I seriously doubt you need lots of magnification. Bear shots are generally relatively short. I would imagine 9-ish power might be a frequent cause of ground shrinkage issues. I have never felt under-powered with a 2.5X on my bear rifles. That would be my choice, but the 1.5-5 would be near the top if that was one I was quite familiar with.

Sometimes, the air you 'let in'matters less than the air you 'let out'.