A couple of thoughts from a hunter in Alaska:
Bears can be dangerous. They will eat you if you let them.
Bears bones get stronger as they get older. They can take alot of hits on bones and shrug them off.
Shooting long range for a bear in Alaska is not recommended. With the terrain and vegetation up here it makes finding the animal difficult. Finding an animal in 20 yards of alder can be difficult. Very difficult if the bear is not quite dead yet and the alder is so thick you can't hardly get your muzzle up to make another shot.
Penetration is great. Knocking a bear on its *** is the way to go. Like mentioned before a bear can cover alot of ground quickly. A fast bullet going through a bear won't stop him. A big heavy bullet that expands quickly will slow him down for a finishing shot. I use a 45-70 for bear because it is a big bullet. I don't use straight lead because it goes through the bear but not necessarily knocking him down. Expansion slows a bear down when you need them to slow down.
