bear shot placement

[Woodchuck]

That's because the caliber they shoot sucks. 

Oh. Your one of those!


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Yes I like to stir people once in a while. I mean nothing by it, just lamenting some of the fine debates on here from time to time.

[ICEMAN]

There's a thread on here in the bear section. I actually try to take out the shoulder and blow up the heart at the same time. A disected view from the side shows the heart is a little further forward than on deer and elk. I just want to break them down so I don't have to track them as they have a tendency to clot up fairly quickly with the long hair and fat there.

I think Billythekidrock had a great bear cut a way picture in one of those threads which shows the vitals really well..... Hope my memory isn't fading...

[headshot5]

http://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php/topic,28214.0.html

Iceman your sharp as a tack.

[jackmaster]

the best way to bring down a bear, is a quarting to shot with a direct line from just in the front of the near shoulder straight through to the ball joint on the opposite shoulder, i like a high shoulder shot because it severes the spine, it is a low percentage shot, especially if your all jacked up and cant control yourself, a quarting away shot is great to, but you gotta break them down, bear dont bleed that great, especially in the fall when they are all fatted up, of course you will get those guys that say "i kill bear at 600yrds with a .22, their easy to bring down" well i have killed a few myself, and i beleive in a heavy bone crushing bullet and hitn the bear just right, bear are also great magicians, they can act like they have been hammered into the ground and a couple seconds later they are flyin across the hills side bustin brush....

[ICEMAN]

Thanks Headshot! Don't tell my wife I remembered that thread from 6 years ago.... I got her convinced I still have a bit of post chemo "fog"...

[boneaddict]

 

[Jonathan_S]

I know a few people with the 'break down the bear' idea, they loose a lot of bear....

I think it's all about shot angle.  Many forget when they are trying to break a bear down that you still need to be aware of bullet path beyond busting the shoulder.  You want to get that bullet into some vitals even if you break the shoulder.  Shoulder can be a hard target to hit when you want to hit it

  easy to hit if you're shooting a bow and don't want to hit it eh?

Rad I remember you talking about the Mrs. and how she's killed plenty of bear with high velocity, low caliber bullets. 

It seems to me there is a lot of focus on big horsepower rifles and "breaking them down" but a fast .257/.270 will do it everytime.  I thnk some folks overestimate the thickness of a black bear's hide.  A medium sized, fast, well-constructed bullet will make jelly out of a bear's lungs the same as a deer's.

I hunt with a .25-06 for bear and .45/70 for the brush hunts.

[h20hunter]

I'm no bear expert but what surprised me most on my last one was exactly what many mentioned....lack of blood. The bear was hit well and hit hard. Qtr away shot, bullet took out everything...lungs and liver and broke the ball and socket on the far side. Granted it didn't go very far or have time to bleen much but I didn't find a single drop of blood. Not where I shot it and not where it lay. Between the fat and the fur it can be hard to track.

Pick your shot and make it count I suppose is pretty good general advice.

[BULLBLASTER]

It is not necessary to break a bear down in order to kill it. How many bears are killed by archery hunters every year?
Granted it does help to take out some running gear... best advice is to shoot for the heart and lungs and they will die.

[skagitsteel]

I have always felt taking out the hindquarters is the best less to pack out

[jackmaster]

It is not necessary to break a bear down in order to kill it. How many bears are killed by archery hunters every year?
Granted it does help to take out some running gear... best advice is to shoot for the heart and lungs and they will die.

thats good advice, it is always good to take out the lungs and any other vitals, problem though is bear do not bleed that great especially in the fall, ALOT of people lose bear and never say anything on sites such as these, i would bet my paycheck that there are more lost bear every year than any other animal, yes there are more deer and elk hunters but when it come to hunter/ animal being hunted ratio i bet bear would win if your a good shot and can control your excitement the high shoulder shot is about the best you can make on a bear because it breaks them right down and they go NOWHERE....

[BULLBLASTER]

It is not necessary to break a bear down in order to kill it. How many bears are killed by archery hunters every year?
Granted it does help to take out some running gear... best advice is to shoot for the heart and lungs and they will die.

thats good advice, it is always good to take out the lungs and any other vitals, problem though is bear do not bleed that great especially in the fall, ALOT of people lose bear and never say anything on sites such as these, i would bet my paycheck that there are more lost bear every year than any other animal, yes there are more deer and elk hunters but when it come to hunter/ animal being hunted ratio i bet bear would win if your a good shot and can control your excitement the high shoulder shot is about the best you can make on a bear because it breaks them right down and they go NOWHERE....

agreed. I have shot 2 bears with a rifle both intended high shoulder one was drt and the other finally died after following claw marks on the ground and blood smears on trees... very difficult trail... then it was close quarter finishing shots at 4 yards with both front paws and teeth trying desperately to get at me... this bear was spiked behind the shoulders amd was not happy about it. Both archery bears were one shot kills and neither went more than 50 yards... one was a great blood trail and the other not a drop... just grid searched general area we heard the death moans.

[ICEMAN]

I prefer a nice exit wound.

Easy to track.

[Romulus1297]

There is a little place along the back called the spine. Find that they have no legs or lungs 

[RadSav]

There is a little place along the back called the spine. Find that they have no legs or lungs 

That little place had better be way forward of where most think it is.  I know of at least a dozen bear I have witnessed that covered ground with only two legs like a healthy mule being stung by bees!  Every single follow up shot I had to make as a guide and every single bite I had to sew up on my dog was the result of that shot.  And not a single one of these follow ups were anywhere near where the first shot landed.  Get close to the neck and it's a great shot!  Get behind the shoulder blade and it's nothing but trouble.