Hunting Washington Forum

Big Game Hunting => Bear Hunting => Topic started by: Magnum40 on November 05, 2014, 12:45:04 PM

Title: what is the best 12gauge load for bears?
Post by: Magnum40 on November 05, 2014, 12:45:04 PM: Hi, So I have a mossberg 590 (I know not ideal but not gonna buy a slug gun for 1 hunt) and the area I want to hunt I'm using a shotgun due to it being semi-rural...what would the best load be? I have plenty of 00Buck.

Thank you in adavcne for any tips. I suppose I could borrow a friends gun at least for another month before that act makes us criminals...what a joke!
Title: Re: what is the best 12gauge load for bears?
Post by: JohnVH on November 05, 2014, 12:53:00 PM: cant carry a .44?
Title: Re: what is the best 12gauge load for bears?
Post by: h2ofowlr on November 05, 2014, 12:57:31 PM: We always went buck, slug, buck, slug and so forth in the shotgun. That combo will work wonders on a bear.
Title: Re: what is the best 12gauge load for bears?
Post by: Ripper on November 11, 2014, 11:34:50 AM: Brenneke makes a good rifled slug for smooth bore shotguns. I have shot a couple of deer back east with them. I have seen them out here but I can't remember where. Any 12 gage slug will kill a bear out to about 100 yards. I wouldn't shoot any farther than that unless it was a rifled slug barrel shooting Sabots with a scope.
Title: Re: what is the best 12gauge load for bears?
Post by: GBoyd on November 11, 2014, 06:39:52 PM: Agree about the rifled slug. I used a smoothbore shotgun with slugs in Michigan for a long time. Never took a bear with it, but that's what I would be most confident with.