7mm-08 for Alaska Bear

[Rich M]

Funny how folks think any bear or hog is equivalent to a russian tank. Poke a hole thru the ribs and it dies. Crazy how that works. Bears and hogs die very quickly to good shots.

The 7-08 will do just fine.

 

[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!

The best way to start your paid for guided hunt is to tell the outfitter and guide they are wrong for suggesting a bigger caliber!

How many on here have actually hunted POW? Multiple times? It’s not a baited hunt with close shots and time to pick your angle…. I am sure the outfitter has seen lost bears

But the interweb told me it was ok

 

[AK Troutbum]

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?

Absolutely, no question about it. I’ll never be someone to recommend not buying another firearm, but your 7-08 will be plenty adequate for POW bears.


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[AK Troutbum]

Third generation Alaska resident raising fourth generation residents in Palmer, Alaska currently.

With the single shot 7-08's that we recently put together for the kids, they've taken 7-8 caribou, 3 sheep, 5 goats, and a smaller grizzly.

My daughter was 9 years old when she shot her first grizzly with a .270WIN. One shot dropped it like a ton of bricks.

Personally I've only killed one bear with a rifle, all the rest have been archery.

Oh, I think your going to have to come up with a little better resumé than that Kyle, before I’m going to trust your opinion.


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[Marbles]

It will work. I would not take a quartering away shot nor a shot that is even a little longish. It would not be my first choice, but I would not go out and buy a new gun if it is was all I had.

Though I would think twice before trying to follow a bear into the crap they will probably die in down there with something on the small side. The undergrowth can be so thick you cannot see your own knees without effort.

It also strikes me as poor form to higher a professional, than ignore their advice. I imagine that the way a guide hunts influences how the hunter hunts and can limit things. As I have never payed a guide, I'm only guessing.

If you do bring the 7-08, and if your guide ends up crawling through the alders to find your bear, be damn sure to tip him the amount you saved by not taking his advice.

 

[hodgeman]

Some folks have brought up a good point. Is this a guided hunt or a drop camp/boat camp?

if it's guided, the guide will be on the hook to clean up any messes you might make. If it's simply a drop off, you're on your own. That wouldn't influence my decision much, but I'm pretty unlikely to hire a guide for black bears.

I used to think the 7-08 was a little on the small side until I took my son's out and poleaxed a bunch of stuff with it.

 

[OXN939]

We have killed plenty of black bears and brownies, most with a bow

I'll start by saying that I'm not an AK resident, and have never hunted POW. Really interesting to see all these perspectives.

Pretty sure we can all agree that a 7mm-08 with *any* bullet is much more lethal than any bow out there. What the OP is looking for is really a quality copper mono- a la Barnes TTSX, Hornady GMX or Nosler E Tip- for good penetration on a potentially large target with a relatively long distance until a projectile enters the vital cavity. If he uses one of these, 7mm-08 would be more than enough IMO.

 

[MrRogers]

The best way to start your paid for guided hunt is to tell the outfitter and guide they are wrong for suggesting a bigger caliber!

How many on here have actually hunted POW? Multiple times? It’s not a baited hunt with close shots and time to pick your angle…. I am sure the outfitter has seen lost bears

But the interweb told me it was ok

Ok I'll bite. Do you think a 300 win mag would suffice?

 

[as.ks.ak]

The best way to start your paid for guided hunt is to tell the outfitter and guide they are wrong for suggesting a bigger caliber!

How many on here have actually hunted POW? Multiple times? It’s not a baited hunt with close shots and time to pick your angle…. I am sure the outfitter has seen lost bears

But the interweb told me it was ok

Based on your other posts on this forum, I’d say before being all butt hurt about other experienced hunters’ perspectives maybe you should ask the OP if he’s shoulder shooting bears (like you have claimed to do in another thread) or if he’s shooting the bear in the vitals....that probably would be a great place to start.


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[OXN939]

Ok I'll bite. Do you think a 300 win mag would suffice?

Actually found a good video on this subject. Forward to 9:30 to see the ballistics test on the 120 grain TTSX out of a 7mm-08. Pretty conclusively puts all of this debate to rest, I think.

 

[Squincher]

I would err on the side of following the advice of the person who would have to track a wounded bear. You get a new rifle out of the deal, so there is no downside.

 

[Crghss]

The best way to start your paid for guided hunt is to tell the outfitter and guide they are wrong for suggesting a bigger caliber!

I’ve only ever hired fishing charters. Usually follow what they suggest.

I‘m assuming you’ll be spending a week together. Might be worth it to try and start the trip on a good note.

If I could not borrow an ’06 (or some thing similar) from family or friends I’d buy a used one and sell it when done. Might cost you $100 or so when all said and done.

 

[wildwilderness]

Based on your other posts on this forum, I’d say before being all butt hurt about other experienced hunters’ perspectives maybe you should ask the OP if he’s shoulder shooting bears (like you have claimed to do in another thread) or if he’s shooting the bear in the vitals....that probably would be a great place to start.


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Haha, don’t worry I’m not butt hurt.

And Yes I have seen a .243 with a TSX do just fine on a black bear. It’s situational- tons of bears over bait, kids have lots of free tags, can shoot multiple bears over a looong season, not worried about it, etc.

The premise of my post is the OP is going on his apparently first AK POW hunt “complaining “ his guide thinks he should bring a bigger caliber than his 7mm-08!

My family has hunted POW multiple times, and a friend has guided there for a few years- it can be a different experience, and big bears, rainforest conditions, we have seen it all. Not worth any risk of loosing a true monster bear

Ask any bear outfitter if they prefer the bear is dropped in it’s tracks vs having to track it? I’m sure it will be the former! That is best accomplished by a CNS hit or bone! Thus I like shoulder shots, vitals and bone both if hit right.

Also the worst way to start a guided hunt is to disagree with the guide…. It’s the OP’s hunt he is paying for, I just wouldn’t take any chances

the debate isn’t with me, it’s the outfitter.

 

[Moose83]

I don't have as much experience as a lot of guys on here, but every black bear I ve ever had to go looking for was shot in the shoulder and generally never found again, regardless of what caliber rifle it was shot with. I wouldn't have any problem using a 7mm-08 and poking bears in the lungs.

 

[AK Troutbum]

I’ve only hunted POW twice and I’ve only killed one black bear there (.300wsm), but I bought a 7–08 for my son, for his first rifle, and he’s killed both a black bear and a moose with it, without any issues. As far as I can see it, black bears on POW are no harder to kill than black bears anywhere else, so I think the 7-08 would be adequate.


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[762 ULTRAMAGA]

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!

You're spending all that money on a guided Alaskan bear hunt and you're worried about $500-700 for a bigger gun?
I'm 100% sure you could kill a big black bear with a 7-08 if you make a solid hit, I'm also sure there are better tools for the task.
Your guide has seen hunts go FUBAR I guarantee it, take his advice..

Thick ass country screams big slow heavy bullet, I've seen really bad stuff happen when a fast moving light bullet hits a twig.
Someone referenced killing bears with a bow, perfect example of a tool that's exceptionally deadly with frigging perfect shot placement.
I don't even want to know how many stuck elk run off and die due to poor hits, I won't lie its happened to me. Worst feeling in the world

 

[wildwilderness]

Ok I'll bite. Do you think a 300 win mag would suffice?

I think you should let us know what your outfitter recommends? I would get on their good side.

 

[Marbles]

I don't have as much experience as a lot of guys on here, but every black bear I ve ever had to go looking for was shot in the shoulder and generally never found again, regardless of what caliber rifle it was shot with. I wouldn't have any problem using a 7mm-08 and poking bears in the lungs.

If never found again, how do you know they were hit properly in the shoulder?

 

[Juneau07]

I’d have to agree with your guide. It’s not a matter of the 7mm08 killing the bear… it will kill the thing just fine. The larger caliber is for the terrain, not the bear. POW gets 13 ft of rain a year. You can’t imagine how wet you can get until you’ve been in a true Southeast Alaska rain for your entire hunt. I’ll assume you’ll be shooting your bear on a beach…If the bear makes it to the woods, your chances of finding it go down dramatically. The moss up here soaks up blood and no red is left on the ground. The wet leaves on bushes do not hold as much blood as you’d think. On average, larger calibers will kill your bear faster. Your guide just wants the bear dead before it makes it to the woods. A nice new .338 win will do that faster than your 7mm08 with same shot placement. Like I said, it’s for the terrain, not the bear. Searching for blood in wet moss during a downpour, with devils club sticking you in the ass and everywhere else is not fun.

 

[Moose83]

In all honesty I don't know if they were hit properly.... in most of those situations it was more like I got a phone call " hey I shot a bear but I can't find it, wanna help." Almost all the time the conversation was " I don't know what happened I shot it in the shoulder and it went straight down. When I got there it was gone..." . Like I said I don't have as much experience as some on here... Im only saying what I've seen. Also I've mainly used a .30-06 on most of the bears ive shot and after field dressing them it seemed largely overkill hence my endorsement of the 7-08. That being said the one bear I've shot with my 9.3x62 never went anywhere except straight down. This is a forum... so take my opinion with as many grains of salt as you need☺