Unless you have to hunt with a shotgun, just stick with the .35 Whelen. It is more than adequate for any black bear that has ever walked the face of the earth. I use 225 grain trophy bonded bear claws with mine. Any of the 444 or 45-70;s from the marlin will definitely thump them hard also. Black bears are npt particularly hard to kill, I have shot probably two dozen or so with a 7-08 with 140 grain bullets. Anyway, good luck with big blackie this year, wish you much luck.

 

I have never hunted bear with slugs before but if you are thinking about it, you should check out dixie slugs. They specialize in dangerous game slugs.

 

with all the different types of slugs on the market these days,I wouldn't think twice about using a shotgun for bears
have taken several large wild boar (some over 300 lbs) down here in MS. with a 20ga and Brennekke slugs

 

you might want to call BPI- they have DGS (dangerouse game slugs) and recomended loads to reload- shotcup wad attached to a rather wicked looking slug - I loaded up some DGS20 loads at 1551fps- terrible damage to a tree stump- quite accurate

those are nice black bears- thought mine was big

 

The DGS slugs I would not want to risk for something that can hunt me back. You may want to consider loading 12 gauge slugs with Hornady .500 inch 350 grain XTP bullet in new RSS sabot. Load data is on BPI website.

 

Black bears have never been considered dangerous game, far from it. Their claws are built for digging, foraging, and climbing-- not for fighting. By nature they are timid, not at all aggressive-- nor are they good or efficient predators. They do their best to bulk it up when food in available so they can can take a snooze when food isn't.

Nor are they particularly hard to kill with good shot placement, regardless of size.

 

Randy, your statements about black bears are generally true however there have been more people killed by black bears than all other bears combined including a friend of mine from Colorado. Most black bears are timid however there have been many documented cases of predatory behavior by black bears toward humans. Although not all-inclusive the following link lists many of these events http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fatal_bear_attacks_in_North_America. Another friend of mine had to shoot a large black bear in Alaska that charged him five times with a .30-06 before it went down for the count and he is an excellent shot. Bears are much like people in my mind. Most will seek to avoid a fight but then there are some ill-tempered individuals or those that have lost their fear of humans for various reasons that then become very dangerous. Any female with cubs will attack on instinct to defend her cubs however boars that stalk and attack people do not have good intentions. Both Stephen Herrero and James Gary Shelton have document this in their books on the subject. I especially agree with Shelton's views on the subject. One should not fear bears of any type however one should respect all bears potential lethality in the right circumstances.

 

By far, the most dangerous "animal" to humans is Bambi. Bee stings, snakes, etc., are far down the list. Note that in the last decade the wikipedia link shows only two fatalities-- both involving grizzly bear.

To call a black bear dangerous game requires special pleading. Though nothing is shown in the last decade, a poor track record for a "dangerous animal"-- several of the incidents are not exactly reflective of a bear problem.

Such as, Munson, 74, female August 6, 2009 Black Ouray, Colorado. Munson had been feeding bears for ten years, though repeatedly warned by wildlife officials. A small bear was wounded in a fight with a larger bear. Munson had been feeding the smaller bear. A larger, older bear came up to her house, where she had enclosed the back porch with a chicken-wire fence. She was attempting to scare away the older bear, when it clubbed her through the screened porch, dragged her off, and killed her. Wildlife officials ended up killing two bears as a result of this incident.[21]

Kelly Ann Walz, 37, female October 4, 2009 Black Ross Township, Pennsylvania. Walz and her husband had an expired license to keep exotic pets. On Sunday, Kelly went out to clean the bear's cage. She threw a shovelfull of dog food to one side of the 15x15ft concrete and steel cage so she could clean the other side. Sometime while she was cleaning, the bear attacked and killed her. Soon after, a neighbor shot and killed the bear. [22]

Now, someone feeding bears for ten years (and was repeatedly warned not to) isn't exactly what I would call a completely innocent "victim" of a bear attack. Someone with a "an expired license" to keep exotic pets-- and keeps a bear for a pet in a cage isn't exactly completely a victim of a wild bear attack. Not a single incident in the last decade with black bears. Now, how many humans have been killed by humans in the last decade? It boggles the mind.

No kills in ten years from black bears in a solid decade. Zoos don't have that good of a track-record, nor do dogs or chimps. Nor do horses or cattle. Surely, if we want to run with the bulls we can't be completely surprised when someone gets trampled.

So it is with the idea of "documented attacks":

Conrado Mones, 29, male September 27, 1982 Polar Mauled after climbing three fences in New York City's Central Park Zoo to enter bear's pen.[75]
Juan Perez, 11, male May 19, 1987 Polar Killed after climbing fence in Prospect Park Zoo, Brooklyn, New York.

Not much of a wild polar bear attack, is it?

Lynn Orser, 30, female July 2, 1978 Black In Aurora, Ontario, bear trained to wrestle humans entered home and attacked Orser in her bedroom.[79]

Human intervention seems to run amok through many of these. Climb three fences in a zoo to enter a polar bear den, or have a bear around "trained to wrestle humans." :shock: Some of these "fatalities," rare as they are, read more like stupid human tricks than legit bear problems. I've not followed it closely, but apparently plans are now underway to build an anti-suicide net under the Golden Gate bridge at a cost of $50 million-- just to thwart people who sincerely want to kill themselves.

I'm not the world's greatest black bear expert and I'm not writing "Dances with Bears." But, I've been around enough black bears over the years in the United States and Canada to at least pick up a few things. The folks most likely to startle a bear aren't those that hunt them. The guides that run multiple bait sites are. The most experienced guides I know, if they carry anything at all, just carry a hatchet. Bears with cubs are a very, very common situation-- and no, Mommy bear doesn't attack-- the cubs get shooed away or a quick huff and they go up a tree. And, they won't come down until Mommy bear grunts and calls them down. Its a scenario that repeats itself countless times every year. The most aggression you can hope for is a false charge-- I've been false charged by black bears, but that's all it ever was.

I suppose you'll hear the rare account of the bear that kills dogs and wounds a hunter. Rare, but what in the world is expected from a pizzed off treed bear after being chased and nipped at by hounds. The bear wants to escape, so if he has to take a dog out to clear a path to freedom . . . it is hardly a crazed, aggressive bear. Bayed up hogs will rip up a dog if they get a hold of them. But that was the idea all alone, to get the pig bayed up so you can smoke him. Hard for me to blame a bear or a pig for trying to escape their situation.

The bear I took last year was 6-1/2 feet-- a decent bear. There are bigger, though, and in less than two weeks I'll be waiting for a 600 pounder. They're out there. :wink:

 

Randy, carry your little hatch if you want.

1st. My friend, Colin McClelland, 24, male August 10, 1993 Black Killed as a result of a crushed skull after a 240-pound (110 kg) male Black bear tore open the door to his trailer and attacked at Waugh Mountain, Colorado. The bear was later killed by game wardens.[21] I doubt he would agree with your view. He was a outdoors worker that kept a clean bear safe camp and was not a hunter. He simply workered in the timber.

2nd. I have personally known three people that have been required to defend thier lives against Black Bears. I am 60 years old so that is over a number of years however as I stated it does happen.

3rd. You might want to read:

http://www.ejmagazine.com/2005b/pdfs/bears.pdf

http://www.maineguides.org/referendum/bear_attacks.shtml

 

d

 

Your right Chucka. Being struck by lighting is rare also but I don't suggest playing golf or fishing with graphite rods during a thunderstorm. I'm an old Eagle Scout that believes in being prepared. I lived in Casper, Wyoming for ten years working at the Amoco Refinery and my wife and I owned Signe's Restaurant there up until a fire bug burned it down just before Christmas one year back in the 1990s. I hunted up on the Continental Divide east of Jackson Hole in grizzly country. I never went anywhere without my Ruger .44 Mag with Garrett 330 grain Hammerheads in it. A friend had a cabin south of Yellowstone where you had to carry a slug loaded 12 gauge to the outhouse at night if you wanted to arrive with you intentended load intact. Running into a grizz at night can cause serious problems holding it don't you know.

 

When I saw that statement---"No kills in ten years from black bears in a solid decade. Zoos don't have that good of a track-record, nor do dogs or chimps. " -----I knew that was wrong from personal experience so I went looking for this as I could not remember the exact date.--

You just have to read the thread. The Wiki link is what was being responded to. Climbing fences in zoos, keeping bears in cages as exotic pets, and having a bear around trained to wrestle humans are not particularly good examples of "wildlife danger." There are a lot of things that aren't treated with respect all the time-- like water, matches, and electricity-- but that doesn't have much to do with "Slugs for Big Black Bear."

It is good shot placement with appropriate projectiles: http://www.chuckhawks.com/firearms_black_bear_hunting.htm.

 

I've shot a couple of bears - one with a .308 Norma Mag. pushing a 150 grn Nosler Partition @ 3,300+ fps and the one pictured here with a traditinal mountain rifle shooting a .54 cal 430 grn Maxi-Ball over 120 grns FFFg. I've also seen several others shot with .300 Win Mag and 7mm Rem Mag. All were shot at about 100 yds. All were well hit. None of them went down immediately. Only the one pictured was exeptionally large. Pound for pound, I think bears are pretty tough customers.

 

Tal,

You look like you might be related to Doc White:

That's Doc and "Katie Bear."

 

RandyWakeman, I was discussing how people should take black bear seriously as although generally they are shy and run from people they can be dangerous to the point of killing people so their potential must be respected. Your post came across as trying to ridicule that idea. If you were not, fine and if you were fine; then we will agree to disagree. I have lived all my life around bears and both love and respect them. They are not evil but just bears and they all have their own personalities. Just like some humans are predatory killers so are some bears. Those that chose to ignore that fact may cruise through life and never meet one just as you may never meet a human predator. While I have never personally met that predatory bear (some friends have) I have encountered predatory humans (both professionally and as a civilian) and at 60 years old I am still here. You are certainly entitled to your opinion and so am I after so many years of experience.

 

There have been people killed by black bears in British Columbia, Ontario and Manitoba in the last decade. You do not have to look to far on the internet to get the info and none of them were zoo employees or people feeding bears in their backyards. There have also been a lot more maulings than deaths.........again the info is on the net if you care to look.

On a personal note I know two people who have been mauled by black bears that were just people out in the bush. We also had friends of the family lose their 5 year old boy when a black bear came into the yard and killed the boy and dragged him off into the bush.

All animal attacks are rare............but it is well documented that black bears (always boars) can assume a predatory stance with humans. Grizzlies are certainly the most likely to get ticked off with you for one reason or another and lay a beating on you. Black bears are number one for following you up, killing you and eating you south of the Arctic. Polar bears.....well with them you are just part of the food chain. All bear attacks are rare, but bottom line is, you just never know and all should be treated with respect.

 

Look randy wakeman sapossed shotgun expert slash yadda yadda ya whatever you call youself bears kill people they are way bigger than us and if a black bear is put in the wrong scenario can be absolutely lethal. And yes slugs are very lethal and yes you can use soft points or solid slugs and i am going to tell you why. Because randy doesn't have a clue about this because he hasn't shot as many deer with a slug gun as i have. Then main thing to remember is a hollow point slug say winchester super X or brennke KO which they don't make anymore. Is you need a quatering away shot. It also needs to be at a good angle because your whole objective is you aim behind front should as the slug enter it will blow throw ribs like a ginsu through hot butter. Then as it goes to excite it mushrooms and mashes up against the opposite shoulder. Then its stopped after punches huge hole in vitals the the slug deposties all its foot pounds of energy. And you got a dead bruin laying face first in mud. In my mind the 12 gauge slug is one of the most lethal big game rounds ever developed just has to be deployed properly

 

Black bears have never been considered dangerous game, far from it. Their claws are built for digging, foraging, and climbing-- not for fighting. By nature they are timid, not at all aggressive-- nor are they good or efficient predators. They do their best to bulk it up when food in available so they can can take a snooze when food isn't.

Nor are they particularly hard to kill with good shot placement, regardless of size.

You are naive.......

 

The bear I took last year was 6-1/2 feet-- a decent bear. There are bigger, though, and in less than two weeks I'll be waiting for a 600 pounder. They're out there. :wink:

Just curious.......you do know that bear measurement is nose tip to tail tip?
Rifle length could be.....42"-46".....let's guess at 44".....
The 6 1/2' bear in your photo = 78".........
Am I missing something?

Further, in British Columbia, it's against the law to shoot a bear in a 'family group'....applicable in your state?

 

So Maxus Man 73185 you are a expert on shooting deer with slugs.How many blackbears or
grizzly bears have you shot with shotgun slugs?

 

I have shot exactly one black bear and one brown bear. I taped my black bear at 6 1/2 ft. nose to tail and the grizzly was 9' 4" squared, 10 ft wide and 8 ft 8 inches long. They were both killed with heavy, controlled expansion bullets in 9.3 mm and .416 calibers respectively. One shot each, careful shoulder breaking shots. A good slug within its range and accuracy limits should do as well. I didn't get a second black bear because a carpenter at the hunting lodge I was staying at got one arm chewed by a black bear he shot and wounded. He shot at bear off three other stands as payment for work. He followed the bear alone against the advice of the staff. My point is you could be the person who has the misfortune to find the wounded or otherwise provoked bear. I've got to take exception to the idea a black bear who can kill elk calves and moose calves after harassing the cows first is harmless.

 

Redhawk.....first, congratulations on both bears. Thank you for posting, and explaning what happened with the 'carpenter'......
The Randy Wakeman posts on this thread are at best naive, and could possibly be dangerous if believed by an unknowing or unwitting person.

The black bears on Vancouver Island can be grizzly sized, and are predatory in many cases. In the many years of hunting them here, twice I've seen 'blackies' capture and kill blacktail deer, and countless times have seen them feeding on blacktails, although I didn't see the pursuit and kill. I've been ambushed and charged by a 'blackie' that I had wounded, and also have caught a few that were stalking me. When guiding a 'new to bears' hunter, we stress... a) shot placement, don't shoot until it is right....b) don't lift your head from your sights....many do, and have not cranked another round into the pipe...two shots are better than one.....

In closing.....my intention is not to 'slag' Mr. Wakeman, but to inform hunters and oudsdoor people that black bears are to be respected, and to act accordingly.....

 

Yeah i know honestly i don't know much about bears not in a bear area but i do know randy spews a lot of crap thats all he is pushing his sponsors

 

there are a few brenneck slugs that ar quite heavy. 1,3/8oz loads.

thats 40grams in new money.

http://www.ammunitiontogo.com/product_i ... d0e127f486

there is a picture of a bear on the front. but i guess there isnt bears in the packet.

 

A male hiking with his spouse was killed Wednesday in Yellowstone National Park. He was mauled to death by a bear. Park officers said the bear will not be trapped or slaughtered. The event has sparked worry over the possible impact on tourism. I read this here: Man killed by grizzly bear in Yellowstone Park