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Okay so I rode my bike out of town to a local creek and i'm only 12 so I was a little nervous because it was my first creek fishing trip without my dad and i was fishing and I looked down and saw a bear track. I put my hand next to it and the track was bigger then my hand. There's no grizzlies in the U.P of Michigan. I have no experience tracking bears so I was wondering how big this bear might be. I measured it and it was 6 inches across and 4 inches from the back of the pad to the tip of the toe.
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This is just a guess but I'd say in the 150/200 lb range. -
6 inch wide front pad? This is a real beast. People that want a bear in the books look for tracks like this.Comment
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Small-ish Black Bear......Comment
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That sounds like a front foot. The back foot is longer than it is wide. IMS for each inch the front pad is wide the hide should square approximately 1 foot. Hence 6 inch track equals a 6 ft bear. That is a medium to fairly large sized black bear. Depending on area. In Northern AK that would be big. In Southern AK where they eat Salmon not so big.
I found a grizzly track in a creekbed near Cantwell, AK once. My size 12 boot easily fit into his rear paw print.Comment
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I don't know Web, Next time bring your dad and a 357.Comment
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You add 1 to the front pad width in inches and you have what the bear squares. So this is about a 7 foot bear. A big one.Comment
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Being a bear hunter up in Northern WI, I have seen my fair share of bear tracks. Six inches is pretty wide, a nice bear, but to consider the size(weight) of the bear depends on much the print sinks into the soil. If it is hard ground and still leaves a dent in the soil then it would be a dandy.We haverst on bear 2 years ago with a 5 1/2 inch pad that weighed only 225 lbs. It is really hard to guess the size of a bear just on the size of the track. We killed 350 pound bear that the track was not very wide but sunk into the ground pretty good. So you really can not go by the size of the track. Also if you see a bear, to determine if it is a nice bear, pay attention to the length but more imporantly the space between the belly of the bear and the ground.The less space there is the biggger the bear.Comment
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Mr.Kyle i would like to inform you that the track was in mud. It was sunk in about 3 or 4 inches but i didn't measure the depth.Comment
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It is hard to guess the size of the bear without seeing the track but from your information i would have to guess 250-350 pounds not a monster but a nice bear.Comment
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So do you guys think that it would be safe to go fish there or should i go somewhere else. I know that black bears aren't as agressive and dangerous as grizzlies, but i still think that a black bear could be dangerous if i was in it's fishing grounds and i hope that there was no cub tracks that i didn't know about cuz nothing is more dangerous than a sow with cubs.Comment
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web7,
It will be fine to fish there!! That bear might be at the same spot weeks from now. I would still fish there if I was in your boat. They are more afraid of you than you are of him!!! If you do not mess with the cubs like trying trying to play with them you will be okay. This time of year the cubs know to listen to momma bear and when mamma smells you she will take her cubs and get out the there. The bear nose is hundreds times stronger than you and I. So don't be afraid to keep on fishing there. If you want to hear some good bear hunting stories let know.Comment
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Where do you get that inch wide pad into one foot long. example 6 inch pad=6 foot long bear?Comment
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Sure i could go for some bear hunting stories just post em and i'll read em. Do you hunt bears? If so whats the biggest one you've harvested?Comment
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Oh by the way mr kyle if you want to see hunting and fishing pictures of me then look at walleye photos and go to "Limited Out" or on photos go to "First Deer"Comment
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