Skull Found in Wisconsin May Be From 3rd Largest Black Bear Ever

A new state-record and possibly third-largest all-time black bear was recently taken in Wisconsin. By hand…

From this story in the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel:
Wade Brockman of Tomah makes his living as a cranberry grower. Aside from work and family, though, he says his life “revolves around hunting.” So it should come as no surprise that Brockman was in a tree stand on his farm Nov. 28, the last day of the 2010 Wisconsin gun deer season. He didn’t see a deer, didn’t fire a shot. But he did bring home a trophy that day, one that is now officially of historic proportions. While Brockman hunted out the deer season, a worker combined corn on another part of the 800-acre farm. The worker found a large, dead animal in the field and reported it to Brockman.
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_Considering Monroe County has lots of cows but relatively few bears, “you know what I was thinking,” said Brockman, 35. What Brockman found not only surprised him but has caused a revision to the state – and likely world – record book. The animal was indeed a very large, very old black bear. It had been dead for perhaps two months, said Brockman, so no weight could be attained. However, since bear records are based on skull measurements, he obtained a permit from the Department of Natural Resources to legally take the bear into possession. The result? The bear’s skull measured 23  5/16 inches, a Wisconsin record. If accepted by Boone and Crockett, it would rank third in the world, said Brockman. Both Boone and Crockett and the Wisconsin Buck & Bear Club have categories for “pickups,” animals found dead from vehicle collisions, for example.