bear hunting story

[b.c hunter 88]

Well i am still scared on this.
Last minute i decided to head out bear hunting now its been very slow hear i have seen two since it oped.
i am heading out into this valley not seeing anything i'm getting bummed out thinking well hears a wast of gas.
debating on turning around but went up more started to seen lots of scat thinking well any corner ill get to see one not one to be found. coming back same deal got to a turn off debating on going up after a minute figured why not heading up there same thing dead nothing around well its time to start making my way home got down this hill boom bear middle of the road 300 yards get out chamber the 308 using the truck as a rest spotting out this bear very tempted to shoot but i am not trigger happy so looking at this seems small thinking ill let it go i decided to stalk up for a closer look something is off i get about 140 yard from the truck and i say 80 to 60 from this what i thought was a lone bear it was kinda on a corner behind a stump so i'm glassing decide its to small start heading for the truck look back holy Crap theirs a big sow standing up looking at me i'm thinking holy crap hears a first this aint good. Safety off ready to shoot if need be but thinking i only have one bullet in my gun so very bad situation i start walking backwards slowly thinking this thing gonna charge me and get me we went our separate ways got back to the truck thinking man how bad that would of been if 1 i shot or 2 it charged me
it was the fact that the cubs wear behind the stump i count see them.
sure make a guy feel great when he can make a good decision on not shooting like that but i had to change my underwear after that to close of a call.
went from zero bear action to way to much just like that .
unfortunately i have allot on my plate right now so a big factor was not thinking right but out of i think 5 or so years hunting that's been my closes call.

[Whonnock Boy]

It's probably a lesson a lot of us have learned. Always be prepared in terms of ammunition, because you never know.

[xtrail]

It's probably a lesson a lot of us have learned. Always be prepared in terms of ammunition, because you never know.
I agree.
Also, as far as I'm aware, you can't legally use your vehicle as a rest when hunting.

[Whonnock Boy]

I didn't really want to go there because it has been discussed many times. Conclusion was, and still is, as long as the firearm in not touching the vehicle, it is legal to use it as a rest. Put a pack, jacket, or sleeping bag on it, and you're good to go. Don't shoot the messenger. :)


I agree.
Also, as far as I'm aware, you can't legally use your vehicle as a rest when hunting.

[RiverOtter]

Usually don't mention punctuation, but holy man, that was hard to read. A period and the odd capital letter to start a sentence would go a long way....

Glad you made it through your bear encounter.....

[srthomas75]

Usually don't mention punctuation, but holy man, that was hard to read. A period and the odd capital letter to start a sentence would go a long way....

Glad you made it through your bear encounter.....

not just punctuation; I was thinking more along the lines of spelling. [ I think I interpreted it correctly ]

[Whonnock Boy]

I read it just fine. Hunter47 has made a fine name for himself regardless of his spelling and punctuation. Keep on sharing....

[srthomas75]

I read it just fine. Hunter47 has made a fine name for himself regardless of his spelling and punctuation. Keep on sharing....

I agree. Too bad he didn't post this one.

[nature girl]

Atleast you are okay. And you will get your bear.

And for some of the other members this is a hunting forum not a spelling forum he probably still was a little freaked out. I am glad you posted your story.

[Big Lew]

Atleast you are okay. And you will get your bear.

And for some of the other members this is a hunting forum not a spelling forum he probably still was a little freaked out. I am glad you posted your story.

I agree...and I'm glad everything worked out. It's always a good thing if you can learn from
each encounter and incident, thanks for posting.

[b.c hunter 88]

I am not good at spelling and all that. Dixletic not sure the spelling.

[CodyRules]

Dyslexic haha im just being a smart ass! i read it just fine:lol:

[smallfry14]

I had a similar experience a couple weeks ago. Me and a friend stalked a bear from about 350 yards, him with the camera and me with the bow. It wasn't until we got busted at 80 yards that 2 cubs came running out of the bush. When the cubs come out all you hear in the video is a whisper going "F**k..."

[604Stalker]

2 lessons I guess. Wait and if you bring just one round you may have to concider other options. Thanks for sharing the story good luck.

[RiverOtter]

I read it just fine. Hunter47 has made a fine name for himself regardless of his spelling and punctuation. Keep on sharing....
Ya, but H47 has a "grad 7 edicaton and eats hart and uniuns"....... :p

[emerson]

Glad to hear a good account of that worked out the right way.

[Whonnock Boy]

That he does my friend. That he does.... haha


Ya, but H47 has a "grad 7 edicaton and eats hart and uniuns"....... :p

[Hammerhead]

Ya, but H47 has a "grad 7 edicaton and eats hart and uniuns"....... :p

Just lost a mouthful of my MGD and a little out the nose I think..

thanks for for the story and hope you get your near next trip out
HH

[Hammerhead]

Bear lol
HH

[gmachine19]

I have a healthy respect for bears. So along with a full mag, I always have an ammo carrier that fits nicely in my belt. I threw away my favorite undies twice due to bear encounter and I wasn't carrying a gun those 2 times!

[375shooter]

I was charged by a black bear, once. Sort of. My hunting partner shot a bear but instead of dropping, it ran into the thick stuff. We looked for blood but couldn't find any, so decided to walk parallel to each other in the direction that it ran, in the hopes of finding it dead. We had our magazines fully loaded with rounds in the chambers and safeties on. My buddy was on my left side as we made our way forward, rifles at the ready.

We were about 30 yards in when I spotted the bear through the brush. It was about 35 feet away at the 11:00 position. At the exact same time that I spotted it, it charged right towards me. Because the brush was so thick, I had lost sight of it briefly as it rapidly approached, until it was about 12 feet away where it broke out into the open. I immediately threw up my rifle and quickly settled the crosshairs somewhere around the point of it's nose. By this time it was only about 6 feet away and closing the distance fast. As I aimed, the rifle was at a steep downward angle.

At that point I remember thinking that there was only enough time to make that one shot before I had to instantly sidestep to my left in order to try and avoid contact, as I rechambered a round. I was a millisecond away from dropping the hammer, when suddenly it made a sharp turn towards my right. I immediately readjusted my aim and fired two quick shots, as the bear ran. That did it. It was down and dead, both shots were right behind the shoulder (I was a good shot in those days!).

That was pretty exciting but interestingly enough, not very scarey. While the charge was happening, I just accepted the fact that if I didn't drop the bear with my first shot, that there was a good chance that I would be mauled by a bear. The whole thing only took a few seconds, yet it felt like it took much longer and that it was even happening in slow motion. That just demonstrates how fast the mind can think while in a dangerous situation. It's actually quite remarkable.

It turned out that my hunting partner had shot too low and that the bullet had only creased the brisket. The bear was not that big, being about 225 pounds, spring weight.

Because of situations like this, I always carry an adequate caliber, in a proven rifle, with a low powered scope. In this case it was my trusty Sako .375 H&H, mounted with a 1.75-6 powered Leupold scope and loaded with 300 gr. Barnes X handloaded ammo. An excellent combination for dangerous situations.

[warbird2006]

Don't hunt bear with 308. 338 or 375 calibers recommended.
Of course there will be lots of guys saying they killed the bear with 270 blah blah blah.
You love your life, be safe.

[moosinaround]

Good story, I enjoyed your write up! Please keep contributing to our HBC community. There are some on here that post, and you just have to have a thick skin. A 308 is plenty of fire power for black bear, having an ammo sleeve on your but stock full is a good idea, and I usually pull from it when I have to lob more than 1 when road hunting. Good idea to get closer and watch the bear, when you get closer, you can start to see the differences between sows, and boars. A sow, will usually always have a look or Two for her cubs around her, a boar will just eat and flop! Just one of my observations from over the years?!! Good luck out there, moosin

[Gateholio]

Don't hunt bear with 308. 338 or 375 calibers recommended.
Of course there will be lots of guys saying they killed the bear with 270 blah blah blah.
You love your life, be safe.

This is sarcasm, right? :)

[scoutlt1]

Don't hunt bear with 308. 338 or 375 calibers recommended.
Of course there will be lots of guys saying they killed the bear with 270 blah blah blah.
You love your life, be safe.

Oh damn....and I love my .308 :(

[RiverOtter]

I dunno, I've shot several bears with my 338 RUM and I've found it really tends to OVER PENETRATE.....All that energy, wasted into the background!

[Ddog]

Usually don't mention punctuation, but holy man, that was hard to read. A period and the odd capital letter to start a sentence would go a long way....

Glad you made it through your bear encounter.....

i agree,,not only that but,,,,wow,,hard to read is an understatement ..
spell check is a must...sorry to say..JMO

[HarryToolips]

Good story, I enjoyed your write up! Please keep contributing to our HBC community. There are some on here that post, and you just have to have a thick skin. A 308 is plenty of fire power for black bear, having an ammo sleeve on your but stock full is a good idea, and I usually pull from it when I have to lob more than 1 when road hunting. Good idea to get closer and watch the bear, when you get closer, you can start to see the differences between sows, and boars. A sow, will usually always have a look or Two for her cubs around her, a boar will just eat and flop! Just one of my observations from over the years?!! Good luck out there, moosin
This is very good advice, those that say a .308 ain't enough are either jokin or full of crap..from what I could understand from your story, you only had one bullet loaded in your gun, why? When I'm walking around in the bush, my gun is loaded safety on, with a fully loaded clip attached..when road huntin, I just have my clip loaded, get out and immediately chamber a round, then your good to go..as said by moosin you can take your time and really sneak close to bears when they're eating..if they charge, from my experience stand your ground, as long as they have an escape route..good on you for not shooting a sow with Cubs...

[375shooter]

In my post, I never meant to insinuate that a .308 wasn't enough gun for black bear. I was just telling a story of a hunting experience that I had and had used my 375 that particular time because it was one of the rifles I had with me on that trip. The other rifle was my M98 in 308. I said in my post that I always carry an adequate caliber but was not meaning that a 308 was not adequate. There are some cartridges that I would say are too small for bear but the 308 is not one of them.

[RiverOtter]

Pretty sure the flame was directed at the post below yours, but I'm thinking(hoping) it was in jest...

[warbird2006]

This was yesterday evening in Mission, BC.
One shot in thick bush. Bear was down.
No suffering. 270 Grains Speer Bullet in 375 H&H.
For all your 308 lovers: I love my 308. But if you want to play like a real man, use real calibre.
)http://www.huntingbc.ca/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=5777&stc=1

[RiverOtter]

A 223 with a good bullet would have made short work of that bear you shot...

If a 375 floats your boat, great, but it is hardly mandatory equipment.....even the bear in your pic is laughing at the overkill........:lol:

[warbird2006]

Try heavy bullets and slow powder.

[Fella]

This was yesterday evening in Mission, BC.
One shot in thick bush. Bear was down.
No suffering. 270 Grains Speer Bullet in 375 H&H.
For all your 308 lovers: I love my 308. But if you want to play like a real man, use real calibre.
)http://www.huntingbc.ca/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=5777&stc=1
Guess I was just lucky dropping a big old boar with one shot from my sissy .30-06 hey?

[warbird2006]

Guess I was just lucky dropping a big old boar with one shot from my sissy .30-06 hey?


:) 30-06 should be fine, but some maniacs would want to hunt them with 223???? They must love hurting animals and make them suffer.

[RiverOtter]

:) 30-06 should be fine, but some maniacs would want to hunt them with 223???? They must love hurting animals and make them suffer.
Never said I recommend a 223 for bear hunting, simply stated that a 223 would have killed your specimen handily.....

[warbird2006]

Never said I recommend a 223 for bear hunting, simply stated that a 223 would have killed your specimen handily.....

Here is Wikipedia for you: The .375 H&H often is cited as one of the most useful all-round rifle cartridges, especially in shooting large and dangerous game. With relatively light bullets in the region of 235 to 270 grains (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grain_(measure)) (15 to 17 g), it is a flat-shooting, fairly long-range cartridge ideal for use on light to medium game, whereas with heavy bullets of 300 grains (19 g) and greater, it has the punch necessary for large, thick-skinned dangerous game.
The typical 300 gr (19 g) ammunition manufactured by Federal and Remington have a muzzle velocity of 2,530 feet per second (770 m/s) churning out 4,263 ft·lbf (of energy, 2919 at 200 yards. 180 gr Sp bullet out of 308 Win has 2743 fl lbf of energy, 1930 @ 200 yards, and your suggested 223 Rem (64 gr SP) only 1357 ft lbf., 760 ft lbft @ 200 yards.

So, next time, RiverOtter (http://www.huntingbc.ca/forum/member.php?1024-RiverOtter), before you make a smart suggestion to kill bears with .223, please check your facts.


These are picture of recovered bullet jacket.


<a href="http://s1282.photobucket.com/user/warbird2006/media/20160509_205301%20Small.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1282.photobucket.com/albums/a524/warbird2006/20160509_205301%20Small.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo 20160509_205301 Small.jpg"/></a>
<a href="http://s1282.photobucket.com/user/warbird2006/media/20160509_205238%20Small.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1282.photobucket.com/albums/a524/warbird2006/20160509_205238%20Small.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo 20160509_205238 Small.jpg"/></a>

[RiverOtter]

I'm laughing to hard to comment on making a case for cartridge selection, based on WIKIPEDIA.....so I'll let it speak for itself.

Since you brought up energy though, maybe run back to your "Wiki" and see just how much ENERGY a modern bow generates?

Hurry back and post up your findings, the crowd is waiting........

[KodiakHntr]

:) 30-06 should be fine, but some maniacs would want to hunt them with 223???? They must love hurting animals and make them suffer.

I've seen more than a few bears fall down over the last few decades, from the 375 H&H, all the way down to the 223. In fact, I think my last 5 or 6 bears that I killed with a rifle (I won't count the ones that fell to arrow's or spears) all died from a 223.

Well, ok, ok, 223 Ackley Improved. But those ones ran the gamut from the diminutive 40gr vmax, all the way up to the giant slayer 75 amax. Not one of those 223 killed bears required a second shot, and in fact, the fastest kill I've ever seen on a bear was that 40gr vmax at a hair north of 3850 fps muzzle velocity.

To be honest, there wasn't really any difference in time of death from initial impact that I could discern between a bear shot with a 223/53gr tsx and a bear shot with a 300 Ultra/200gr tsx. Or for that matter, from an arrow. Lungs are allergic to daylight. That's a known fact, you can find it on wiki.

[yamadirt 426]

Thanks for sharing your story with us. The grammar pigs can suck a D.

[scoutlt1]

:cry: So now my .308 doesn't make me man enough to kill a Black bear??

What about my pathetic 30-30? I bet that won't kill anything anymore either these days....

I wonder if Wiki can tell me how effective a .308 or 30-30 has been on game over the years? Most likely I'll get re-directed to a more manly "calibre".

[RiverOtter]

:cry: So now my .308 doesn't make me man enough to kill a Black bear??

What about my pathetic 30-30? I bet that won't kill anything anymore either these days....

I wonder if Wiki can tell me how effective a .308 or 30-30 has been on game over the years? Most likely I'll get re-directed to a more manly "calibre".
Cheer up, you're in good company......:mrgreen:

Gotta run now before this latest Wiki revelation spreads. Trying to get all my sub 375 rifles cleaned up and posted on CGN, so I can buy a Wiki approved bear rifle before demand goes through the roof......

[russm]

I'll do just fine ith my .308 I don't need to compensate for anything I even drive a stock height truck I must really not be "a real man".

[scoutlt1]

I'll do just fine ith my .308 I don't need to compensate for anything I even druve a stock height truck I must really not be "a real man".


WHAT?????? You don't have one of these????? http://liftedchevy.com/2009/05/gigantic-8-door-lifted-chevy/ And you still manage to kill things???? Nasty furry things with teeth and claws......and you...you are.....you know... still a "man"??????


C'mon......you must be full of sh*t..... :) :)

[warbird2006]

Good luck you 223 lowers in bear hunting. I can't wait for one of you ...... to educate everyone here how to kill a grizzly with 223. Oh, it may be Ackey Improved. Do grizzly's lungs like daylight? I am really sorry for you.

[warbird2006]

Well i am still scared on this.
Last minute i decided to head out bear hunting now its been very slow hear i have seen two since it oped.
i am heading out into this valley not seeing anything i'm getting bummed out thinking well hears a wast of gas.
debating on turning around but went up more started to seen lots of scat thinking well any corner ill get to see one not one to be found. coming back same deal got to a turn off debating on going up after a minute figured why not heading up there same thing dead nothing around well its time to start making my way home got down this hill boom bear middle of the road 300 yards get out chamber the 308 using the truck as a rest spotting out this bear very tempted to shoot but i am not trigger happy so looking at this seems small thinking ill let it go i decided to stalk up for a closer look something is off i get about 140 yard from the truck and i say 80 to 60 from this what i thought was a lone bear it was kinda on a corner behind a stump so i'm glassing decide its to small start heading for the truck look back holy Crap theirs a big sow standing up looking at me i'm thinking holy crap hears a first this aint good. Safety off ready to shoot if need be but thinking i only have one bullet in my gun so very bad situation i start walking backwards slowly thinking this thing gonna charge me and get me we went our separate ways got back to the truck thinking man how bad that would of been if 1 i shot or 2 it charged me
it was the fact that the cubs wear behind the stump i count see them.
sure make a guy feel great when he can make a good decision on not shooting like that but i had to change my underwear after that to close of a call.
went from zero bear action to way to much just like that .
unfortunately i have allot on my plate right now so a big factor was not thinking right but out of i think 5 or so years hunting that's been my closes call.

Hey BC Hunter 88. Sorry for hijacking the post a bit here. Good hunting and be safe no matter what do you hunt.

[caddisguy]

Good luck you 223 lowers in bear hunting. I can't wait for one of you ...... to educate everyone here how to kill a grizzly with 223. Oh, it may be Ackey Improved. Do grizzly's lungs like daylight? I am really sorry for you.

This thread was about black bears... not elephants or t-rex, so your comments about "doing it like a real man with a 375" and my favorite "a 30-06 *should* be enough" came across pretty ridiculous to everyone in the context of black bears... like saying "a real man climbs over school zone speed bumps with 45 inch super swampers with a 6 foot lift and a set of bull nuts hanging from the hitch" ... sounds goofy doesn't it? Yeah it will work and if that's your rig, that's your rig, but it is far from necessary for the application. Thought you were joking but seems your "sticking to your guns" lol

Plenty of guys here who take bears with bows, 270's, etc. 240, 270, 30-06, 308, 375 doesn't really matter. If you can't flip off the light switch it doesn't matter how hard you pound on the wall and it doesn't take a 300 lbs gorrilla to flip that switch either. Lights out either way with a vital shot and a bear gut shot with a 375 or 240 doesn't know the difference and could whoop you just as good even though 99.5% will run since black bears are generally scaredy-cats.

Anyway I'm off to go buy a 10 gauge and an bunch slugs to take care of these dang ants on my patio.

[Xenomorph]

Good luck you 223 lowers in bear hunting. I can't wait for one of you ...... to educate everyone here how to kill a grizzly with 223. Oh, it may be Ackey Improved. Do grizzly's lungs like daylight? I am really sorry for you.


Dude, there's nothing on the NA continent that really, really, reAAAlly needs a 375 H&H. Sure, it's a fun cartridge, but far from being the only one capable to safely harvest an animal.

Wikipedia dont tell you shit about .22lr in the ear ...right?!?

Anyway, as fun as this is it's really derailing the thread.

[KodiakHntr]

Good luck you 223 lowers in bear hunting. I can't wait for one of you ...... to educate everyone here how to kill a grizzly with 223. Oh, it may be Ackey Improved. Do grizzly's lungs like daylight? I am really sorry for you.

Well to be honest, I've seen a few Grizzlies killed over the years as well. And I might even have a grizz permit this year too. Might break out a big rifle this time, and take a 280AI....

Here's a hint, it ain't the arrow that makes the Indian.....

[Busterpayton54]

Maybe slightly off topic, and I don't mean any humiliation by it, but have you guys seriously had the shit scared right out of you?

And last but not least and again no humiliation meant.. Warbird just because it takes a .375 to make you feel safe doesn't mean we all need that. Since you're so handy with Google, take a look at how popular the .22lr, .22mag, .22hornet and .223 are in the hands of Inuit hunting polar bears.

Me, well if I could pack my 10mm in the bush, that'd be all right.

[KodiakHntr]

I think you hit the nail on the head right there.

I regularly hunt hunt black bears with a bow. I used to carry a rifle, or pistol gripped shotgun for "just in case". After using a spear from the ground, there isn't a black bear walking the earth today that I wouldn't hunt with a bow and zero backup.

I'm of the mindset now, that a 300 savage is overkill. But if that's what YOU feel the need to use, fill your boots. Just don't try and tell me that I need to be over gunned just because you don't feel safe with anything smaller than an elephant rifle.

[RiverOtter]

You bring up a good point there, if an elephant rifle is now required equipment for a 150 pound black bear, what hell is a guy supposed to use on a 6 tonne elephant if he ever goes to the dark continent?

Something tells me there's more to this killing thing than head stamps........I wonder what Wiki has to say on this subject???

[KodiakHntr]

I bet wiki doesn't even MENTION bullets......

[ROY-alty33]

Bella Twin, an Indian girl, and her friend Dave Auger were hunting grouse near Lesser Slave Lake in northern Alberta. The only gun they had was Bella’s single-shot bolt-action .22 Rimfire rifle. They were walking a cutline that had been made for oil exploration when they saw a large grizzly following the same survey line toward them. If they ran, the bear would probably notice them and might chase, so they quietly sat down on a brush pile and hoped that the bear would pass by without trouble. But the bear came much too close, and when the big boar was only a few yards away, Bella Twin shot him in the side of the head with a .22 Long cartridge. The bear dropped, kicked and then lay still. Taking no chances, Bella went up close and fired all of the cartridges she had, seven or eight .22 Longs, into the bear’s head. That bear, killed in 1953, was the world-record grizzly for several years and is still high in the records today.

Not saying Grizz hunting with a single shot 22 is ideal but is definitely doable.
As for the OP never been scared of a live black bear (the last one I shot had its eyes slammed shut as I approached....that had a little pucker power to it)
But the grizz bluff charging to 15 paces got my attention.......(and I was only carrying an anemic 325)

[wideopenthrottle]

Anyway I'm off to go buy a 10 gauge and an bunch slugs to take care of these dang ants on my patio....is that because plastic explosives are getting harder to obtain?

[Xenomorph]

...is that because plastic explosives are getting harder to obtain?


:mrgreen::mrgreen::mrgreen::mrgreen::mrgreen:

[Deer_Slayer]

was thinking the same..lol

[b.c hunter 88]

lol its funny you guys are saying this im planing on my grizzly hunt with my 308 if i don't have a 338 by then. if i do get a 338 i have to be confident in shooting it so hopefully in the next month or two so i can start shotting asap. but I have zero dout in my mind with my 308 if it all i have or not go should probably should wait for leh to come out before i get ahead of myself lol. my buddy still thinks im wrong but i got a gun i shoot at 100 yards 1 inch group he has a 338 but seems to almost be afraid to shoot it. practice is key especially when the hunted has claws and teeth and short tempers. im also very picky on my rifles don't like a light gun prefer heavy when big calibers are present. its been a crap year 10 and half months of no work just waiting to head back hopefully next week then gun time.

[Drillbit]

This was yesterday evening in Mission, BC.
One shot in thick bush. Bear was down.
No suffering. 270 Grains Speer Bullet in 375 H&H.
For all your 308 lovers: I love my 308. But if you want to play like a real man, use real calibre.
)http://www.huntingbc.ca/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=5777&stc=1

I've "one shot" several bears bigger than that with my 223. I know a rancher that only uses a 222 (one less!) for bears and also has shot several.

I even "one shot" a Grizzly with a piddly little 130grn out of a 270.....intentionally!

I save my 375hh for Cliff Claven's and let them shoot gophers with it. Always a good time!


Grow a moustache rook

[Drillbit]

Well i am still scared on this.
Last minute i decided to head out bear hunting now its been very slow hear i have seen two since it oped.
i am heading out into this valley not seeing anything i'm getting bummed out thinking well hears a wast of gas.
debating on turning around but went up more started to seen lots of scat thinking well any corner ill get to see one not one to be found. coming back same deal got to a turn off debating on going up after a minute figured why not heading up there same thing dead nothing around well its time to start making my way home got down this hill boom bear middle of the road 300 yards get out chamber the 308 using the truck as a rest spotting out this bear very tempted to shoot but i am not trigger happy so looking at this seems small thinking ill let it go i decided to stalk up for a closer look something is off i get about 140 yard from the truck and i say 80 to 60 from this what i thought was a lone bear it was kinda on a corner behind a stump so i'm glassing decide its to small start heading for the truck look back holy Crap theirs a big sow standing up looking at me i'm thinking holy crap hears a first this aint good. Safety off ready to shoot if need be but thinking i only have one bullet in my gun so very bad situation i start walking backwards slowly thinking this thing gonna charge me and get me we went our separate ways got back to the truck thinking man how bad that would of been if 1 i shot or 2 it charged me
it was the fact that the cubs wear behind the stump i count see them.
sure make a guy feel great when he can make a good decision on not shooting like that but i had to change my underwear after that to close of a call.
went from zero bear action to way to much just like that .
unfortunately i have allot on my plate right now so a big factor was not thinking right but out of i think 5 or so years hunting that's been my closes call.

See a bear from the truck seat, hit the brakes, bail out and drop one in for a shot....standard procedure.

Get the feeling something is "off"......good for you, trust that feeling.


Advancing before topping up the gun.....can happen (don't want to make noise and go for "stealth mode"), but shouldn't. A common black bear isn't worth it.


And "glassing" at 60 yards? Trust yourself and you awareness. Take your time and be patient.


Glad you learned a bit, thanks for the post, it should help others as well.

[375shooter]

Here's the think about bears. When they are feeding on grass, clover, berries etc., they have a tendency to kind of spin around as they graze on choice items. For example, they can turn their front quarters towards the left, while simultaneously turn there hind quarters towards the right, or vice versa. The shot angle can change quickly as you settling the crosshairs and squeeze the trigger. By the time the shot is executed, an intended double lung broadside shot can turn into a fringe one lung hit. Someone with little experience may not even notice what happened. With a shot like this, the bear is almost guaranteed to run into the bush and will instantly get a kick of adrenaline. This is where things can get interesting and is where proper rifle/caliber/scope selection becomes important, as well as the right type of range practice. If there are two or more hunters, maybe not that much danger, but what if you're alone?

[Deer_Slayer]

Probably not the best idea to stalk a bear for a closer look with only one round in the chamber, but glad it all worked out well.

[b.c hunter 88]

yea i learn my lesson this year. its been a wile been busy.

[selvir]

In my situation since few close calls and last the bear my buddy shot was running strait at me ... since than i never go hunting without my 12 gauge semi
and 16 century nights armor lol

[wideopenthrottle]

There are always 8-10 extra shells on me minimum... I like the nozzler holders cuz the bullets clip in and the set of 10 can be broken in half to hold 5 with no clinking...an extra set of 5 is always in my kit on my belt and another 5 in my pocket...they are part of the morning routine where I put on my t shirt then my compass then my turtle neck then pants then belt with kit (survival stuff,knives, 20 feet of rope etc) ....don't leave camp without it!!!!!!!!!!

[sawmill]

I didn't really want to go there because it has been discussed many times. Conclusion was, and still is, as long as the firearm in not touching the vehicle, it is legal to use it as a rest. Put a pack, jacket, or sleeping bag on it, and you're good to go. Don't shoot the messenger. :)

You are shitting me right? So hard to tell with you sometimes.

[wideopenthrottle]

You are shitting me right? So hard to tell with you sometimes.
It's what I also heard...loophole/technicality...never had to use a truck though cuz if they are just off the road why do you need a rest anyway..if they are further, find a tree ffs.

[Weatherby Fan]

Listen you bear hunters as long as your caliber says Weatherby Magnum behind it your golden..........!

Thanks for posting your story bc hunter 88, always like your hunting stories !