Just got a call from Duane Helland who shot the state record black bear in 2002. Didn't know what he had until someone told him to have it scored. So he did in march 2003. He said it scored 22-11 and that blew me away. I just looked in the last B&C record book and that score ties him for 6th place in the world! He said it went a little over 400lbs. (426?) He said there was no fat on it, and the teeth were ground all the way down. No wonder, they aged it at 21 years old. Anyway, he left it in a tree to hang awhile and also tried to boil it out. So that is why he called me try and make it look more presentable. He said B&C wants him to send pictures and wants to do a story on it. Found this all very interesting to say the least. Never know what your next business call may bring you. I am excited to get to work on it. Does anyone know where this one would rank in the pope and young category. He didn't tell me but i will ask him more when he drops it off.
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I don't know on the pope and young score, but I have a similar story,
A quite a few years back, the group I bear hunt with, with hounds, shot a big bear. I did a bear rug for the lady who shot it. I took the skull and left it out on the ground, by one of my wife's goat pens, in a lane. As time went by, I decided to go check on it, the weeds had grown up around it, I had to pick up some teeth.
I took it in the house and soaked it in some peroxide and then some bleach and then set it back out in the sun. I turned out real nice and white, another hunter I was doing a bear mount for saw it, and asked what it scored, I told him I did not know, the people who got it were not into scoring it, or records. We measured it, it was 23 5/16, he said that it would beat the current Michigan state record. So when I gave it back to them, I told them.
They did not get it officially scored, until, two years later, it scored around 23 1/16, I am not exactly sure. But it is now number 1 in Michigan, and 5th in the Nation. The skull now sets in Cadilac Mi. at a bear museum. That was and might be the biggest black bear I ever worked on, they have it on their wall, it touches the ceiling and almost the floor from left to right.
Had I known about it's chances of being a record bear, I never would have left it out on the ground, now I have and old stock watering tank, with a cover on it, that I use to leave skulls in, to macerate?
I know the excitement you feel to work on a bear that big, but, it sure will wear your elbows out, fleshing it.
of a better person to take on the job! See you in Feb. Jeff, I've got 4 skulls to bring you. Maybe I'll mail them sooner. If your looking for someone that will make your skulls look great and last get ahold of Jeff
I'm with John.Jeff does all of our skulls for us and we hear raves from all of our customers.I wouldn't hesitate to reccomend him to anyone.