Loaded for Bear...new article

[Anonymous]

Here is my latest Alaska Life article that may be of some interest to the forum.

https://www.thealaskalife.com/blog/...B55ft-Q4BhiMqf26MPFYFs71fl9GlGyWSBpGUEE8Sd3gY

 

[salmonchaser]

H:
Great article. Just before I came back we had a guide/outfitters from down on the peninsula spend a few nights with us. I always talk rifles and bears with him. A 20 year vet, he does 10 bear hunters a year. He echoed your thoughts. One of his long time guides uses a 35 Whelen. His opinion, it’s magic on big bears.
With over a 100 big bears to his credit he’s formed some strong opinions, take a rifle you shoot well, .30 caliber or better, loaded with Partitions. He is much more impressed with a steel plate you hit every time from field positions then bug hole groups.




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[Blkram]

I too was thinking that it was a good article, but missed mentioning cartridges such as the 338 Federal, 338-06, 358 Win, 35 Whelen, 9.3x62 and 376 Steyr.
These are all sensible cartridges and great performers on big game at most reasonable distances that most bears are typically harvested at, and also cover the range of effective bullet diameter, weight and energy for the various subspecies listed, that most hunters should be able to manage and shoot well.

Firearms training such as SAAM and Firearms Proficiency training for Wildlife Monitors are also great for learning how to place your shots on moving targets such as you are going to find in the field, accurately and timely. Including having to reload between shots. This mental and physical training will better prepare bear hunters for the worst case scenarios that they may encounter, so that they know how, and are capable, to handle themselves and their firearms in such an event.
Better to be prepared and not have to act, then need act when not prepared!

 

[Europe]

Excellent article Mike

Thank you

 

[Anonymous]

I too was thinking that it was a good article, but missed mentioning cartridges such as the 338 Federal, 338-06, 358 Win, 35 Whelen, 9.3x62 and 376 Steyr.
These are all sensible cartridges and great performers on big game

I agree wholeheartedly. One of the challenges I have in writing about hunting cartridges is that there are so many of them it becomes difficult to condense it into a 1200 word article. I'm sort of limited to what is most common just for the sake of brevity. My editor does a good job of preventing me from geeking out on technical details, since the audience is primarily not hunters...or even Alaskans for that matter.

I'd love to do a book or a longer series, but I'm unfortunately a long form writer stuck in a Facebook/Instagram/Twitter world.

 

[Blkram]

Yes, hard to mention everything in a limited context!
My apologies as I was not thinking of editorial review when I made my comments. Nor the fact that many people reading the article would never had even heard of many of these other useful cartridges. Might be a great article for you; Sensible cartridges for big game.

 

[Thankful Otter]

was given a heads up about Mike's article

very nicely written Mike

To add the white bear to the mix for the forum members

white bears actually see people as food and will and do track them. Size wise, the coastal brown and white are close in size with the same skin/bone/muscle type, there fore everything Mike has mentioned about rifles in regards to hunting the coastal brown would be the same for the white.. i.e. I used a 30-06 for both for years and now a 348. My husband uses a 340 for white and 45/70 for brown

 

[truck driver]

Great article and nicely informative.
Very happy to see our two female members chime in since their comments are always welcome and informative.

 

[salmonchaser]

Side note:
Early in his career my buddy was guiding a woman who had both sheep and grizzly tags. She also had a .25-06/ 110 gr Partitions. They chanced upon a good bear, she did not want to use his rifle. The bear was working in their direction. At about 50 yards he told her “ When he stands up, shoot him right under his chin. They were hiding behind a rock pile, waved a hat over the top of the rock, Bear stood, she fired a perfectly aimed shot, destroying the bears spine. Doesn’t make a 25-06. Good bear gun he said.

 

[1100 Remington Man]

Very Nice Article. Kind of makes me wonder if so few Bears are ever taken in ones lifetime, does a sport hunter ever need anything more than a 300 Mag in any flavor in North America.

 

[PJGunner]

I doubt I'll ever hunt any bear for the rest of my days. Just too damn old. However, should the chance come up for where I could hunt from a stand or something similar, then the only rifle for me would be my .35 Whelen pushing the 225 gr. Barnes TSX at 2710 FPS. Any load that will shoot through an elk from exhaust pipe to appetite should definitely ruin a bear's regardless of the type bear, from black to polar.
Paul B.

 

[Anonymous]

Very Nice Article. Kind of makes me wonder if so few Bears are ever taken in ones lifetime, does a sport hunter ever need anything more than a 300 Mag in any flavor in North America.

Now that you mention it. In the 13 years I've had my .300; I've had two .338s, four .375s, and a .416...and never shot much of anything with any of them.

They've all went to better homes, but I still grab my .300 nearly every time I walk out the door. There's a lot to that whole "one gun hunter" mystique. I've become quite accustomed to how my rifle shoots, the trajectory, how all the controls work. There's a lot of muscle memory going on when I use that rifle.

My buddy switches rifles nearly every other hunt. I'm surprised he brings the right ammo half the time and one time...he didn't.

 

[Guy Miner]

Thoroughly enjoyed the article. The photograph of that light colored interior grizzly is terrific!

Thanks!

Guy

 

[Gun nut]

Enjoy your articles Mike. Very well done. Thanks for sharing.
Duane