Whoa! By BS meter is on red alert. This is likely the story of the young airman from Elmendorf AFB who shot a large griz' on Hinchinbrook Island and then positioned hisself several feet behind the bear for the pix. Yeah the paws were big. So what? I once placed my size 12 foot in a 9 foot sow's hind paw print with room to spare.
The biggest Brownie I ever saw was a 12 footer from the Olga Bay area of Kodiak Island. That bear weighed out at 1500 lbs. (parted of course). It is highly unlikely that they would get much bigger than that.
The other problem I have with this story is that as far as I can recomember, the USFS issues .375 H&H rifles for big Alaska bear protection. A 7mm Mag is OK for non-dangerous game like Sitka Blacktail deer and poodles and such but it is not a proper bear gun.
The Alaska Fish & Game service has a survey on guns used by Alaskan hunters. 6.3% use the .375 H&H and it is considered a brown bear gun. They mention at the end of it that hunters who use the bigger guns seldom get enough practice to be effective hunters. The kick wears them out during practice and good aim is more important than foot pounds of killing force, that a 30 ought 6 will pass through most large game. 46% of hunters tested on a moose silhouette at 100 yards had a "kill" with 3 shots.