.223 for bear, mountain goat, deer, elk, and moose.

[Thegman]

Stabbing spears, not throwing spears… Although a stabbing spear can be thrown accurately enough out to 9 yards.

Before it became illegal in BC I spear hunted bears (successfully) some when I would find one in a good spot for the stalk.

That's full on Crazy Ass M F shit right there...

 

[KHntr]

That’s badass.

Badass was the first one, which was with a spear my hunting partner built out of a planer blade from a sawmill and an Easton hockey stick….

The Cold Steel Boar Spear was a BIG improvement lol.

 

[JPW13]

I’ve seen bears killed with .224, 6mm, 6.5mm, 7mm, 30cal, and 338. None have produced consistent blood trails. Even 300 mags producing 2-3” exit holes haven’t bled that much. Fat and hair absorb so much blood, that I didn’t use that as a factor for bears. I want to create massive damage in vitals and limit how far they run.

I’ve found that to be more prevalent in fall bears than spring bears. Takes a bruiser to still have a thick layer of fat over the ribs in the spring.

Perhaps more importantly it does happen, so having them die quickly is the goal. In my younger less educated days I would still hunt in to 50-100 and if it wasn’t a pumpkin head that I wanted the skull I’d just shoot them in the head.

Now I’m far more educated in the ways of hunting so I spend hours on the computer e-scouting for the perfect glassing knob to sit with my trusty RSS special and range finding binos so I can snipe things from way out there .

I’m definitely a better shooter now, not sure my hunting has improved.

But considering the range and terrain, any thoughts on “anchoring” a bear? Or just punch the lungs and hope it’s an emo bear and not one with a will to live?

 

[Thegman]

But considering the range and terrain, any thoughts on “anchoring” a bear? Or just punch the lungs and hope it’s an emo bear and not one with a will to live?

IME, if you punch their lungs, their will to live is irrelevant, they die as quickly and easily as any deer, if not more so.

 

[eric1115]

Badass was the first one, which was with a spear my hunting partner built out of a planer blade from a sawmill and an Easton hockey stick….

The Cold Steel Boar Spear was a BIG improvement lol.

Seriously cool, and probably the most Canadian thing I've ever heard. We built it out of hockey gear and sawmill equipment, eh? too funny!

 

[ddd-shooter]

Hey everyone,

I had an interesting experience this weekend hunting bears with an 80 ELDM that I thought I’d share. I found a bear at relatively short range and made a good shot. It was clear the bear was going down, but it didn’t react dramatically. It walked a short distance, fell over, rolled around a bit, and then, because we were on a steep hill, it managed to get back on its feet and started walking again. I took a second shot, and that caused the bear to run off. It eventually died, but it took some time to find it.

My main concern here is the lack of any sign to track. There was no blood trail, and despite being in a pretty open old burn, tracking was nearly impossible. The internal damage from the 80 ELDM was catastrophic, no question there, but the lack of a blood trail made recovery tough. This got me thinking about the suitability of the .224 bullets in different environments. In open terrain, it might be fine, but in thick, old-growth forest where I often hunt a lethally shot bear could easily vanish. Deer I’ve been able to track hooves, bears - not so much.

Speaking of deer, I used my 223 and 22 Creedmoor with 77TMK and 80 ELDM successfully on multiple deer last fall, and it performed well, but the same issue persists: minimal blood trails. It’s clear that the cartridge is lethal, especially with the right bullet, but the tracking challenge is significant.

So, I’m left wondering if my .224 rifles are best reserved for specific conditions. Do I need to choose my hunting grounds more carefully when using it? Are there any suggestions on overcoming this issue, like shot placement adjustments to drop the bear (or deer) more quickly? Obviously, at close range, a head or neck shot is possible, but at longer ranges, which is where, at least my 22 Creedmoor shines, a head shot isn’t ethical. And if I aim for the boiler room, it seems like I’m risking losing the bear in certain environments, potentially even a deer if I can’t pick up prints.

Would appreciate any thoughts or similar experiences!

It sounds like you have all the information you need to make your decision. You’ve done well noticing what your situation is communicating to you.
I wouldn’t be sitting on the information you’ve provided and continue the same course.
But, I’m not typical (especially for this forum)

 

[JPW13]

IME, if you punch their lungs, their will to live is irrelevant, they die as quickly and easily as any deer, if not more so.

To clarify, I’m not a “bears are tough” guy. If anything they seem to die easier than a lot of deer. But deer are pretty easy to track and typically I hunt them in snow. So even a little blood is obvious.

My issue is spring bears in dense woods is they don’t have to go far to be really challenging to find. 77s crest small holes that make a critter that doesn’t bleed much even less likely to leave blood.

Is a bigger bullet better? So far yes in my test case of lots vs one . Still one tag left and encouraging anyone I’m with to use my rifle.

 

[Clauz]

You can kill alot of things with a .223 but that doesn't mean it's a good idea. I'd keep the .44 rifle, it would work a whole lot better.

 

[Brontosaurus]

You can kill alot of things with a .223 but that doesn't mean it's a good idea. I'd keep the .44 rifle, it would work a whole lot better.

Please read the entire thread sir

 

[Castle Rock]

You can kill alot of things with a .223 but that doesn't mean it's a good idea. I'd keep the .44 rifle, it would work a whole lot better.

Most likely you will see more tissue damage with the 223, and that’s what kills stuff.

 

[Nine Banger]

You can kill alot of things with a .223 but that doesn't mean it's a good idea. I'd keep the .44 rifle, it would work a whole lot better.

Glitch in the matrix.

 

[Schmo]

You can kill alot of things with a .223 but that doesn't mean it's a good idea. I'd keep the .44 rifle, it would work a whole lot better.

Okay. Have you read this whole thread and seen the pictures? Can you quantify how a larger rifle kills better?

 

[fngTony]

Alright that’s the second spammer to copy and paste that phrase, gone.

 

[Gettincloser]

Back to fun conversation! My nephew shot his 1st and 2nd "big game" animal this past weekend. Tikka T3X, 223, suppressed. The 1st was at 50ish yards (center of shoulder of black sow, DRT) and the 2nd was at 98 yds (low on front shoulder, back of heart but mostly lungs. Limped out of sight and went a total of 35 yds).

He is hooked! Before this, he has only hunted racoons and roosters. Used the AAC TMK 77gr ammo. No complaints

 

[Kimber7man]

Back to fun conversation! My nephew shot his 1st and 2nd "big game" animal this past weekend. Tikka T3X, 223, suppressed. The 1st was at 50ish yards (center of shoulder of black sow, DRT) and the 2nd was at 98 yds (low on front shoulder, back of heart but mostly lungs. Limped out of sight and went a total of 35 yds).

He is hooked! Before this, he has only hunted racoons and roosters. Used the AAC TMK 77gr ammo. No complaints View attachment 885427View attachment 885428View attachment 885428View attachment 885427

Tell us about the snake. Did he shoot that too?

 

[Gettincloser]

Tell us about the snake. Did he shoot that too?

No, he saw the snake on our way to pick up the hog. He wanted to shoot it. Probably should have let him. I held his head down and cut it off with my pocket knife. He thought it was pretty so it made it into the picture.

 

[Thegman]

No, he saw the snake on our way to pick up the hog. He wanted to shoot it. Probably should have let him. I held his head down and cut it off with my pocket knife. He thought it was pretty so it made it into the picture.

Dang, was ready to change the thread's title:

".223 for bear, mountain goat, deer, elk, moose and copperhead"

 

[SteveAndTheCrigBoys]

Dang, was ready to change the thread's title:

".223 for bear, mountain goat, deer, elk, moose and copperhead"

I’m still sad walrus was removed.

 

[bcmntgoathunter.]

So I would really like to jump on this bandwagon but if I already have a 22 creed what is the benefit of a 223? Ammo availability and cost? Is there something else?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Basicly real cheap to shoot and the ability to run factory ammo ..I have both a 223 ai and a 22 creedmore. The 22 creed sees alot more use the 223 ai will most likly be sold and the money out twords a sub 8# 28 nosler build.

 

[eric1115]

Basicly real cheap to shoot and the ability to run factory ammo ..I have both a 223 ai and a 22 creedmore. The 22 creed sees alot more use the 223 ai will most likly be sold and the money out twords a sub 8# 28 nosler build.

And barrel life. A 22CM gives you probably 1500 rounds, .223 is 10x that.