I understand that the Pennsylvania wildlife personel tagged a
1,000 pound black bear in, I believe,
2008 less than 50 miles north of the state capital (Harrisburg).
As I recall in reading the article concerning this large bear, this is the 2nd 1,000 pound blackie tagged in the past few years. THAT kinda makes me wonder how many other 1,000 pounders there are out there that they haven't tagged yet.
I'd feel a whole lot more "confidence" in at least a .54 or even a larger caliber shooting a heavier patched round ball if I were to run into any black bear even HALF that size... especially when shooting what amounts to a single-shot rifle at what could be a very large, powerful animal sporting lotsa big teeth and long, heavy claws that could alter you or me from "hunter" to "hunted".
While "most" black bears try to avoid humans and aren't nearly as aggressive as a grizzly bear... occasionally we hear of an individual blackie that has a "bad attitude" and might resent you or I being on "their mountain"!
Any hunter who has spent much time in the woods has had the experience of having a big game animal suddenly "materilize" out of the brush with surprising suddeness where, before, there was nothing.
A savy hunter doesn't
depend on any potentially dangerous, wild animal to "perform-as-expected", but rather we must always be prepared to deal with a wild animal who acts as "
UN-expected". Thus my preference for a larger-than-.50-caliber muzzle-loading, black powder rifle for bears.
Many years ago when we were Boy Scouts, we learned to "
Be Prepared"... that's still good advice and that "rule" still applies.
I'm not "knocking" what some fellas think... everyone has a right to their own view-point in these matters. BTW, I hunt deer with a .50 caliber flinter... so I'm not "against" a .50 caliber rifle, but a deer isn't a bear, is it?
Jus' my 2�...
Strength & Honor...
Ron T.
