I've black bear hunted with a marlin 45-70 and a winchester 70 338. The one and only bear I shot was taken with 225 swift A frames over RL19. This load was made for elk hunting someday, just wanted to try it on bear. Bear maybe went 15 yards. Next time I need to try out the marlin
I concur that black bear are not hard to kill with proper shot placement. When hit poorly they can go a long ways and leave little blood.
Just about any deer caliber gun or bow will kill them. Of the 8 I've taken in Maine & Canada I killed 4 with longuns (30-30, 308, 338 Federal & 20 gauge slug) 3 with compound bows and 1 with a recurve.
I’ve killed a bunch with 45-70 Buffalo bore 405 soft points. Also killed them with 35. Rem 150 gr coreloks and hornady leverevolution (which I don’t recommend). .44 mag Ruger carbine Remington 240 HTP. 7-08 with HSM 140gr. Hit them where it counts and they don’t go far but many times you need to be a decent tracker to find them if it’s thick and dark like northern Maine.
It's been a while since I hunted bears here in Pa. but when I did, it was usually with a Savage 99 in 358 Win with the 200 grain Hornady spire points. Sometimes a 99 in 300 Savage or a Ruger 77 in 270 saw the woods.
My son and I have taken several Washington black bears with our 30-06 rifles. He's been using 165 gr Nosler Partitions I handloaded. I gambled on a 165 Ballistic Tip - and it worked great! One shot kill at 325 yards.
Also shot a few with my 375 H&H Ruger Number One, using the 260 grain Nosler Accubond. That worked great from 15 feet to 300+ yards. Don't need that level of power, but it works well.
I killed a bear last year with a 357 Maximum rifle loaded with a Accurate 270gr LFP bullet at 1800fps.
Thanks, Dinny
That sounds like an interesting bullet....
I'll say!!! LOOOOOOOOng one too!
The NOE 35 cal RNFP mould I have that casts them at 315 grains is a long one. 270 is just about right for the Maximum or the Herrett. I've been shooting a 235 out of the Herrett at about 1800, which isn't too bad, and will work for all critters big and small in North America.
I've only hunted two, one in Colorado and one in Montana. Both were one shot kills with my pistols...
Another time a black bear attacked a member of one of our Forest Service trail crews. The FS LEO, a Sheriff Deputy, and I were the first to reach the injured crew member. As soon as we got there the bear charged us and the three of us shot simultaneously and killed her. It wasn't until later that I spotted one of her young cubs. I went up a tree and caught it and held it until FWP arrived. They came back the next day with dogs and found another cub. They took both cubs to a wildlife re-hab facility near Helena, and released them a couple years later.
My boss made me get a tetanus shot and a prescription of anti-biotics for the scratches and bites the cub gave me.