NEWAYGO COUNTY, Mich. (WZZM)- A Kent City man has some bragging rights after shooting, what could be, one of the biggest black bears found in Michigan. It's skull measured just under 23 inches.
"Oh, it was just really overwhelming", says Don Corrigan. The avid hunter says he waited nine years for a bear tag from the State of Michigan. When he finally got one this year, he went to Newaygo County with his 10 year old son and a family friend. They spotted the bear on their trail camera. "I didn't really know how big the bear was. Knew it was maybe 300 pounds. He actually dressed or weighed 440 pounds."
When Don spotted the bear, it was less than 40 yards away. It took just one shot from his rifle to bring the bear down. "It wasn't until the next day, when I showed him to people. I didn't really realize how big he was until then."
Don immediately had the bear scored by an official measurer from the Boone and Crockett Club. That's a national conservation organization the keeps records of big game. "It's definitely number two in Michigan. There's another one that scored 23. This one scored 22 15/16."
According to Boone and Crockett, Don's bear, if verified, will likely be the biggest ranked bear in Michigan. Right now, nationally, the biggest was 23 10/16th's, taken from Utah in 1975. But, the largest bear ranked in Michigan was 22 3/16th's, in 2000 from Menominee County. The other bear that measured 23 inches around the skull was never verified by a panel of judges, so it was never given an official ranking.
For Don and his son, Jake, it's been an adventure they'll never forget. The head of the big bear will soon be added to their basement walls. "I think that it's just really cool", says Jake.
"Everybody's really excited. When I show it to people, a lot of them, their first reaction is they couldn't believe a bear, that big, lives in Newaygo County."
Don says he will be going through the Boone and Crockett verification process. He should know by the end of the year, how his bear ranks nationally.
In your voice
