Big Bear & Scoring Skulls?

[heyjbales]

Found myself a dang nice bear a couple of weeks back.



Now that I've got the skull all cleaned up, I'm figuring based on my rough estimation he could make the Book. I was curious if anyone on here knows some B&C measuring tricks to make sure I'm getting the right readings?

I know guys like to run tape on buck antlers, for example, to get the right lines to measure, but this is just width and length so I figure it shouldn't be as hard as I'm making it. haha.

 

[ScottR]

You didn't post my favorite picture from that trip....

 

[heyjbales]

Haha. You mean this one when I let my heavy pack turtle me on the ground?

 

[ScottR]

Turtle, turtle!

Great bear and great story too!

 

[DoubleDropMuley]

Calipers!!

 

[DoubleDropMuley]

@heyjbales good looking bear!! Wyo?

 

[Colorado Cowboy]

They need to dry before they can be officially measured.

 

[Ikeepitcold]

Yep left to right, front to back. Pretty simple to measure a bear.
I don’t really care about going into the book myself but I do like to know scores.
Im on the fence about the drying period though. I see it as the bear was the size he is when I killed him not after a drying period but that’s just my opinion. If your going to enter him then you would have to wait till after drying to get the correct measurements.

Congrats on a great bear and having some fun while packing him out!

 

[ScottR]

Calipers!!

Tools of the pros!

 

[ScottR]

Yep left to right, front to back. Pretty simple to measure a bear.
I don’t really care about going into the book myself but I do like to know scores.
Im on the fence about the drying period though. I see it as the bear was the size he is when I killed him not after a drying period but that’s just my opinion. If your going to enter him then you would have to wait till after drying to get the correct measurements.

Congrats on a great bear and having some fun while packing him out!

I'm the same way on all of them. I measure but being in the book isn't really on my radar, but I can rack bracket mule deer like nobody's business.

 

[heyjbales]

Calipers!!

Gotta get me a set! Unfortunately, I measured him 10 ways to Sunday already and I’m thinking calipers might not make him grow.

 

[heyjbales]

@heyjbales good looking bear!! Wyo?

And thanks! Yep!

 

[heyjbales]

Yep left to right, front to back. Pretty simple to measure a bear.
I don’t really care about going into the book myself but I do like to know scores.
Im on the fence about the drying period though. I see it as the bear was the size he is when I killed him not after a drying period but that’s just my opinion. If your going to enter him then you would have to wait till after drying to get the correct measurements.

Congrats on a great bear and having some fun while packing him out!

I am right there with ya man. It's more just for my own dang reference because bears are so hard to compare one to another. He's not gonna get entered. He misses book by 1/4" even while green, but that's all right. Still as good a bear as I would ask for. Makes me feel like I shot a 175" buck or a 340" bull...and that's pretty neat.

 

[ScottR]

I am right there with ya man. It's more just for my own dang reference because bears are so hard to compare one to another. He's not gonna get entered. He misses book by 1/4" even while green, but that's all right. Still as good a bear as I would ask for. Makes me feel like I shot a 175" buck or a 340" bull...and that's pretty neat.

Yup, you killed a stud bear no matter what. That thing was big by all accounts!

 

[BrandonM]

I am right there with ya man. It's more just for my own dang reference because bears are so hard to compare one to another. He's not gonna get entered. He misses book by 1/4" even while green, but that's all right. Still as good a bear as I would ask for. Makes me feel like I shot a 175" buck or a 340" bull...and that's pretty neat.

For sure. I shot a nice caribou back in 2014 in Quebec and it was the same thing. He wouldn't go book but was comparable to a 350 bull elk. I'd take that every year!

 

[BrandonM]

The fall kicked off fantastic! I was able to arrow this giant... Spot and stalk at 18 yards. One of the funnest hunts of my life. I didn't get into bear hunting until this year after I arrowed a spring bear in ID, and I'm ADDICTED to bow hunting them!

 

[ScottR]

The fall kicked off fantastic! I was able to arrow this giant... Spot and stalk at 18 yards. One of the funnest hunts of my life. I didn't get into bear hunting until this year after I arrowed a spring bear in ID, and I'm ADDICTED to bow hunting them!

I'm a little bit worried that your love of bears may now have exceeded your love of mule deer...

This could be a problem in future falls...

 

[Winchester]

Very cool Brandon … looks like a giant !!!
Congrats

 

[marcusvdk]

The fall kicked off fantastic! I was able to arrow this giant... Spot and stalk at 18 yards. One of the funnest hunts of my life. I didn't get into bear hunting until this year after I arrowed a spring bear in ID, and I'm ADDICTED to bow hunting them!

Awesome bear

 

[kidoggy]

congrats on a great bear!