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Craig resident Richard Kendall, left, stands with the 703-pound black bear he killed Nov. 20. After tracking the bear with a friend, Kendall crawled into the bear’s cave and shot it from about six feet away. He said it took about 45 minutes to pull the bear out of the cave, with help from three friends.

Courtesy Photo |

Craig resident Richard Kendall, 56, stands Wednesday with the skull of a 703-pound male black bear he shot Nov. 20 in the Wilson Creek area of Moffat County. Kendall said the bear could be a state record. He said his skull measured 22 and 5/8 inches, while the current state record measures 22 and 9/16 inches.

Photo by Brian Smith |

Richard Kendall poses with his trophy black bear Nov. 20 in the Wilson Creek area of Moffat County. Kendall went into the bear’s cave and shot the animal twice.

Photo by Brian Smith |

The skull of the 703-pound black bear shot by Richard Kendall is shown here. Kendall said he has been hunting for big black bears his whole life, but has never gotten one until now.

Photo by Brian Smith |

Craig native Richard Kendall, 56, stands with the rifle he used to kill his trophy 703-pound black bear Nov. 20. Kendall said he has been hunting his whole life, but is not sure he’ll be able to top his recent kill.

Photo by Brian Smith |

Richard Kendall, 56, holds the head of the 703-pound black bear he killed Nov. 20 in the Wilson Creek area of Moffat County. Kendall hopes the kill will be the new state record for a black bear.

Courtesy Photo |