Blindstitch said:
Did I ever say the bear was bulletproof? There was penetration just not enough.
Just like all hunting that 100% kill shot doesn't always kill and sometimes the dumbest most inaccurate shot kills.
I don't think I ever implied you said a bear was bullet proof. I implied that your dad didn't hit what he was aiming at. I can tell you with a t .32 Win special that not enough penetration wasn't the issue it was shot placement. If your dad had actually hit where he thought he was aiming then he would have had a dead bear.
Kill shots always kill and wounding shots might kill but it takes awhile. I'm not arguing about the ability for animals to run after a shot. I can tell you your "dumbest most inaccurate" don't kill quickly without hitting something vital.
Dennis CA said:
"Black bears aren't any tougher than deer....."
I beg to differ - they are a extremely tough animal!
Personally I would go with at least 150 gr bullet, if not heavier.
My Dad years ago shot a large black bear (double-lung shot) and ran off into some of the thickest stuff it could find. It went over 500 yards + before expiring.
Tracking that thing was not fun at all in that thick stuff, plus the sun was setting - fast!
I'll admit my experience with killing black bears is limited to the whole sum total of two. One I shot and one I helped the hunter get. However, I'm seeing a whole bunch of second hand experience. I used 200 grain bullets because I got them cheap and had been using them for an elk hunt the previous season, not because I needed them for bear.
However, on the two bears I've been in on I can tell you that I'd been perfectly happy using a much smaller rifle than I did. I used a .30-06 because I was heading to SE Alaska and it was a boat hunt on salt water and it was the only synthetic stocked rifle I had at the time, and the other guy used a .358 JDJ (think .358 Win) in a single shot pistol.
We both shot our bears through the front shoulders to prevent any tracking through the very dense AK rainforest. I'd been just as happy up there and had my very same bear using a .243 Win with quality bullets in light weights and about any bullet from 95-105 grain would have done the job. As tough as you all think black bear are they still are only classified as CXP2 game so use that as a reference when choosing bullets.
When in doubt it never hurts going heavy for caliber but don't overthink the whole process. If you've never hunted black bears before spend more time on studying their anatomy and pictures on how to distinguish between a male/female, and how to judge mature from juvenile. That will do more for your success in the long run than worrying about changing bullet weight.
, I really appreciate all the suggestions and comments, keep em coming. I just know I will get the jitters when that bear comes skulking into the bait but I think with plenty of shooting practice I will be fine when the time comes for " THE SHOT". I will be hunting the week of Sept 15th, plenty of time for target practice till then, and I do practice!!!