Hello,
Looking for some advice for a trip that I am in the planning phase currently for May of 2026 in MT/ID/WY for spring black bear doing spot and stalk. I know this is a range of areas with different terrains as well as many units with their own challenges and benefits but I am trying to get a gauge of which rifle I should spend more of my time working up in the next year and what kind of distance seem typical for shot opportunities. From the different posts her and other forum signs as well as various hunting videos on the subject it looks like very variable from less than 50 yds to easily 4-500 yards.
I have 3 primary options that I am looking at.
1. My late fathers Remington 700 30-06 with a Leupold Boone and Crockett 3.5-10x with capped turrets, I have multiple options that shoot well and is the most economical to shoot. I am also able to suppress it and it has a 22" barrel.
2. My late fathers WBY Mark V 300 WBY with a Leupold Boone and Crockett 4.5-14x with capped turrets, I have less options to shoot this with the higher cost of ammo and spend less time behind this gun but I have a decent stock of ammo with some barnes options as well as a fair amount of the hornady interlock 165 gr and 180 gr, this also is threaded and suppressible but has a 26" barrel and would be a long package with an additional 6" on top of that.
3. My new to me Kimber Talkeetna 375 H&H with NF NX8 1-8 MOA with dial able turrets. I have not shot this yet and am currently trying to find some ammo to run through it but picking a bullet setup with this one seems to hinge more upon distance of game. I am hoping to shoot 250 gr A-frames through it with decent accuracy. I am also considering Nolser partitions and accubonds with the different weights offered and will hopefully get a couple boxes of bullet type and weight to see what my gun likes. This seems to be a "better" option for if we end up in an area with grizzlies. It is magna-port and not threaded so would lose out on the suppressing option. 300 gr options or a mono metal seem to be better grizzly protection if the very unlikley situation occured but then seem to lose a lot of steam quickly at distance if needed for longer shots.
I will be hunting with 2 other friends that will likely use a 30-06 and 300 win mag. Neither uses suppressors.
I also have a NF ATACR 4-16x42 Mil-C that I could swap onto either the 30-06 or 300 wby without a ton of hasle but I think keeping them how they are in the form my dad kept them holds some value to me.
It generally seems pick a good bullet, aim in the right spot, and get as close as you can and bear are not that much different than deer or sturdier just with some worsened blood trails due to their fat and hair. We are all hoping to get opportunities on respresentative bears and do not need "monsters" but I just don't want to handicap myself if there is a better logic to a certain choice. I do not reload at this point in time.
I would appreciate thoughts on this matter (that is likely being greatly over analyzed by myself)
Looking for some advice for a trip that I am in the planning phase currently for May of 2026 in MT/ID/WY for spring black bear doing spot and stalk. I know this is a range of areas with different terrains as well as many units with their own challenges and benefits but I am trying to get a gauge of which rifle I should spend more of my time working up in the next year and what kind of distance seem typical for shot opportunities. From the different posts her and other forum signs as well as various hunting videos on the subject it looks like very variable from less than 50 yds to easily 4-500 yards.
I have 3 primary options that I am looking at.
1. My late fathers Remington 700 30-06 with a Leupold Boone and Crockett 3.5-10x with capped turrets, I have multiple options that shoot well and is the most economical to shoot. I am also able to suppress it and it has a 22" barrel.
2. My late fathers WBY Mark V 300 WBY with a Leupold Boone and Crockett 4.5-14x with capped turrets, I have less options to shoot this with the higher cost of ammo and spend less time behind this gun but I have a decent stock of ammo with some barnes options as well as a fair amount of the hornady interlock 165 gr and 180 gr, this also is threaded and suppressible but has a 26" barrel and would be a long package with an additional 6" on top of that.
3. My new to me Kimber Talkeetna 375 H&H with NF NX8 1-8 MOA with dial able turrets. I have not shot this yet and am currently trying to find some ammo to run through it but picking a bullet setup with this one seems to hinge more upon distance of game. I am hoping to shoot 250 gr A-frames through it with decent accuracy. I am also considering Nolser partitions and accubonds with the different weights offered and will hopefully get a couple boxes of bullet type and weight to see what my gun likes. This seems to be a "better" option for if we end up in an area with grizzlies. It is magna-port and not threaded so would lose out on the suppressing option. 300 gr options or a mono metal seem to be better grizzly protection if the very unlikley situation occured but then seem to lose a lot of steam quickly at distance if needed for longer shots.
I will be hunting with 2 other friends that will likely use a 30-06 and 300 win mag. Neither uses suppressors.
I also have a NF ATACR 4-16x42 Mil-C that I could swap onto either the 30-06 or 300 wby without a ton of hasle but I think keeping them how they are in the form my dad kept them holds some value to me.
It generally seems pick a good bullet, aim in the right spot, and get as close as you can and bear are not that much different than deer or sturdier just with some worsened blood trails due to their fat and hair. We are all hoping to get opportunities on respresentative bears and do not need "monsters" but I just don't want to handicap myself if there is a better logic to a certain choice. I do not reload at this point in time.
I would appreciate thoughts on this matter (that is likely being greatly over analyzed by myself)
