Rifle Choice SE Alaska Brown Bear

[RB]

Need thoughts on rifle choice for SE Alaska Brown Bear hunt. I am going to apply for the family tag in area 4 (all three islands between Sitka and Juneau) and am looking at getting a bigger rifle. All three of us (me, brother, nephew) all have .300 Win Mags, but thinking of stepping up to .375 H and H as a primary. I do not want to take any kind of long shot and want to be able to put one down with authority. I tried in 2014-2015 but did not draw and life got busy, so want to try again.

Other calibers I am looking at .45-70, .450 Alaskan, .338 Win Mag, .348 Win

Those that have done this please give me your thoughts.

Thanks

Bob

[Bango skank]

Havent done it myself, but by "not taking long shots" what do you mean?  Your mentioning .45-70 makes me think 100 or less.  If thats the case i dont see a .300wm being underpowered    but once again, never hunted brownies.  But id feel comfortable going on a close range brown bear hunt with my .444 and .460 

[Skillet]

I've thought a lot about this myself. 

I'm not looking for an excess of recoil, so I've arrived on a 338WM, 35 whelen or 9.3x62 for 250-ish and under.  I don't think you want to really limit yourself to 100 yards.  The odds are you will be spot-and-stalking these guys from the boat, and when you get to shore and make your stalk there can be a lot of flat beach between the last bit of cover and your bear.

I get to shoot a grizz every four years up here in SE, and might do it next year.  There's a LOT of them around here.  If you decide to hunt Baranof/Chichigof, let me know. 

[RB]

Just throwing some calibers out to start a conversation, and would not want to take a shot any further than about 150 yards or so, 200 would be about max for me on a Brown Bear, want to make sure I am making a good ethical shot on an animal that can take a lot of lead and keep moving.

[Skillet]

Roger that.  I like the mid-weights for this work, but there are a lot of 375H&H up to .458WM rigs in this town.

[RB]

I've thought a lot about this myself. 

I'm not looking for an excess of recoil, so I've arrived on a 338WM, 35 whelen or 9.3x62 for 250-ish and under.  I don't think you want to really limit yourself to 100 yards.  The odds are you will be spot-and-stalking these guys from the boat, and when you get to shore and make your stalk there can be a lot of flat beach between the last bit of cover and your bear.

I get to shoot a grizz every four years up here in SE, and might do it next year.  There's a LOT of them around here.  If you decide to hunt Baranof/Chichigof, let me know. 

 

Those two and Admiralty are the islands the tag covers and yes would definitely let you know. I just don't want to take a poke at distance and make a bad shot. Have heard it a couple times when I have been up there about guys that hit a bear and could not recover and now everyone that goes to that drainage for a while has to watch out for a mad wounded bear!

[Bango skank]

I was shooting the *censored* with a native up the yukon river a few years back.  He showed me a pic of a nastie brownie he killed with a 7mm.  I said, you mean 7 mm mag?  He said no, just a 7mm.  Assuming he meant 7mm-08    of course, these are the same dudes that think nothing of routinely killing caribou with .223

[Skillet]

I was shooting the *censored* with a native up the yukon river a few years back.  He showed me a pic of a nastie brownie he killed with a 7mm.  I said, you mean 7 mm mag?  He said no, just a 7mm.  Assuming he meant 7mm-08 

I'll bet it was an old 7x57 milsurp with a split stock and consistent 10" groups at 50 yards 
Dead's dead, tho.

[RB]

Roger that.  I like the mid-weights for this work, but there are a lot of 375H&H up to .458WM rigs in this town.

Yes indeed, about 20 years ago there was a dead Whale that washed up around Nismeni and had a ton of Bears on it someone took a poke and wounded one and nobody would hunt the area for a while. If I am going to shoot at one it will be far enough away, but close enough to make a clean shot.

[Skillet]

I've thought a lot about this myself. 

I'm not looking for an excess of recoil, so I've arrived on a 338WM, 35 whelen or 9.3x62 for 250-ish and under.  I don't think you want to really limit yourself to 100 yards.  The odds are you will be spot-and-stalking these guys from the boat, and when you get to shore and make your stalk there can be a lot of flat beach between the last bit of cover and your bear.

I get to shoot a grizz every four years up here in SE, and might do it next year.  There's a LOT of them around here.  If you decide to hunt Baranof/Chichigof, let me know. 

 

Those two and Admiralty are the islands the tag covers and yes would definitely let you know. I just don't want to take a poke at distance and make a bad shot. Have heard it a couple times when I have been up there about guys that hit a bear and could not recover and now everyone that goes to that drainage for a while has to watch out for a mad wounded bear!

Ya, you don't want to be that guy.  These things have a bad enough attitude as it is, especially in slow pink salmon years.

If they get too far off the beach in this jungle, you aren't going to get more than a 10 yard follow-up.  Most likely a lot less. 

[h20hunter]

Make it sporty....25-06.

[Skillet]

Roger that.  I like the mid-weights for this work, but there are a lot of 375H&H up to .458WM rigs in this town.

Yes indeed, about 20 years ago there was a dead Whale that washed up around Nismeni and had a ton of Bears on it someone took a poke and wounded one and nobody would hunt the area for a while. If I am going to shoot at one it will be far enough away, but close enough to make a clean shot.

There was a dead humpback on the beach just outside of town here a few years ago.  4-5 bears on it all summer, they were the nastiest, greasiest looking things ever.  Just wallowing in that rotten blubber.   

Could smell it from a mile away.  Literally.

[Skillet]

Make it sporty....25-06.

Just use a recurve and knapped flint heads while you're at it. 

[h20hunter]

Nasty.

Honestly,  i think the 45 70 would be great in a lever gun. Big A heavy slug that will break bone and travel end to end in  bear.

[RB]

Make it sporty....25-06.

Know guys that use AR .223 with a 30 round mag, one or two for the Sitka Blacktails, and if a Bear bothers them the other 28 for him hahaha