Black bear shoulder shots

[MT-nuffgun]

I am gearing up for my first mountain black bear hunt and have been watching way too many YouTube videos. A lot of people I have talked to talk about shoulder shots. I have probably watched half a dozen bears on video get shot with anything from a .270 win to a .300 PRC and every single shoulder shot got western. About half the bears were recovered. One the next morning after they realized he was still alive that night. The other 2 were recovered same day but needed follow up shots. It seems bear shoulders are a bad idea. Anybody have anything contrary happen with shoulder shots?

 

[jhm2023]

Two dozen plus bears taken here and I've been there for many others, both black and grizz. Archery gear to subsonic 300 blackout up to 33 Nosler and lots of stuff in between. The best shot for a broadside bear is half way between the bottom and the top of the back and 4 inches behind the shoulder. The half way from top to bottom helps account for the up to 6 inches of hair hanging below the brisket. For various other shot angles, think of the bear three dimensionally and make your bullet pass through that same center point. The vitals on a bear are set slightly further back than what people are used to on deer and other ungulates.

 

[gerry35]

^I agree with this post. I have about as many kills too from 260 Rem/6.5x55 up to 375 Ruger and agree with his assessment.

Too many bears shot in the shoulder run off since the vitals are missed. The outfitter I guided for told me the same and he had a lot of bears to his credit. Get a good shot through the lungs and you'll do great. The only exception I would give to this is at close range on a broadside shot if you can place your shot where the shoulders and spine meet it will drop right there.

 

[LoggerDan]

Shoulders are a no go… bears can haul ass three legged. Brown and black, bears are pretty damned tenacious and cling to life like no other NA critter.

 

[AKDoc]

...The best shot for a broadside bear is half way between the bottom and the top of the back and 4 inches behind the shoulder. The half way from top to bottom helps account for the up to 6 inches of hair hanging below the brisket. For various other shot angles, think of the bear three dimensionally and make your bullet pass through that same center point. The vitals on a bear are set slightly further back than what people are used to on deer and other ungulates.

^^^^^Right on suggestion^^^^^

In addition, the meat from a spring black bear (at least up here) is reasonably good eating, so I prefer not to damage the shoulder meat. Hit a black bear in the heart/lung area. I've not found them hard to kill with that shot placement, nor have I had them go very far.

 

[TXHunt]

Good info. I'm hoping my son draws a bear tag this fall.

 

[DosAmigos]

Just behind the shoulder. Have killed Black Bears. One with a 308 with 130 grain Barnes
One with a 30 Nos with 210 ABLR

 

[dieselchessy]

I agree with the others. Bear shoulders are at the forward edge of the vitals. You want to be behind the shoulder 4” and pretty centered vertically. If they are quartered away even slightly and you aim shoulder it can make a big mess.

 

[Ron.C]

Vancouver island bear hunter here and agree 100% on shooting broadside vitals, not shoulders on black bears. Any common deer round can be used effectively when you punch holes in both lungs and if the bear runs, he isnt going far.

 

[redchinviking]

This diagram shows it back a little and I concur. Taking into account bullet type/construction, yardage, and shot angle of course. Your decision should be based on all of the above. That being said the last bear I shot was in the head at 5 yds…actually I shot her in the mouth and it exited out her neck. She expired right there

 

[Theringworm]

100% ^^^^^^ and here is a description and a picture to help. Here is the carcass of my 2021 fall black bear. If you take the two red dots as being just inside the legs then the red hashed line transecting the body is the “MIDDLE” of the bears body. Now take the middle of the bears body from left to right (the red dashed line) and the middle of the body from top to bottom. Where they both transect is the far left blue X. Now take that left blue X and put a blue X to the right behind the bears front shoulder and now split the difference, the YELLOW CIRCLE (aka my bullet entrance). That is MY interpretation of the “Middle of the Middle” (middle of the body further divided by the half way point from the middle of the body to the shoulder crease). This placement put my bullet straight through both longs and dead center on the heart. Hope this helps.

 

[gerry35]

Excellent drawing, thanks for posting.

 

[gerry35]

100% ^^^^^^ and here is a description and a picture to help. Here is the carcass of my 2021 fall black bear. If you take the two red dots as being just inside the legs then the red hashed line transecting the body is the “MIDDLE” of the bears body. Now take the middle of the bears body from left to right (the red dashed line) and the middle of the body from top to bottom. Where they both transect is the far left blue X. Now take that left blue X and put a blue X to the right behind the bears front shoulder and now split the difference, the YELLOW CIRCLE (aka my bullet entrance). That is MY interpretation of the “Middle of the Middle” (middle of the body further divided by the half way point from the middle of the body to the shoulder crease). This placement put my bullet straight through both longs and dead center on the heart. Hope this helps.

View attachment 522344

I like to hit between the red circle and your bullet hole but it obviously worked well! They do have a fairly big kill area about the size of a volleyball on a decent sized bear.

 

[Theringworm]

Trust me, as you may well know, it is so foreign to aim that far back on a big game animal. 100% leap of faith and trust in my guide on that shot. Wish I would have grabbed a pic of the vitals but I forgot. I insisted we open up the chest to look. Bullet right through the heart.

 

[roosiebull]

Shoulders are a no go… bears can haul ass three legged. Brown and black, bears are pretty damned tenacious and cling to life like no other NA critter.

Yet they are incredibly easy to kill shot through both lungs. I don’t understand the logic behind a shoulder shot on a bear, but people certainly promote it.

Bear are the easiest to kill of anything I have hunted when shot through both lungs, and the hardest animal to kill if you don’t. I have been on a couple long bloody track jobs on bear through the nastiest of terrain that lasted a couple days and not result in a recovery… you are right.

Bear I don’t want any weird angles, quartered away or broadside so I can see the whole body and put the bullet/arrow through both lungs. It’s hard to see bear anatomy regardless, so I’m not messing around on bear

They are softer than deer (black bears) so we don’t need a cannon to kill them very handily, and we don’t want to hit close to any heavy bone, so I like a rapidly expanding bullet 4” behind the crease like you pointed out, and it will be dead in seconds

 

[gerry35]

My cousin shot a big black bear too far back one time and we had to go find him. He was using a 280 Rem which is plenty for bear if hit right. When we found him he shot with no effect so I started to pound him with my 308 Norma Mag and 200 gr Speer G.S. bullets. I hit him 3 times before he dropped so 5 in total hits. When their adrenaline get going after a bad shot it can be something to behold.

Another bear (same cousin, same rifle) he dropped it on the spot at 200 yards with a good shot. The bear had broken his back leg just above the ankle sometime in the past and it had healed up but 90 degrees from where it should have been. Another bear I saw was missing his entire back foot!

Tough critters but if you double lung them they die quickly like has been said.

 

[lang]

Archery guy here and after 20 years of hunting bears we have lost several shooting the crease. As soon as we backed up 4-6 inches behind the shoulder they pile right up in sight. Anyone promoting shooting shoulders on bears is asking for trouble.

 

[Tahoenorth]

I agree with lang, exactly the placement you want

 

[Honyock]

Middle of the middle and about four inches towards the shoulder. No animal will live very long with a hole through both lungs.

 

[Coveyleader]

I don’t know how or why people describe this middle bla blah stuff. Find crease, aim back a hands width off it, center top bottom, toast.