First encounter wth good sized bear

[Stomper]

I went up yesterday behind the house,to try my luck.I rode my mountain bike to a cut that is 3 years old.I hike up into the middle of the cut,sat down and started glassing.About five minutes goes by when out to my left I see movement.I look through the binoculars an see a nice blackie that might go three hundred pounds.I pull up the 30-06 and put the cross hairs on the bear.While shaking like a leaf from adrenaline I notice the bear had turned and his butt was facing me .So I new I had to wait for a good clean shot.I decided to get to another stump so I could use it as a rest.When I did this it was loud and I thought for sure I was going to spook the bear.Luckily the bear payed no attention to me.So I waited for a good shot.When the shot presented itself I took it.And missed :yike:So I searched the area to make sure it was a miss and it was.I never realized a bear could move so fast through an old clearcut with alot of blowdown on the edges.o now I will take another trip to the shooting range to see if was the rifle or me.

[markts]

That sucks for sure. Had the same thing happen to me last year. Went and shot the gun and decided it was me not the gun. Better luck next time. Mark

[7mmfan]

Thats to bad, i feel your pain. I always question those shots with bears though. Big bears can absorb a shot and bleed very little if at all for a while. I hope it was actually a clean miss...

[Stomper]

Absorbed??Are you flipping kidding me?? A 165 grain 30-06 aimed at his vitals.Then watching him turbo across the cut in the same time it took me to jack another shell in the gun??That would be amazing for sure.I've seen my 100 grain broad heads leave more blood!!!!!!

Thats to bad, i feel your pain. I always question those shots with bears though. Big bears can absorb a shot and bleed very little if at all for a while. I hope it was actually a clean miss...

[ThePascoKid]

I've seen a bear take a 180 gr .300 win mag and run like hell never leaving a drop of blood and never acting like it was hit it's definitely possible

[Stomper]

holy crap

[demontang]

yeah mine took a 225gr accubond out of my 338 win and didnt seem to be hit.

[bucklucky]

Ya, bears are tough and if you only get 1 lung they can go for ever. My bear hunter budy thats killed over 25 bears used to shoot all his in the lower neck. Almost every one. Never got aeay that way, just not a big enough target for me.

[Stomper]

fing swear words If I hit the bear wouldnt there be some kinda sign that I would know that it was hit? Hair? Blood ? Limping bear or anything?I'm going to be terribly upset if I wasted a good bear >:(I'm getting worried now............. :yike:I better bring some more eyes up there to see If I can find any sign of him.

[bucklucky]

I dont know about the real bear hunters but Seems like most bears I have seen killed have done a few things, they will bite at the spot that was hit for a quick second and then bolt, drop like a ton of crap, get up and run like a mo fo, squal, just flat out smoke out of the cut, or roll down a hill and let out a death squal.  You just never know what will happen is my point. If it was a cut with alot of furns, I would be looking onder every furn bow to see if there is any blood at all. Go to the last spot you seen him and start following his trail if you can, or the approximate trail he took. Where were you aiming?

[Stomper]

I walked the trail he took which was a skidder trail.He didn't make a sound as in squeals or grunts.I spent an hour looking for blood ,hair and found nothing.I was aiming for the heart,lung area behind the shoulder.But I was aiming down hill at 150 yds.without compensating for the angle.Now do I need a heavier bullet ?

[bucklucky]

Good shot placement is key, both lungs and that bear would be laying pretty close to where you killed him, I mean he would not have travelled far. Sounds like a miss but I wasnt there to see any of it. As long as you did the best you could to try and find any sign of a hit , you shouldnt doubt yourself. If it was me I would be heading towards the closet water in the direction he was headed just for *censored*s and giggles, if he was hit he may head for water??

PS I have killed a few with an 30-06 with 165 grain core locks.

[Machias]

Stomper, don't feel bad, last year I called in a real nice chocolate bear to 20 yards or so and missed with my scoped 30.06.      Very embarassing.  I've taken 8 so far.  I went back and double checked my scope and found out it must have taken a beating on the ride in.  Road was super rough and I bottomed out a couple of times and the rifle was laying on the back floor board.  Anyways when I double checked I was shooting 11 inches high and 5 inches left.     I was shocked it was off that much.  You might double check your sight in.

[JackOfAllTrades]

Yes, shot placement is key. Boiler room I tell ya!

Ya, bears are tough and if you only get 1 lung they can go for ever.

Hit my Bear with a 165 grainer at 25yds. Hot hand load 30-06. Took one lung and the opposite shoulder. TOOK OFF LIKE A FREIGHT TRAIN! Lucky for that slash pile right between us, else he'd have mowed me over.  He went some 40 or so yds before I could get another shot on him when he fell of the road. He'd have kept crawling if I didn't.

-Steve

[tlbradford]

Here is a video from Timber of a bear shot with a .375.  Like everyone said above, they can absorb a lot of energy. 

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