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I am hunting bear in Maine in September over bait for the first time. Will be using a Mossberg Patriot in .308.
Need a scope and need to develop a load.
I have a box of 180 grain Hornady SST bullets that I could load up with Varget or IMR4064. If there is something better (Barnes TSX, Sierra GameKing, etc), I am open to buying and using those instead.
As far as the optic goes, I have an extra Leupold VX3 3.5-10x40 with a duplex reticle that I could use. The bait is 25 yards from the stand. Is 3x too much power? Do I need illumination to see the crosshairs on a bear once it starts getting dark?
I was also looking at a Leupold 1.5-4x20 with a duplex but am worried about the 20mm objective not transmitting enough light.
Any ideas?
Last edited by jeg11010; 08/05/21.
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Joined: Apr 2011
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I’d load the 180 SSTs with whichever is more accurate and Mount the scope you like on it. While it’s evening hunting we used old Weavers and Redfield’s for the same sorta hunt when I was young and don’t remember not being able to kill a bear due to the scope.
The SSTs will work great for what you’re doing. Fast opening and lots of bullet to push through. Black bear aren’t all that hard to kill.
Good luck on the hunt prep.
Semper Fi
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I like the TTSX. Two holes are never a bad thing. They will bust through bone too. Have killed a few with the 130 TTSX in the .308. Also used a 6mm Rem with a TTSX.
I also like an illuminated reticle. A Black Bear is REALLY black and can be difficult to place a shot on with regular cross hairs. The reticle will get lost quick under low light. A lot of the bears I shot were right at the end of legal light.
Good luck
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dogzapper
After the game is over, the king and the pawn go into the same box.
Italian Proverb
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jeg, Your Mossberg has a fast 1:10 twist. With the close in work, the limited light and dark color of the bears, magnification, high bc bullets, nor black crosss hairs will be of much use. For the occasional 400+ pounder like the ones I grew up eating in Maine, try a nice bullet with heavy weight and lots of lead exposed at the tip for good 308 Winchester expansion: https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1010544912?pid=572391Ak_lanche and I had good luck with mr-2000 and RL 17 burn rate powders in the little 308. The shorter flat base 200 grainers didn't eat up powder capacity like the plastic tipped boat tail bullets did. Try to look for something zero to low magnification with an illuminated dot, like a reflex sight, or even something trijicon.
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If you can back away from that bait more than 25 yards, then do so. I used to hunt at 30 yards, then backed up to 60. It was enough for the bears to come in between me and the bait, and then head toward it. Either scope will be fine at both distances.
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Deer are somewhere all the time
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I use the trijicon accupoint. Lots of guys shoot up there during daylight but my experience after being up there many times is that most are shot around dark, so I think an illuminated sight does help for the shot you're likely to get at the end of the day. A friend hunts not far over in New Brunswick (except for last and this year, the virus thing), he uses a 308 with 150 GMX and has taken several nice bears. IMO you need to double lung them or a heart shot or they can go a very long way and maybe go unrecovered in those dense woods. Bear fur soaks up a lot of blood so you can't depend on a good blood trail over long distances or sometimes even short distances. Seen many lost that were hit otherwise. Best of luck.
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I've done some bear hunting over baits in Maine. A scope isn't necessary but a low powered one is fine. I have a few of the Leupold VX-3HDs 3.5-10s and focus at that range with anything other than the lowest power will be challenging. IMO, the Leupold 1.5-4X20 would be a better choice. At lowest power you'll get a 13mm exit pupil, and at highest power you will get a 5mm exit pupil. Light transmission will be a non issue. It will be just fine.
As far as loads, I don't handload. I used factory loads, Remington Core-Lokts amd Federal Hi-Shoks. The same 150 grain ammo (.30-06) I use for deer. I've never seen really big Maine black bear like I have in North Carolina. They may exist, but I've never seen one. Over baits from a tree platform, your standard deer load will be more than enough.
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I’m thinking a red dot would work well.
I prefer classic.
Semper Fi
I used to run with the hare. Now I'm envious of the tortoise and I do my own stunts but rarely intentionally
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I'm with 10Glocks. One of my 35 Whelens wears a Burris 1.5-5X. The other has a Leupold M8 4X. Plenty of power and you'll get better light transmission with lower power.
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I am hunting bear in Maine in September over bait for the first time. Will be using a Mossberg Patriot in .308.
Need a scope and need to develop a load.
I have a box of 180 grain Hornady SST bullets that I could load up with Varget or IMR4064. If there is something better (Barnes TSX, Sierra GameKing, etc), I am open to buying and using those instead.
As far as the optic goes, I have an extra Leupold VX3 3.5-10x40 with a duplex reticle that I could use. The bait is 25 yards from the stand. Is 3x too much power? Do I need illumination to see the crosshairs on a bear once it starts getting dark?
I was also looking at a Leupold 1.5-4x20 with a duplex but am worried about the 20mm objective not transmitting enough light.
Any ideas?
Your SSTs will work just fine...The Leupold 1-4x will work just fine. On anything but 4X it will transmit all the light your eyeball is capable of using. Whatever works on deer works on black bear.
"...the left considers you vermin, and they'll kill you given the chance..." Bristoe
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^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^THIS^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
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Black bears aren't much harder to kill than a deer is, but they are lots harder to find in bad light and that's when the big guys first show themselves. Their hair soaks up blood and they don't leave tracks, so hit them hard. My Savage 99F wears a a heavy Duplex in a 1.5-5x20 Leupold Vari-X lll and there is no losing that crosshair in last legal light. Not so with their standard Duplex in another rifle gunning a deer at first light under overcast and heavy canopy with a 2.5-8x36 Leupold. I've never been a fan of battery powered lighted reticles since my first one failed. That heavy Duplex is no target scope, but I've watched that crosshair along side 42mm Zeiss and Swarovski more expensive scopes into full dark and it doesn't give up much to those upper end scopes.
My other auto is a .45
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I've done some bear hunting over baits in Maine. A scope isn't necessary but a low powered one is fine. I have a few of the Leupold VX-3HDs 3.5-10s and focus at that range with anything other than the lowest power will be challenging. IMO, the Leupold 1.5-4X20 would be a better choice. At lowest power you'll get a 13mm exit pupil, and at highest power you will get a 5mm exit pupil. Light transmission will be a non issue. It will be just fine.
As far as loads, I don't handload. I used factory loads, Remington Core-Lokts amd Federal Hi-Shoks. The same 150 grain ammo (.30-06) I use for deer. I've never seen really big Maine black bear like I have in North Carolina. They may exist, but I've never seen one. Over baits from a tree platform, your standard deer load will be more than enough. Yep
My heart's in the mountains, my heart is not here.
My heart's in the mountains, chasing the deer.
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A scope for hunting bear over bait??
Save your money and get some shooting lessons.
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I'm not a dedicated bear hunter but have shot whitetail in the 400+lb range in the northern forests. My goto bullets have been the 180gr RN in the 300 Sav, 200gr RN in the 308 and 220's in the 06 and Leupold 1-4x20's or Weaverr V-3 1-3x20.. If I were outfitting a 308 rifle for a Maine bear hunt I'd look seriously at the Nosler 180gr Partition and a Leupold VX-3 1.5-5x20mm w/fire dot. https://cameralandny.com/shop/brand...0139-b7bf-00163e90e196?variation=2940723
After the first shot the rest are just noise.
Make mine a Minaska
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I have shot a lot of bears over bait. Under a dense canopy and with marginal light, an illuminated reticle can be extremely helpful. I prefer a 1x or 1.5x on a variable with the "firedot" by Leupold. The firedot turns itself on when you move the rifle and turns itself off when the rifle sits idol.
Bears are no harder to kill than whitetails of equal weight. However, why not be prepared for an exceptional trophy and a less than ideal angle if that's what is presented. I'd load up some 180gr partitions and you'll be good to go under any conceivable scenario.
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Test the scopes yourself.
Get a small enough cardboard box that permits having the scope lay across the front and rear edge of the box. Cut ~ 1" deep "V" in each edge at ~ 45-60 degrees, so you can rest the scope(s) in the notch (so they don't roll off the box).
Get up before sunrise and look through both scopes, resting on the box. Try different magnifications. You will find out very quickly if one scope is brighter than the other at the earliest hunting condition/time (15-30 minutes? before/after sunrise/sunset).
Use the the scope you feel is best. Set it on the magnification you want. Shoot a bear.
For loads, it's tough to beat a factory-loaded Winchester 180 grain power point in 308 Winchester.
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Great advice above. Bears are not hard to kill . The scope or sight is more important than the bullet, as any good hunting ammo will work. Hunted bear twice up there and it’s thick, shots are close(20 yards or so) and it’s almost always in very low light. A low power lighted reticle or good red dot would work. Practice in low light conditions.
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I use the trijicon accupoint. Lots of guys shoot up there during daylight but my experience after being up there many times is that most are shot around dark, so I think an illuminated sight does help for the shot you're likely to get at the end of the day. A friend hunts not far over in New Brunswick (except for last and this year, the virus thing), he uses a 308 with 150 GMX and has taken several nice bears. IMO you need to double lung them or a heart shot or they can go a very long way and maybe go unrecovered in those dense woods. Bear fur soaks up a lot of blood so you can't depend on a good blood trail over long distances or sometimes even short distances. Seen many lost that were hit otherwise. Best of luck. You can read the above again.....been guiding for over 48 years and I have used every scope made get a Trijicon 3-9 scope with a your preference Triangle crosshairs....remember a black bears hair is black why would you want to use a scope with black crosshairs....it makes it very difficult to see the last minutes of shooting..... There is no other scope made like Trijicon you don't need batteries and I have several that are over 10 years old that work just fine still.....a quilty product that is worth every penny you pay for and then some...... When hunters come to hunt with me if they don't have a Trijicon they use one of my rifle with one ......
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