How to Field Judge Black Bears on the Paw

Not a year goes by that bear hunting doesn’t seem to grow in popularity. It’s understandable with the abundance of easy-to-acquire tags and fine table fare these animals provide. In light of the newly acquired love for bear hunting, I thought it might be helpful to break down how to properly field judge a black bear on the paw for the newcomers. They are, in my opinion, the hardest animal to do so with.

My goal here isn’t to push trophy hunting, although I do love big bears, but to try and educate you more on what you’re looking at for other reasons. For instance, shooting a sow with cubs is illegal in most places with the exception of Maine, but they discourage doing so. So, having a better idea of what a sow looks like can allow one to think a little more about the situation before pulling the trigger. Cubs hide easily and can easily be missed by way of an itchy trigger finger.

It’s also quite rewarding knowing if you’re looking at a giant bear or not, just like when you see a giant buck. Bears don’t have antlers, though, so we need to pay attention to other things about the animal to get a better idea of size and sex. I think it’s safe to say that when it comes to deer, we like knowing if we’re looking at a doe, spike, or a giant buck.

Boar or Sow? Sexing

In the bear hunting community, we like to play a little game called boar or sow. Even some of the most experienced bear hunters out there get it wrong sometimes.

With that said, there are a few distinguishing features that can lean your decision one way or the other.

Keep in mind that in order to make the most accurate call possible, a bear needs to show more than one of these features, not just one. These are in no particular order.

The Obvious

Tricks aside, sometimes you can get a visual of the penial sheath as a bear moves or their testicles. A male archery bear I harvested years ago came into a water source at 30 yards. Once the bear turned away from me, I saw his buddies hanging and knew immediately it was a boar. So, along with what’s below, you should also try to look below if you can.

Body Shape

The body of a boar vs. a sow is different. When looking at a bear broadside, note the shape of the body, particularly from the front elbow to the hind quarter. If the belly is fairly even with the ground, this is a feature of a boar. However, if the belly is much smaller towards the front elbow and bigger towards the back, this is a feature of a sow. Another way to look at it is a sow tends to be more pear-shaped than a boar.

Bears aren’t always standing broadside, so here’s another thing to look at. If a bear is across a canyon from you, either facing your direction or directly away, look at the broadness of the shoulders vs. the rear end. On a boar, the front shoulders will be at a minimum even with the rear, but more commonly the front shoulders will be much more broad than the rear end. On a sow, the rear end will be larger than the front shoulders.

The Wrist

Let’s talk about the wrists. The front leg of a boar will have a much more even width all the way down to the paw. So, their wrists look the same width as their forearm. On a sow, the front leg tapers down to the wrist and looks much more dainty.

The Macho Movements

Boars are territorial animals and tend to stomp when they walk, especially the bigger ones. You can see their skin shake on impact when they do this. I’ve also noticed that boars will walk over small trees/shrubs with their crotch.

The Head

Last, but certainly not least, is the shape of the head. Sows are going to have more of a pinhead if that makes sense. Their head is more pointy than that of a boar. If the muzzle continues straight back into the cheek up to the ear, it’s likely a sow. But, if the muzzle goes back toward the cheek and then the cheek shoots out to each side, that’s a feature of a boar.

Big Bear or Little Bear?

Boar vs. sow isn’t everything. Many of us also want to know if we’re looking at a biggin or not. This can be the hardest thing to judge, especially from a distance, and especially with medium-sized bears.

Again, The Head

A good trick to see if you’re looking at a decent bear or not is paying attention to the triangle. Draw a line from ear tip to ear tip, then down to the nose and back up to the other ear. This should make a triangle. If the distance between the ears is equal to the distance from ear to nose, this is a bigger bear. But, if the distance between the ears is smaller, well, that means it’s not a big bear. Bigger bears will also have more of a coke can type of muzzle and a crease going down the center of their head.

Ears

Speaking of ears, that’s another thing to take note of. Smaller ears on the sides of a bear’s head are a feature of a bigger bear. However, if the ears are larger and closer together, more on the top of the head, this is a feature of a smaller bear.

Sauntering

Watching a bear move is quite mesmerizing. This is another thing you can gain intel from to shed light on the size of a bear. Bigger mature bears move quite a bit slower than smaller immature bears. The bigger ones fluidly float across the hill like they aren’t in a hurry. Smaller immature bears are much more bouncy in their movements and move quicker overall.

Bear vs. Tree for Perspective

A trick I learned from an outfitter was to not only look at the bear but also at the things around it to get an idea of how big it is. For instance, here in Arizona, our bears will often feed on prickly pear cactus in the fall. Knowing the size in inches of a prickly pear pad is a great way to gauge the size of a bear next to it. It’s much like how folks that bait bears will compare them to the height of the bait barrel. You can do this with other things like tree trunk diameter as well.

Age and Size are Different

Something that gets heavily misunderstood in bear hunting is that an old bear is a big bear. While that can be the case, it can also be so far from the truth it’s not even funny. I like to think of bears like I think of people. Some folks are just naturally bigger or smaller than others. It doesn’t matter how they were brought up or what they eat; they are what they are.

Of course, those things can have an impact on muscle mass and overall health, but a big person is a big person, and a big bear, or small bear, is what it is.

I have seen bears get harvested that were 16 years old. Obviously, they should be a giant, but what lay on the ground looks like a young bear on the surface. I’ve also seen the opposite happen when a bear is nowhere near maturity, which is about 4 years old, but they look like a giant.

In order to help tell the difference, use what I’ve talked about above. Pay attention to how they move. I once shot a bear that was on the small side, but because of how it moved, I pulled the trigger. The bear turned out to be 4 years old. Aside from this, an obvious sign of age is really old bears will get gray in the face. I wouldn’t put a ton of stock into that though, because this can be hard to see from a distance.

In Closing

While I believe it’s important to know how to field judge a bear, even just a little bit, I also want to point out that you shouldn’t get so wrapped up in it, especially if you’re new. Don’t look at animals as products with a number attached to them. Look at them as experiences and blessings. It’s a privilege to go into the mountains and find these animals thriving in the harsh environment they call home. Go have a good time and embrace the adventure that bear hunting brings because it’s always an adventure.

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