anchor a bear

1

12many

Regular
Rating - 100%
2   0   0
Location
thunder bay
with shot distances being so short when gun hunting bear over bait is there an ethical shot that will anchor a bear( have him drop where he stands)?

ground cover is thick in NWO and tracking quite difficult after a bruin bolts through the swamp. not to mention have to drag and dress in less than ideal conditions .

i have a decent load of 215gr sierras @2600 fps for my .338 fed that works well on double shoulder shots but still ruins a fair bit of meat.
 
To anchor a bear, moose or deer, shoot 1/3 of the way up from the bottom of the chest, on the shoulder. Neck and brain shots will also do it but are tougher to execute.
 
The only shot certain to drop a bear (or any animal) in it's tracks is a brain shot, but I have not ever used it. I always go for the double lung shot, if the animal is broadside, or shoot to the shoulder on quartering shots.
 
I hunt bear in the fall, usually in oat fields 4 feet tall. A head or neck shot is the only option, so far they have all been neck shots and DRT.
 
25yd shot and my best option is still a shoulder shot? if figured up close i would have other viable options.

Ive used the shoulder shot ever since i had a double lung shot that sat over a day in 28 deg heat and spoiled.
 
I shoot a custom 7mmSTW with 160gr Nosler Partitions. I use standing shooting stix. Average distance has been 140 yds (range finder) All shots have been full frontall thru the spine. I use a varmint squeeker to get the bear to sit up and look strait at me.
 
JJ-65 said:
I shoot a custom 7mmSTW with 160gr Nosler Partitions. I use standing shooting stix. Average distance has been 140 yds (range finder) All shots have been full frontall thru the spine. I use a varmint squeeker to get the bear to sit up and look strait at me.
Click to expand...

sweet. that's exactly the kind of info i was looking for, just needed to know that a neck shot could be repeatable and safe, and the sqeaker is a nice touch

thanks!!!!:):):)
 
Hey 12many, I'm from the Tbay area as well and hunting over bait from that distance I'd recommend using a 12 gauge slug. It'll get the job done every time and should you have to track the bear there will be plenty of sign. Large entry and exit woulds. Just my thoughts. If however your set on using your rifle I'd say a neck shot as well. Sight your rifle in for the distance your shooting and do alot of practice hitting small targets at that distance.
 
12many said:
with shot distances being so short when gun hunting bear over bait is there an ethical shot that will anchor a bear( have him drop where he stands)?

ground cover is thick in NWO and tracking quite difficult after a bruin bolts through the swamp. not to mention have to drag and dress in less than ideal conditions .

i have a decent load of 215gr sierras @2600 fps for my .338 fed that works well on double shoulder shots but still ruins a fair bit of meat.
Click to expand...


The ethical shot is a double lung, center of the body directly behind the shoulder. Worry about the retrieval after. 99% of bears will go under 50 yards if you take out both lungs.
 
Hurketthunter84 said:
Hey 12many, I'm from the Tbay area as well and hunting over bait from that distance I'd recommend using a 12 gauge slug. It'll get the job done every time and should you have to track the bear there will be plenty of sign. Large entry and exit woulds. Just my thoughts. If however your set on using your rifle I'd say a neck shot as well. Sight your rifle in for the distance your shooting and do alot of practice hitting small targets at that distance.
Click to expand...

thats another idea but i see most a bears at dusk not dawn and they tend to wanna a die in swamp under a tree surrounded by tag alders, if its 30 deg again on bear opener i got a few hours or so to get that meat on ice. and tracking at night with 10 million mosquitos while sweating my bag off really ruins the hunt.

i think id need a new shotty too, i got a berretta fixed full choke semi . wont take slugs?
 
I hear you about the terrain. I think your shotgun could shoot slugs but if it was a me with that type of shotgun I'd probably switch to buckshot. I'm primarily a meat hunter so keeping the skull doesn't mean anything to me. I'd just practice up with some 00 buck and when that bear shows up give him one to the head. Won't take a step i gaurantee lol. I'm not sure if your interested in a trophy but it's another option.
 
i hunt bears in NS and usually within 25yards, most shots ahve been just behind the shoulder but this year bear was 10yards away looking at me so i took the head shot.
none of my bears have moved farther than 20 yards and 99% were dusk shots.
close cover or fairly wide open and the result was the same dead bear
btw im using a nef 44 mag, 240gr cast handload. seems to work for me
 
bearkilr said:
The ethical shot is a double lung, center of the body directly behind the shoulder. Worry about the retrieval after. 99% of bears will go under 50 yards if you take out both lungs.
Click to expand...

BINGO !!!!!

this applies to any animal

the only downside to this , is the blood trail may be faint due to the animal bleeding into it's lungs , which means extra care needs to be taken to remember where the animal was when it was shot , and which direction it took off in . ( this can be tougher than it seems when you are all pumped up on adrenalin )
 
JJ-65 said:
I hunt bear in the fall, usually in oat fields 4 feet tall. A head or neck shot is the only option, so far they have all been neck shots and DRT.
Click to expand...

Not saying it wont work, but you end up with almost no margin for error on a neck shot.

Big_Bear.jpg


The heart/lungs are a huge target by comparison.
 
Some Buddies of mine that run an outfitting business here in NB tell there clients to take neck shots...Its basically a clean kill or a clean miss.
20 - 30 yards over bait mind you!!
 
When using larger caliber guns and heavy cast bullets from .44 up to .50 cal. I always use the shoulder shot on tough game and they can't get away with both shoulders busted up, works on big buffs, so it also works on bears. With smaller cals. I would opt for the heart/lung shot and follow the blood trail.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom