Bear Tales

I got back to the Bolt Hole to discover there were plenty of black bear in my neck of the woods, too. Mark had been maintaining the three game cameras we had set out and we got some great shots of of two, perhaps three, black bears. This couple got our attention.

The bear on the left is female and the larger boar is on the right facing the camera. She weighs in at between 250 and 275 while he may top 400 pounds. How do I know which is male and female? We have pictures from a later night visit that could best be described as "bear porn" in which it is very clear which is which!

When we went out to check the batteries and switch the memory cards, Mark carried his 870 with a couple of birdshot loads and a slug. Just in case. We would much rather wait until this fall when bear season rolls around. Big Ben would make a hell of a wall hanging. We would rather not shoot the little lady as she will supply bears for the future.

Mark posed to give a perspective of the bear sizes. Mark is nearly 6 feet tall (when upright) and weighs about 200 pounds.