What do you think this bear weighs?

[Mountain Man]

My son has a WI bear tag this year and we started some baits 2 weeks ago. This bear is the only bear on this bait so far. It hit the bait the first day it was started and since then it is at the bait multiple times a day.

How much do you think it weighs?
How old do you think it is?
How long is this bear? It appears to me to be longer than 42" from tip of nose to base of tail.
For reference, the stump is 21" long.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QDd0xQWjquw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ArzZ_RvClrk

[dan]

My son has a WI bear tag this year and we started some baits 2 weeks ago. This bear is the only bear on this bait so far. It hit the bait the first day it was started and since then it is at the bait multiple times a day.

How much do you think it weighs?
How old do you think it is?
How long is this bear? It appears to me to be longer than 42" from tip of nose to base of tail.
For reference, the stump is 21" long.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QDd0xQWjquw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ArzZ_RvClrk

I think its about a 120 pound bear. Maybe smaller.
I thinks it is 2 years old just kicked away from momma.
I think its over 42" based on your length of the log. looks to be over double the log length.

[Mike Foss]

Maybe a 130lbs, you stated it comes in multiple times each day making me believe its a very young bear. Are you using much attractant scent when you bait? if not, I like using a bacon or anise gel and lots of it, even 40 to 50 yards away from the bait station, that might help you attract more bears. It looks like you placed that bear bait in an area that was a select cut a few years ago...is there a water source or thicker cover near by?

https://youtu.be/QDd0xQWjquw https://youtu.be/ArzZ_RvClrk

[Mountain Man]

Maybe a 130lbs, you stated it comes in multiple times each day making me believe its a very young bear. Are you using much attractant scent when you bait? if not, I like using a bacon or anise gel and lots of it, even 40 to 50 yards away from the bait station, that might help you attract more bears. It looks like you placed that bear bait in an area that was a select cut a few years ago...is there a water source or thicker cover near by?

I've been using the Bear Scents bacon and anise gels (based on your recommendations in past posts) but only at the bait site. I have pictures of this bear standing up and rubbing it's back on the trees where the gel was placed. I've been spraying anise oil and butterscotch oil around the bait site and oil was put on the ground around the bait when it was started.

I did a lot of scouting on Google Earth, topo maps, and county GIS websites this past year. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to scout potential bait sites on foot in the spring. When I got to the area a couple week ago, a lot of plans went out the window after seeing things in person.

This bait is on a very small ridge that didn't appear to have any logging on it, but immediately north and south it was cut about 10 years ago and has 20' high aspen. The ridge slopes down gradually into a cedar swamp about 150 yards to the west. There is a creek that runs through the swamp.

I knew this was a smaller bear but I was having trouble sizing it up.

With my son's high school schedule this fall, we will only have a few days total to hunt. I knew that going into this, but I really wanted to put together a bear hunt with him. The goal of this hunt is any legal bear. A bigger bear would be a bonus. We have 2 other baits going. One is in a cedar swamp that has 3 bears on it - one really small one and 2 nice bears on it (probably because the bait is in/on the edge of a cedar swamp). The other bait is a set up similar to the one in the video, and has a small bear on it, a bear similar to the one in the videos, and in the last few days a sow and a cub have started showing up.

So I guess the bottom line is that the bear in the videos, while younger and let's say ~125 lbs and over 42", would be a legal bear. Do you agree with this assessment?

[Mike Foss]

Maybe a 130lbs, you stated it comes in multiple times each day making me believe its a very young bear. Are you using much attractant scent when you bait? if not, I like using a bacon or anise gel and lots of it, even 40 to 50 yards away from the bait station, that might help you attract more bears. It looks like you placed that bear bait in an area that was a select cut a few years ago...is there a water source or thicker cover near by?

I've been using the Bear Scents bacon and anise gels (based on your recommendations in past posts) but only at the bait site. I have pictures of this bear standing up and rubbing it's back on the trees where the gel was placed. I've been spraying anise oil and butterscotch oil around the bait site and oil was put on the ground around the bait when it was started.

I did a lot of scouting on Google Earth, topo maps, and county GIS websites this past year. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to scout potential bait sites on foot in the spring. When I got to the area a couple week ago, a lot of plans went out the window after seeing things in person.

This bait is on a very small ridge that didn't appear to have any logging on it, but immediately north and south it was cut about 10 years ago and has 20' high aspen. The ridge slopes down gradually into a cedar swamp about 150 yards to the west. There is a creek that runs through the swamp.

I knew this was a smaller bear but I was having trouble sizing it up.

With my son's high school schedule this fall, we will only have a few days total to hunt. I knew that going into this, but I really wanted to put together a bear hunt with him. The goal of this hunt is any legal bear. A bigger bear would be a bonus. We have 2 other baits going. One is in a cedar swamp that has 3 bears on it - one really small one and 2 nice bears on it (probably because the bait is in/on the edge of a cedar swamp). The other bait is a set up similar to the one in the video, and has a small bear on it, a bear similar to the one in the videos, and in the last few days a sow and a cub have started showing up.

So I guess the bottom line is that the bear in the videos, while younger and let's say ~125 lbs and over 42", would be a legal bear. Do you agree with this assessment?

After reading your reply... you have done everything right, "Its not the size of the animal, its the experience of the hunt". Keep at it and have fun with your son! Good Luck

[Freelance Bowhunter]

Two year old bear in my opinion not much over 100 pounds, pretty skinny. If he fills out at this bait he may hit 130 or so in a few weeks when the season opens. Hard to tell from just a video but that's my best guess.

[Dewey]

I’m still a bad judge of bear size but my first guess looking at the one was that he was a young bear weighing less than 150 lbs live weight. Long legs, skinny hind end and small head with big ears. All sign points to a young bear.