bear hunting

[andrewmyers]

my dad and i have been debating on hunting bears for years.. we know where we want to go and its very close to a weigh-in station. neither of us really know what were doing. my questions are 1. whats the minimum caliber rifle we should use and what type of bullets..(i have several centerfires, but dont know which to bring). 2. after (if) we harvest a bear, do we field dress it right away or wait til after its brought to a weigh station?

[SCOUT]

I use a marlin .44 mag rifle for bear and deer. It makes a big hole even if it doesn't expand, and it seems to send big game animals into shock when it hits them. Generally, I would recommend .30 caliber or larger, with bullets that expand and penetrate well. Shot placement is the most important thing, a poorly hit bear will run for miles and leave almost no blood trail. Try to hit the front shoulder. If you break one or both front legs, it won' t be able to go as far before it bleeds out. Bears usually don't leave a good blood trail because their fat plugs the hole and the fur absorbs the blood. Gut the bear right away, check it in, and chill the meat asap. If you butcher it yourself, cut away as much fat as possible, as the fat will go rancid even in the freezer and the meat will taste bad as a result. I like to slow cook bear, either in the oven or over a fire, and then dump off the grease before eating. It tastes like roast beef, only not as dry as beef.

[andrewmyers]

hey thanks scout. field dressing it right away makes sense now. i was just always curious as to how they could get an accurate weight, but i assume they estimate the guts. i only have 1 rifle of .30 caliber or larger and thats my old 30-30. my other rifles are a 7mm-08, .243, and a .270 winchester. i was thinking of using the 7mm-08 with hornady lite magnum loads, or winchesters fail safe bullets; figuring that i want good expansion and penetration. i might even go with barnes X bullets. my dad will most likely use the .270. but i will say before this up-coming season, im thinking of buying a winchester lever action. most lilely in .44 mag or .450 marlin. so i might use that instead.

[91xlt]

what area will you be hunting?

i assume in pa, black bear?

i would shy away from the 243, it will work but you have better options,

any of your others would do fine, with heavy for caliber deep penetrating bullets
your bullet selection looks good

i use a 30-30(170 gr nosler partitions), 30-06(180 gr nosler partition or partition gold), 45-70(300 gr partition gold)

alot of people have excellent results with the 270 w/150 gr

good luck

[andrewmyers]

what area will you be hunting?

i assume in pa, black bear?

i would shy away from the 243, it will work but you have better options,

any of your others would do fine, with heavy for caliber deep penetrating bullets
your bullet selection looks good

i use a 30-30(170 gr nosler partitions), 30-06(180 gr nosler partition or partition gold), 45-70(300 gr partition gold)

alot of people have excellent results with the 270 w/150 gr

good luck

I plan to hunt the Sideling Hill area. thats in western Fulton County. i have thought of using the .243 but it is only a single shot...i question my ability to reload it quickly. plus i read one bear shot there weighed over 400 lbs, if not a couple of them.. otherwise with a good nosler or accubond bullet, it would do fine. the 30-30 would work too. i mean the range of a shot wont be more than 60 yards at most...the woods up there are thick. i just really want to shoot something with my 7-08, i bought it a few years ago and its just been collecting dust.

[SCOUT]

A good friend of mine uses a 7-08, and has killed a very big bear with it, and even a buffalo. With the guns that you have, the 7-08 , 30-30 and 270 should all be fine, but I would not use the 243. Good luck.

[1911shooter]

the 270 with the 150's is about perfect. me i use a .475 Linebaugh in a freedom arms revolver. but the 270 or if you can get your hands on one the 280 rem with 165gr bullets now were talking.

[crowsnest2002]

Ha you gut a bear, I remember one year I field dressed your entire buck you shot, Do you remember that lol.. J/K I have confidence in you paddyone, besides you learned off me lol...

I also recall loading it in your vehicle too, wraped as well hmmmm... Shouldnt I have gotten some sort of share of the meat, I did all the hard work.. The butcher did the rest.. hmmm lol Well I have to tell you one thing lol you did shoot it, twice lol. I guess I wont tell them where you hit it the first shot lol.....

[andrewmyers]

Ha you gut a bear, I remember one year I field dressed your entire buck you shot, Do you remember that lol.. J/K I have confidence in you paddyone, besides you learned off me lol........

if i recall, i did tear 2 knee ligaments, bruised my femur, dislocated my knee and a mess of other stuff, 3 days prior to that hunt...if you ask me i should get a medal for even being out in the woods....remember my crutches? left em at home that day haha. also you ate some of the meat..on those camping trips.. well anyway im really interested in bear hunting. i think its neat to be able to hunt such a beautiful, powerful and potentially dangerous animal. deer are so well...placid. haha i want some excitement. plus i dont see too many bears, in fact ive never seen on in person, outside a zoo.

[crowsnest2002]

I guess I'll give that to you lol. You were determined. lol