Originally Posted by Sitka deer
Originally Posted by whelennut
I talked to a relative who has shot lots of bears. He says a .243 is plenty if you are in a tree and shooting for the spine.
Where you hunt bears may be different than Minnesota but the brush is so thick that finding them after you kill them is the challenging part unless they leave a good blood trail you may never locate them.
I don't think they are that tough to kill just tough to find afterwards. Especially if they can crawl under a log or get into the swamp.
whelennut


I respectfully suggest your relative is overstepping his experience. Spining a bear is neither pretty nor wise, IME. A good hole through the running gear, heart, lung area is fast and deadly.

A thrashing spined bear is only partly immobile and not usually going to die fast unless a leaky hole is included. Trying to figure out where the spine is in a sometimes odd-shaped body is difficult, +P.
art
Case in point. Back in '95 while hunting with a buddy on his bait site we had a black bear come in practically right under our stand but just slightly off to the right. I drew my bow and aimed at his lung area, when I released I didn't compensate enough for him being so close and the broadhead went completely through his spine about 2 inches. That shot immobilized his back end but his front end was fully functional. He dragged himself about 10 feet and proceeded to climb a spruce tree, he got about 10 feet up the tree before my buddy finished him off with his 300 wm. Upon gutting and skinning the bear, I found the broadhead and about 3 inches of arrow sticking through his spine on the inside, a devistating wound to be sure but not nearly fatal enough. The whole time the bear was bawling and I felt terrible about making such a bad shot on him.

That's ok, I'll ass shoot a dink.

Steelhead