What is the average size black bear harvested in Ontario?

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jasonf

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I am just getting into bear hunting, self guided and not knowing anyone else doing it. I was able to get a small one last year but watched it for weeks on my trail camera before even trying to hunt for it. I had three coming to bait and shot the biggest one on my first day in the stand. This was a spring hunt and probably won't be able to hunt the fall season ( to busy at work).

I got about 67 lbs of deboned meat from it and estimated the live weight at 150 to 175 lbs. I have a bigger one this year at my bait but it still looks small. This one is a obout 30" tall. Part of me wants to shoot it becuase the meat was excellent from the little one last year, but would also like to get bigger one.

What is the average taken? What is your goal for height? Curious about others experiences.
 
Where I hunt around Sudbury, I would guess the average size to be in the 150lb range. The ones I have weighed ranged from 116lbs to 290lbs dressed(guts removed) I definitely find the meat better on the smaller ones. I like eating bear, so a 150 pounder is just fine with me. I find people that have never weighed a bear have poor estimation skills of how much a bear weighs. Lots of people claim to kill "300 pounders" but have not weighed them, lol!
 
Gillshot said:
Where I hunt around Sudbury, I would guess the average size to be in the 150lb range. The ones I have weighed ranged from 116lbs to 290lbs dressed(guts removed) I definitely find the meat better on the smaller ones. I like eating bear, so a 150 pounder is just fine with me. I find people that have never weighed a bear have poor estimation skills of how much a bear weighs. Lots of people claim to kill "300 pounders" but have not weighed them, lol!
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Agreed
I hunt the same area but my problem is the only bears I’m seeing are probably 75lbs one was probably 40
Has to be big bears if I’m seeing small bears but they are doing a good job of avoiding me
 
Species8472 said:
150 lbs or less

250 lbs is well above average.

300+ is rare

Those numbers will vary by region based on food and pressure and season (spring vs fall).
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Right in line with my experience with somewhere around 10 black bears in north central BC. Well trimmed deboned meat is about 1/3 of weight “on the paw”. Over 200lbs is rarer and they tend to stay hidden better.
 
Interesting. I assumed the average would be a lot higher. I just got my second bear ever last Saturday. I looked at about 500 pictures of him on my trail camera and thought he was bigger than last years but only ended up with about 55 lbs of deboned meat. I guess I am not very good at judging size yet
 
Ive taken from 125lb to 275ish pound it was between 270 and 280 gutted. Weird thing with bears i thought the small one i shot was bigger and the biggest one i thought i had shot a yearling and was waiting to see if a larger one would come out. Figured something was wrong when i couldnt lift it and had trouble dragging it. Wasnt until i put my rifle down along its back before i realized id need help vetting it in the truck box. All fall bears in my experience. Id say 150ish is the going average though.
 
emerson said:
Right in line with my experience with somewhere around 10 black bears in north central BC. Well trimmed deboned meat is about 1/3 of weight “on the paw”. Over 200lbs is rarer and they tend to stay hidden better.
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like for most of the game. especially my experiences with wild boar.
 
jasonf said:
I am just getting into bear hunting, self guided and not knowing anyone else doing it. I was able to get a small one last year but watched it for weeks on my trail camera before even trying to hunt for it. I had three coming to bait and shot the biggest one on my first day in the stand. This was a spring hunt and probably won't be able to hunt the fall season ( to busy at work).

I got about 67 lbs of deboned meat from it and estimated the live weight at 150 to 175 lbs. I have a bigger one this year at my bait but it still looks small. This one is a obout 30" tall. Part of me wants to shoot it becuase the meat was excellent from the little one last year, but would also like to get bigger one.

What is the average taken? What is your goal for height? Curious about others experiences.
Click to expand...
Hello I know this may be a lost cause but I’m trying to figure out how I can find bear meat. I know I can’t purchase it but I believe I can have it given to me, and I can pay for shipping and handling. Though my understanding of it all is minimal so please disregard this message if I am wrong in my thinking. I am in London Ontario. This is not for human use, and I do understand the need to cook it through thoroughly for parasites. I’ve been trying to find bear meat for the past few years to no avail as I’m unsure how to even look for it within the online community. Every year for my dogs’ birthdays I give them a new exotic meat, I’ve run out of other options and bear meat seemed like a great choice in their later years as they are 14 now and am unsure if this will be their last 1-2 birthdays which is why I’m on the search. Only hoping for 1-2 lbs, preferably steaks/hunks not so much sausages or ground up but I understand pickers can’t be choosers as I really am just desperate at this point as I know no local hunters. Their birthdays are June 17, and so at this point I’m just hoping for some advice, direction, connection or a little help in making their birthdays’ tasty. Thanks
 
HuntingForBear said:
Hello I know this may be a lost cause but I’m trying to figure out how I can find bear meat. I know I can’t purchase it but I believe I can have it given to me, and I can pay for shipping and handling. Though my understanding of it all is minimal so please disregard this message if I am wrong in my thinking. I am in London Ontario. This is not for human use, and I do understand the need to cook it through thoroughly for parasites. I’ve been trying to find bear meat for the past few years to no avail as I’m unsure how to even look for it within the online community. Every year for my dogs’ birthdays I give them a new exotic meat, I’ve run out of other options and bear meat seemed like a great choice in their later years as they are 14 now and am unsure if this will be their last 1-2 birthdays which is why I’m on the search. Only hoping for 1-2 lbs, preferably steaks/hunks not so much sausages or ground up but I understand pickers can’t be choosers as I really am just desperate at this point as I know no local hunters. Their birthdays are June 17, and so at this point I’m just hoping for some advice, direction, connection or a little help in making their birthdays’ tasty. Thanks
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your best bet is to make contact with fish and game clubs in your region. Get to know some people and you might make new friends that are willing to share thier harvest. Seems a bit short notice for your immediate needs.
I wanted to send some venison to a friend back east who used to hunt with me out west when he lived here. The cost to ship refrigerated was fairly prohibitive but there are also permits needed for sending wild game across provincial borders..... not sure if those permits apply to bear meat or just the animals that can get cwd and such.
maybe an unsolicited recommendation..... but it's never to late to take the hunting course and become a hunter. I know that my dogs absolutely loved having a hunter as thier owner hehehe
 
Bears are really hard to judge size. Know the size of your bait barrel or make a mark on a tree so you know how big it actually is.

I was deer hunting with a guy and he shot a bear. He tells me over the radio in his huffing and puffing excitement that he just shot a huge bear that came out to him.

I get over to him and the bear is 150lbs max. He was so confused and embarrassed. Says I think there was Two bears and I missed the big one and hit the small one behind him LOL

100% the bear surprised him and in the few second he had to shoot he thought it was a giant. Didn't matter as smaller bears taste great and easier to get out of the bush.
 
Here are a couple from Vancouver Island.
We tend to grow them big out here.

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For reference I am 6 feet tall and weigh in at 200 lbs.

Cheers
 
I don’t know what the average is around here but I’ve shot one over 350 and my friend has shot multiple that pushed 400. I think his last one was just over. That’s live weight on a scale. I have shot a couple small bears for meat but these days I have no interest in anything under 350. I guess it depends on how patient you are or what your goals are. I haven’t had a bear show up at my bait that’s big enough for my goals for years now and I’m ok with that.
 
jasonf said:
I am just getting into bear hunting, self guided and not knowing anyone else doing it. I was able to get a small one last year but watched it for weeks on my trail camera before even trying to hunt for it. I had three coming to bait and shot the biggest one on my first day in the stand. This was a spring hunt and probably won't be able to hunt the fall season ( to busy at work).

I got about 67 lbs of deboned meat from it and estimated the live weight at 150 to 175 lbs. I have a bigger one this year at my bait but it still looks small. This one is a obout 30" tall. Part of me wants to shoot it becuase the meat was excellent from the little one last year, but would also like to get bigger one.

What is the average taken? What is your goal for height? Curious about others experiences.
Click to expand...
Small ears and a big head is a big bear.
A bear with low ground clearance (belly dragging the ground) is a big bear.
Fall bears are fattening up and the fat when rendered makes Great Lard for baking ..think pie shells and scones ;)
Mouth is watering now as I type this.
Tight Groups,
Rob
 
Harvested yesterday in a light rain, about 45min east from Sudbury. 3 bears came in that morning before he showed up.

I think average is sub 175lbs.
Probably like most, my hunting goals are dictated by my other responsibilities.

Only you can set your goals. Congratulations on your second bear.
 

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