pix
He's a nice one! Great pictures! Way to go.
 |
RE: Public land Bruiser, Pix
Congrats...what a great story as well.
I hope to post my story soon. Did your bear have much fat on him? My spring bear had more fat than any fall bear I have ever seen. We have had a few mild winters, but 3-4 inches of back fat in the spring seems like a lot to me. |
RE: Public land Bruiser, Pix
Thanks Guys,
Billy, he did have some back fat but only about 1 inch max. We too have had some easy winters, especially this one. Were are you located bill? I am in Northern Idaho. I am looking forward to seeing your stories and photos as well. Troy |
RE: Public land Bruiser, Pix
Nice bear, a real beauty!
|
RE: Public land Bruiser, Pix
Shed33
I live near Olympia, Washington. I spoke to a Fish & Game bio who told me that much fat was very unusual, but couldn't give me a good reason as to why he had so much. Again, Congrats! |
RE: Public land Bruiser, Pix
Nice bear thanks for the pics
|
RE: Public land Bruiser, Pix
great trophy and story
|
RE: Public land Bruiser, Pix
shed-------That's a GREAT bear !! Conglads----both on a super hunt & a very well written story !! Good job--CB
|
RE: Public land Bruiser, Pix
Shed33 really nice bear! Loved the story thanks for sharing.
|
RE: Public land Bruiser, Pix
shed33, nice bear, looks like he has a beautiful coat as well. It amazes me how different bears grow in certain parts of the country. We had one here weigh 415 at 3 1/2 years old. What do they primarily feed on out there, I wonder if that has anything to do with it ?
|
RE: Public land Bruiser, Pix
That bear is far from a bruiser. A bear needs to be 500 pounds to be a bruiser not 350 which is just average for an adult boar.
|
RE: Public land Bruiser, Pix
Great story and nice pics Shed..thanks for sharing the excitement with us!:)
That bear is far from a bruiser. A bear needs to be 500 pounds to be a bruiser not 350 which is just average for an adult boar. |
RE: Public land Bruiser, Pix
ORIGINAL: greatgreenjeans That bear is far from a bruiser. A bear needs to be 500 pounds to be a bruiser not 350 which is just average for an adult boar. Great bear Shed. Actually, an average weight for a male is around 175 lbs dressed. At least in WI.;) |
RE: Public land Bruiser, Pix
ORIGINAL: greatgreenjeans That bear is far from a bruiser. A bear needs to be 500 pounds to be a bruiser not 350 which is just average for an adult boar. Gee...funny how a bear that dresses out at 357 is big enough to make it into Boone and Crockett yet not a "bruiser" by your superior standards. I keep forgetting though that some people are the all knowing on defenitions around here. By the way did Webster call you back yet? In fact the average weight of a male black bear is 250 lbs with females averaging 150 lbs. The black bears on the east coast tend to be larger than their counterparts out west. The record for weight was a bear taken in North carolina that weighed 880 lbs and was 10.75 years old in Craven County while Pa also produces a fair share of bruins over the 800 lb mark. note: average weights mentioned are live weights so 175 dressed isn't too far off. |
RE: Public land Bruiser, Pix
Thats's a big bitch!!!
|
RE: Public land Bruiser, Pix
That is a beautiful bear and a great story. Congrats on a fine harvest and memories that will last forever.
|
RE: Public land Bruiser, Pix
from what i've heard you don't find all that many 500 lb plus black bears around at least in the mountains. one way or another no matter what your standards are it's a great bear, trophy, and story.
|
RE: Public land Bruiser, Pix
That was a great story and an awesome pic. I think that's one of the nicest looking bears I've seen, it will make a great rug or mount, definately a bruiser in my opinion.
|
RE: Public land Bruiser, Pix
That bear is far from a bruiser. A bear needs to be 500 pounds to be a bruiser not 350 which is just average for an adult boar. I think anytime you connect with a bear over 300lbs where anyone has access could be considered a bruiser. Shed - Again, congrats. Did you get a green score on that skull? My green score is a couple 16ths shy of 20". He had a big head, but not big enough. |
RE: Public land Bruiser, Pix
To everyone; thanks for the posts and all the kind words. I just dropped him off at my taxidermist in Libby Montana, he really liked the quality of his hide. Like he told me, "That's an old and big spring bear for this country".
Billy, thanks again and I can't wait to see your story and pictures, this thing seemed heavy to me, I bet yours was fun packing out! :) like I said I am looking forward to seeing your pics and stories or have I missed it and is it posted??? Skull will be measured by my taxidermist. He has an officialy BC scorer do his stuff for him. He's gonna get back to me next week on a green score. Great, in response to your post, I am sure glad these bears around here don't weigh 500 lbs on the average to be a bruiser, I really would have been in the woods all night packing him out of that steep mother! :) I wasn't trying to compare oranges to apples or make a blanket statement that this was a bruiser across the country. If I came across that way to you, I apologize, I did not intend to. When I read a post or look at per say; a whitetail deer posted on the hunting net, I always take into consideration the geography in sizing the animal up. I think this same principal applies to any species of animal. This bear for his geography is a bruiser, heck if he lived in the flat land, ate oats or lived in a dump year around and only hibernated little to none, I would be scared at what he might weigh. When I caped him out I was amazed at how muscular this bear was. Not more than an inch of back fat on him. He was just ripped, built like a body builder not a sumo wrestler. I realize that this bear's body weight is lower compared to other bears in other geographical regions of the USA and Canada. This is simply a big mature boar and heavy in body weight for spring in Northern Idaho (he most likely has been out of hibernation for about 2-3 weeks at the elevation I was hunting him, roughly 4500 to 5000 feet). He was feeding not far from the snow line. These mountain bears are in the den for 5-6 months. This bear would be a 450lb to maybe, just maybe 500 lb bear in the fall max and in this country that is a very heavy bear. I am sure there are exceptions to the rule, I am referring to the averages my local check in station shared with me. The man I talked to is a very close friend and has been checking in bears and weighing them for 20+ years. He's actually told me for years that a 250lb mature spring boar is what he considered to be a big springer and that most don't weigh what people guesstimate them to weigh once he puts them on his scale. He said most of the 250lbrs measure about 5'6" to 5' 9" nose to tail in our area. As for skull size that doesn't change from spring to fall once his skull plate is fully developed. According to my taxidermist yesterday and the my friend at the check in station they feel this bear will measure over 20 inches. I'll know exacxtly in a few days, when they green measure him. A big skull for this state is 18.5 and bigger, according to our Fish and Game Department. Much lower on the average than many other areas of N.A. For example, I have the Manitoba game records here and I am amazed at the size of bears in that province that are listed in the records. Well, I have one more bear tag to fill, I can't wait to get back out there this weekend. Thanks to everyone and best of luck to all bear hunting. It sure is a good time. |
RE: Public land Bruiser, Pix
I was just getting ready to respond to the person who didn't feel that this animal was a bruiser,when before I could Troy (aka Shed) provided his own response.
Any animal that has survived for 12 plus years in the wild, surviving the elements and hunting pressure is an absolute trophy! A spring bear of 350lbs is a bruiser,that bear would have gained 125lbs to 150lbs prior to hibernation.There are very few area's of the country where a bear of those particulars is not in the top few percentile of all the bears taken. Now having said all that,I don't ever understand why some feel it necessary to belittle the accomplishments of others.For any body who has read Sheds posts or his responses it is obvious that he always comes from a place of humility and a deep respect for the animals he pursues and very regularly harvests. Even the most experienced hunters among us would be wise to pat attention when Shed is sharing information with us.This is a person that knows of which he speaks! I never feel comfortable when I am on the edge of being critical of someone,because I know that I am far from perfect.There was a saying that I heard one time that has always been meaningful to me "some people try to have the biggest building in town by tearing everyone else's down,some people build their building bigger". I believe that we should all strive to build our buildings bigger! |
RE: Public land Bruiser, Pix
Way to go!!!
|
RE: Public land Bruiser, Pix
shed (Troy), congrats on a fine blackie and a great story. He'll make a fine addition to your trophy room! BTW you don't have to appologize a bear that weighs 350 in spring is a hawg in almost all geographies(with the exception of coastal/some remote northern locations) PLAIN N' SIMPLE. Those who actually know something about bears will realize this is close to 500lbs boar at his peak weight and that is something many may talk about but very few will actually accomplish in their careers without travel to the meca blackie areas. Further more a skull that measures anywhere close to 20 in my books must be considered a bruiser, looking at the pic alone suggest this fact.....but then what the heck do I know.
MwGj, once again you have proved your lack of intelligence/experience. It is about time you actually hunted something then just read about it and professed to have any know how. I would have thought you'd learned that by now, but guess not  ! |
RE: Public land Bruiser, Pix
Tocs, CN, and Skeeter, thanks guys I really appreciate the support. This may sound crazy but the ole blonde boar up there where I got this black feller is equal to or larger than this boar and I have been seeing/glassing and attempted a few stocks on him off and on again for 3 years as well. I had him one time at 60 yards, head and neck shot only, but didnt want to take that shot because I had Richard with me and he wouldn't have got to shoot his bear that was just around the bush. Richards was a 300lbr live weight springer. This place is just a really off the beaten path hide out for bears. I haven't seen the blonde/color phase yet this year on my 2 trips in, I pray he made the winter. I am targeting him the rest of the season.
Skeeter, I was up in your neck of the woods! Did Hiawatha tell you? Man I love your country up there, great whitetails, not to mention everything else, I got to shed hunt for a full week! I was blown away at the mass you guys have on those bucks. I had the best time visiting Saskatchewan and Dan (hia) and his family are some of the nicest people I have ever been around. Just great folks. Ironically the other day, I harvested my "black" bear litterally in the exact same spot in a tiny patch of cotton woods that Richard my friend from NY got his "Red" bear two years ago. Rich's pretty reddish chocolate below...  |
RE: Public land Bruiser, Pix
OOOO that is one pretty bear!!! I am actually trying for a chocolate where we hunt elk (east of Hia's place). Well should say was last year but he never gave me an opportunity with the bow. I consider him a good boar being above average in both size and coconut for here but his striking coat is really what has me in awe, looks very much like Richards bear. Any ways very nice bears and congrats to you both. Best of luck trying to locate the blondie, they are a soft spot for any bear hunter. If you do get any pics of his little frame I know I certainly wouldn't mind seeing them...haha!!!!
Yes hia mentioned something about playing pool by oneself in the local beverage refrigeration facility and oh yeah as well something about shed hunting..lol! Had a few pops with him one night and he's a great guy, so can just image the time he and his folks showed you. Mass really first I heard of it...you sure you were in the same saskatchewan. We are blessed with a great place to spend time in the outdoors thats for surea nd if it's your bag of tea the deer horns aren't a bad bonus either. Glad you guys had a goodtime and were able to get some footage of our land. I am sure you have an open invite to come back anytime you please! |
RE: Public land Bruiser, Pix
Good Luck on that bear Skeet! Richards bear really turned out awesome as a rug too...the reddish tint in that hide really shines. Yeah, there is nothing like a small town beverage cooling establishment to have a good time with a friend! Yuppers I plan on visiting again. I hear ya all have some big ole fish with big teeth up your way! :D Next time I need to spend some TIME in Saskatoon and visit with you. Take care!
Troy |
RE: Public land Bruiser, Pix
Awesome pics and story. Thanks for sharing and congrats!!!
|
RE: Public land Bruiser, Pix
ORIGINAL: Double Lung23 Thats's a big bitch!!! |
RE: Public land Bruiser, Pix
Shed, I have not posted the official story or photos yet. I have been real busy and we are heading to eastern Washington this weekend for Morels. I will start a new thread (don't want to hijack yours) next week.
|
RE: Public land Bruiser, Pix
Shed,
Congrats on a magnificant bruin. I'm sure chasing him for 3 years made the moment that more special. |
RE: Public land Bruiser, Pix
bearkl a boone and crocket bear dont depend on weight get your facts right its skull size a 250 pound bear could be if it had a huge skull.
|
RE: Public land Bruiser, Pix
Awesome pics and story ,kinda makes me feel like i was there on the hunt as well.He is one nice bear and aged at 12-15 years of age,unbelievable to say the least.
Congratulations on a fine bear bud:) |
RE: Public land Bruiser, Pix
Awesome!
|
RE: Public land Bruiser, Pix
Nice job Shedder!!! Great story and pic's, you should be proud chasin' that ole bear for 3 years. congrats friend!!! Webby
|
RE: Public land Bruiser, Pix
Great story and that's a huge bear.
|
| All times are GMT -8. The time now is 07:32 PM. |
Copyright © 2026 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.