# How old is this bear?



## rtockstein (Mar 17, 2019)

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B2nK5xANSISVWURSVEZVcmY5RHJyUkRtMHdZTnN4OFgxMFBj/view?usp=sharing

I saw this bear multiple times while I was hunting. How old does everyone think it is, and is it possible to tell from this picture whether it's a sow or boar? I saw it in the dark and it was attracted to my freshly killed elk, but it seemed very confused and maybe a bit scared of my headlamp. I yelled at it and it didn't seem to phase it, but after I started crashing limbs and tossing branches to make more noise, it finally left. It made the noise that sounds a bit like a steam locomotive while pacing back and forth... I looked up the meaning of this sound and I believe it's the noise they make when they're scared but trying to sound threatening. Not having any real close encounters with black bears before, I don't know how its behaviors could give information on its age. But, my impressions were that it was a younger bear.

I know nothing about bear hunting but would like to go after some at some point. I could buy a harvest objective tag where I could hunt through most of October or a Pursuit tag where I could hunt the first two weeks of November. If I saw this bear in the first weekend of archery elk season, what's the likelihood of it still being in that area during one of those seasons? I would assume it would be lower in elevation if the whether really turns wintery by then, but I don't know.


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## taxidermist (Sep 11, 2007)

It looks to be a younger bore to me. (Ears are closer together) Nice color phase bear for sure. I know it would be tuff to pass on him if I had a tag.


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## Slap That Quack (Mar 2, 2017)

I agree, looks like a young bor. Cool though.


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## Kevin D (Sep 15, 2007)

Just a clarification on what taxidermist said, boars in general have their ears spaced farther apart than sows, though ears on young bear including boars all appear closer together. 

That huffing noise bears make is them voicing their annoyance, it's meant to intimidate.

I can't really tell boar or sow from your photo, as much as anything I go by track size. Find a clear front track and measure the width of the pad. 4.5 inches or greater is gonna be a boar and anything less is likely to be a sow or little boar.

Bear are fairly nomadic, they move around a lot following food sources. If there is oak brush in the vicinity that's where the bear will likely be from now until the snow flies.


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## rtockstein (Mar 17, 2019)

That's really interesting! Thanks for all the information! I really enjoyed getting to watch it and interact with it a little bit. They're pretty neat creatures. I'll have to do some research so I have a better idea of what I'm looking at next time.


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## elkunited (Aug 16, 2019)

Cool photo. I don't know a whole lot about bears so this was an interesting post to read.


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## johnnycake (Jul 19, 2011)

I think based on that photo it's tough to say if it's a younger boar or an average sow. The face just had that feminine look to me and the body doesn't really look like a young boar


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## PBH (Nov 7, 2007)

Here's a couple friends we made on the archery hunt:


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## shiras (Aug 21, 2019)

rtockstein said:


> I could buy a harvest objective tag where I could hunt through most of October or a Pursuit tag where I could hunt the first two weeks of November.


Pursuit tags don't let you kill the bear, only pursue it:

https://rules.utah.gov/publicat/code/r657/r657-033.htm#T4

It's in the DWR's Black Bear Guidebook too.

Good luck hunting this guy! It's great that you found him in a harvest objective unit.


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## wadedylan2 (Apr 22, 2019)

We were back in the same area hunting two weeks after my buddy got his elk on the opener and a sow and cub had dragged the rib cage like 100 yards down the mountain. They made quite the little scene. We knew the guys in the area with a camera that had pictures of them. Bears are cool, just happy they're of the black variety!


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## johnnycake (Jul 19, 2011)

PBH, that boar in the top pic is a BEAR! Wow, he's gorgeous


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## PBH (Nov 7, 2007)

johnnycake said:


> PBH, that boar in the top pic is a BEAR! Wow, he's gorgeous


Stubborn too.


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## PBH (Nov 7, 2007)

here's a video of him.


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## pollo70 (Aug 15, 2016)

wadedylan2 said:


> We were back in the same area hunting two weeks after my buddy got his elk on the opener and a sow and cub had dragged the rib cage like 100 yards down the mountain. They made quite the little scene. We knew the guys in the area with a camera that had pictures of them. Bears are cool, just happy they're of the black variety!


I agree.. I am not at ease in Grizzly country!


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