(photo courtesy of Brad Roper)
Attention Montana Bear Hunters!
This is Joe from the Yellowstone Country Bear Hunters Association with your weekly bear hunting tip.
Judging black bear size and sex can be one of the most difficult things a bear hunt will be confronted with. It takes years of practice to properly sex and size a bear in the field. Ground shrinkage in bears is often a grim reality to inexperienced bear hunters.
Remember these few tips when looking bears this spring:
Look for small ears on the side of a bears head. A bears ears grow very little from birth to adulthood. Big bears ears look smaller in proportion to their head and body. When ears appear to be on the side of a head you are generally looking at a good bear, also look for a crease in middle of for head.
Mature bears have developed large muscles on the skull and this crease identifies a mature adult bear. The triangle method is a great way to judge a bear’s head size. The base of triangle being the line between the ears and the sides run from the ears to tip of nose. When the sides of the triangle all look the same you better be shooting!
For more bear hunting tips and tricks visit our website at www.ycbha.org or follow us on Facebook & Twitter
