I am going to try and blood my Ruger hawkeye 7 rem mag on a bruin this spring season. Load will ether be 175 gr partition @2900 fps or a 160gr speer spitzer @3048. Got some new wide open areas after the fires last year so long shots might be in order.

Alot of spring bears I spy from afar, like 3/4 of a mile and farther and plan a stock on the bear. Most of the time when all works out, shots are not bad 100-200ish. Sometimes ya find it easier or just want to shoot than try to close the gap... its all fun

Last spring bear I kilt was with my iron sighted 1895 ss marlin 45-70 with handloaded 350gr horn round nose bullets at about 150 yards. One shot as it was feeding toward me centered on the top of his head as he lowered it to eat. Boom, dirt nap. Entered scull, exit right butt cheek

It was a beautiful fresh from hibernation, long clawed and long hair blond faze male black bear. Had to look it over for a bit with the binocs to make sure it was not the other kind of bear with REAL long claws 'griz' before I shot...

Been a couple years since I kilt a springy and looking towards hunt'n one.

So, who's using what and how for spring bears here on the 'fire??

Too bad that it ruined the skull- Would have made a nice mount

Boomwack, good luck on your hunt, the 7mm RM will do the job nicely of course

For me the hunt will be similar as you being a spot and stalk. I got a new 30-06 at Christmas time so that's what I'm going to use, haven't shot it yet but will see shortly what shoots better out of the 165 gr Hot Cor, 180 gr Sierra Pro Hunter or 180 gr Hornady BTSP.

Actually traded the scull and the gall bladder for part payment on the tanning.... The old fella that was doing the hide thought that big ol' bullet hole dead center in the bear skull was cool!!

Was not blown up too bad, the 45-70 don't really have the 'explosive' effect as quick calibers... Just a LARGE hole that you can eat right up too.

Thanks jerrygoat Good luck to you on load work and on the hunt

What powders do you have to try on the new '06 for the different bullets?

Thanks, spring bear is something I really look forward to each year. Hope you post some pictures of your hunt when you head out.

I'm going to try Big Game first for the 165 gr Hot Cor and H 4350 with the 180's, have some IMR 4451 to try if necessary. Got some 180 gr Accubonds and 220 gr Partition's waiting in the wings for bigger stuff

I usually use a 35 Whelen for spring bear with 200 gr Accubonds which works very well but need to get the '06 it's first animal

Would like to see a Pic of that bear or the tanned hide if you have one, iv kill 3 Black Black bears and would love to take a color phase one some day!

My wife and I are planning a combination black bear/turkey hunt this spring here in Montana. Plan to hunt with combination guns, me with a drilling 6.5x57R/161x16 and Eileen with a two-barrel 9x72R/16. Early May should be about right both for bears and gobblers gobbling.

Hard to top that! Cool guns, wish we had turkeys this far north that would be awfully fun to hunt both at the same time. They do have turkeys in the Kootenays though.

Here ya go saddlering

I have a HELL of a time with pictures and this sight... if the upload goes all the way.

He is missing his nose, its a 5 foot bear. Resizing photos suks

BW is that an OTC Idaho spring hunt?

Yep, otc.
I would have to double chech but I think wolf season is roll'n same time, april 15

Keep us posted brother! Hope the hunt goes well for you! Hope the snow cooperates!

Very nice color! I did get to see a big Blond bear, on a hunt up Sask. Ca. just as I was getting the sights of the Ballard on it, the dam Bear just steped backward and was gone! Ended up takeing a nice Black phase bear at the same spot a few days later tho!

I hope to hit them hard this spring. Last big spring bear I went after got shot out from under me. Still butthurt about that one.

I have some regulars I give a pass, always prefer to explore new ground. One of these days I should hunt the Volkswagen Bear with intent to actually shoot him! I keep hoping one of the guys I take in there will get lucky and tag him. The only guy besides me that's seen him had just filled his tag. He's a rare bird and smart as hell.

Whatever I do I'll hunt with a Savage 99. 250-3000, 270 Titus, .284, .338 Federal, .358, or .375 Winchester depending on my mood.

This Volkswagen bear you speek of, I know the kind. Large, wize, the agility of a ballerina and very sneeky, The kind of bear that one can re-carpet the living room with a rug his size would be.

Hunt well my friend, may you be graced by the Volkswagen.

It's fun getting to know a bear on his turf, over several years. Where he sleeps, feeds, waters, travels. How he uses the wind, what he capitalizes on, like deer season, berry crops, acorns. He likes to lay in the small pools of water each day in summer to cool off. The hard part is knowing which one to watch on a given day. We've seen many a bear at these little 4' round puddles, but have never caught him at one.

I actually thought I got him a 4 years ago. Was still hunting along and heard a bear ahead and across the draw. Sounded like he was tearing apart a log. Snuck in close and hit the fawn bleat. About 10 minutes later this dude came sauntering in all dominant, like a big boy does. Turns out there was two good ones in there and the Volkswagen Bear yet lived.

At this point he's earned the right to be there and be left alone by me. If I see him now I'll probably give him a pass. Who knows, maybe not. I like to go in there and hunt him every now and then.

It's all about the hunt, not the kill.

That is one beautiful bear hide.

Blonds have less fun.

Nice blond! One color I never got. Haven't hunted them seriously for several years. Have my tag for this year already. Good luck everyone!

Your blond is more blond than mine

I'm slated to hunt black bear in Alberta at the end of May, which is near the end of their month-long spring bear season. The outfitter I signed on with has a pretty good success rate, and bears are a good size... 6'6" and up to 7' are common, average is a bit smaller than that. I haven't shot a bear in 40 years, I'm really looking forward to this hunt.

I'll be taking a new-to-me Savage 99 in 358 Win for this hunt. I've wanted a 99/358 for years, for black bear and hogs. I was going to take my 375 H&H, but when this M99 turned up, it was a done deal. I'd like to get a good truly black bear, but as they have a lot of color phase bears up there, I'll take whatever color presents itself in a decent size.

Having killed a few bears over bait in years past. I am really looking forward to trying to convince one into rifle range this year with a predator call.

Hey Doc, good choice. My stubby M760 in .358 will be going north of the border, too. Best of luck to you and your Savage 99.

Have done that a few times, all good bears too. They can be slow, or they can come running! Don't like to shoot as much as to hunt. Calling bears is great sport.

Took my wife last spring and called in a nice cin. color bear, but let him go. My wife got a short video after she regained her composure, but he was in the brush by then. Hunt an area with lots of bears and mind the wind and you'll do fine.

Doc, simply, 51 grs of TAC under the 200 gr TTSX. I am just five weeks out on my trip to Alaska.

Thanks, Ed. I've been making myself dizzy poring over load data tryin' to decide on a good "first" load. I've been leaning toward a 225 gr NPT, or a 200 gr TSX. I might could start with your load and go from there. I'd like to work up a good load with both, and do some penetration/expansion testing. Dunno if I have enough time before the bear hunt, though.

In my pre-64 M70 I use 52 grs. Thinking that one should back off a tad with the 99. We took said rifle and load to Africa in 2011 and slayed a pile of critters including kudu and gemsbuck. We recovered one bullet from a full longitudinal on a cull warthog.

Fat bullets, bullets north of 30 cal, and bears are a good combo... I like it

I'll be hunting solo in Idaho GMU 12 mid May. Have no idea what to expect but plan to have a lot of fun. Hopefully everything won't be greened up by then.

We are having a very early spring here, lots of green and not many bears out yet. With the lack of snow we will probably hunt a bit higher in elevation than normal. Decided to take out the 264 Win Mag loaded with 156 gr Oryx bullets and alternate with the 35 Whelen with the 200 gr TTSX. Just got in from shooting the 264 and it is doing quite well out to 300 yards. Looking forward to getting out the next few weeks.

Yeah, I'm a little worried about getting to Idaho mid May and everything being greened up to the point of not being able to see anything.

You might not see as many but they will still be there. Great time of year to be out, that's for sure.

Here I am, two days into the spring season and have not got out yet.....hundred other things plus a few more.

Still got some snow up high in my favored places, can't get close to some by road because of snow. Plenty other open slopes to look at though.

The hawkeye sits quietly waiting..... good thing the season runs a little while.

The best hunting for the bigger bruins isn't until mid May anyhow.

I haven't hunted them in a few years, as I really don't enjoy eating the darn things...though in ID and WY you don't have to. I wish MT would see that light.

I wasn't going to go bear hunting this year but with you guys talking about it now I think I might have to make a trip next month.

Still haven't gone. Work in full swing and gotta make money.

True that....

My line of work I am in the mountains a lot, minimum of 9 months out of the year. Office with a view I have been told, It does have drawbacks.....

I spied a MAMOUTH of a bear about 500 yards across the other side of the drainage from my machine. Big enough it was very clear with my naked eyes it was a very big jet black bear, I am not licensed in that state where I am working for bear is the caveat. For me to spend the cabbage and plan to have all the out-of-state paper work to hunt in all the states I work would be rather steep.

Still was cool to spy the mamouth, not cool not to be able to put the hunt to it.

Darn work, darn offices with a view.

I'm getting pretty excited about tramping about the Lolo area solo next month. Especially since I learned I'll have a wolf tag in my pocket as well. I'm just trying to decide between my 7-08 and my 358STA. The STA is great medicine on the bear, but I might rather have the 7-08 for wolf at longer ranges. The STA has accounted for one wolf already, but it was at 5 feet.

No bear for my spring season.... Just could not make it happen with upside down schedules.