Stopping a bear

sealhunter

sealhunter

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Back in the Peace Country
I am curious to know, what is the most bullets you have put in a bear to kill it?
Have you ever shot one that should have bang flopped but didn't?


I am more and more curious about how a bear reacts and stands up to a bullet.
For example. At 50 yrds, a Grizzly is eyeing me and closes in to 30 yrds.
I firmly believe that shot with a 3030 the bear is done. if not killed I think he would high tail it or get another until he does.

What do you think?

Within 50 yrds, even a 30 30 170 grainer is gonna hurt and damage. I strongly believe it is enough to get bear down. On a full out charge It might not stop him in his tracks, but I bet it tuns him away.

Yes, No?
 
Three 12 gauge slugs into a 400 pound blackie. He was close and i jsut started shooting. The ones i have shot just folded up and a couple of them have been driven sideways. I have only shot black bears but a 30-30 will give him something to think about especially if you keep shooting.
 
I've seen bears shot with 7-08's 300 mags, long and short and my .06 My hunting buddy and I have a mini theory. If the bear was unaware that it's about to be shot, most often they bang flop, but if they are alert to our presence, what should have been a bang flop, is less than guaranteed.
 
Wife's black bear... 243 Win... 5 steps after being shot...

My black bear.... 7mm Rem Mag... 30 meters...

You never can tell what's going to happen with bears, so use enough gun and be ready!

Cheers
Jay
 
I'm not fishing or vtrolling at all.

I have dealt with a bears quite a bit.

I have a little one on the way in April.

I will be hunting and bringing him along as well as fishing and camping in the Mountains bringing him (it;s a boy) and ny wife too.

Since finding out we have a little one on the way, I have myself rethinking a lot of stuff. Like how fast I drive, or the river I tried to walk across up to my neck with stong current, etc etc.

I think I'm trying to think safety and role model a lot more than I used to, and less of the guy who stripped off in late november to swim out and get agoose he shot! (Could've drowned, no one would know)

I'm not loaded with cash, and don't justify buying every flavour of the month. but I do place a big emphasis on safety now.
I pack my 30 30 always when camping and fishing in the mountains and as of yet have only had to #### it, not fire.

Everyone has an oppinion, but very few have experience. That is what I was looking for.
Experienced oppinions. Just alittle reassuranse that keeps my confidence.
It is funny that I never doubted the 30 30 I have,nor my ability with it until I started thinking about having my wife and kid with me.
Actually I'm still not doubting, just looking for some reassurance I guess
 
sealhunter said:
I'm not fishing or trolling at all.

I have dealt with a bears quite a bit.

I have a little one on the way in April.

I will be hunting and bringing him along as well as fishing and camping in the Mountains bringing him (it;s a boy) and my wife too.

Since finding out we have a little one on the way, I have myself rethinking a lot of stuff. Like how fast I drive, or the river I tried to walk across up to my neck with Strong current, etc etc.

I think I'm trying to think safety and role model a lot more than I used to, and less of the guy who stripped off in late November to swim out and get a goose he shot! (Could've drowned, no one would know)

I'm not loaded with cash, and don't justify buying every flavour of the month. but I do place a big emphasis on safety now.
I pack my 30 30 always when camping and fishing in the mountains and as of yet have only had to #### it, not fire.

Everyone has an opinion, but very few have experience. That is what I was looking for.
Experienced opinions. Just a little reassurance that keeps my confidence.
It is funny that I never doubted the 30 30 I have,nor my ability with it until I started thinking about having my wife and kid with me.
Actually I'm still not doubting, just looking for some reassurance I guess
Click to expand...

Welcome to parenthood, we have all gone through the rethink period....no it does not ever stop.
I wish you all the best with your future endevours both hunting and family.
 
Can you kill anything with a 30-30, hell ya. why stop there, you can kill anything with a 22 magnum.
but if you are talking griz @ 30 yards honed in on you that is a different story. I have had some very interesting conversations with griz guides. one in particular up in bella coola. if you told him you could bang flop a griz at 30 yards that was honed in on you and approaching you with a 30-30 he would probably know he was a faster runner than you before you tried it. infact, most guides won't shoot a griz or get themselves that close because that is not enough time to react to a follow up shot or for it to die. i am pretty sure they prefer 75-150 yards and 300RUM and up.
to answer your question if it was me i would try to turn the bear before i took a shot at 30 yards with a 30-30. at that close you are only going to get one shot and you would be better off to try to convince it that it wanted nothing to do with you then shoot it and guarantee pi$$ing it off.
 
The .30-30 is a proven black bear gun, but whether you carry a .30-30 or a .458, your safety is determined by your behavior after the shot. I don't like to see a guy take the rifle off his shoulder after the shot so he can admire his handiwork. I like to see the rifle's action worked at the shoulder and the sight kept on target as long as it is visible. I like to see a fellow who has the presence of mind to top off his magazine prior to the follow up. I like to see a guy who approaches a downed animal cautiously, and is ready to shoot should it become necessary.

IMHO, you should stick with your .30-30, unless you are likely to encounter big bears. If you decide you must have a bigger rifle, chose an action that is familiar to you. If you don't reload then start. One advantage of the .30-30 cartridge is that shooting cast bullets does not hinder performance, and should prove cheaper than jacketed. I would look for a cast bullet close to 180 grs, but not heavier, with a flat nose a parallel sides.

Carry the rifle often, shoot it often, and if you can think of small changes that might make the rifle more user friendly make them. If the rifle has any feeding or extraction issues they need to be addressed and corrected. The rear semi buckhorn sight is slow and could be improved with a shallow V express profile. The elevation ladder under the factory rear sight can be lost, so a new rear sight is an important step anyway. If you are comfortable with a ghost ring rear sight that is a good option, but only if you are comfortable with that system. If you have the rifle scoped, consider QD rings. A large loop lever makes it easier to work the action properly when gloves are worn in cold weather. A rubber pad might make the butt a little less slippery, and it gives you an excuse to correct the length of pull. With respect to length of pull, too short is better than too long.

If you can arrange to shoot moving targets practice that. A plastic oil pail pulled towards you by a pick-up or a quad is a valuable drill. Stay away from the bench rest and shoot from field positions. Practice on close range targets and practice snap shooting as close as 5 yards under time pressure. What you would like to achieve is a shot on target in 1.5 seconds from a signal when the rifle is held at the ready. Being deadly at 50 yards does not make you competent at 5, and your close range practice should consume the majority of your ammo. Dry fire is useful, although it might drive your wife nuts. The TV provides fast moving targets even though the field of view is narrow.

I hope you find some of these comments useful.
 
Boomer; Dry fire is useful said:
Boomer,
Actually its practically guaranteed to drive your wife crazy, but I do it anyway. The point that shooting at 5 yards isn't the same as shooting at 50 or even 25 is well made and often overlooked. My next move is to practice shooting at steep upward angles. I'm thinking helium balloons on long strings will give a nice bobbing, swaying target, with the river bank for a backstop. Guess what I sent my deposit in for?;)
Click to expand...
 
I had to shoot a black bear 5 times with .30-06 180 grainers all inside 70 yards before it would die. The last shot was a spine shot. He went almost 1 km. The other four were through the lungs and shoulders. He just kept running. I was young and eager to finish him off, so I probably was pushing him to keep running. Tough sucker though and not that large.
 
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