Author Topic: Shotgun for Black Bear? (Read 6261 times)

Robert Baggett · « **on:** February 12, 2007, 03:20:03 AM »

Any of you guys and gals ever used a shotgun (slug) for bear? I have booked a trip in Alberta and I was thinking about taking my shotgun. This a baited hunt.

jro45 · « **Reply #1 on:** February 12, 2007, 05:21:32 AM »

When I was Black bear hunting in Ontario Canada I used a 300 RUM and killed my Black bear but this other guy shot his Black Bear with a shotgun slug and it weighted 150 lbs.

Robert Baggett · « **Reply #2 on:** February 12, 2007, 06:21:15 AM »

Thanks for your reply, I was just kind of curious. I don't see many people discussing it.

Redhawk1 · « **Reply #3 on:** February 12, 2007, 09:52:00 AM »

Robert Baggett, show up to bear camp with a slug gun and the outfitter will think you are a real bear hunter. I have been to several bear camps and that was the outfitter's favorite bear medicine. My buddy took 2 black bear with his Remington 1100 with Remington copper solids.

I like the 45-70 and the slug gun, but have taken mine with my 500 Mag handgun. (I know, no hand guns in Canada) I was in Maine. But if you have a slug gun take it.

Robert Baggett · « **Reply #4 on:** February 12, 2007, 10:58:52 AM »

I am thinking very seriously about taking my Benelli Super Black Eagle II. Only problem is, it might scare the bear away! LOL

Redhawk1 · « **Reply #5 on:** February 12, 2007, 11:25:36 AM »

I am booked for Canada this August, and I am thinking of taking my Beretta Xtrema II slug gun. I am using Lightfields in it. It is either that or my Marlin Guide gun in 45-70.

Robert Baggett · « **Reply #6 on:** February 13, 2007, 03:08:33 AM »

Well, this is the first time I have ever been so I am really looking forward to it. Hope to have a couple of rugs out of this trip!

Redhawk1 · « **Reply #7 on:** February 13, 2007, 03:38:21 AM »

I wish you all the luck, until I go I will have to decide what I am going to use myself. Marlin 45-70 or slug gun???

Robert Baggett · « **Reply #8 on:** February 13, 2007, 03:58:20 AM »

Good luck to you as well! To make it more difficult, I am thinking about taking my bow too! Decisions, decisions!

Redhawk1 · « **Reply #9 on:** February 13, 2007, 06:03:34 AM »

If you are on a bait hunt, they are usually in the darker part of the woods, not a good place for a bow, but I know a few guys that got there's early enough that low light was not an issue. I thought about using my bow also, but that is about as far as I got. LOL

Robert Baggett · « **Reply #10 on:** February 14, 2007, 04:06:04 AM »

Redhawk1, have you done any brown bear or grizzly hunting?

Redhawk1 · « **Reply #11 on:** February 14, 2007, 04:22:25 AM »

Robert Baggett, no I have not. Black bear is all I have hunted for. Not that I would not like to go. But the wife knows how expensive it is to hunt brown bear or grizzly and puts up a big fight on that expense. But I understand, we have other priorities, kid in collage and our land in West Virginia.

Robert Baggett · « **Reply #12 on:** February 14, 2007, 05:00:05 AM »

I understand that. I have four kids, two in High School, one in middle school and one in Kindergarden. I will end up having three in college at the same time! Can I borrow some money!! LOL

Redhawk1 · « **Reply #13 on:** February 14, 2007, 05:05:42 AM »

I put one through collage already and she is a teacher, my son is in his first year of collage. I was going to ask you for a loan...LOL

Robert Baggett · « **Reply #14 on:** February 14, 2007, 05:15:45 AM »

Life is great though, would not take anything for them! I guess I am blessed to be able to hunt as much as I do. I mostly deer hunt hunt and waterfowl hunt down here in Tennessee. Went to South Dakota pheasant hunting last December and that was a lot of fun but we are looking to hunt more big game and do something different, so we decided on Black Bear. I sure am excited! Bought my airline tickets this morning!

mjh · « **Reply #15 on:** February 14, 2007, 05:58:39 AM »

I know a guy that regularly hunts and kills black bear with a .60 flintlock tradegun he put together himself. He even wears the fur trade cloths while doing so. No backup unless its a time period pistol!! I would go with the bow but then the slug gun would be my second choice. Just wish I have a 45-70 Guide gun!

teddy12b · « **Reply #16 on:** February 14, 2007, 07:09:17 AM »

For what it's worth, I'm trying to find a bear hunt this fall as well and I'd most likely be taking my savage 210f shotgun. It's a rifled bolt action slug gun. As big and nasty as slugs are, I just can't picture it not doing the job on anything within a 100 yards.

bearfat · « **Reply #17 on:** February 16, 2007, 04:26:44 PM »

I almost used my Rem 870 Special Pupose 12 gauge last fall but went with the NEF pictured on my avatar instead.

When I do use the 12 gauge I will have complete confidence in it. One of my back up guns going in for wounded black bear is a Law-12 which is a semi automatic 9 round pistol grip 12 guage shotgun. Never had to use it yet, but again if I do...I will have full confidence in it.

Robert Baggett · « **Reply #18 on:** February 17, 2007, 02:44:22 AM »

Great looking bear bearfat! I appreciate your reply. Where do you hunt?

Ak.Hiker · « **Reply #19 on:** February 17, 2007, 05:54:43 PM »

If I was going to use a shotgun for bear I would take a look at the Winchester loadings with the Nosler Partition Gold.

bearfat · « **Reply #20 on:** February 17, 2007, 06:26:55 PM »

Quote from: Robert Baggett on February 17, 2007, 02:44:22 AM

Great looking bear bearfat! I appreciate your reply. Where do you hunt?

Fifty miles north of Duluth Minnesota where my cabin is but...if I'm really serious I go the the Grand Portage Indian Reservation which is right on the Minnesota/Canada border. The village is right on the Lake Superior shoreline. The locals don't hunt bear and few whites come onto the reservation despite the fact the tribal council likes to have black bear removed. Lots of nice size bear up there, little pressure.

Here's a pic of one I took there using a Browning BLR 30-06 with 200 grain Nosler Partitions.

The avatar bear is deceiving in size, he was only 200 pounds. Here's a link to a full page of pic's and info on him. He was last years bear. I have a little too much video on the page so it's a little slow to download. One of the videos shows the bear going into a grand mal seizure after the head shot which is something I've never seen before.

http://buckmountainchateau.com/BearHunt.html

Redhawk1 · « **Reply #21 on:** February 18, 2007, 01:49:14 AM »

bearfat, real nice bear you got there.

Robert Baggett · « **Reply #22 on:** February 18, 2007, 05:59:11 AM »

That's a nice website you have going on there. I enjoyed watching that. I hope to have a lot of video and pictures when I get back from Alberta. I am excited about shooting a video of my friend while hunting. He is seventy years old. Neither of us have ever been.

teddy12b · « **Reply #23 on:** February 18, 2007, 04:31:37 PM »

Hey Bearfat,
I just saw your website and it was pretty interesting. Nice Bear.

jro45 · « **Reply #24 on:** February 19, 2007, 06:45:07 AM »

Nice Bear bearfat. You say 200 lbs thats a nice size also.

jro45 · « **Reply #25 on:** February 19, 2007, 06:52:14 AM »

Your stand looks like my stand [ same view ] that I shot my bear out of.

ihookem · « **Reply #26 on:** February 25, 2007, 07:36:12 AM »

I hunted bear in Minnesota and was surprised to see so many locals using shotguns. I think they work better than a rifle because a bigger hole is better for bear I think.

bearfat · « **Reply #27 on:** February 25, 2007, 09:21:28 AM »

I think the Federal slug (solid lead) I use is 547grains of weight.

And if you are hunting in close I guess the foot pounds of energy of a 12 gauge is equal to a 30-06.

I have seen black bear take a pounding. I've been using a Nosler 200 grain partition alot and at times we have sent that round lengthwise through the bear. Sometimes we got an exit wound and sometime not.

The only other thing I'd like to comment on which I have not seen on this post yet is the business about hitting a bear in the shoulders to "bust him up."

When me and my buddies started hunting bear we heard the above advice and my buddy listened to it. Well after wounding two and never finding them he finally concentrated on the lungs behind the shoulders.

I hope I'm not stepping on toes here about proper bullet placement. It's just what I've seen happen and occasionally I see posts about it. I just think your better off with a lung hit.

Strictly an opinion, and it's based on limited experience with black bear only.

Sausage blob being loaded onto ATV.

Used the 220 grain Sierra last year instead of the Noslers and left a nice thumb hole size exit on neck you should be able to see.

Head shots can bounce off though if the angle is just right. My buddy was in a ground blind with .44 mag and whistled to get it to stand up. He hit it between the eyes but only knocked it out. As he walked up to it it took off and of course the .44 had already been holstered. I'm sure it had a concussion.

It all depends on the angle, due to the slope on bears head. This link will show you a clean .44 mag hole in a bear skull, which cracked his head open too. I was standing 6' away and it was still alive as I approached it.

http://buckmountainchateau.com/images/bear_skull.tif

Dusty Miller · « **Reply #28 on:** February 25, 2007, 11:09:52 AM »

In as much as a black bear is not all that difficult to kill (30-06 w/180 gr. bullet is plenty) it seems to me like a guy would not want to put a big hole in the hide by using a slug. Hey, whatta I know?

bearfat · « **Reply #29 on:** February 25, 2007, 11:29:33 AM »

I don't save them anymore but good point for Robert Baggett to consider since he said he wanted to get a couple of rugs.

I had the "taxidermy man" sew up a few shooting blunders over the years. Bad knife work ain't good either. I always found the head hard to skin esp. around the eyes.