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Big gun, little gun, shoot for the ear, or beat'em out and blast'em with buck shot at a barrels length, burn the bow.

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Registered: Feb 2010
Location: Perry, Fl.
Posts: 384

When we had a season in Florida you had to do most of your work up close and personal. I used a .41 magnum with good results. As well as in most of the other states that have a season. In Canada, no handguns, I used a twelve guage rifled slug. Stops them cold every time. I just dont like carrying a long gun through the rough brush. In eastern N.C. I have been so close before I could get a shot that I powder burned the bear. Same in Florida and Georgia.

But it is all about shot placement. I killed more bear as backup shooter than I ever did for myself. I have killed more than one coming out of a tree as the backup shooter that mine was the only hole. I have also killed them with .22 and .22 magnum. "It is all about shot placement". Wouldnt reccomend the .22's as a habit though. It can get hairy. Closest I ever came to getting eat up was from a poorly placed .30-06.

psiskjr

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Registered: Jan 2006
Location: Ontario /Canada
Posts: 82

On a moose hunting trip in Northern Ontario a bear was shot through the front shoulder with a 30-06 at about fifty yards ... and the hunter did not wait for it too die ..
Went over the ridge and the bear was standing with his feet on a tree .. He shot it again in the front shoulder .
It dropped on all four and came after him ..
he shot it again but in the chest this time ...
It fell so close he could touch it with the barrel .
I dressed that bear .. Two shots through the front shoulder . and one in the front .. from a 30-06 with core locs
A 22 mag may kill a bear .. But not for the faint of heart in a bad spot .
I would hate to tell that guy a 22 mag was enough gun for bear

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There are dogs that run bear and there are bear dogs.
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Registered: Oct 2003
Location: pike co. kentucky
Posts: 599

enjoy reading these bear tales---keep them coming..

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Johnny Rowe

20/20 Zac

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Registered: Oct 2006
Location: Arkansas
Posts: 1007

I alternate between my .270 Win and 30-06 shooting Federal Nosler Partitions and have never any problem with killing power or penetration !

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Registered: Oct 2003
Location:
Posts: 4

.480 ruger

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Registered: Aug 2010
Location: South Georgia
Posts: 560

I have killed both BEAR and Wild Hogs from 250 to 500lb with a 22mag never had to shoot but once. Well one time had to shoot twice. Right behind or in the EAR they have had a bad day...

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Registered: Mar 2009
Location: Ellsworth, WI
Posts: 77

my guns a .32 winchester special. seems like everyone else i know uses a 30-30 or a 12 guage. with the exception of my dad who uses an SKS and my cousin who uses either a 44 or 45 i forget.

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Feuerhelm Hounds
-Kody Feuerhelm

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Registered: Jan 2011
Location: scranton sc
Posts: 1

Smith and Wesson 500 magnum handgun

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Powerhouse Black&Tans

Home of:

"PR" FIRST CLASS SMOKIN GINGER

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Registered: Jun 2008
Location: Elkins,WV
Posts: 3

45-70 with a 45 acp on my side

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I will tell you guys a crazy story of me killing a bear with a 40 glock, hit him all 10 times and ended up throwing the gun at it but it did die.

Ran a bear from VA into WVA, got to the tree and I crawled in thru a thicket, I was on hands and knees while tring to looking up, saw dogs moving around, then seen the bear moving around with'em. He wasn't a climber! I got all excited, pulled out my pistol pistol, and lost my spare clip. The dogs were fighing the bear within 10 feet of me. Finally he pulled out of there, and down the divide he went. The dogs caught him again after about a mile or so. When I got there he had my lead dog on the ground, I dropped backpack, with collars, tracker, radio, and everything else I had, ran thru a creek, and the brush then put 2 right in the back of his head. I am talking point blank, within inches. He turned at me, lunged, I was doing some serious back peddling brother! 8 dogs were baying him and fighting him, but when the shots were fired they went crazy. That was lucky for me, and the dog that he had down, (Fluff)when the bear lunged at me, a dog grabed him by the butt. I lunged back at the bear on top of a different dog now and put 2 more in his flank, angled toward his vitals. The bear went crazy, started spinning in circles, I took aim at his head end, let 2 more fly.....hit him in each of his hams. Down him back end went and he came at me again this time I stood ground, let 2 more fly, hit him in the throat both times, this was really close range as well. The dogs piled on, I ran up, squeezed my last 2 off in the back of his head, he came at me once again, I threw the gun in his face, jumped up on a log and ran about 5 or 6 feet, stoped to check him out and he was seriously messed up. Me and eight dogs watched him die.

5 of the 8 dogs were in pretty rough shape. I finally found my back pack after about an hour looking for it. Was able to talk to my truck guy, and got these words out.......HELP!!! The batt went dead, I turned it off and back on a few times and that was it. I waited another 2 hrs for him to get to me, took 2 more hours to get the dogs out, like I said they were beat up. Me and my partner, drug the bear out 275lbs gutted, 45min so, we were close to a road but the dogs were in that bad of shape. I still have a couple of those dogs, still kicking it. I still carry a hand gun on most occacions and sometimes it is the 40, however I do not recomend it for bear.

The 160 grain hollow points didn't even crack his skull. The ones in the throat, never made it to the meat, the 2 in the hams did break his legs, and the 2 in the flank made it to his lungs. I can only guess that is what finally killed him. Most all shots were fired within an arms reach or closer!

Shot guns with buckshot, same thing they will not make it to the meat on a nice bear but thats another story....again close range!

Some may think I don't think much of my dogs after reading this, but I can tell you this, had I not had the 40, I would have put it to the bear with my knife! He would have killed that dog I feel for sure. That was about 4 yrs ago, me and Fluff have been in many more battles since then. I am on foot most of the time, I move pretty well thru the woods, and I don't like lugging a rifle around. Then again I don't care to shoot many bears either, when I do, it is on.

No matter what gun you use, shoot for the ear, if he's sitting in a tree or on the ground.

Last edited by on 02-26-2011 at 04:15 AM

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Registered: Jul 2010
Location: Ontario Canada
Posts: 46

wow that was heck of a story.
Do you think you would be better served with a 44 Carbine that you could pack in.

Your dog sound tough and would love top join you on a hunt

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Registered: Oct 2006
Location: Arkansas
Posts: 1007

Through reading some of these story nothing smaller than a 375 H&H Magnum behind the ear will do the trick as 30-06 or 270 will hardly break the skin ! LOL No really just kidding and enjoying ready !

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Registered: Oct 2006
Location: Arkansas
Posts: 1007

I don"t want to get off the beaten path but i want to share this, i have a good friend that has one heck of a trophy room that has been to Africa on numerous safaris and has taken about ever big game animal you can think of, i was admiring his trophies one day and we got off on the subject of guns and rounds and he told me 90% of everything in that room including his lions were taken with his 30-06 and the rest with his 458 Win. Magnum !

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That is the condensed version of the story, there were a few game wardens involved some upset West Virginian’s and a lot of things that happened that day that a lot of law minded people might frown upon, but what is a body to do when your pack is under attack. I say protect your pack at all costs, and haul ass when the smoke clears.

I like to think these old blue dogs of mine are the best in the world, but they have as many faults as I do, I guess, that is why my dogs work good for me, we are a team. They are tough, and plenty gritty. Most people that have gotten a hound from me wouldn’t sell it so I guess that says something about'em.

I have a lot of good ol hunting stories to tell if I could type better and didn’t have anything else to do. I should put some of them on one these forms, but most people wouldn’t believe half of it, some crazy crap happens in the back woods here where I am from. You are certainly welcome to come down for a hunt if you wanted, I am not a bit shy about showing my dogs and having some fun.

I’ve been playing with two kids and 5 pups today with a bear hide. They are really looking good to be 10 weeks old. I would say they are going to be tree minded, trail dogs for sure, and gritty little buggers to say the least.

Yes a carbine or a gun with a folding stock would do good for me I guess, I own both, but I really don’t like to lug one, it is plenty hard enough to keep up with and handle 5 to 8 dogs by yourself, but that is the way I like to hunt, plus I don’t really care to kill bear once treed, but sometimes you got to do what you got to do.

I use to hunt with more people but decided I really didn’t like all the B.S. that went along with it. Most folks that bear hunt around these parts hunt with 5 truckloads of dogs and everyone wants to be the chief. Probably the same everywhere, maybe I am just hard to get along with myself, but at least I know what I got at the end of the hunt, and no one is mad at me or the other way around. Just seen to many people dump tail gate on a babbling dummy that isn’t really running anything. Not saying that I don’t dump tail gate, I do. Anyways, think I might be babbling myself now, but if you can stand the drive, and the cost of fuel, come on down fellow I will put you under a tree, and show you as good handling, well behaved dogs that you can put on a lead strap. BTH you don't even need to bring anything but ur boots, I got plenty of dogs, and tack driving 22 mag.

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Registered: Oct 2004
Location: Roosevelt, Utah
Posts: 586

I've watched lots of bears fall to my hounds as a lion and bear guide, everything from a .243 to .300 Weatherby gets the job done. Personally I've taken three bears, one with a .50 muzzleloader another with a .357 pistol, and one with my .300 Weatherby rifle. Both the muzzleoader and the Weatherby anchored and animal on the spot, and the pistol was slower. The main issue is hitting them where they live and that's in the heart or lungs, or proper bullet placement. But a lever action 30-30 or larger is easier to get into a tree if you're hunting dogs.

ike

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Registered: Oct 2006
Location: Arkansas
Posts: 1007

You said it all ! Bullet Placement and good quality bullets for the game your after !!!

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Registered: Aug 2008
Location:
Posts: 509

you dont need a big gun for black bear! I will never hunt one with any thing but my longbow but thats my choice. it all depends on what range you are planing to shoot one at. out of a tree you could use a bow a 44 or a 357 or the 22mag if you are talking 200 to 300 yards a 270 or 30-06 works real well if want to kill one at a 1000 yards I would use a 7mm rem ultra mag but thats my gun of choice but I just shoot cyotes with mine.

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Registered: Apr 2007
Location: Thorndike, Maine
Posts: 11

the caliber of the gun depends on the sitution, i tell my bait hunter's to bring a large caliber gun because they may only get one chance and to bring something that will put the bear down--most hunters have slug guns because most states only allow shotgun slug guns and they work good on bear-- on a treed bear buckshot works real good --- on a bayed bear on the ground buckshot spreads and increases the chance of a dog being shot.-- for a bayed bear i perfer a 30-30-or a 35 with open sigths because a 3006 -- 7mm high caliber will go through a bear and kill a dog, which happened to me.-- i agree any thing from a 22 to a bazooka will kill a bear but it depends on who is pulling the trigger.

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Nelson Cole

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Registered: Dec 2010
Location: VT
Posts: 39

THATS THE BOTTOM LINE. IT IS WHO IS PULLING THE TRIGGER. IT JUST DOES NOT MATTER WHAT YOU USE IF YOU DO NOT HAVE SHOT PLACEMENT AND THE ONLY WAY YOU ARE GOING TO HAVE SHOT PLACEMENT IS TO HAVE A GOOD MAN PULLING THE TRIGGER.DO IT RIGHT THE FIRST TIME AND YOU DO NOT HAVE TO DO IT OVER

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Registered: Jan 2012
Location:
Posts: 64

My grandfather never used anything but a Ruger .44 mag carbine, because its small, compact and easy to tote all day long and it get s the job done, my wife totes a 30/30 winchester for basically the same reason, my father in law use to use a .500 smith and wesson but that thing weights as much as a rifle. We killed 3 this past weekend, one was killed with a .308, the other a 30/30 and the last one with a .450 about 5' away....needless to say they all done the job. SHOT PLACEMENT, SHOT PLACEMENT, SHOT PLACEMENT!!
Kinda depends on how your hunting.....if your sitting on a stand, rigging the roads or if your walking the dogs threw the mountains all day long. We tend to do the latter, once we leave the truck, we leave the truck!!! So the lighter and more compact the better!! Happy hunting!!!

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Registered: Jun 2003
Location: Kalamazoo, Mich.
Posts: 6113

For those of you with experience with a .44 mag or similar....what would be the correct bullet to shoot, what brand loads it and where can I get it? I'm assuming 240 gr hollow points are not the best option.

I'm wanting to carry mine strictly for peace of mind while spring training bird dogs. We had a dog point a litter of cubs a couple years ago. I know that sow was close and think we got pretty lucky so I carry a .44 now. Just in case.

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Registered: Jan 2009
Location: New Hampshire
Posts: 97

We use only what we can find these days.... Sad but true.

Ammo .44 Remington Magnum American Eagle 240 Grain Jacketed Soft Point 1270 fps 50 Round Box


I am not an expert by any means but I prefer soft nose over hollow points, believe they have better penetration. With that said, if I can only find hollow points that is what I use. Placement and only shooting when you know it will be lights out makes a big difference too probably more than what grain shell you are using.

Just my 2 cents.

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Registered: Jan 2012
Location: Eastern NC
Posts: 137

45-70, 444, or 450 would be my top choices for quick kills especially dealing with a bayed bear on the ground but as psiskjr stated its all in shot placement. Ive seen them killed with slug guns 20 and 12 guage, 270's, -06's etc. My only dislikes are hollow points and ballistic tips!!! Expand too early

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Registered: May 2011
Location: Greene County, TN
Posts: 47

Most of the guys i hunt with that shoot a 44 use thu cast core 300grain load in the 44mag and i use the 200 grain cast core in my 357. But as already been said bullet placement is the key to a humain kill. We try to shoot for the head. I got in on a bear in Maine this year in a bad spruce thicket. The bear charged me and when the smoke cleared it was 4 feet from me one shot to the head done deal. Let me tell ya it was harry about had clean my drawers.lol

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