Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Long Range Hunting Your favorite bear bullet?

I've killed em over dogs and still hunting/calling. For the 7mms any NPT works well from any angle. You want 2 holes, not one ime.

Over hounds, most of the old guys used 30-30s to dump em outta trees. The fall hurts em too sometimes, seen 6" branches sheared off as they tumble down and a loud thump. Sometimes the fall cracks their skull too. Had a guy once climb a tree and tried to kill one with a 38 special. Bullets just bounced off the bear's head. Another friend said climb down and used his 30-30. The 30-30 works well with 170RN at close range, slow long bullet penetrates well. The 357mag had a poor track record in my circles, most carried a Ruger Blackhawk 44mags or a few used 45 Long colts.

I once handloaded both 165 NBTs and 165NPTs for a friend's 06, he wanted a bear rug like my almost 600 lb'er. Told him to use the NPTs but he liked the NBTs because they looked "cool". So I took him in the backcountry in October and on day 2 we jumped a nice big black bear outta the manzanita berries. The bear was running up a hill when my friend hit him in the rear with a 165gr NBT. The bear didn't go down but his ass went down and he turned thrashing and biting at his rear and nearby brush. So I sent a 140gr NBT from my little Model 7 and this just pissed the bear off more. As I jack another round, my friend says "he's charging". I thought WTF are you talking about? Then looked up. Holy Schit! Here's a big black bear hauling ass back down the hill at us popping his teeth. This schit only happens with grizzlies I thought? There was a patch of brush about 20yds from us and we both raised our guns, the bear appeared and we both put bullets in his shoulder area missing his head at about 10yds. Those 2 shots seemed to take the steam outta of him and the bear turned sideways about 15ft away! As the bear went into the nearby brush I got another shot off and I saw the bear start limping while holding his left front paw up. I goofed that shot obviously. Lols. I told my friend to go around and head the bear off so he takes off running around the brush patch. We both hear the bear thrashing around and growling in the brush like I've never heard before. I thought when is this bear gonna die? My friend is all worried I'm gonna accidentally shoot him so I told him to come on back the bear is slowing down anyways. So we both entered the brush and we can see the bear laying on its side with its back to us. I told my friend to put another one right between the shoulders and he does. A few seconds later the bear gave out a death moan and it was all over. I start giving my friend high fives and he said he has to go sit down since he was pretty shook up.

Later we dragged the bear out, took some pictures and skinned it. We found a few NBTs, both his 165 and my 140s under the bear's off side hide with the cores separated from their jackets. We saved em as souvenirs like most do.

I never thought a black bear would charge but this one did when wounded. We were 8 miles in from the trailhead and it could've been really ugly if we got bit or worse - mauled. And this friend was a search n rescue volunteer.

My friend was not smiling at his big black bear in this pic, manzanita brush in background:

Rolled him off the log:


My best and biggest black bear weighed 507lbs field dressed with a 21" skull. Called him in with a Circe jackrabbit call and one shot with 7RM, 160gr NPT did the job. He was quartering at about 100yds, hunched up and rolled about 10yds, I put a second one in him as he rolled. He gave out a nice death moan too. You know they are done when you hear that moan, it's like victory!

Another friend with his 400lb bear rug taken with a Browning Bar 270 Win with my bear rug on the right for comparison


Now some of you might say blackies are like killing deer but I have met 2 folks who have been mauled by them. One gotta a little too close chasing them with hounds, and another was a bow hunter. I was able to find the newspaper clipping on one, he told me his forearms took well over a year to heal.


Maybe they are weaker in the spring after all hibernating and starving all winter? A friend who hunted Montana spring bears thought so. I hunted Montana for spring bear and a friend killed one with his 25/06 no problem. Others used 7RMs for spring bear with no issues.

I once took a long 300yd+ shot at a big black bear at dusk, he was eating acorns outta of a small oak tree. I thought I heard him plop and roll into a ravine. It was getting dark fast so I ran down there. Never found him, no blood or sign. But the pucker factor really kicked in as I went downhill alone in the dark with a flashlight. I went back with friends next AM and still didn't find him. We did the circle search pattern too.

My advice is not to shoot long range at dusk, use a mono or NPT instead of cup n core. Bears get pretty big in PA. You might never have issues but remember a black bear though not considered DG can still bite and claw you if wounded. Seen a few bear hounds injured and one killed, not pretty at all.