It can be difficult to sex your target while you’re out black bear hunting—it isn’t always possible to get a look at the plumbing before taking a shot. Here are the best ways to tell whether you have a boar or a sow in your sights:
Size and Weight: Black Bear Boar
Boars take twice as long as sows to become full adults, and aren’t fully developed until the age of 12; females are done developing by six. It’s no wonder that the males are so much larger. Male black bears typically weigh just shy of 200 pounds, but the largest can weigh in at 500 or more. Females are much lighter, generally 125 to 150 pounds or so, and reach 300 pounds in the most extreme cases.
Most of the weight difference comes down to width rather than length. Either gender will typically stand about five feet tall if it rears onto its hind legs, but females are noticeably more slender than males. Read more…..