Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game Which is better for bears?

Yoop,
Right now I am thinking about splitting my time by hunting the edge of a cornfield in the early half of the day and then hunting my bait in the evening. These two places are not really that far apart and it may be the same bear for all I know.
I saw a spot in the woods where it looked like he was rolling around with a stomache ache and it was about the size of a small living room.
I can't wait to see how big he is.
whelennut

Sounds like two little teensy ones!

:-)

-jeff

If I am in a fifteen ft ladder stand and want to try for a spine shot would it make sense to aim about an inch low?
I would be no more than 30 yards away from the bear at most.
whelennut

Why would you try for a spine shot?

Obviously your 35 Whelen is ideal for bruins.
What else to get? Whatever turns you on! and according to your named choices you can not go wrong.

Pop,
Just stirring the pot so it doesn't get burned on the bottom.
wis30-06 shooter
I want to anchor this bear so I don't have to chase him into the swamp from hell. I have heard a lot of horror stories about tracking them.
I want a bangflop!
whelennut

But JJ:

My rifle only likes 150 grain TSXs over 61 grains of H-4350 (same hole on a good day).

Oh woe is me . . . . .

BMT

That's just gonna bounce of a blackie, BMT! Best not even go there.

:-)

Have you used that load on a deer or bear yet? Shot it over a choro?

-jeff

I estimate 3000 fpos. No chrono yet.

Never shot a thing with it. Always carry the 308 when I get lucky.

BMT

That's probably a good estimate, maybe even a little conservative.

I know what you mean about lucky rifles!

-jeff

whelennut is a ,224 caliber gun legal for big game hunting in Minnesota? People who use the .220 Swift for black bears tell me it is hell on bears. Figure it ought to be good for stand bears.

.224 on bears.... think I'll pass on that one.

Dober reports that a 22-250 works great, if I remember right. Maybe he'll show up and set me straight, but for me, 7mm is the minimum bullet diameter and 140 grains would the minimum weight for bears.

Disclaimer: ain't never killed me no bar!

-jeff

Derby is right, the 22's are hell on bruins, I've been around more than a few taken with them. You would never know if they'd been dropped with my .340 or with a '250 or Swifto.

But, this is one of those Columbus kind of things. You know they all thought that the world was flat and hadn't tried it so he was one crazy SOB....

I've a couple of buds that go north yearly on bucket hunts and they've taken I would guess a couple of dozen bruins with their big 22's with narry an issue.

Some would question blood trail and I can only report that the bestest blood trail I've ever followed on a bruin came from (you guessed it) a 22/250!

IME blood trails are at best a crap shoot so I do not plan on them no matter what I use.

Lastly on spine shots I can only report that the only close call (killed it at 9' as it came hell bent for kicking my butt) was when I was guiding a young fella on his first hunt. We were above the bruin a bit over 100 yds almost straight up. I instructed the young fella exactly where I wanted the bullet to go. He dropped the hammer and the bruin flattened fast and then just as quick got up and hauled it into the creek bottom.

Bottom line the bullet missed the spine by about an inch and he was plenty pissed and ready to get in the dirt and roll around when I found him.

I honestly do not feel that going for the spine is an intelligent thing to do unless the bruin is directly below you while you're in the stand. And that most likely won't happen.

Good luck to you in your hunt.

Dober

Mark,


That kind of advice (22s for bear) could wind up with someone getting hurt. How would you like to wade thru thick cover looking for one of these SOBs if you wounded one? Would the 22 be enough then?

Call me a wuss, but one bad episode was enough (on a pard's bear)! I also met a bowhunter that was mauled by a 250lb'er about 10yrs ago up in Sonora Pass, had to be medevac'd outta the high country after playing WWW and doing the club thing with his bow. Good thing a friend was there to go for help.

MtnHtr

MtnHtr-not sure I advised anyone to use a big .22 I just mentioned what I've learned. (and yes I've followed up plenty of bruins in the brush with a '250 on my side)

To me stopping bruins is all about breaking them down with a shot to the brain,the spine and or the neck and for me the '250 and or Swifto is gonna work just fine. Now it may not be for others and that is fine with me.

Now a guy with a stick (bow) is another thing and IMO it has no comp to a big .22 in a scrap.

I am not about to start arguing with you about whether or not people should use it, I never meant to imply that and I feel that was obvious. I only tossed in my experiences.

It came up, I just passed on my comments end of story.

Bruins whether big or small all die when you direct a bullet in an intelligent manner. This goes equally for smaller bullets and larger bullets.

Put it in a right place and you'll be just fine, if you don't you may well have a rodeo on your hands irregardless of cal.

Dober

Mark,

Not arguing but just don't want to see anyone get hurt. Folks will read into all kinds of things on these forums. The fella that got mauled had some nasty scars on his forarms and stated his wounds took well over a year to heal - puss oozing all the time etc.

One might think bears are easy to kill after killing a few but I will stand by my view that a prime fall bear over 400lbs is no pushover. Few guys hunt black bears in the fall and even fewer have killed 'em in the 400lb+ class (that one in the photo weighed in the 600lb class btw).

C'mon out if you like, I took the last week of October off.

MtnHtr

I hear you Stacy, I truly do.

I wouldn't ever want to see anyone get hurt either, but in all honesty I don't for myself have an issue with using one of them big .22's.

A couple of thoughts however.

First off, I know of a lot of good old boys from this part of the world that shoot all manner of game yearly with the big .22's. They never have issues and or problems and or worries about it. They use the same guns year in and year out and never give it one bit thought about how things are gonna come out after they pull the trigger. They know if they wreck the lungs it is game over, be the game deer/elk/lopes and or bruins.

Lastly as far as 400 pound bruins they die in the same manner as a 340 lb bruin does. Wreck the lungs and once again it is game over.

And fall bears in my experience die just like spring bears, they're still a bruin come fall. Albeit a bit chubbier...grins

Thx for the invite but I have my time all sloted for the year.

I did look at 3 bruins the other day however, good to see them out and gorging themselves. I sat there 50 yds from them while they had lunch and I got out my lunch and did the same.

It was a very good day!

Dober

I know a guy who shot one with a 204 Ruger. It only wandered off about 100 yds.
It is not a legal cartridge!
Legal minimum is 243, same as for deer, although it is not recommended.
It can work but it can fail as well.
I heard from my landowner/farmer that his neighbor hit one three times with a 338 Magnum before it went down.
I have heard a lot of stories from working in a gun shop. Bigger is better from what I hear. Unless you like tracking wounded bears in the dark? Have you ever been in a Minnesota swamp at night looking for a wounded bear.
Most bears are shot just before dark. I like the 35 Whelen and would take a nice 45-70 if I ever lose the Whelen. Small bores are for prairie dogs I think.
whelennut

Anything that can bite me back, I want what I said before: 7mm and 140 grains of bullet, minimum.

Mark's experiences notwithstanding.

-jeff

Guess we should all be packing big 22s since Mark's experiences trump everyone else's.

I humbly bow to thy King Dober, you may continue.

I can see why some folks make good real estate agents..........

MtnHtr