Hey BooBoo; I'm larger than your average bear.

I received an e-mail from a friend that I was going to post; but decided to see if I could verify the story. This is what I came up with.

Summary of eRumor:There are two pictures of a hunter and a huge bear. The eRumor says the bear was killed on Hitchenbrook Island by an airman stationed at Elmendorf. It says the bear was 12 1/2 feet long and weighed an estimated 1600 pounds.A later version says the photo is of a forest service worker and also includes a picture of an alleged bear attack victim and says the bear had been responsible for several human deaths in Alaska and was the largest bear ever recorded. Some of the eRumors include pictures of mangled human remains alleged to have been one of the bear's victims.

The Truth:Thanks to our readers, the truth about these pictures has been found. The facts are a little different from the original eRumor, but the pictures do record the results of a true hunt and are real.The original pictures lacked the label linking them with hunting-pictures.com, but that is where the pictures reside. They were posted by a hunter who used the nickname Dalliwacker, on www.assaultweb.net, but who is, according to published articles, Jim Urban. He says that the bear was actually ten feet high and weighed between 1,000 and 1,200 pounds. He says the bear did not stand up then drop down and charge. It showed no aggression at all. He also says the bear was not shot on Hitchenbrook Island but, like all good hunters, he won't be specific about where he got it .The versions of the eRumor that claims the bear was a killer and was shot by a forest service employee or was a killer and human remains were found in his stomach, are false.

I googled "largest bear ever recorded + Alaska" and found this site: TruthorFiction.com

The stories that are being sent around are these:

Version #1 This bear was killed on Hitchenbrook Island by an airman stationed at Elmendorf. The bear measured 12 1/2 feet long and was estimated at over 1600 pounds.The guy was on his way to his hunting area when the bear stood up only 350 yards away. It dropped down and charged. The airman emptied his gun and the bear fell 10 yards from him.

Version #2 Do not view these photos if you get queasy at the sight of blood and bodies. This is not an "urban legend". REAL life, REAL danger, WILD ALASKA.

The photos are of a guy who works for the Forest Service. He was out deer hunting. A large grizzly bear charged him from about 50 yards away. He unloaded his 7mm Semi-automatic rifle into the bear and it dropped a few feet from him. The big bear was still alive so he reloaded and capped it in the head. The bear was over one thousand six hundred pounds. It stood 12' 6" high at the shoulder, and 14' to the top of his head. It's the largest grizzly bear ever recorded in the world. Of course, the game department did not let him keep it. It will be mounted and put on display at the Anchorage airport to remind tourists of the risks involved when in the wild. You would be level with the bear's belly button when he stood upright. When on all fours, he would look you in the eye. To give it additional perspective, consider that this bear, standing on its hind legs, could walk up to an average single story house and look over the roof. The bear had killed at least two people. His last meal was the unlucky hiker in the third picture. The Forest Service found his 38-caliber pistol emptied. Although the hiker fired six shots, only four managed to hit the bear. (they ultimately found four 38-caliber slugs along with the seven 7mm slugs inside the bear's dead body) The 38's only wounded him---and really pissed him off. The bear killed the hiker an estimated three days prior to the bear's own demise by the Forest Service worker.