The weight of a bear is certainly hard to estimate. And they are very hard to manhandle, even the small ones. They are floppy and everything on a bear seems heavy! Pick one end up and the other end seems to weigh as much as the whole bear...

We have a scale here at the ranch we use from time to time. We have no bear of the size of yours around here. Well, almost none. There are a few grizzly that wander in and around my place here, but they are rare. Mostly we have the common black bear, and our blackies are generally small. I killed my 9th one this year {September} and my son also killed one. Yours pictured here is much larger than ours.

Are these Romanian bear ever hunted with hounds? Hunting bear with hounds is, I believe, my favorite form of hunting. Here in the mountains it demands much stamina from the hounds and hunters. Hunts always seem to go straight up both ways! Our bear gain in stamina what they lack in size and are incredible ridgerunners, and many hunts are finished with worn out dogs...absolutely worn out hunters, and no bear. They have amazing tenacity, endurance, and at times, aggression. They are very hard animals to predict.

Your .470 would get very heavy carrying on a bear hunt here as it is done running full speed up and down the mountains, very tough at times, and the poor gun would come out of it nicked, scratched, dented and forlorn! Houndsmans' guns are the worst looking bullet chuckers in the woods...

Of course, if you ever get over to these parts, such a hunt would be a great reason to commission Peter and the Rigby gang to build a very light medium bore double. Or something the houndsmen might not let you leave with...a double .444 Marlin...

I cannot think of a better rifle for such use here on our bear than a 3 kg double .444, as long as the hunter doesn't mind "battle scars" all over it when the hunt is done!

Danke sehr für Seine Jaktgeschichte! Very interesting stuff!