Bear hunting

[Caliminer]

I’m new to bear hunting what are the best cartridges for timber bears

 

[OsoMountain]

I’m new to bear hunting what are the best cartridges for timber bears

I prefer the Davy Crockett method of Grinnin’ em down. It takes A LOT of practice, and I’d highly recommend starting with something the size of a cocker spaniel. Work your way up to the neighborhood bull. And when you’ve tamed him, you’re ready to grin a bear down. Now he’s gonna paw the ground and woof like a bad ass. I want you to stand there, keep grinning, and showing those pearly whites. Maybe beat your chest like an Ape every now and then. Don’t be afraid to throw in woof of your own! Study Fess Parker as much as you can. Dude was a pro at it.


Bears aren’t overly difficult to kill. As with everything else, proper penetration into the vital area will bring them down. Don’t over complicate the uncomplicated. What calibers are at your current disposal? What is your intended hunting method and max range? Lots of questions to be answered to better help you, bud. But there is a wealth of knowledge around here. Any 30 caliber round will put the magic on them. Lots of guys are running the new 6.5mm variants. Belted magnums kill everything.

What are you CONFIDENT and COMFORTABLE shooting when the moment of truth arrives at your door?

Personally, I use a 308 bolt action that has no frills, no hot accessories, and shoots factory ammo. But it has ridiculously good glass on it and I’ve used it to notch many a tag.

 

[WoodlandCritter]

By far the best cartridge is 9x25 Dillon. Pretty much any other cartridge lacks the knock down power, unfortunately.

 

[Blind Squirrel]

I prefer the Davy Crockett method of Grinnin’ em down. It takes A LOT of practice, and I’d highly recommend starting with something the size of a cocker spaniel. Work your way up to the neighborhood bull. And when you’ve tamed him, you’re ready to grin a bear down. Now he’s gonna paw the ground and woof like a bad ass. I want you to stand there, keep grinning, and showing those pearly whites. Maybe beat your chest like an Ape every now and then. Don’t be afraid to throw in woof of your own! Study Fess Parker as much as you can. Dude was a pro at it.


Bears aren’t overly difficult to kill. As with everything else, proper penetration into the vital area will bring them down. Don’t over complicate the uncomplicated. What calibers are at your current disposal? What is your intended hunting method and max range? Lots of questions to be answered to better help you, bud. But there is a wealth of knowledge around here. Any 30 caliber round will put the magic on them. Lots of guys are running the new 6.5mm variants. Belted magnums kill everything.

What are you CONFIDENT and COMFORTABLE shooting when the moment of truth arrives at your door?

Personally, I use a 308 bolt action that has no frills, no hot accessories, and shoots factory ammo. But it has ridiculously good glass on it and I’ve used it to notch many a tag.

Grin ‘em.

 

[Trekker308]

The best cartridge is probably whatever you have for deer. If it’s 6.5 or higher, it’s more than enough. Bullet choice and shot placement is more important than cartridge.

 

[Elkwe]

I've killed bears with many cartridges; bullets matter more.

 

[MoeFaux]

If you have a centerfire rifle, it'll probably be effective against bears.


Why don't you tell us what you have available? People will be happy to tell you what bullet options will work with your cartridge?

 

[brancher147]

What size are the bears? What part of the country? Bigger calibers are better but not necessary with good shot placement. Depending on how and where you are hunting, good shots can be hard to get, where I would lean toward a bigger caliber