Brown bear

Scientific name: Ursus arctos

How weight is recorded: Whole weight

Field notes

Appearance

Brown bears have a distinctive shoulder hump, dished face profile, and rounded ears. Coat colour ranges from blonde to nearly black, with individuals often displaying grizzled or lighter-tipped guard hairs; males are notably larger and more robust than females.

Size and weight

Males 180–250 kg (occasionally to 360 kg), body length 200–250 cm; females 100–160 kg, body length 180–210 cm.

Habitat

Brown bears occupy diverse terrain from boreal forests and montane woodlands to alpine meadows and coastal zones. They prefer areas with mixed cover—dense forest adjacent to open feeding grounds—and are found from sea level to 3,500 m elevation depending on latitude and food availability.

Distribution

Brown bears occur across northern Eurasia (Scandinavia to eastern Russia) and western North America (Alaska through western Canada to northern U.S. Rockies). They favour forested and alpine zones with reliable food sources and minimal human settlement.

Diet

Brown bears are omnivorous and highly seasonal: spring diet emphasizes emerging vegetation and ungulate carrion; summer shifts to berries, fish, and insects; autumn focused on hyperphagia foods (salmon, nuts, berries) to build fat reserves.

Behaviour

Active primarily at dawn, dusk, and night, though daytime movement increases during peak feeding periods. Generally solitary except during breeding and salmon runs; they are mobile, ranging widely across established home ranges with seasonal migration patterns.

Hunting tips

Key sign includes large five-toed tracks (10+ cm wide), scat containing fur or berries, overturned logs and rocks, and bark-rubbed trees. Approach upwind through mixed cover, using terrain folds and tree lines to close distance; hunt early morning or late evening when bears actively feed in open meadows or along watercourses. Move slowly and stop frequently to glass open areas; be prepared for close encounters given their hearing ability and dense cover.

Whole weight

This species is logged by whole weight — the animal weighed entire, as taken.

Where it is hunted

Listed as huntable in 17 countries in Huntify.

Names in other languages

These field notes are general species knowledge, not legal advice. Always check the current seasons, quotas and firearm rules where you hunt.