cessna Report post Posted June 8, 2013 I took this bear after an all day run deep in a canyon. The hunt was in October 2012. I'm not too quick posting photos. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kidso Report post Posted June 8, 2013 Beautiful color! Saw a similar colored bear today in "Out of Africa" wildlife park and it got my blood pumping! 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cessna Report post Posted June 8, 2013 kidso, The bear in your avatar looks to be all black. Nice bear, we don't get many all black bears. Yes, I was pleased with the color. We're doing a stand-up motion type mount, to really show off the fur and color. He was right at six feet. For a man pushing seventy, it was all I could do to pull it off. Was your bear a desert bear? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
huntjunkie Report post Posted June 8, 2013 That is a NICE bear!! Love the color. I really want one that color. Hope I can pull it off when I'm as young as you. That's very respectable!! Hats off to ya! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AZLance Report post Posted June 8, 2013 Awesome bear! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ready2hunt Report post Posted June 8, 2013 Way to get it done! That's interesting you don't have too many all black bears. I wonder why that is? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kidso Report post Posted June 8, 2013 kidso,The bear in your avatar looks to be all black. Nice bear, we don't get many all black bears. Yes, I was pleased with the color. We're doing a stand-up motion type mount, to really show off the fur and color. He was right at six feet. For a man pushing seventy, it was all I could do to pull it off. Was your bear a desert bear? It was a "desert bear" only because it was harvested in the Sonoran Desert of Arizona. However, I called it in around the 5,500 foot elevation zone in a mountain canyon covered with oaks and manzanita. It was not a "prickly pear" bear from lower desert elevations. Perhaps your state has fewer black bears that have solid black hair or fur color because New Mexico is closer to the Great Plains than is Arizona, and thus traditionally had more grizzlies, which possibly lead to less early predation of young black bears with lighter hair colors as they looked like grizzlies to their natural predators? This would cause an increase in the survival of black bears possessing the genetic alleles for lighter hair color and is an example of a "survival of the fittest" strategy in nature that relies on a weaker animal mimicking a stronger more successful one. Thus, in New Mexico's breeding black bear popultion, there is likely a greater percentage of color phase alleles than that present in the Arizona black bear population. This makes sense to me, partcularly when applied to "western state" black bear populations versus "eastern state" populations. Interesting co-evolution and adaptation theories... 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bonecollector Report post Posted June 8, 2013 Great looking bear. Congrats Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tjhunt2 Report post Posted June 8, 2013 Congratulations on a very nice bear. My hat is also off to you young man. Thanks for sharing. kidso.........I know your heart got pumping overtime when you saw this one. TJ Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cessna Report post Posted June 9, 2013 Thanks for the compliments on the bear. I appreciate them. That's an interesting train of thought on the color phase kidso. I'll have to look into that more. Also, thanks for the young man compliment. I figure as long as the good Lord gives me the ability, I'll still hunt. tjhunt2, I love your dog in your avatar. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cvw789 Report post Posted June 9, 2013 Nice bear.. Congrats Cole Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lonne Report post Posted June 10, 2013 Very nice bear, way to go ! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
resolute Report post Posted June 10, 2013 Great looking bear! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cessna Report post Posted June 11, 2013 kidso, just for you information these three different color phase bears were taken about 10 miles apart in the same season. One all black, one dark brown, and one cinnamon. I looked up some information about why so few all black bears here. It appears your ideas in your earlier post were apparently what a lot of other folks think also. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Santana Outdoors Report post Posted June 11, 2013 Congrats on your bear, thats an awesome color. Sounds like a great hunt, thanks for sharing Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
