Shot placement on grizzly bears

[Razor84]

Looking for some thoughts from you big bear hunters....where do you try to place your first shot? Please respond for any of the following shots you take:



broadside
facing you head on
quartering towards you
quartering away
facing straight away


http://www.huntingbc.ca/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=5311&stc=1

Of these, which do you prefer?

I'm looking for shot placement advice. I'll be bringing a 338 Mag shooting 225 gr Barnes

Thanks in advance for your thoughts, and good hunting my friends

[Liveforthehunt]

Unless you have no choice and it's running right at you I would wait for a broadside shot and still wouldn't think twice about putting it through the lungs

[revarchery]

Lungs and break the offside shoulder, you will have time for a follow up shot if you do this.

[paw325]

See that white thing low in the chest with the valves sticking out of it??

hit the top of that no matter what angle he's facing

[.264winmag]

Personally broadside, I'd be trying to break the onside shoulder through both lungs and break the offside shoulder stopping inside the hide so we can all see the bullet! Barnes are designed for that kind of penetration are they not?

[Ron.C]

For Blackbears with rifle or bow, broadside heart and lungs. Not worrying about breaking the shoulders on a bear. One of my concenrs is a clean kill, but also looking to minimize meat damage

[GOLDEN TOP SNIPER]

Broad side ribs . hitting the lungs in the best i find .

[The Dawg]

Lungs. Broadside

[Philcott]

Is this of any use? I'd have posted the pic but the forum tells me I'm 56.4K over on a 57.2K picture?? must be a setting I don't know about somewhere.

http://www.triplecoutfittersalaska.com/sitebuilder/images/_Bear_Shot_Placement_big_one-510x630.jpg

[high and to the right]

Always, always, always try to break the front shoulder. I hear of too many lost bears with lung shots. The bleed hole often closes up very fast and they can go a long way in thick bush.

[high and to the right]

Great picture. Looks like almost every shot will hit either the facing shoulder or the off facing one.

[srupp]

Hmm great rifle bullet combo...I was taught by some of the best, not particularly one of thrir best students..from the side..only...take out the front shoulder...second shot will be on sturning thrashing bear..just behind the front shoulder half way up ...I have had to use the off side shoulder shot the results were simmilar...

In over 30 years of grizzly hunting..only bear ever lost was in Kwatna..the gentleman wss requested to not use the lung shot...he did...spent 2 days looking for where the bear died..never found thankfully the bear ran away to choose where to stand and fight..being shot a besr doesnt have a concept of death..
You do want to break that front end down turn his front leg to shrapnel to destroy both lungs and with .338 x 225g also take out farside also .

Hmm Tims bear 900 pounds 9 .5 feet didnt get the 12 yards to that dark wet coast forest..

Anyhow..thats 30 years experience havnt had anyone come up with better mouse trap

Cheers
Steven

[Mishka]

Is this of any use? I'd have posted the pic but the forum tells me I'm 56.4K over on a 57.2K picture?? must be a setting I don't know about somewhere.

http://www.triplecoutfittersalaska.com/sitebuilder/images/_Bear_Shot_Placement_big_one-510x630.jpg


Great diagram! Thanks for posting that.

[Pioneerman]

I have taken a few dozen bears over my time of hunting and some drop and some run a bit. If you break bones, much less chance of running anywhere. I was on a big open cut line up north and a good size black bear came out about 150 yards broadside .I took a shot figuring it was heart lung shot. It flipped and ran like mad, quartering in my direction , but did not know I was there, then turned into trees again. When I got to it it was dead, but ran over 80 yards. The heart was half gone from shot, but still ran, so if you shoot a big dangerous bear in lings or heart and not choose bone, you better be a decent distance away and it better be in wide open area to keep an eye on it. Otherwise , break bones and drop it !

[NorBC]

Since I bow hunt I can't really break shoulders, but I thought I would just throw it out there that I'm also a big fan of quartering away shots. Shoulder will be out of the way completely, and can still double up on lungs, and the heart. Keep in mind that bears like to spin when you hit them.. Doesn't bother me 20 yards from a bb, but a grizzly on the other hand!

[srupp]

Since I bow hunt I can't really break shoulders, but I thought I would just throw it out there that I'm also a big fan of quartering away shots. Shoulder will be out of the way completely, and can still double up on lungs, and the heart. Keep in mind that bears like to spin when you hit them.. Doesn't bother me 20 yards from a bb, but a grizzly on the other hand!

I have in fact had a bow hunter..I was impressed with the shot, results..pretty good...and I would not hesitate to back up a grizzly hunter using a bow...your absolutely correct with bow...through the lungs double lungs

2 bears both weigh 400 pounds..black is fat and muscle..grizzly is BONE and teeth.. still best to break em down..

I think? Justin Otts bella coola grizzly hunt is on you tube?? see how much it takes to put em down if off a wee bit..

just want everyone to be ok..

cheers
Steven

[Hunter1977]

Right in the front shoulder is what my dad told me

[Fred1]

Broad side... don't mess around. Take your time - aim just behind the elbow = heart, drops them fast! If you are a bit high you will get the lungs. Be patient and make a great first shot! Then shoot that sucker until he drops for the last time! (real men hunt grizz nude with sharp sticks...) Good luck!

[tracker]

I have taken a few dozen bears over my time of hunting and some drop and some run a bit. If you break bones, much less chance of running anywhere. I was on a big open cut line up north and a good size black bear came out about 150 yards broadside .I took a shot figuring it was heart lung shot. It flipped and ran like mad, quartering in my direction , but did not know I was there, then turned into trees again. When I got to it it was dead, but ran over 80 yards. The heart was half gone from shot, but still ran, so if you shoot a big dangerous bear in lings or heart and not choose bone, you better be a decent distance away and it better be in wide open area to keep an eye on it. Otherwise , break bones and drop it !

Been there done that , great advice here. Since most grizz are shot off of steep slide areas ,shoot a touch lower and you should be a winner.. I shot a grizz a few years back and the one lung was messed up but the other was hardly touched on a broadside up hill shot, he went 200 yards on a nearby snow slide and waited for me, my spotter watched the whole thing and let me know when he was dead!!!!

[Fred1]

I have taken a few dozen bears over my time of hunting and some drop and some run a bit. If you break bones, much less chance of running anywhere. I was on a big open cut line up north and a good size black bear came out about 150 yards broadside .I took a shot figuring it was heart lung shot. It flipped and ran like mad, quartering in my direction , but did not know I was there, then turned into trees again. When I got to it it was dead, but ran over 80 yards. The heart was half gone from shot, but still ran, so if you shoot a big dangerous bear in lings or heart and not choose bone, you better be a decent distance away and it better be in wide open area to keep an eye on it. Otherwise , break bones and drop it !

Yes! Didn't see this post. This too is good advice! Shoot shoot shoot! ;)

[bigdogeh]

last one I shot was just slightly above shoulder but took out the spine and paralysed his back legs. He managed to crawl on his front legs about 10-15 feet into a small but deep water filled depression and drowned.
result was the same.

[180grainer]

Slightly angled away. Hopefully get lots of lung and bust the far shoulder.

[firstshot]

You have to hit exactly somewhere between the nose and the ass!

[Rattler]

Broadside and or quartering away. Have only shot one Grizz and it was quartering away. Bullet passed through high shoulder/lung and broke its neck. Bang flop. I would recommend lung shot and try to break far shoulder. Quartering away is best for this...

[j270wsm]

Broadside shot through the heart at 269yds ended with a grizz rug 15yds later. Treat it like any other animal, one or 2 through the boiler room will result in a dead bear. Might go a few yards, might not. Take the shot your most comfortable with.

[Gateholio]

Using a 338 and 225 TSX youcan pretty much take any shot you get. Obviously, broadside is best but that bullet will penetrate and destroy anything in it's path, so figure out where the vitals are, and take the shot.

[kendoo]

A little off topic but has any one used 210 barnes tiple shock in 338 on grizz. or moose and how do they perform? thanks

[GoatGuy]

Front shoulders.

Not many things worse than heading into the alder jungle after a "lunged" g bear.

[Stew]

Front shoulders.

Not many things worse than heading into the alder jungle after a "lunged" g bear.

I agree, no shoulders = no running and hiding & waiting for you.

[wlbc]

My first bear went down in a logging camp in 1977, 308 at about 50 feet through the lungs and one shoulder - dropped like a sack of potatoes.

With all due respect to my HBC colleagues a shoulder shot is no guarentee of a bear going down. If they don't have lungs/heart they will die. If they have a broken shoulder they may drop - or they may go for a long way.

I shot a large black bear quartering away a few years ago at about 100 yards. 338wm with 250 grn Swift AFrame, broke the front leg (the bone was sticking out of the fur) and shredding one lung and the heart. Knocked him reeling, he go tup and came for me. I put two more in his thoracic cavity, one of which broke a front shoulder. He kept coming. I remember thinking as I was reloading - crap is thing going to stop. Now at this point the bear was dragging himself toward me, eyes locked on mine at about 30 yards now. Then he ran out of oxygen and died at about 25 yards.

I shot a medium sized interior grizzly boar a few years ago, again at about 125 yards, quartering away. 338wm, 275grn Swift AFrame. He jumped up and ran into the thickest regen you would ever want to see. I was breathing like I just ran a hard mile as I went into the pucker brush with one in the chamber and my finger on the trigger. I found him about 25 yards in, curled up under a spruce tree. The heart, one lung, and the opposite shoulder were destroyed by the first shot but he still took off like I slapped him on the ass. The grizz before him I double lunged with no bone damage and he dropped like a sack of potatoes.

In between each of these pucker stories were at least one half dozen well mannered bears that just dropped when they were fatally shot.

My point here is that even a bear (grizz or blackie) may or may not stop with a broken shoulder. Of the several dozen bears I've either shot or helped with about 3 out of 5 had the good manners to drop when bones were smashed or lung and heart were destroyed. My experience with grizzlies is they are bigger, much, much, stronger, and far more intelligent than black bears - but the ratio would be the same.

FME I would council to a heart/lung shot. At least you know he is going to die.

[moosinaround]

Boiler room shot for me, with a TTSX or an accubond. Probably look for a shoulder or the spine to tag with the shot as well, but anything in the vitals depending on what shot is presented. A premium bullet from a magnum rifle is the ticket for me! Shot a black bear last spring with a 168 TTSX from my 300 win mag, went 20 yrds and was curled in a ball dead. My son tagged a great black bear last spring in the vitals with a 180gr accubond in his 300 win mag, it went 10 yrds and died. Premium bullet, suitable caliber, proper shot placement, always equates to a dead critter, grizz moose, or rhino!!! Moosin

[The Dawg]

338 wm with a 225ttsx dumped my grizz over last year with a shot through the lungs.

It literally flipped it onto its back and rolled it

[moosinaround]

338 wm with a 225ttsx dumped my grizz over last year with a shot through the lungs.

It literally flipped it onto its back and rolled it
Or like that black bear we shot up north, where it did a couple circles of death and collapsed! Moosin

[finngun]

what ever you do,,but don't shoot pooh bear at the bum with 22,,it is getting really mad..that's what one farmer did in van island years back.. he did it because that 22 was his only gun..and bear was killing his lambs..

CO,,s was really mad too :shock:...traceing that wounded pooh..not happy situation..

[Kudu]

Every year around this time - the grizz / calibre debate begins on most of the forums - every year when I see the threads pop up I think of this poster....


http://i1094.photobucket.com/albums/i460/poofter_paddi/65e8571572cb39adecec308cbe2161ed_zps533978db.jpg


http://i1094.photobucket.com/albums/i460/poofter_paddi/b1446d0eb966928de5dd2349b8996bd5_zpse284855f.jpg

[zippermouth]

i have a hard time believing a bear with a hole in his lungs is not going down quickly. I have confidence if I put my crosshairs just behind the shoulder that bear is going down and fast. the only way he will not is if your bullet doesn't expand. but with bears, make the first shot count, and start hammering after that. I agree with the quartering away, taking out lungs and opposite shoulder is ideal for biggest target and least room for error.

[bcsteve]

Heart/lung shot is what Phil Shoemaker (famous Alaskan grizzly bear guide) recommends.

[hunter1947]

Smack right in the shoulder cripple him up so he goes down he won't get up ..

[bcsteve]

Here's a quote from Shoemaker on another forum: "My favorite shot is a bullet that passes directly between the shoulders and is where I typically place my first shot if needed. If it also hits and breaks a shoulder, or both, that is great, but shoulders in and of themselves are not vital areas and I have seen bears travel great distances with broken shoulders."

And on the same thread John Barness added: "I'll add a short note: While Phil is the most experienced brown/grizzly bear guide I know, Jim Shockey is the most experienced black bear guide I know. He gives his clients exactly the same advice about shot placement, and for the same reason: Shoulders aren't vital tissue."

[The Dawg]

I wonder how many people that have commented here 'shoulders', have actually killed grizzly bears with this shot?

And I mean killed- not needed a follow up shot.


I know of 1.

Others, please speak up

[Fred1]

I have never put a bullet in a grizz, only popped a few black bears. This I know this for sure: I have seen both black and grizz cover great distances, with speed, with broken shoulder(s) and not die for long periods. I have seen both kinds of bears do the same thing shot in the vitals, however, the ones shot in the vitals die far quicker. I feel much better looking for a bear that has taken one or two or three (shoot shoot shoot!!) knowing the vitals have been damaged. There is no hurry looking for a bear with a bullet in him... You be the judge of your shot(s) and where you put them. One thing for sure, a dead bear never bit anyone...

[180grainer]

Every year around this time - the grizz / calibre debate begins on most of the forums - every year when I see the threads pop up I think of this poster....


http://i1094.photobucket.com/albums/i460/poofter_paddi/65e8571572cb39adecec308cbe2161ed_zps533978db.jpg


http://i1094.photobucket.com/albums/i460/poofter_paddi/b1446d0eb966928de5dd2349b8996bd5_zpse284855f.jpg


That looks like a nice rifle.

[Trigger Happy]

Yes yes yes, heard many debates about placement. Half say lungs, half say shoulders. Through my research I have concluded that if it's a lung shot he can still run/charge/flee and can run a long ways because they can slow their breathing down next to nil. If you choose shoulder you will break leg, fragments will enter lungs anyways and hopefully take out other shoulder also which will stop a charge or flee situation and you can quickly follow up with a kill shot, good luck to ya and hope to hear what you followed through with :)

[josh_pattersin]

Old post but leaving for my grizzly hunt in 9 days has me researching and thinking. Just shot a mid size black (5-8 ish) quartering towards, totally destroyed inside shoulder, both lungs, came out behind opposite shoulder at 125 yards. 338 210 ttsx (my grizz combo). He spun and ran about 50 or 60 yards to the road at such a fast clip I thought I must have missed but knew I couldn't have. He hit the road and didn't have any steam left to get over the ditch and dropped. The onside shoulder was spaghetti. Couldn't believe how far he went. That being said I'll still aim in line with front leg and a bit low. Hopefully some heart and both lungs. I don't want to hope that the shoulder shot puts him down and not know that I took out the vitals or not. At least if he runs I'll know he'll be dead quick enough.... hopefully! 😆

[srupp]

Personally broadside, I'd be trying to break the onside shoulder through both lungs and break the offside shoulder stopping inside the hide so we can all see the bullet! Barnes are designed for that kind of penetration are they not?


My advice exactly, been working for over 30 years.
I too use .338 win mag and 225 GR Barnes tsx.
No frontal shots.after the above shot he will try and get up..then lung shots..keep shooting till he is dead and eyes are open.
Steven Rupp