Shot placement for black bears.

Big Game Hunting > Bear Hunting

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Maverick:
My go to rifle is usually a Remington .270 150 grain. Have yet to shoot at a bear but reading stories on a lot running off I'm questioning if I should use something bigger.

h20hunter:
If you shoot it regulary I'd say bully to what others say. Put a 150gr where it needs to go, don't rush the shot, like D-Rock said, be prepared for a follow up, and get to it. My avatar bear fell to a to slow moving 150gr Barnes and died as fast as you could ask. Crushed him. Took out liver, lung, lung, and broke the far shoulder.

ghostshell:
double lungs...... archery. :tup:

7mmstalker:
The best advice, as always, is shoot the rifle that you shoot the best. A well placed shot with a good bullet always works well. If I were using 30 cal./180grain or heavier, I would take the shoulder shot, smaller bullets definitely not, wait for the chest cavity-heart / lung to be exposed.
A bigger bore rifle doesn't kill any deader than the trusty 30-06, 270,or any number of other calibers common for deer hunting. I met one long time Alaskan who hunted everything, Moose included, with a 25-06.
Keep shooting 'till the bear doesn't move any more. An extra hole or two in the hide means nothing compared to the bitterness and disappointment of losing a wounded animal.
I have seen black bear absorb a 7mmMag slug in the spine and immediately bounce up and try to run on the good legs. Same thing from a 338 WinMag shot to the spine. Both of those were put down with a second shot.
Seems that a lot of hunters equate toughness with dangerous. Many will not agree, but the black bear is not a particularly viscous animal, wounded, that's a little different. Most animals just want to escape danger. Any wounded animal will be aggressive and potentially dangerous. The brown and polar bears are the guys who will consistently choose to confront and fight.
If you are not hunting alone, it can work well to designate one person must bring the "fight stopper" rifle. That is similar to how the guides deal with the possibility of aggressive animals. I really like having a heavy caliber, or 12ga with premium slugs to bring along if blood trailing, deer or larger. The wounded ones often head into thick cover, so a short range heavy impact round /weapon is best.
Situation awareness, make the first shot count, and have a quick, effective plan B, and plan C.

jasnt:
Personally I'm not a shoulder buster. I like vital shots and prefer quartering away shots, but I shoot a 243 for just about everything! Last years bear was a big sow(>300lbs) shot from 150 yards. Bullet passed threw both lungs, sent shrapnel threw the heart and exited slicing threw the jugular. She went 40 yards. Could have run fallowing the blood trail! Shoot what you have and can shoot well!

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