bear hunting

shooter43 · February 19, 2011, 11:04 PM

Ive always thought that predator hunting is absolutely thrilling. Ive wanted to go bear hunting for awihle. If given the oppurtunity, what is the bare minimum I would need in terms of calibers, bullet types, etc.? These are grizzlies by the way.

T. O'Heir · February 20, 2011, 03:09 AM

Yogi isn't a predator. He's an opportunistic omnivore just like humans.
Grizzlies have been killed with everything, including the .270 Win and .30-30, but minimum for inexperienced hunters would be a .308/.30-06 class calibre with 180 grain plus bullets that are made to penetrate. A lot of hunters opt for a .300 Magnum though.
Where you plan on going matters too.

Rifleman1776 · February 20, 2011, 09:23 AM

Ask yer guide. Personally, I wouldn't go with anything less than .300 mag. I know much smaller calibers have been used but most of us want insurance for a quick, humane kill and self-protection. If going for big Alaskan coastal Kodiak griz' I would probably choose the .338 maggie.
I would really like to use my traditional muzzle loader, a .54 cal. Jaeger flintlock. But I have read enough about history, including grizzly encounters to know it is not enough gun for the job.

jackpine · February 20, 2011, 06:32 PM

depends on things. If things go south your guise is payed to clean up the mess. The best way to not have that mess is make the first shot count. Use your favorite deer rifle assuming it's not a little 243/25 popgun. Use a heavy for caliber bullet and shoot well.

ammo.crafter · February 20, 2011, 06:40 PM

I've used my .444Marlin with hand loads of 315gr cast Keith style with gas check.

Consider a .338 Win Mag. Plenty of power, range and a proven killer.

Have fun!

grubbylabs · February 20, 2011, 06:52 PM

I have found that if you smother yourself in honey and cook bacon they will come in close enough you could use almost any thing at hand to kill one

Art Eatman · February 21, 2011, 10:02 AM

Comments from guides in gunzine articles lead me to believe that .300WinMag and up are the recommendations. .338s, .375H&H and suchlike.

It's not just the kill as a kill. It's the stopping in case of "Oops!" There's a big difference...

Willis · February 21, 2011, 11:45 AM

For bear “calling” all you need is a 12 ga with 00 buck. Here is how you do it. You take a couple cans of sterno, a couple pounds of bacon, and a frying pan into the woods where you think there are bears. You setup in a thick place in the woods and cook two pieces of bacon. You cook with sterno because it doesn’t smoke and cover up the smell of the bacon cooking. You eat the two pieces of bacon and keep a watch out down wind. You have to eat the bacon and not put it down or you would be baiting and that is illegal here in Montana. If you get grease on your hands just wipe them on your pants. It will help with the "hunting". You repeat this every hour for the day. You repeat this in a new area each day until a bear shows up. When the bear does show up he will be well in range of the 12 ga with 00 buck before you see him. As always, tell someone where you will be so they will know where to look if you don’t come home.

Willis

Buzzcook · February 21, 2011, 01:29 PM

Ask your guide. I've heard .338 as a minimum.

As with any other game, accuracy is the most important thing. If you can group your shots inside 5" at 100yds from field positions you should be ok.

Wolfeye · February 22, 2011, 08:05 PM

The largest animal I've hunted is deer, but my father used to hunt brownbear in his day. His choice caliber was .338 win mag, and he had a preference for 100% copper expanding bullets, probably from Barnes. I think he shot mostly handloads.

Personally, I'd go as powerful as .300 win mag or .35 whelen; .338's recoil is a bit much for me.

Wyosmith · February 22, 2011, 08:31 PM

Black bear are not much harder to kill then a large deer. Grizzlies are a totally different animal. A large (not trophy) black bear will go about 350 pounds and a large (not trophy) grizzly will go about 650 to 700.
Now you'd think the grizzly would be 2X harder to put down.
Well,------ grizzlies are a lot more then 2X more bear, and for what reason I can't really say.
We have LOTS of grizzlies here in Wyoming. I have been around them for years and have seen first hand what they can do.
I used to kill black bears easily with various "deer rifles" and about anything that you can depend on to break a big deer bone will do on blackies.
Grizzlies.....well you want to use anything up to and including a 458, as long as you can shoot it WELL, and do it pretty fast.
Now I would galdly shoot a large Grizzly with my 270 as long as I could shoot without the bear knowing I was there. All animals on earth can be killed with small calibers IF you get to choose the placement and are willing to go home without shooting at all unless you get the shot you want.

Most of us don't want to go home without a shot. So it's best to shoot something "big enough" or even a bit bigger then you need, as long as you can shoot it WELL!
I am 100% certain you are better off with a 30-06 and 220 grain bullets, facing a grizzly then you are with anything more powerful, if you shoot the 06 well and you don't shoot the _____ < (add your caliber here) well.

You MUST shoot well!

If you have to face a bear that is mad, the rules are going to change, and not in a way you will like.

If you can hit an orange at close range in 1 1/2 seconds EVERY time, and your bullet will hold together and penetrate making a good sized wound, then you are fine with what ever you carry.

If you can't hit the orange EVERY time with more power, then the more powerful rifle is not going to help you against a grizzly, and in fact, it's likely to make things worse (if you can get worse then being killed......I don't know...)

Jack O'Conner · March 10, 2011, 03:37 PM

Don't under estimate the lethality of a well placed shot. This bear was taken within northern California with an antique Winchester model 94.

Jack

jgcoastie · March 21, 2011, 01:06 AM

That's a wittle bitty wittle bear... Almost too small to really call it a bear...

This is a bear...

mete · March 21, 2011, 01:16 AM

Last nights Alaska Trooper program he used a good choice - a Marlin guide gun in 45-70 , stainless with composite stock.
If you want to use a shotgun DON'T use 00 buckshot.Slug only !

jgcoastie · March 21, 2011, 01:17 AM

In Alaska, most every guide you can buy will tell you .300 Win Mag is the minimum they allow their clients to carry for brown bears.

Most everyone I know that hunts or has hunted brown bears uses/used a .338 Win Mag or a .375 H&H Mag.

Every guide I know carries a .45/70 Gov't lever gun.

I've hunted them with a Browning BAR .30/06 with 200gr Nosler Partitions... But my backup buddy carried my .45/70 Marlin.... I carried the .45/70 as backup the next year for him... He carried his Matthews bow.

The caliber isn't nearly as important as the shooter. If you're carrying a .600 Nitro Express and you can't put holes in a barn door from the inside, then that firepower ain't gonna be worth much in the bush... If you have a .30/06 Spfd that you can drive tacks with from 10ft to 150yds, then you need to get some 200gr or 220gr (whichever groups the best) Nosler Partitions or similar ammo and use it.

spclPatrolGroup · March 21, 2011, 09:42 AM

Any good deer setup will be fine for black bear, I have taken a black bear with my .270, .47/70, and a 50 cal muzzle loader.

Big Bill · March 23, 2011, 03:21 AM

Quote:

These are grizzlies by the way.

Just in case some of you missed it in the OP. Black bears aren't grizzlies.

BikerRN · March 23, 2011, 10:15 AM

Quote:

Black bears aren't grizzlies.

One little fact that many fail to recognize.

Biker

Buckfever4life · March 23, 2011, 11:05 AM

Not to hack this Thread, I used a 338 Win Mag to harvest my Saskatchewan Black Bear. This is no Grizzly, but I woul not hesitate to use this gun on a Grizzly or any North American game animal.

grubbylabs · March 23, 2011, 12:42 PM

Those are some nice bears you all have harvested.

Buzzcook · March 23, 2011, 09:14 PM

Somewhere on the forum there's a picture of a man with two huge grizzlies that he'd shot. The guy is holding an M1 Carbine.

I'd say that pretty much proves that shot placement trumps power.

Buckfever4life · March 24, 2011, 03:35 AM

Quote:

Somewhere on the forum there's a picture of a man with two huge grizzlies that he'd shot. The guy is holding an M1 Carbine.

I'd say that pretty much proves that shot placement trumps power.

Yes indeed, shot placement is the key, but I would rather have the extra bit of oomf with a larger caliber than to rely on a perfect shot placement on a large angry grizzly, esp on a spot and stalk type of hunt.

ripnbst · March 26, 2011, 02:13 PM

Marlin in .45/70 is the standard that guides carry so that is what I would also take. But that is just me.

If the guides who are hunting bears, or carrying a gun they know will kill any bear they may encounter, then I would want to mimic that.

Also to the "shot placement is key". I agree with this. So buy your gun in caliber of choice months before and put 200 rounds through it at targets practicing standing, shouldering, and firing in under 5 seconds. Or practice going from standing to crouched/kneeling and shouldering and firing in 3-5 seconds. If its me, the crouching/kneeling is adding more movement I'd have to stop before getting on target so I would just shoulder from standing. If you can hit a pie plate consistently I'd be comfortable.

I know people will say(in whining voice) "But 200 rnds of .300 WIN MAG is over $400"

My response is:
1. What is your life worth?
2. What did you pay for the hunt?

Considering the amount of money you likely spent on the hunt and your life is potentially on the line an additional $400 is money well spent if you ask me.

natman · March 27, 2011, 03:42 AM

Quote:

Somewhere on the forum there's a picture of a man with two huge grizzlies that he'd shot. The guy is holding an M1 Carbine.

I'd say that pretty much proves that shot placement trumps power.

What it proves is that if you make a perfect central nervous system hit (brain or spine) you can kill animals with pretty light guns. The problem is that in the real world you're not always going to be presented with a perfect CNS shot and then power comes in real handy.

I expect you might have some difficulty finding an Alaskan bear guide who'll take you out for grizzlies armed with an M1 carbine.

hooligan1 · March 27, 2011, 05:45 AM

JGcoastie!!!! are you crazy???!!!!now stay away from those dudes man!!!!

That bear could eat a FAMILY!!!IN THEIR CAR!!!!!

February 19, 2011, 11:04 PM	#1
shooter43 Member Join Date: January 17, 2011 Location: Florida Posts: 70	bear hunting Ive always thought that predator hunting is absolutely thrilling. Ive wanted to go bear hunting for awihle. If given the oppurtunity, what is the bare minimum I would need in terms of calibers, bullet types, etc.? These are grizzlies by the way.

February 20, 2011, 03:09 AM	#2
T. O'Heir Senior Member Join Date: February 13, 2002 Location: Canada Posts: 12,453	Yogi isn't a predator. He's an opportunistic omnivore just like humans. Grizzlies have been killed with everything, including the .270 Win and .30-30, but minimum for inexperienced hunters would be a .308/.30-06 class calibre with 180 grain plus bullets that are made to penetrate. A lot of hunters opt for a .300 Magnum though. Where you plan on going matters too. __________________ Spelling and grammar count!

February 20, 2011, 06:40 PM	#5
ammo.crafter Senior Member Join Date: June 25, 2006 Location: The Keystone State Posts: 1,970	big bear I've used my .444Marlin with hand loads of 315gr cast Keith style with gas check. Consider a .338 Win Mag. Plenty of power, range and a proven killer. Have fun! __________________ "Peace is that brief glorious moment in history when everybody stands around reloading". --Thomas Jefferson

February 20, 2011, 06:52 PM	#6
grubbylabs Senior Member Join Date: October 11, 2009 Location: Hansen Idaho Posts: 1,465	I have found that if you smother yourself in honey and cook bacon they will come in close enough you could use almost any thing at hand to kill one __________________ * (Swinging club) Whack! whack! whack! * Nope, the old nag's still dead . (Capt Charlie)

February 21, 2011, 11:45 AM	#8
Willis Member Join Date: June 14, 2005 Location: Montana Posts: 37	Bear "calling" For bear “calling” all you need is a 12 ga with 00 buck. Here is how you do it. You take a couple cans of sterno, a couple pounds of bacon, and a frying pan into the woods where you think there are bears. You setup in a thick place in the woods and cook two pieces of bacon. You cook with sterno because it doesn’t smoke and cover up the smell of the bacon cooking. You eat the two pieces of bacon and keep a watch out down wind. You have to eat the bacon and not put it down or you would be baiting and that is illegal here in Montana. If you get grease on your hands just wipe them on your pants. It will help with the "hunting". You repeat this every hour for the day. You repeat this in a new area each day until a bear shows up. When the bear does show up he will be well in range of the 12 ga with 00 buck before you see him. As always, tell someone where you will be so they will know where to look if you don’t come home. Willis

February 20, 2011, 09:23 AM	#3
Rifleman1776 Senior Member Join Date: April 25, 2010 Location: Arkansas Posts: 3,309	Ask yer guide. Personally, I wouldn't go with anything less than .300 mag. I know much smaller calibers have been used but most of us want insurance for a quick, humane kill and self-protection. If going for big Alaskan coastal Kodiak griz' I would probably choose the .338 maggie. I would really like to use my traditional muzzle loader, a .54 cal. Jaeger flintlock. But I have read enough about history, including grizzly encounters to know it is not enough gun for the job.

February 20, 2011, 06:32 PM	#4
jackpine Senior Member Join Date: November 24, 2010 Posts: 351	depends on things. If things go south your guise is payed to clean up the mess. The best way to not have that mess is make the first shot count. Use your favorite deer rifle assuming it's not a little 243/25 popgun. Use a heavy for caliber bullet and shoot well.

February 21, 2011, 10:02 AM	#7
Art Eatman Staff in Memoriam Join Date: November 13, 1998 Location: Terlingua, TX; Thomasville, GA Posts: 24,798	Comments from guides in gunzine articles lead me to believe that .300WinMag and up are the recommendations. .338s, .375H&H and suchlike. It's not just the kill as a kill. It's the stopping in case of "Oops!" There's a big difference...

February 21, 2011, 01:29 PM	#9
Buzzcook Senior Member Join Date: November 29, 2007 Location: Everett, WA Posts: 6,126	Ask your guide. I've heard .338 as a minimum. As with any other game, accuracy is the most important thing. If you can group your shots inside 5" at 100yds from field positions you should be ok.

February 22, 2011, 08:05 PM	#10
Wolfeye Senior Member Join Date: November 29, 2008 Posts: 208	The largest animal I've hunted is deer, but my father used to hunt brownbear in his day. His choice caliber was .338 win mag, and he had a preference for 100% copper expanding bullets, probably from Barnes. I think he shot mostly handloads. Personally, I'd go as powerful as .300 win mag or .35 whelen; .338's recoil is a bit much for me.

February 22, 2011, 08:31 PM	#11
Wyosmith Senior Member Join Date: December 29, 2010 Location: Shoshoni Wyoming Posts: 2,713	Black bear are not much harder to kill then a large deer. Grizzlies are a totally different animal. A large (not trophy) black bear will go about 350 pounds and a large (not trophy) grizzly will go about 650 to 700. Now you'd think the grizzly would be 2X harder to put down. Well,------ grizzlies are a lot more then 2X more bear, and for what reason I can't really say. We have LOTS of grizzlies here in Wyoming. I have been around them for years and have seen first hand what they can do. I used to kill black bears easily with various "deer rifles" and about anything that you can depend on to break a big deer bone will do on blackies. Grizzlies.....well you want to use anything up to and including a 458, as long as you can shoot it WELL, and do it pretty fast. Now I would galdly shoot a large Grizzly with my 270 as long as I could shoot without the bear knowing I was there. All animals on earth can be killed with small calibers IF you get to choose the placement and are willing to go home without shooting at all unless you get the shot you want. Most of us don't want to go home without a shot. So it's best to shoot something "big enough" or even a bit bigger then you need, as long as you can shoot it WELL! I am 100% certain you are better off with a 30-06 and 220 grain bullets, facing a grizzly then you are with anything more powerful, if you shoot the 06 well and you don't shoot the _____ < (add your caliber here) well. You MUST shoot well! If you have to face a bear that is mad, the rules are going to change, and not in a way you will like. If you can hit an orange at close range in 1 1/2 seconds EVERY time, and your bullet will hold together and penetrate making a good sized wound, then you are fine with what ever you carry. If you can't hit the orange EVERY time with more power, then the more powerful rifle is not going to help you against a grizzly, and in fact, it's likely to make things worse (if you can get worse then being killed......I don't know...)

March 10, 2011, 03:37 PM	#12
Jack O'Conner Senior Member Join Date: July 11, 2005 Location: Manatee County, Florida Posts: 1,976	Don't under estimate the lethality of a well placed shot. This bear was taken within northern California with an antique Winchester model 94. Jack __________________ Fire up the grill! Deer hunting IS NOT catch and release.

March 21, 2011, 01:06 AM	#13
jgcoastie Senior Member Join Date: February 15, 2009 Location: Kodiak, Alaska Posts: 2,118	That's a wittle bitty wittle bear... Almost too small to really call it a bear... This is a bear... __________________ "To preserve liberty, it is essential that the whole body of the people always possess arms, and be taught alike, especially when young, how to use them." -Richard Henry Lee, Virginia delegate to the Continental Congress, initiator of the Declaration of Independence, and member of the first Senate, which passed the Bill of Rights.

March 21, 2011, 01:16 AM	#14
mete Senior Member Join Date: June 14, 2004 Location: NY State Posts: 6,575	Last nights Alaska Trooper program he used a good choice - a Marlin guide gun in 45-70 , stainless with composite stock. If you want to use a shotgun DON'T use 00 buckshot.Slug only ! __________________ And Watson , bring your revolver !

March 21, 2011, 01:17 AM	#15
jgcoastie Senior Member Join Date: February 15, 2009 Location: Kodiak, Alaska Posts: 2,118	In Alaska, most every guide you can buy will tell you .300 Win Mag is the minimum they allow their clients to carry for brown bears. Most everyone I know that hunts or has hunted brown bears uses/used a .338 Win Mag or a .375 H&H Mag. Every guide I know carries a .45/70 Gov't lever gun. I've hunted them with a Browning BAR .30/06 with 200gr Nosler Partitions... But my backup buddy carried my .45/70 Marlin.... I carried the .45/70 as backup the next year for him... He carried his Matthews bow. The caliber isn't nearly as important as the shooter. If you're carrying a .600 Nitro Express and you can't put holes in a barn door from the inside, then that firepower ain't gonna be worth much in the bush... If you have a .30/06 Spfd that you can drive tacks with from 10ft to 150yds, then you need to get some 200gr or 220gr (whichever groups the best) Nosler Partitions or similar ammo and use it. __________________ "To preserve liberty, it is essential that the whole body of the people always possess arms, and be taught alike, especially when young, how to use them." -Richard Henry Lee, Virginia delegate to the Continental Congress, initiator of the Declaration of Independence, and member of the first Senate, which passed the Bill of Rights.

March 21, 2011, 09:42 AM	#16
spclPatrolGroup Senior Member Join Date: August 19, 2010 Location: North Dakota Posts: 349	Any good deer setup will be fine for black bear, I have taken a black bear with my .270, .47/70, and a 50 cal muzzle loader.

March 23, 2011, 11:05 AM	#19
Buckfever4life Member Join Date: June 29, 2009 Posts: 24	Not to hack this Thread, I used a 338 Win Mag to harvest my Saskatchewan Black Bear. This is no Grizzly, but I woul not hesitate to use this gun on a Grizzly or any North American game animal. Last edited by Buckfever4life; March 23, 2011 at 11:28 AM.

March 23, 2011, 12:42 PM	#20
grubbylabs Senior Member Join Date: October 11, 2009 Location: Hansen Idaho Posts: 1,465	Those are some nice bears you all have harvested. __________________ * (Swinging club) Whack! whack! whack! * Nope, the old nag's still dead . (Capt Charlie)

March 23, 2011, 09:14 PM	#21
Buzzcook Senior Member Join Date: November 29, 2007 Location: Everett, WA Posts: 6,126	Somewhere on the forum there's a picture of a man with two huge grizzlies that he'd shot. The guy is holding an M1 Carbine. I'd say that pretty much proves that shot placement trumps power.

March 26, 2011, 02:13 PM	#23
ripnbst Senior Member Join Date: November 24, 2010 Location: Spring, TX Posts: 1,552	Marlin in .45/70 is the standard that guides carry so that is what I would also take. But that is just me. If the guides who are hunting bears, or carrying a gun they know will kill any bear they may encounter, then I would want to mimic that. Also to the "shot placement is key". I agree with this. So buy your gun in caliber of choice months before and put 200 rounds through it at targets practicing standing, shouldering, and firing in under 5 seconds. Or practice going from standing to crouched/kneeling and shouldering and firing in 3-5 seconds. If its me, the crouching/kneeling is adding more movement I'd have to stop before getting on target so I would just shoulder from standing. If you can hit a pie plate consistently I'd be comfortable. I know people will say(in whining voice) "But 200 rnds of .300 WIN MAG is over $400" My response is: 1. What is your life worth? 2. What did you pay for the hunt? Considering the amount of money you likely spent on the hunt and your life is potentially on the line an additional $400 is money well spent if you ask me.

March 27, 2011, 05:45 AM	#25
hooligan1 Senior Member Join Date: July 18, 2010 Location: Independence Missouri Posts: 4,585	JGcoastie!!!! are you crazy???!!!!now stay away from those dudes man!!!! That bear could eat a FAMILY!!!IN THEIR CAR!!!!! __________________ Keep your Axe sharp and your powder dry.