^ Pretty much every year, guys in the Whitecourt area shoot bears in the 500lb range. I think the biggest bear I remember was weighed on a certified scale at 561 lbs.
And I've seen a bunch in that 530-550lb range. These are all 7'+ bears.
They were all brought in live weight and weighed on scales down at the Hwy Dept. The local hunting shop always pins up pics of these big bears. So far no bear that big has come in yet in 2010.
So when the weight was listed I just wondered, how it was arrived at. Not trying to start an argument, or rain on your parade. I love to see big bruins like this!!
Btw, I re-read the post and it says close to 600 lbs, so yeah if it's 550 you could definitely say it's close to 600 lbs!!
I was hunting is very remote area this spring. No way to bring a bear out whole, so I carry a chart. By measuring the girth of the chest an estimate can be made on the live weight. Anyway, that's what I do. If I ever get a real monster, and have the chance, I would love to take it to the weigh scales and get an accurate, certified weight.
Back to my original comment, when I say '500 lb range', to me it looks like it would be in that 530-550 lb range. That's a huge bear, no doubt!!