You could but you shouldn't. I wouldn't be afraid to use it on Elk or Moose or even Cougar but anything that weighs 3 times more than me, can run 2 times faster than me and can eat me...NO! Start with 338 and work your way up from there. Whatever you can handle and can afford. Even a 12 gauge trumps your 308 at bear distances. (no, buckshot is not a good idea either)