Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Deer hunting in Brown Bear country with a 338-06

Yeah, there sure are. There’s everything from time with dear friends, to meat for the family, to not getting mauled represented in that pile of lead and gilding metal.

250 NP.

At about 2,400 fps in a 338-06, you will get good penetration, but not fast enough to lose meat, on deer or bear..

That's what I use to hunt Kodak for Sitka deer. Classic Mod. 70 FWT. Originally. 270 ,had a Dougless #2 , chambered for .338-06 installed NE ramp front sight. Use a Redfield
Little Blue screwed on back of Leopold QR mounts with 1x5 Leopold. I shoot 250gr NP. After 30- 40 deer ,most DRT and very little shot up meat ,I see no reason for any other bullet. I haven't had to shoot a BB with it and hope I don't have to.But it sure is comforting to carry. --- Mel
BTW crony says 2625. With a book load from what I hear about the Crony it may or may not be accurate

When I lived in Alaska (for 27 years) I often carried an M7600 in .338-06 when hunting Sitka blacktails on Kodiak and surrounding islands. The Nosler 210 Partition was my preferred bullet; Bob Hagel claimed it gave performance equal to the 250 NP on moose and bear, and the few I shot with it gave plenty of penetration with good expansion. Of course on the little deer it was more than ample. Then again I wouldn’t refuse to use the 250s...



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pabucktail,

I read through the entire thread again, and can't find any mention of 4 MOA accuracy before this one....

You’re correct John. One interesting thing about the ‘fire is how people tend to interject thoughts which often have no bearing on the topic at hand or as in this case, are hyperbolic ranting loosely based on the discussion topic. There’s a reason people don’t communicate like this in real life.

250s shoot really good thru my 338-06. 760 with the Hornady RN, RL 19 with the Sierra's. Both 2500 fps + with 1 MOA. I think I'll look for some Partitions and load them up for this Fall. Good suggestion above was to use the Sierra's and Hornady's for some practice and shoot the Partitions for hunting. I've got 760 and H414 hanging around for plenty of fodder.

About the negative comments mentioned. I don't have room in my head for stuff like that.... won't let it in. Too many other good things to think about in this short life.

You are way over thinking this. I see a couple hundred rifles a year on Kodiak- hunters bring them in the hangar for their trips out.- only a handful has 338 or larger bores. Never heard a single story past couple of years where a deer hunter DLP killed a bear. I went deer hunting a dozen times last season. I carried a 308. Year before a 6.5-284, year before 260AI. First time i went i took a 300 H&H.

Bottom line, just take your deer rifle with shooting deer in mind. Any of the bullets you've mentioned are fine. I'm carrying my 340 Wby this season. Since many deer shots are 400-500 yards i tried to find some reasonably accurate loads. I settled on 225 TTSX@ 3150.

I loaded some 210 TSX and at 3600 fps they weren't as accurate as the 225s. Since a moose and grizzly hunt is on the agenda i decided just to try the copper bullets this year. Normally I'm not a huge fan but they do reduce meat damage.

If i were shooting a 338-06, i would take which ever 210 shot best.
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Yea, maybe over thinking, but having fun doing it.

Dennis,

Good to know you have so much experience stopping charging brown bears. Which is what this thread started out about.

Sorry, but I couldn't help it. But I have the advantage of talking a lot with Phil Shoemaker, who has as much experience in that particular discipline as any Alaskan outfitter I know of today. (Also hunted and fished with him a few years ago, when we encountered many brown bears, one of which was pushed within 15 feet of us by a nitwit fisher-person. Oh, and have also killed a "brown bear" in Alaska, according to the B&C area definitions, though they disagree with B&C's.)

I also happen to be friends will a well-known gun writer who hunted deer on Kodiak some years ago. He used a .300 Weatherby Magnum, just in case a bear came in on him. He used two different loads, a 150 Partition for deer, and a "back-up" load with the 200 Partition in case of an encounter with the brown bear. He killed a deer--and a BIG brown bear did try to claim it. The 150 Partitons did NOT penetrate the bear's shoulder--but the guide's bigger rifle did.

Have shot quite a few bigger animals in both North America and Africa, and there is a real difference between shooting them broadside or angling away, and through the heavier bones in their front ends--which is generally where charging animals have to be shot.

This place would die a quick death if we didn't overthink things. It is half the fun.

Apparently you and my old friend Dennis think that "over-thinking" means never considering possibilities, however remote they may seem to to you after relatively little experience.

Have hunted a few places around the world that held lots of possibilities, and once in a while they happened. Would rather be a little "over-prepared" than not.

The Island I hunt has a very high population of brown bears. I've seen the signs. Enormous poop piles, big prints, etc. They're there. We're mouth calling in blacktails which could easily call in a bear since they sound like fawn bleats in distress. We have gut piles and deer on the meat pole. We hunt in pairs and keep a good watch around us while gutting our deer. The cabin we stay in has one of those books that visitors can write in experiences that following visitors can read. Several entries have bear sightings near the cabin. Walking out to an outhouse late at night carrying something that can possibly stop a bear makes for a much more pleasant late night outhouse experience. Coming home with meat that you can eat right up to the hole is satisfying as well.

Concerning the partitions, I frequently see talk of the 210's and 250's, but rarely see the 225's mentioned. I would think that would be a great do it all bullet for the .338-06, no?

I don't know how it is with the deer in the area you hunt, but the blacktails from Kodiak are easily the best game meat I have eaten. Very different from piney woods whitetail.

I completely understand the OPs mindset. There is nothing at all wrong with what he's doing. I just wanted to plunk down a relatively insignificant data point and share my experiences in coastal AK. I enjoy chatting about it just as the OP does. I enjoy reminiscing and dreaming of returning. It's a special place.

Yep, Kodiak is definitely special! Have been there several times.

Yea Paul, the meat is among the best I've had. Right up there with Michigan doe meat if you ask me.

Besides the tasty meat, its also about the experience of stepping out of an Otter or Beaver float plane and watching it fly away and realizing that you're truly in a desolate, isolated place. No phones, no roads, no cops, no ambulance, no nothing. You're completely in nature's grasp. Walking on trails thru the wet woods, seeing the green moss everywhere, the tall trees, low clouds, mist over the lakes. It's really a fantastic hunting experience.

Teeder, not sure about the 225 Partitions, but I have used 225 Accubonds at 2720 fps on deer and pigs. I found them to be a bit more destructive than I'd like for deer. Just my limited experience. Accurate as hell though with H4350. Assuming they have somewhat similar performance I reached out for something a little more meat friendly on deer.

Had to go back to beginning to see what this was all about.

Would take a bet that more big bears have been killed sub 3000 fps 30 calibers than everything else.

As in 30-40, 30-03, 30-06 and 300 H&H with the crappy old C&C bullets from back when.

A 338-06 with Swift, Barnes or Partitions will kill anything that walks, N.A.

IMO a 375 H&H with 270 Barnes would be a better choice, but I'm biased.

If I still had a 375 I would strongly consider bringing it.