I guided bear hunters for 15 years in Maine and have seen QUITE A FEW bear taken over bait and by the use of hounds. I've also tracked quite a few that were lost due to bad shots.

I've seen hunters kill them with rifles of all calibers ranging from a 30-30 to 338 Win mag and everything in between. I've seen several killed with both 20 & 12 gauge shotgun slugs, 4-5 killed with large cal handguns and probably 20+ killed with compound bows, traditional bows and crossbows.
I've killed 8 myself, 5 with rifles and 3 with archery equipment. My wife has taken 3 and my son 1.

Like most big game animals an individual bears reaction to a shot varies by animal and circumstances. I've seen some dropped and "frozen" by a single shot and I've seen others run off with the same shot placement and required additional shots to kill it. In general I'd say they do have a strong desire to live and because of hair and fat often don't leave good blood trails.

I'm not disputing Mr. Young's opinion and can only form and offer my own based on my experiences. The AVERAGE live weight of a black bear in the lower 48 is 200 lbs. I do not consider them any harder to kill than any other big game animal IF shot placement goes where it needs to be.


Last edited by Ghostman; 02/03/16.