Black Bear Hunting, 2017

I will third not using A-Max bullets on game. I had an A-Max 155 grn. .308 splash wound on a Couse buck at 300 yds.. A few yeas back.
 
Update, I found a load with 150 grain interlock's my rifle likes. It doesnt shoot as straight as my Amax load, but it will do.
 
I got my first bear yesterday. I killed it in Halfway Oregon with pine valley outfitters. It was a beautiful cinnamon bear, and the most exciting hunt Ive ever done. I know its not long range to most, but I dropped the bear in its tracks at 4 yards (not a typo) while it was running at me. Talk about getting your heart pumping.
 
We were hunting a long creek line (roughly 3 miles from end to end) with a driving road up the middle. We pulled in the gate about 30 minutes after first light. Every morning we spend glassing a few spots. When we pull in, about 50 feet up the road the guide hits the brakes and yells "bear" We had not seen a bear on this trip, but a cinnamon bear was running down the hill. Goal was for my father to take first shot, but he couldn't (no one could have) bail out of the truck and get set up fast enough. Bears don't spook as easy as deer, and don't blow out of the country when they do. The guide thought the bear would spook back where he came from, so I went down the road about 1 mile, and dad posted up near the truck so we had both ends covered. The guide started pushing the ditch, and I saw a dark black bear blast by. I could have shot, but I really wanted a color phased bear, or a hard earned bear and was willing to go home empty handed if that's what it took. We had no clue where the cinnamon bear we originally saw had gone.

So after telling the guide a DIFFERENT bear than the one we saw this morning ran by he and I walked up the mountain a bit to investigate where he went. He actually blew straight down the creek farther, so I sat down on the trail he took (literally at the base of a tree in the middle of the trail) while the guide went back to get dad. Plan was for them to go a mile or so up the road, and post up, and I would walk the trail, and push the bear to my father since he wasn't as picky about color. I'm waiting to hear the truck drive down the road, then giving 5 minutes or so, and start walking towards the other end.

I'm sitting at the base of tree with my feet on one side of the trail, and butt on the other, testing new bino's, basically waiting. About 10-15 minutes after the guide had left, I hear a crash, and there is the cinnamon bear hauling *** up the trail Im sitting on roughly 20 yards away. He had to go down a small hill, and back up to get to me. A quick thought ran though my head "308, or Glock 30". I leveled the 308 as the bear was roughly 6 yards from me, still running full speed, and noticed my flip caps were closed. Knowing I should have drew the Glock, and knowing I didn't have time to change my mind, or open caps, with the bear no at 4 yards it notices me. It starts to stand up, (which I'm told means either I'm confused, and about to run off, or I'm about to kick some ***) I pointed (not much aiming required at 4 yards) and fired as the bear's front feet were about 2 feet off the ground. He dropped like a sack of potato's, dead by the time he hit the ground. I think the bear was more confused, than confrontational, but to be honest, I wasn't going to wait around to find out. The 308 round went through the base of his neck, right through the wind pipe, and that was it. He was not anywhere near the biggest bear on the mountain (or as big as the black one I passed on), but I think a lot of times folks forget, the animal is not the trophy the experience is. That is an experience Ill never as long as I live forget. Had an all black bear given me the same experience, that would have been a hunt I want to commemorate with a hide on the wall, and I would have shot and been thrilled about it. This is truly one of the only times in my life hunting (or otherwise as people who know me can attest to) that I had no clue what to say, or how to act. All I could do was sit there with my mouth open thinking NO WAY THAT JUST HAPPENED.

The ironic thing, is I practice all this long range shooting, reading wind, shooting from weird position's, and end up taking a bear well within pistol range. Hindsight, I should have drawn the pistol, but my rifle's have always been my most trusted friends. Hindsight I should have been paying attention, instid of messing with some new bino's (on a side note, I will be doing a huge review on the new Fury bino's, and could not be more impressed. In fact, both guides bought a pair after playing with mine), but hindsight mistakes are what make the hunt memorable, and this hunt even though it didn't yield some monster bear, could not have possibly worked out better.

If anyone is interested, I hunted with Pine Valley outfitter's. I will be coming back. I did a show in Portland Oregon across the isle from them. They are new to bear hunts, but have guided mule deer and elk for years. They don't have a website, but great guys, that absolutely work their *** off to get the job done. Beautiful country, and views, will hunt the way you want (I wanted to walk miles, and glass country hunting my bear, dad wanted a little more of a low impact hunt). I'm with the lead guide Lucas (who is 1/2 mountain goat I swear to you) and this dude walks 10-15 miles a day in the roughest country you can imagine glassing, and figure out where what bears are) I walked 10 miles a day, and that's about all I had in me. If you want their contact info let me know. You wont find a better referral on any outfitter from me.
 
OUTSTANDING!

Congrats on your bear. :) What a terrific hunt! Yes, sometimes things happen quickly, up close. I think your .308 was a good choice. A rifle in hand, is comforting. And it worked GREAT.

Regards, Guy
 
Thanks. The bad thing is, its like when someone kills a 200 inch whitetail their first time out. Its going to be hard to top that experience.
 
Just re-read this story, a year later.

Great bear hunting story, and congrats again. I'd imagine the taxidermy work is all done. Happy with the hide from that bear?

Guy
 
I enjoyed your stories with your son, and WA bear pleasantly.

Only a couple of years one has access to them, then they're off doing their own thing.
 
42769vette said:
Im going on my first black bear hunt this year. Im going to Hell's Canyon Oregon.

Im taking a SCAR 17 308. I already have a great load worked up with the 168gr AMAX's,
Thoughts?
Click to expand...

I find AMAX's to be for too explosive expansion wise for deer hunting, I would not even think of using them for bear. Too many people think the bullet that gives them laser-like accuracy is the bullet to use for hunting, but big game have large enough vital areas that anything close to 1 MOA is adequate for most engagement ranges. I would try a bonded or monolithic bullet as you are more apt to get two holes as that second hole will probably yield a lot more blood than the first hole especially if the first has more than 3 inches of fat to go through before reaching something actually vital.
 
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