Blood tracking bears

[MerriamMagician]

I am somewhat new to bear hunting having only started chasing them seriously last year. A pretty serious concern I have developed about shooting a bear is not being able to follow any type of blood trail. Last year I put a good clean broadside shot on a bear at 80 yards with my 308. After listening to him crash down towards a creek bottom, we starting tracking him after about a half hour. There was no blood trail, hair, or anything whatsoever. We searched and searched and searched for hours and finally I caught a lucky break when I found him faceup in narrow creekbed. Thought for sure we had lost him.

Exact same thing happened last week to my hunting partner. He shot the bear at only 40 yards with his 270. Another good broadside hit. The bear was hit hard and sidestepped and rolled twice before scampering his way straight towards the creek bottom. It was another fruitless trail of no blood or anything. Nearly 3 hours after starting to track, we caught another lucky break as we just happened to see a black spot under a blowdown. It was the bear, and he was laying faceup under the branches just like my bear. He had so many pine needles on him it nearly completely camoed him up.

Just two days later I used the same 270 of my buddies to shoot a large bear feeding in a clear cut. It was a 300 plus yard shot, but appeared to be another solid hit. The bear flinched and rolled before tearing off into the dark timber. We could hear him grunting as he blazed into the bottom. Once again we went to the spot of the hit and began the tracking process. And again no trace of blood or anything. Unfortunately this time we couldnt make the recovery. We searched for hours then came back twice the next two days. Nothing at all! 

I am curious to know what other bear hunters use as their weapon choice. I have heard that all the fat on bears often plugs the wound and that is why there is no blood trail. Would using archery equipment or simply larger caliber guns say in the 7mm and 300 ultra mag range be a better option to open up larger wounds and help to leave a decent blood trail? I just think I owe it to the bears to use a more effective weapon so we can recover the bears we hit. 

[Gringo31]

I know I change my shot placement on coyotes because I don't want to have to find them.  I'd pick a shot that breaks them down a bit more.  Perfect shot on a bear FOR ME would be one that took out vitals and a shoulder.   

[headshot5]

Bears can definitely be tough critters.  Unless you are hitting the Central Nervous System (head/spine), you can expect runners.  The best way to combat this is to take out a shoulder and then lungs.  Instead of holding behind the shoulder/arm, hold right on it.  this takes out one of their "wheels" so to speak.  It is a heck of a lot easier to track a 3-legged bear.  Just be sure you are using the right bullet for hitting bone.  It is not neccisary to get the biggest magnum in the woods to put them down, just pick your shots. 

I know a couple years ago there was a thread about shooting them higher up on the body (shoulder blade shot), and it sounded like it puts them down pretty good by breaking the shoulder bone.  I have never tried this shot, but there was an extensive thread on it, i'll have to see if I can find it.     

[Jonathan_S]

I think bears handle the energy of a bullet much better than deer do so that's why most hunters try for a high lung / shoulder strike to take out the lungs and transfer more energy into the "wheels"

Also, keep shooting until they're not moving.

[h20hunter]

I agree with the posts regarding break 'em down. My spring bear was close to perfect on shot placement. Qtr away from me, shot went in the liver, lung, lung, broke far shoulder. Bear only went a few strides. There was no exit hole and there was not a single drop of blood on the ground. The only blood was where they bear lay. The combination of fat and thick hair really soaks it up. I would use a bullet known for weight retention and break them down. I'm not good enough to take a 300 yard shot and do it...get as close as you can and make it count.

[MerriamMagician]

Headshot5 and h20hunter: Do you think a 180 grain nosler partion bullet from a 308 is good for breaking bone or should I consider a different bullet?

[h20hunter]

I don't have any experience personally with the Partitions....however.....180 gr from a .308 should get the job done. By the way...I've taken mine with a .270.............last fall was a 130 Hornady Interlock....this spring was 150gr Barnes....you can see the results and some good bullet discussion towards the end of the thread about my spring bear hunt.

[headshot5]

Partitions great for breaking bone.  They are tough and hold up well, and should do everything you need. 

[Machias]

Black bears are not hard to kill.  I've killed 8 bears, all double lunged, none of my bears ran more than 50 yards and all left great blood trails.  Close the distance and they will not go anywhere.  I don't think your problem is fat plugging holes, I think it is poor shot placement.  Not trying to be negative, but if you close the distance your bears won't run off, most of the time.

[Windwalker]

 I think many search for a better 'best' bullet to hang our hat on hoping whatever is hit will succumb to some instant death ray. Truth be told, sometimes things just don’t pan out like we saw it in our minds eye.

 Under normal circumstances a bear is easy to DRT. That said..

 Saw a bear with a blown apart busted shoulder side hill half a mile before holing up under some brush. (We were in the middle of a road trip out in BFE going through an Indian reservation….middle of the summer and had no gun or way to reach it and put it out of its misery.)  From what we could ascertain, no vehicles within miles and the terrain what it was ..and out of season for regular folks would guess it had traveled quite a distance. Outward appearances, it traveled slower in obvious pain but with 3 good legs didn’t show signs of giving up and being dead any time soon.

 Think their determination sways the outcome. Have DRT’d several with 300 Win mags and 270s with factory and hand loads and 44 mag. Pistol.
 
 Still to this day –after many years it pains me to recall the loss of the largest bear I ever laid eyes on with a good shot at 250 yards from the very same load out of the very same 300 Win. Mag. Saw the shot hit and I know he was dead. He didn’t though and after a down hill fall he got up and went up over the hill to who knows where. Hunted for that bear 4 full days every day till it was too dark to see.  Wasn’t because of it being big but the fact I lost it that pains me. Wife lost one to a 270 at 25-35 yards walking uphill towards her on the trail she was on -center chest shot. Should have been the focal point of a smoldering hole. We hunted that one for 2 days thru impenetrable brush. She practiced a lot and is a dam good shot. For all purposes that bear should have been DRT. We were sick at the loss – not because we didn’t harvest a bear but we want to know the animal is not suffering and I personally cannot stomach wasted game. She DRT’d another bear with that same gun at 200 yards. Same factory load..bang flop. So why didn’t the other drop? No idea. A clear shot both times. I never found a trace of blood on the first.

 One twig can spell disaster and yes I have seen some with rolls of fat that left squat for a blood trail for quite a distance. Eventually- with luck have found where it built up and blew out a coagulated glob. These are from well placed shots. Have thankfully never been involved with anyone tracking a gut shot.

 Is there a magic recipe- maybe...maybe not. Yea you can brain it at close range..but keep in mind the ramifications are far worse if Murphy steps in. Nasal and jaw shots are not what you want to contend with. Hollow points- DO NOT SHOOT A BEAR IN THE HEAD WITH HOLLOW POINTS. Has it been done successfully…probably.  Advice is like you-know-what. (This was before the information age of the internet)  And yea there is quite a story behind it- turned out well but got pretty dicey…actually really dicey and can say with reasonable certainty no one privy to that situation will ever carry hollow points bear hunting. A hollow point 44 mag will pancake at point blank and skid off a skull. And it seems to make them angry…very angry when you do that..so take my advice and don’t do that.

 Practice, practice, practice, and keep shots within the realm of reason and limiting to the known ability of you and design parameters for optimum expansion using a well constructed bullet, shot placement will limit the need to trail. Just because you can see it and hit it doesn’t necessarily mean the bullet will deliver the means for a clean kill. Put the largest well constructed bullet through the vitals at a distance the bullet is designed to expand in an open area so you won’t lose the track and bada boom. Unfortunately if given the opportunity they seem to gravitate to areas where only a mink can get through the brush and crawl into a hole.

[Machias]

Amen

[BOWHUNTER45]

Yeah it is hard to say why any animal gets shot and gets away ...practice for sure and good bullet placement is the key ...I have killed a few bear with a .270 ..had to be the shooter and the bullets  There is only one place to shoot a bear as far as I am concerned ...In the shoulder ...but it takes a good bullet to bust bone and not expand to quick on impact !! Like a Hornaday ...or a good bonded bullet ...which I do not know which ones they would be because the only bullets fired from my guns is Hornaday ...Period ! they just keep on repeating the same effectiveness ....Poooow Dead ! just my opinionbut most know I will stick by it !!! lmao Just my  ...never means much ...

[Houndhunter]

I shot a bear 250yrds behind the shoulder, he tumbled a few yards and died. His lungs were completely destroyed and i was using winchester ballistic tips. Last year i shot one with trophy bonded tips at 50yrds, right behind the shoulder. I lost that bear. I think the best bet is shooting through both shoulders . I haven't killed enough bears to say whats best, but the next one i shoot at will have a bullet going through both shoulders

[Ductsquatch]

Haven't gotten close enough to lob any lead yet, but I got Vintage Remington 742 Carbine in 30.06 spitting 180grain bonded soft points says when I do run into my bear........HE's Goin DOWN!

[7mmstalker]

Bears have bigger and much tougher bones.  A 6ft Black Bear TOTALLY ABSORBED a 175gr Rem corelok slug from a 7Rem mag.
The spine was nearly the size of a B Ball bat, but had only a pencil sized entry hole and no exit at all.
 A 308 should be plenty for Black Bear, but if you already have another rifle that will throw an equal weight bullet with higher velocity it couldn't hurt. Should  make a bigger hole on the way out, and break bones more violently.

[scree]

I don't know there is a for sure answer.  I know that bears are tough and the fat and hair can make things complex in a hurry.  I have killed 4 bears.  2 with a rifle and 2 with a bow (and I lost a 3rd with a bow; still don't know how that happened). Both with a rifle were close and DRT. Both with a bow were near perfect shots and they both went about 50-60 yds.  One had a good blood trail the other one only left a drop of blood and some hair at the shot sight. 
With a rifle, breaking the shoulder makes a lot of sense to me.  Bullet construction has come a very long way in the last few years and can make a substantial difference.  That is not to say that shot placement is not even more important but it all factors in.  I guess my thoughts are a larger caliber rifle with a premium bullet are not sure fire but certainly would help.

[Crunch14]

Headshot5 and h20hunter: Do you think a 180 grain nosler partion bullet from a 308 is good for breaking bone or should I consider a different bullet?

I use those in my .30-06 as well as my Dad.  They are awesome.  We've never had an animal take more than a few steps.  Bear, Elk, Deer all have dropped pretty much in place.