556shooter
Well-Known Member
What is the smallest caliber you can legally hunt black bear with?
What is the smallest caliber to legally hunt black bear with?
- Thread starter 556shooter
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HARPERC
Well-Known Member
Where? Varies by location.
birdiemc
Well-Known Member
Google is your friend....well actually they might be the devil, but they got a great search engine!
69precision
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- Mar 4, 2016
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100% dependent on the state you are hunting them in. It looks like .22 centerfire and larger for bears in your home state of Oregon. I'm a big proponent of the 223 for deer, but probably there are better options for bears.
https://www.dfw.state.or.us/resources/hunting/big_game/regulations/weapons.asp
https://www.dfw.state.or.us/resources/hunting/big_game/regulations/weapons.asp
dmj
Well-Known Member
As large as you can comfortably shoot and shoot well.
Barrelnut
Well-Known Member
Black bears have speared a few guys in Oregon the last few years. Mainly getting tangled up with them when they though they were dead.
Ya my kid shot a 6'er ,had him all set in bipod,think he was 15 and missed.Before I could say bo he jumps up and shoots him running away .So Dad get to go into the alder tangle after him,you could hear him in there,had boy stand guard on large root wad and set if get on me shoot em but Not me! And in future you get to recover your own messes PS same guy that spears them kills them with blow darts heh
FIGJAM
Well-Known Member
God bless Idaho. The question is for elk, the answer applies to all big game.
Hi Pa Grizz, I read your reply to the OP. I am not refuting your answer, just thought that Maine would have regulations with a higher caliber than the .22 mag.. Over the years I have bear hunted in Maine with a number of outfitters. I can tell you that there is not one of the outfitters/guides, who I have hunted with, that would ever let you hunt bear with them with a .22 mag.
Perhaps a better/different/more qualified question would be, "What caliber would you recommend for hunting black bear?" Inuits use 22lr and .223s to take polar bear, that doesn't make it a good caliber for taking bears; it just means that a hunter was fortunate to take the animal of that stature and still live to talk about it. And.......with a question of that nature you are going to find a lot of "opinions" when it gets answered. And.....that's when the fight started
I used to hunt bears with hounds, you don't need much when they are in a tree. Things can get a little hairy on the ground if ya got a bear that wants a go round. I guided a cat hunter who used an Encore pistol in .243 Win. And shot vmax bullets. A black bears brisket isn't very thick at all. I think this would work well for what I'm describing above. There are to many different ways to hunt them, to answere th3 question farelyPerhaps a better/different/more qualified question would be, "What caliber would you recommend for hunting black bear?" Inuits use 22lr and .223s to take polar bear, that doesn't make it a good caliber for taking bears; it just means that a hunter was fortunate to take the animal of that stature and still live to talk about it. And.......with a question of that nature you are going to find a lot of "opinions" when it gets answered. And.....that's when the fight started
