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 :bigsmyl2:

[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

263428

[brewer12345]

From my reading, it sounds like bears pop their clogs about as easily as deer do, but shot placement is a bit more of an issue because they have thick coats, layers of blubber and very heavy bone structure. I would imagine a bigger bullet/ball helps with all of that, so a 280 grain round ball or a 200 grain 30 cal boolit should be fine. If I am really feeling sporty I suppose I could experiment with the 54 conicals I have on hand. 400 grains of 54 boolit is bound to penetrate really well.

[Norske]

Deer have smooth coats, bear are shaggy. Finding the shoulder, leg bone, tight behind the leg/shoulder etc. is not easy.

[trapper9260]

Is it best to just shoot them in the front shoulder then?

[dverna]

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.

I am not a fan of cast bullets for hunting as they offer no advantages. Given your choices, I would load a 165-180 jacketed bullet in the .30/06. You may get one chance and one shot. Using cast and turning your .30/06 into a .30/30 seems like a less than optimum firing solution.

[725]

Seems like your .30-06 w/ a 200 gr cast (assuming good alloy) @ 1900 fps would work well. Shot placement is critical and NORSKE has given very good advice about learning the innards of the black bear. What seems right from hunting deer, isn't quite so hunting bear. I've only taken a few black bear (3) and have luckily placed good DRT hits requiring no tracking. Have helped a couple fellow hunters go after poorly hit bears and that is something I'm not fond of. Head shots are poor a choice, even though when done right, are spectacular. Know what you are doing, wait for a good, solid shot and have fun. Good luck.

[brewer12345]

I am not a fan of cast bullets for hunting as they offer no advantages. Given your choices, I would load a 165-180 jacketed bullet in the .30/06. You may get one chance and one shot. Using cast and turning your .30/06 into a .30/30 seems like a less than optimum firing solution.

Heh, black powder has greatly inferior ballistics to even cast bullets in a modern rifle yet I persist in hunting with such rifles.

[GregLaROCHE]

All the guns you mentioned can get the job done. However, with a muzzle loader, you really only have one shot to do it. It would be good to have a friend to back you up or at least a powerful side arm. Bottom line I would suggest using the gun you are the most comfortable with.

[Tripplebeards]

Is it best to just shoot them in the front shoulder then?


Yes, its about the best place to brake them down. I agree with the comment of using jacketed ammo just because you have no idea how close or far you will be from a bear...of you are lucky enough to even see one spot and stalking...and no head shots. Most to all of those shots are from guys who shoot bear out trees with dogs so I a bad shot is taken the dogs can trail it to another tree or loose their lives over poorly thought out and placed shot. I’m sad to say I’ve seen a few dog’s lives lost trying to bay a wounded bear on the ground from poorly placed head shots.

[Edward]

You will do fine with a patched round ball if you place it in the lungs= dead bear ,if you happen to screw up make sure you bear hunt with your LONG patch knife :bigsmyl2:

[Hickory]

Wow, after reading this thread I have found out there are different degrees of dead.
There is lead bullet dead, jacketed bullet dead, patched round ball dead and the one common denominator is . . . . they all end up dead.

[Wayne Smith]

Ned Roberts, in his book the Muzzleloading Caplock Rifle tells of going bear hunting - and after one experience stated he will always take a double barrel rifle when bear hunting! With a backup person.

[Markopolo]

just use the 30-06 with cast and it will work... i kill a lot of bears with cast every year! only one ever got up again...

[Tripplebeards]

^^^^this guy harvests a lot of bear. Markopolo is like EF Hutton...when he talks, I listen.

Marko, do you solids, HP’s, and what alloy?

[brewer12345]

just use the 30-06 with cast and it will work... i kill a lot of bears with cast every year! only one ever got up again...

Yeah, my other alternative is Dad's 35 Rem from 1958. Shoots j-word fodder into small groups at 100 yards.

[Tripplebeards]

I’m guessing a bear won’t react any different between those two calibers out to 100 yards. I’ll give you a friendly tip. The first time I went bear hunting and I saved up for a guided hunt for years. I got all while wound up in the marketing hype and went out and had to buy a marlin 4570 guide gun because they marketed it with a black bear on the same pages and catalog. I went out and bought 405 grain 1800 ft./s Winchester loads. My guide set me 150 yards away from the bait site. I had only practiced to 100 yards at the time and didn’t know my drops. This was almost 30 years ago so no internet to check drops or research all the things you can now a days. I shot two bear and even videotaped them. I could see the bullets going across the screen and enter both bear behind the shoulders. I never found either of them and no blood trails. I guarantee if I would’ve took my trusty old 30-06 and 180 grain, 2700 FPS core locts I’d been shooting for a good 10 years straight and had taken dozens of whitetails with I would’ve brought home a bear that trip. I’m sure it was more my fault than the gun and the ammo, but long story short, use whatever gun that you’re used to shooting and have been shooting for years and you feel confident with instead of picking up a new gun or borrowing one you haven’t shot enough with to be familiar with it. Wish I would’ve had somebody tell me the same back then. I did go back the following year and shot a 7’6” black with a 19 3/16” skull with bow and arrow as stated before....a bow I had been shooting league and hunting with for years. Live and learn. Bottom line, use what ever gun you have been hunting with for years.

[Markopolo]

i use 170g flatnose boolits with no problem in my 32 win special.. normal hunting alloy of wheel weight and range scrap 50/50.. before that I used the 200g flatnose custom 311299 from NOE in my 308 filled with 2400.. both had the same result.. i never have to shoot more then 100 yards. and usually 1/2 that due to brush.. i use a fawn bleat to lure them in close... he he... come to papa...

[Tripplebeards]

Sweet!

[brewer12345]

I’m guessing a bear won’t react any different between those two calibers out to 100 yards. I’ll give you a friendly tip. The first time I went bear hunting and I saved up for a guided hunt for years. I got all while wound up in the marketing hype and went out and had to buy a marlin 4570 guide gun because they marketed it with a black bear on the same pages and catalog. I went out and bought 405 grain 1800 ft./s Winchester loads. My guide set me 150 yards away from the bait site. I had only practiced to 100 yards at the time and didn’t know my drops. This was almost 30 years ago so no internet to check drops or research all the things you can now a days. I shot two bear and even videotaped them. I could see the bullets going across the screen and enter both bear behind the shoulders. I never found either of them and no blood trails. I guarantee if I would’ve took my trusty old 30-06 and 180 grain, 2700 FPS core locts I’d been shooting for a good 10 years straight and had taken dozens of whitetails with I would’ve brought home a bear that trip. I’m sure it was more my fault than the gun and the ammo, but long story short, use whatever gun that you’re used to shooting and have been shooting for years and you feel confident with instead of picking up a new gun or borrowing one you haven’t shot enough with to be familiar with it. Wish I would’ve had somebody tell me the same back then. I did go back the following year and shot a 7’6” black with a 19 3/16” skull with bow and arrow as stated before....a bow I had been shooting league and hunting with for years. Live and learn. Bottom line, use what ever gun you have been hunting with for years.

Eh, the 30-06 is almost boringly accurate with jacketed to 200-300 yards, 150 with cast. The 35 I have shot for years and took a couple of pigs a few years ago (lever makes for quick follow up shots), no issues to 150 yards. Muzzleloaders I could do to 100 yards. I shoot the more difficult stuff often and when I take out stuff like the 30-06 it feels like cheating. Where I would be looking for bears I would not expect a shot over 100 yards.

[Tripplebeards]

Boring is good! All you have to worry about is concentrating on the challenging part...finding a bear without bait to dogs.

[Markopolo]

around here, bears are the number one predator of our deer, especially in the spring. that fawn bleet call is the ticket here. I go to good country where there is lots of bear poop... fresh, and start calling.. stay about 15 min.. make it sound like a fawn is stuck in distress... the other day a decent sized bear came running in so fast it nearly ran me over.. it happened so fast I couldnt get a shot.. i hunt the 2 year olds mostly though, cuz they are MEAT!

My wife and I were out hunting bears a couple weeks ago, and we saw a 1 year old cub that got spooked and ran up a small tree looking at us, and my wife kept yelling "Shoot Shoot it", and I said baby, he is too small, but she said.... IT's FOOD!! .. i passed.. lucky for that bear cub my wife forgot her tags and license.... the wife has no qualms.. food is food to her.

[rodwha]

For bears, were it me, I’d go with something I could get a second shot off with. A rifle bullet is more effective than a pistol bullet. And I’m just a large caliber kind of guy, especially when it comes to something that might want revenge. It’s why I wouldn’t carry a .357 on my side for sure. With that said I thought we’d be moving to VA which would put bears on the list, and I figured I’d use a .50 cal REAL backed by my ROA with custom short for weight 285 grn WFN bullets during primitive season.

I recall reading about someone who knew someone that would use a tree stand and shoot them with a Colt Walker.

[Ozark mike]

A walker is pretty much a bp mag revolver i would not hesitate to take blackies with one but i do not eat bear