Quote:
Originally Posted by Double Shovel
You cannot correlate skull size to bear length. The best way I explain it to customers is it is genetic and they are like people. If you ever sat in an airport and people watched, you will see some really tall people with small heads and then you see some people who head are too big for their body, same goes for bears. As a taxidermist, you can really see this come true. Taxidermist as well measure bears nose to base of tail so hearing a fib of eight black bears is quite common. In 2013 I shot a black bear here in Alberta that measured 21 9/16 and he measured 5ft 10' nose to base of tail. People said he must have been 600lbs plus, no maybe 300lbs thats it and he was in good shape. So add in his back legs, he was maybe mid 7ft. All bears are different, just like people. As well, when you see that giant bear, you will just know it is, something about it tells you immediately on the spot that it is big. They walk different, they just look different. I have seen only a few giant bears in my life hunting and fortunate to get one of them but in all the cases, it was an immediate answer of yes it is big.
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Here in my area, being heavy bush, I see maybe one giant a year with 15 baits out in the fall. I do get plenty of bears between 3-400 lbs simply because this state has so many hunters who take the first bear in and done. Finding a 20 plus inch skull is very rare. Our new state record was shot near here and as you noted on yours it was not a huge bear at all. He just had a pumpkin head.
Another area I hunt with a good friend is in the agricultural areas in the northwest and overall those bears have bigger noggins. It's not scientific but I am convinced his bears leave the teat and find summer plenty, and then the fall crops put them in hibernation in terrific shape. This much food from such an early age sets the course for exceptional bone structure.
I also believe that bear are like we are in that after a certain point in life they lose bone structure and size. Older does not always mean bigger.
Osky