Black Bear bullet options

[rharfo]

Ive heard and read about the bear numbers in that region of the country. There are no snob bear hunters in PA though, i can assure you of that. Any size bear is in serious jeapardy when the season opens. And back in the boonies wont be apt to have more of them. Where the food is is where you will be more apt to find them including trash cans, at least until the pressure is placed on them with people numbers.
We glass the ridges every day "weather permitting" during the 2 week buck season. Some years we might see several, and some years none during that time frame. Fact is though we have seen more at some locations than we have at others.
When i started hunting in the late 40s, bear season started on a Monday for the entire week before the buck season. Later it was reduced to 3 days, and it remained that way until rather recently for a Saturday opener.
Archery hunters now have a full week plus the rifle season where they can still use their bows.

don't forget the new muzzy season, I just sighted in and will be out and about looking to smoke pole one

 

[Quicksilver338]

Ive heard and read about the bear numbers in that region of the country. There are no snob bear hunters in PA though, i can assure you of that. Any size bear is in serious jeapardy when the season opens. And back in the boonies wont be apt to have more of them. Where the food is is where you will be more apt to find them including trash cans, at least until the pressure is placed on them with people numbers.
We glass the ridges every day "weather permitting" during the 2 week buck season. Some years we might see several, and some years none during that time frame. Fact is though we have seen more at some locations than we have at others.
When i started hunting in the late 40s, bear season started on a Monday for the entire week before the buck season. Later it was reduced to 3 days, and it remained that way until rather recently for a Saturday opener.
Archery hunters now have a full week plus the rifle season where they can still use their bows.

How long is the season in PA? Ours in Washington is Aug 1-Nov 15. Leaves about a month or so of prime alpine hunting and I love it.

 

[Hatrick]

 

[yobuck]

Obviously some new changes in the season lengths.
How well that works out as for creating more enthusiasm among younger hunters will remain to be seen.

 

[yobuck]

By the way rharfo, have you ever considered the Ridgeway Rifle club? About 2 hours from Pittsburg, about 40 positions, many under roof with good benches, with distances from 100 to 1000 yds. Clay birds placed on the berms is permitted.
Range is open all day every day for members on non match days.

 

[rharfo]

By the way rharfo, have you ever considered the Ridgeway Rifle club? About 2 hours from Pittsburg, about 40 positions, many under roof with good benches, with distances from 100 to 1000 yds. Clay birds placed on the berms is permitted.
Range is open all day every day for members on non match days.

Looks like it's about 3 hours for me. I find it funny that a year ago I moved from Northern Va where I had access to a 400 yard rifle range to Morgantown WV and I joined a 200 yard range. I drive into PA everyday for work and look at all the private property that could be used for long range shooting. Haven't been able to find someone to sponsor me for a club about 30 min from me that has 500 yards. I hunt deer on a farm that has lots of room but they won't let me bang steel at long distance. Anyway.....back to the black bear bullets.

 

[TangoOscarMike]

Well, the last one I shot back in the Stone Age (1997) was with a .30-06 and a 165 grain factory Winchester Failsafe round. It was a nice 180 lb Bruin. I done kilt him dead with that Failsafe.

I killed one around '04 with a 180g failsafe out of my '06. I got lucky and hit the heart directly. When I field dressed him there was just no heart left at all. I have no idea how he ran 70 yards. He died mid stride and was laying on the ground all stretched out like Superman flying.

 

[wv270wsm]

My youngest son killed one last week that dressed out 140 with a 22-250 . Don't know what bullet but it was a one shot kill shot through the neck. Severed the spinal cord

 

[gobblinglawyer]

140 grain Accubond over 42 grains of Varget out of a 7mm-08 is deadly.

 

[RT2506]

Been lots of bear killed in my neck of the woods with the old 30-30 Win. with either 150 or 170 factory ammo. I was bow hunting last week and had about a 350 lb sow with THREE cubs come by. Where I hunt in east TN there are quite a few bears and if you have a handgun carry permit you can carry a pistol while bow hunting for one of the very reasons is bear defense. I carry a Ruger Black Hawk 5 1/2" barrel 45 colt loaded with a hand loaded Speer 300 gr jacketed soft point running about 1100 fps to change the attitude of a bear that would want to mess with me.

 

[Alibiiv]

Been lots of bear killed in my neck of the woods with the old 30-30 Win. with either 150 or 170 factory ammo. I was bow hunting last week and had about a 350 lb sow with THREE cubs come by. Where I hunt in east TN there are quite a few bears and if you have a handgun carry permit you can carry a pistol while bow hunting for one of the very reasons is bear defense. I carry a Ruger Black Hawk 5 1/2" barrel 45 colt loaded with a hand loaded Speer 300 gr jacketed soft point running about 1100 fps to change the attitude of a bear that would want to mess with me.

I know of two incidents where carrying a handgun would have made two bow hunters a lot safer if they'd had one with them. One was a hunter who was coming out of the woods in the dark and ran across a nasty black bear who did not want to share the trail with him. The second incident was with a hunter who came down out of his tree stand only to encounter a black bear sow with two cubs, who was going to defend her cubs and chased the hunter back up into his tree stand an wait for the guide to come in and get him. If I were a bow hunter I definitely would carry a handgun, like yours, and never hunt without it.

 

[SergeantD]

Hornady vs Berger...Hornady wins every time!!!

 

[BUCKWORKMAN]

Decided to go with the the 140 AB in my center-grip 26 Nosler XP-100

Have killed 2 with the 140 grain AB 7mm out of my .280 one was about 300 lbs. The other about a 400 lber. @ 20 feet away and was acomin'. Good Hunting.