Ok for bear?

[brewer12345]

I drew a rifle bear tag for September. I have a few options for what gun to use, but figured a gut check on one option would be helpful. I have a 3006 round developed that is a proven deer round and I want to make sure it would be enough for a bear. This is a 200 grain cast boolit with a big .19 meplat doing 1900 fps or so out of the muzzle. Sound ok out to 100 yards on a black bear?

[Markopolo]

sounds perfect... make a good shot..!!!

[MrHarmless]

30-30 has killed pretty much everything that walks in North America at about that same foot-poundage. I'd say send it.

[Chris S]

Absolutely that'll do the job...question is: will you? Shot placement is always key.
Chris

[brewer12345]

Absolutely that'll do the job...question is: will you? Shot placement is always key.
Chris

Inside 100 yards, no problemo. Blasted a doe with this rifle and load in the last 10 minutes of legal shooting hours (dim light) at 85 yards. Bullet went right through the heart and she expired within 25 yards of the hit.

[Norske]

First bear hunt? If so, buy Craig Boddington's "Perfect Shot North America" book. Black bear are not built the same as deer. What's important to you is how short their lungs are. Obviously your rifle has enough power and a cast bullet will penetrate or break bone on the way in. But don't aim as far behind the front leg as you can get away with with deer. I only do outfitted bear hunts, so I'm close enough to use my Marlin 45-70. I choose a big caliber because my bad back puts me in a ground blind instead of a tree stand. Most of my outfitters preferred bows over bullets. If the arrow doesn't pass through, the broadhead will continue to slice every time the wounded bear's leg moves. Typically a well placed arrow will drop a bear within 25 yards, a bullet will often take 50 yards. That's because bear blood clots almost instantly ( if it didn't they would have all killed each other long ago).

[Chihuahua Floyd]

I'd use it.
CF

[dverna]

What are your other options? How big do bear get in your area? Here in MI they can go over 400 lbs. Twice as large a big deer.

[Edward]

Big or small they all drop with proper placement ,except really (REALLY) big ones . They might take a while and didn"t get the memo , don"t run short on ammo

[RU shooter]

That load is plenty for black bear about the same on paper as a 35 Rem , the 35, 30/30 and 32 spl been killing our big Pa bears for over a hundred years .

[Tripplebeards]

Sounds like a dead bear to me. Just bust the shoulders!

[white eagle]

I drew a rifle bear tag for September. I have a few options for what gun to use, but figured a gut check on one option would be helpful. I have a 3006 round developed that is a proven deer round and I want to make sure it would be enough for a bear. This is a 200 grain cast boolit with a big .19 meplat doing 1900 fps or so out of the muzzle. Sound ok out to 100 yards on a black bear?

that sounds good especially if it tried and true already
best of luck to ya

[brewer12345]

Haven't actively hunted bears before, no real idea how to do so and will need to read. Any advice appreciated. No bait or dogs allowed, so half of what I have read so far is useless. My default plan is to camp out looking over a berry patch that is near where I have seen bears in the past.

My other options are a 35 Rem, using a full house jacketed load in the 30-06, a muzzleloader in calibers up to 58, shotgun slugs (this tag is in the area we usually hunt blue grouse), and I suppose I could work up a load for the Marlin lever in 44 mag.

[smithnframe]

Shot placement is crucial!

[Tripplebeards]

If your spot and stalking I’d be using the flattest shooting caliber with J words you own along with some good glass and a spotting scope. No bait or dogs...imo almost impossible to find a bear unless you get lucky and stumble on one. Here in WI they usually don’t want to move till the last few minutes of daylight once season begins. They are mostly nocturnal around here. If it were me I’d be hunting next to a dump, large bird feeder that gets hit a lot , or a dumpster..that you didn’t bait yourself. Imo You need to find a Large natural food source or get out an electric caller and play some bear sounds. Is scent considered baiting??? If not I learned from other hunters when baiting to mix spearmint, peppermint, and vanilla Extracts together in spray bottle and then spray little pine trees and saplings around the bait source. Bear will pull the sprayed trees right out of the ground and eat them. If you can get way with used cooking grease...which I’m sure you can’t, the bear will get it on their feet and track it through the woods making a scent trail for other bear to follow. Maybe find a natural fresh kill or road kill that’s not yours and sit a couple hundred yards from it and glass. I’m sure my suggestions are all in a grey area. Good luck! Sounds like it will be a challenging hunt.

[brewer12345]

I am at least toying with the idea of hunting a bruin with a 54 or 58 round ball over a healthy charge of black powder. This is going to be a spot and stalk hunt in either a big berry patch or in the gambel oaks, depending on what is producing when the I am out there. If that is the case, it seems likely that we will not be talking about a far shot. I suspect a 54 round ball inside 75 yards will do the deed, and for sure a 58 ball would work.

[Geezer in NH]

Here in NH if it will take a deer it will take a bear. Blackie's are not that tough.

[Norske]

Brewer, what if that bear you shot doesn't run away? What if it runs toward you??

[brewer12345]

Brewer, what if that bear you shot doesn't run away? What if it runs toward you??

Always a risk even with a modern firearm. I would have a sidearm with me for muzzleloader, either a 357 with a 180 cast load or a 45 with cast.

[Dinny]

I killed a bear last year with a 357 Maximum rifle. The bullet was a 270gr Accurate LFP at 1800fps. It was overkill to say the least.

Thanks, Dinny