A 9-foot long Grizzly Bear was killed by Alaskan Larry Fitzgerald near Fairbanks, Alaska. The bear was killed in 2013 and has recently been confirmed officially as the largest bear ever killed by a hunter.
“I’m not really a trophy hunter or anything. But I guess it is kind of cool. We knew it was big. It was a rush.” – Larry Fitzgerald
Fitzgerald shot the Grizzly from about 20 yards away with a Sako 300 rifle.
The Boone and Crockett Club collects data on hunting kills. They measured the bear’s skull at 27 & 6/16ths inches, second only to the largest bear skull in known history found in 1976.
“Grizzly populations are doing well across all their ranges. That includes populations in the Lower 48 states that are currently federally protected under the Endangered Species Act, but will soon be up for delisting and management authority turned over to the watchful eye of state wildlife managers.” – Boone and Crockett chairman Richard Hale
This Grizzly was found very near the city of Fairbanks. It’s unusual to find a Griz this big this close to a city.
“One would think that a relatively accessible area, with liberal bear-hunting regulations to keep populations in line with available habitat and food, would be the last place to find one of the largest grizzly bears on record.” – Boone and Crockett chairman Richard Hale
