7mm-08 for Alaska Bear

[MrRogers]

So I just booked a black bear hunt on Prince of Wales island for spring 2022. Would a rifle chambered in 7mm-08 be enough to handle those big black bears?

 

[Laramie]

Yes, with proper bullet selection.

 

[AZ_Hunter_2000]

There is a long running thread about killing most large game with a 223 (great read) so a 7mm-08 with a quality bullet and proper shot placement will definitely work.

 

[Wapiti151]

Love my 7mm-08 and have been plenty confident with it for most things from whitetail/mule deer, to elk. Know your range/ballistics, put one in the right spot and it will do the job.

 

[MrRogers]

Thank you for the responses, guys. My outfitter suggested something a lot larger, but I don't really want to buy a whole new setup that wouldn't get used all that much. I've got a few boxes of 140 grain Federal trophy bonded tips that I'll get dialed in here soon!

 

[thinhorn_AK]

Not my first choice but I’m largely ignorant on the 7/08 as I’ve never shot one or even known anybody who had one.

 

[Geewhiz]

I think Randy Newberg shoots his SE AK black bears with a 7mm08 if that means anything to you.

 

[AkMtnRunner]

As long as the bullet is tough and will penetrate well, absolutely.

 

[SaltySailor]

Saw a over 8' boar grizz that got thumped in the chest with a 7mm 08 last year. One shot dumped it, brisket and internals destroyed.

 

[wildwilderness]

Thank you for the responses, guys. My outfitter suggested something a lot larger, but I don't really want to buy a whole new setup that wouldn't get used all that much. I've got a few boxes of 140 grain Federal trophy bonded tips that I'll get dialed in here soon!

I'll buck the trend and say NO.

If you do so you must make a perfect shot, and not be put out if your guide throws in a follow up shot. Guides don't like to track bears, especially on POW where it can be an absolute jungle, and the wounding LAW says you are done if you touch the bear.

I have seen a few bears shot and lost with bigger magnums on POW. Of course shot placement is paramount. The draw back I see with a 7-08 (and I have one) is you will need to wait for an ideal shot. I would recommend a bigger bullet- not necessarily a bigger case. Something like a 338 fed or 358 win would be great, especially since the shot distance should be short. My 35 whelen does great for stopping stuff. I need to get one with my 9.3x 62 now!

 

[AZ_Hunter_2000]

I'll buck the trend and say NO.

If you do so you must make a perfect shot, and not be put out if your guide throws in a follow up shot. Guides don't like to track bears, especially on POW where it can be an absolute jungle, and the wounding LAW says you are done if you touch the bear.

I have seen a few bears shot and lost with bigger magnums on POW. Of course shot placement is paramount. The draw back I see with a 7-08 (and I have one) is you will need to wait for an ideal shot. I would recommend a bigger bullet- not necessarily a bigger case. Something like a 338 fed or 358 win would be great, especially since the shot distance should be short. My 35 whelen does great for stopping stuff. I need to get one with my 9.3x 62 now!

Bit of overkill for a black bear but shoot whatever tickles your fancy.

 

[wildwilderness]

Bit of overkill for a black bear but shoot whatever tickles your fancy.

We have killed plenty of black bears and brownies, most with a bow, and know they are not thick skinned. That said POW has the biggest black bears around and a 7+' blackie with 20+" skull is not the same beast as run of the mill bears, even in the rest of AK. If your shot is off they are tough and do not bleed. POW is an absolute jungle with wet moss etc so tracking is hard. The Law states if you wound a bear you must punch your tag regardless.

So on a Guided POW hunt with a chance at a big booner bear I would much rather OVERKILL than Underkill..... why not bring the AR 223 like mentioned in another thread?

 

[awildswanger]

150 ELD-X and the 139 SST have been absolute hammers out of our 7mm-08's. That's all we've been hunting with up here for two years now.

Where are you located? If you don’t mind, what game have you taken with the 7mm-08?

 

[chinook907]

Killing one on POW isn't so much the problem, as is finding them afterwards. Go big.

 

[FLATHEAD]

Sounds like a great time to buy a .375 Ruger.

 

[WRM]

Me likey the .338 Win mag. But this thread has convinced me to book a Cape Buff hunt with a Ruger #1 in..... .223

Think I can get by with 45 grain varmint grenades?

 

[as.ks.ak]

Black bears are tough....if you miss the vitals. Don’t shoot like an a$$hole and you won’t have a problem.

Don’t over think it. Use a good bullet and you’ll be fine. GMX, ELD-X, SST, etc.

Just more than anything, be sure you understand the anatomy of a bear and where the vitals sit. If I was you I’d take the gun you already own and use the money you’d otherwise spend on a new gun towards your POW taxidermy bill.

Good luck!


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[hodgeman]

7-08 will be fine. Learn the anatomy, get close, and shoot straight...repeat until it quits moving.

Bigger won't hurt, but it might not help all that much either. A solid hit in the vitals with a 7-08 will be decisive.

 

[johnminnick4743]

You know, I'm all for bigger is better, but if bears have been harvested for centuries with bow and arrows, then I think a 7-08 will be sufficient. As long as it's not a long shot and its good shot placement, then hunt away!

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[jhm2023]

Bears are pretty unforgiving of shot placement regardless of cartridge, even magnums and hyper magnums. Thats said, the key is putting a quality bullet (hammer hunters, cutting edge, lehigh controlled chaos, one of the barnes x flavors, swift a-frame or scirocco, nosler accubond or partition) in the right place. 7mm08 is just fine for black bears as long as you do your part. Perhaps it could be slightly limiting in regards to taking a some shot opportunities due to angle, but unlikely. For reference I just a few weeks ago I just anchored one of my biggest black bears with a 124gr Hammer hunter out of my wife's 6.5 creedmoor at a hard quartering angle.

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