Grizzly Bear with .30-06

[Guy Miner]

Bear stories?

Alaska, Sept 2012: Raining of course. Fly fishing trip for silver salmon. Four or five of us were moving from one point on the river to another point. Through some small hills of sand, covered in tall grass...

I'm used to seeing the big brown bears up there - even sharing fishing holes with them - but...

I think we woke this guy up! He was utterly invisible and unknown to us, then suddenly stood up - on all four - and "woofed" at us from... MAYBE 20 feet away... Big ol' boar... And not real happy about having his nap disturbed. He just glared at us for a bit, then lay back down.

Ya - that got my attention... :mrgreen:

 

[diverdown]

Hunting Grizzly or Browns with an 06? I don't have a death wish. I would much rather have my .338RUM with 250 or 300 grain bullets. Yes I know, if everything goes right an 06 will in all likelihood work, but no thanks. I have a cousin in Wasilla, Alaska who fly fishes for Salmon and has "Big" bears for company all the time. His comment was "they don't bother you about 90 percent of the time" He has a .338 Handy and so do the other fisherman. When I mentioned the 30.06 to him his comments were not to complimentary.

 

[salmonchaser]

We can argue cartridges till the cows come home, but if your heading into bear country take bear spray. It works pretty effectively. I've sprayed two, the Bears instantly turned tail. There were a few more I would have sprayed but the wind was wrong. Regardless the firearm I'm carrying I always carry spray.

 

[Vince]

We can argue cartridges till the cows come home, but if your heading into bear country take bear spray. It works pretty effectively. I've sprayed two, the Bears instantly turned tail. There were a few more I would have sprayed but the wind was wrong. Regardless the firearm I'm carrying I always carry spray.

I've done a little research and came to the conclusion that a firearm AND bear spray was the best option as it gives more tools in your tool box for dealing with situations.

Not every problem is a nail and a hammer can't be your only tool.

Vince

Sent from my SGH-M919 using Tapatalk

 

[Thankful Otter]

We can argue cartridges till the cows come home, but if your heading into bear country take bear spray. It works pretty effectively. I've sprayed two, the Bears instantly turned tail. There were a few more I would have sprayed but the wind was wrong. Regardless the firearm I'm carrying I always carry spray.

Amen on the cartridge argument

Besides spray another idea is to always take someone with you that you can outrun. Dr Mike has bad knees so I invited him on my next white bear hunt lol

 

[Vince]

We can argue cartridges till the cows come home, but if your heading into bear country take bear spray. It works pretty effectively. I've sprayed two, the Bears instantly turned tail. There were a few more I would have sprayed but the wind was wrong. Regardless the firearm I'm carrying I always carry spray.

Amen on the cartridge argument

Besides spray another idea is to always take someone with you that you can outrun. Dr Mike has bad knees so I invited him on my next white bear hunt lol

LOL!
I got bum knees too but watch me turn in to a track star when I have a snot slinging bovine on my rear.
I imagine the good doctor will be much the same.

Vince

Sent from my SGH-M919 using Tapatalk

 

[DrMike]

We can argue cartridges till the cows come home, but if your heading into bear country take bear spray. It works pretty effectively. I've sprayed two, the Bears instantly turned tail. There were a few more I would have sprayed but the wind was wrong. Regardless the firearm I'm carrying I always carry spray.

Amen on the cartridge argument

Besides spray another idea is to always take someone with you that you can outrun. Dr Mike has bad knees so I invited him on my next white bear hunt lol

LOL!
I got bum knees too but watch me turn in to a track star when I have a snot slinging bovine on my rear.
I imagine the good doctor will be much the same.

Vince

Sent from my SGH-M919 using Tapatalk

I have already accepted Cheyenne's invitation, bad knees and all. :mrgreen:

Vince, I don't know that I can run. I'm one of those who will plant his lance while singing my death song. It's a good day to die. I'm determined to smile back when death grins at me.

 

[diverdown]

agree completely on the Bear spray. I should have mentioned that my cousin also has that in his possession when fishing. Multiple safety precautions always help. Having a person that can't keep up with you is a great idea. He has seen bears chase anglers out of the water but the charge (usually a bluff) stops when the bear realizes the competition has departed. As far as talking calibers I don't think anyone on this forum would opt for an 06 if they have something bigger. I'm just a firm believer in keeping my hide in one piece.

 

[Alaska]

The 30-06 I consider the minimum for Alaska hunting.
Agree with others the 180 thru 200 bullets are your best bullets.
Most all will perform well at 30-06 vel.

I still have my 30-06 from my teenage years in NC a Browning BAR.

But since being in Alaska the last 20 years I have 3 hunting rifles.
338 Win, 300 Win Mag and 338 Ultra Mag.

I have killed more game here in Alaska with the 338 Win Mag. than all the others.

 

[gerry]

Kind of funny when I posted in this thread in early December I had no idea a few weeks later a 30-06 would magically appear in the mail :lol:

That reminds me got to apply for the spring grizzly draw, going to alternate and carry both the 30-06 and 35 Whelen if successful

 

[35 Whelen]

Tiny little bear......... if your used to needing help to just roll one over enough to get the hide off, this luttle fella cant be too far removed, from feedin off his mama! Looks about like a nice black bear carcess..........lol
The 30/06 with 200/220 gr bullets has killed thousands , not hundreds of Alaskan Grizzly bears....(the old 220 gr, Peters in the 50/60's. Was a big favorite, and hundreds of bears found out why!
Shot placement is everything, I guided a fella one time(who owned a bank) who insisted on buying a new gun to hunt Alaska! I told him not to, and that his 30/06 would work fine, But since he knew alot more than me ,of course he showed up at the lodge in African Safari clothes, with a new Ruger 77 redpad in 458WM................ I also told him to shoot the bear in the shoulder, which appearently was accepted exactly like the caliber advise? Because, when we got around 75yds, I asked him to wait until I told him to fire, So he opened up, before i told him too, but he shot the bear "behind" the front shoulder, exactly like you would a deer,(and exactly what I asked him not to do) he fired three times, and to his credit, he hit the bear" somewhere toooo far back, with all three!! However, the reaction From the 8.5' bear,being shot thur the front end of the stomach, was exactly NOTHING............ his massive 458 did nada,
The bear acted just like he missed every shot........ he then bolted for the alders , where I made a poor shot ,into his left rear ham, just as he made the brush........ however that was from my old Sako 375 shooting BBC Bullets,that we later found out, had actually exited in front of his brisket. Doing tons a damage, and basically end for ending him.
Well he was still very much alive, when I went in after him, although I suspected badly wounded. Like they sometimes do, as soon as we started in he began to roaring, just like a Lyon.............and certainly "breathing fire" . Which does wonders to bring the adrenaline level up, And to his credit, the now extreamely timid "Joe Magnum" did actually Go in with me! though he was "shaking like a leaf ",in a gale, so I knew he was not much help. The bear did to his credit try to charge us, But was very badly hurt, So he actually struggled to get started, and I shot him squarly in the chest. and flattened him for good, Meantime, Magnum Joe, then fired his big 458 magnum again,and again hit brother bruin in the back of the guts for the fourth time!
I then did the guide thing, and told him "he had done fine, and was a great shot......." :roll:
Would things gone much better with his 30/06 and a 220gr bullet,properly placed, Yes I believe it would have. But its the same old story here, it aint the arrow, its the indian!
Back in camp that nite he related that even his 458 wasnt enough for Brown Bears :? Funny thing is most Eskimos I know use .223 to routinely kill Polar Bears!

 

[preacher]

I've said before that I'm not scared of the devil himself, but those big humped back bears "give me pause"...and that's only the ones I've seen in the zoo! ha Never personally got to "enjoy" being in the woods with one ( thank you Jesus! ) While I really do enjoy being in the woods with things that can bite back,( so far, its only been with black bears and such here and leopard, rhino and cape buffalo in SA, ) but a 30-06 would be my personal minimum on a big bear. I have a good solid load in my 35 Whelen AI and the 310 Woodleigh going 2400 but its a handloaded wildcat and I understand some guides won't allow that. Then I'd take a 375.
I don't like how our black bears are "sneaky", always nosing around camp and things...just when I have to go outside at night and uh...you know. One old sow in our area has a bad habit of standing right in the trail , between you and the elk hot spot, and popping her teeth! I just saw the new movie The Revenant". Good CGI of a grizzly chewing up Leo DiCaprio as Hugh Glass...worth seeing!

 

[6mm Remington]

I would hunt a Grizzly Bear with my 30-06. I would either use a 180 or 200 grain AccuBond or Partition. If I did not use that one I would steal my son's 300 WSM and use it with one of the bullets already listed.

There are some very good responses from knowledgeable and skilled people here. I'm glad I get to be a part of this forum and I try and soak up as much as I can from you folks.

David

 

[DrMike]

More than a few mountain grizzlies in this area have been dropped with the venerable 30-06. I personally know of some large mountain grizzlies (8' 5" or more) dropped with a 300 WSM and a 180 grain bullet. As has been emphasized repeatedly, shot placement is the key.

 

[Guy Miner]

But then... There goes my excuse to have a .375 H&H...

 

[DrMike]

Good point, Guy. Just to drive the point home (not meaning to hurt owning the 375 Hurt & Holler), but one of the gunsmiths tagged a nice grizzly last year with a 7mm-08 and a 140 grain Berger VLD. The 13-year-old daughter of another smith tagged her grizzly this past fall with the same rifle and the same bullet. I prefer a little more mass, but an unalarmed bear...

 

[preacher]

I seem to remember Jack O'Conner writing of using his .270 on mountain grizzly, his 30-06 too. I remember reading long ago of one fellow ho used a 257 Roberts on one, and another of a lady guide using a 25-06 as her back up! So yep, undisturbed bears, shot right, weapon of opportunity handy, I can definitely agree with all those choices, including the 30-30. However, that's more for you guys who are residents and live among them or close by. As a non-resident, hiring a guide, my costs would be far too high for me to not to bring at least a 30-06 and I would "ask very kindly" if I could bring my Whelen AI.

 

[6mm Remington]

I seem to remember Jack O'Conner writing of using his .270 on mountain grizzly, his 30-06 too. I remember reading long ago of one fellow ho used a 257 Roberts on one, and another of a lady guide using a 25-06 as her back up! So yep, undisturbed bears, shot right, weapon of opportunity handy, I can definitely agree with all those choices, including the 30-30. However, that's more for you guys who are residents and live among them or close by. As a non-resident, hiring a guide, my costs would be far too high for me to not to bring at least a 30-06 and I would "ask very kindly" if I could bring my Whelen AI.

Several years back while on a work duty assignment I was at a fellows house and he had two very beautiful grizzly bear rugs on his wall. Both were from the Bob Marshall Wilderness here in Montana. One bear he spotted and stalked until he got into range for a shot. The second bear was one that was coming to camp and was getting very aggressive. This was when Montana still had a season for grizzly bears which was prior to 1979, so it was sometime before that when they were killed. Both of these bears were shot with a 6mm Remington. I do not recall how many times they were shot or if it was just one apiece.

I remember reading an article a long time ago about a polar bear I believe it was that was shot as it was attempting to get at an native Eskimo male adult who had taken refuge in something and he shot this huge bear as it was trying to get him with a .22 LR. You use what you have in that circumstance. One shot in the head and it killed the bear. Very lucky fellow that day.

 

[DrMike]

Jim makes a good point that when paying for a once-in-a-lifetime hunt, you don't go with light rifles. A 30-06 would definitely be a minimum. However, it will work quite well. Likewise, David's observation is spot on. When necessary, a light rifle is better than a stick in the eye.

 

[filmjunkie4ever]

Doc - You are spot on. I don't think anyone here is necessarily "wrong" for feeling the way they do. I had no idea this would be such a controversial subject, though I am not surprised.

This has been a good, civil thread fellas.

Thank you -

Dale