Bell's famous shots were taken as the animals were quartering away, placed behind the ear into the brain pan. Not exactly stopping a charge of angry pachyderms.
Bell also mentioned that after changing to a 318 Westley Richards, his "inexplicable misses" went away....
I doubt all 1011 of 'em were going away shots. None are supposed to have been charging shots but I'm sure some were no doubt facing him.
And he also said the 318 had lots of misfires. That is why he used them to shoot flying birds something like 100 yards up in the air.
Now if we are talking only bear protection and not just shooting them from a distance then from the U.S. Department of Agriculture has lots of info on it.
http://www.fs.fed.us/pnw/pubs/gtr152.pdf
"The light recoil potential and the good overall ballistic performance make the .30-06 a reasonable cartridge for protection from bears. Because of the deeper penetration of the 220-gr bullet, it is better than the 180-gr bullet. For inexperienced persons or those of small stature, the .30-06 with 220-gr bullets may be a better choice than one of the large- or medium-bore magnums.
A 7- to 7.5-lb .30-06 with a 20-inch barrel would be a handy, portable rifle for protection from bears. The use of the .30-06 has a major advantage over use of magnum cartridges -magazine capacity is increased to five rounds. Another advantage is the availability of left-handed bolt-action rifles in this caliber. The .30-06 is also available in slide-action and semiautomatic rifles."
Not the best round for protection but.. not bad and if all you have is your '06, then a 220 gr. bullet is indicated as the best load.
Oh, and if you google 'Alaska 30-06 popularity' don't be shocked if the '06 is not used real lots in Alaska. Here is a hint..
http://www.grizzlyskinsofalaska.com/What_to_Bring.html
"Rifles: Bring a rifle you are comfortable with and can shoot well: The 30-06 was sufficient to kill the world’ record Brown bear and still is. Alaskan game may be larger than you are used to but proper bullet placement is still more important than muzzle energy and bullet construction more important than bore size. Sight in for 100 yards and bring two boxes of ammunition with heavy premium bullets like Barnes TSX, Nosler Partitions, Swift A-Frames, Federal Trophy Bonded or Woodleighs. If you need or desire a new rifle I recommend the .338 Win or .375 Ruger or H&H. "
Not a sexy round but very very capable and used often.
Deaf