Black Bear hunt…Gun or Cross-Bow

[Justice1327]

My wife and I want to go bear hunting. Which would down a bear the quickest: proper bullet/cartridge or cross-bow with proper blade/tip?

Only been one time…Wyoming while Elk/Muley hunting. Shot at 159yds with 7RM.

So not a lot of experience or knowledge …any advice is appreciated.

 

[Marc Young]

Either will be effective with proper shot placement. If you want the bear to drop in its tracks right there, I feel like your better option is the gun. The crossbow will be just as effective but you will probably be following a short blood trail.

I think the real question is what type of hunt you want. You will need to be significantly closer with a crossbow, where you can make longer shots with the gun. So depending on the type of hunt you are planning that could dictate the weapon also.

 

[birddog 68]

think the real question is what type of hunt you want. You will need to be significantly closer with a crossbow, where you can make longer shots with the gun. So depending on the type of hunt you are planning that could dictate the weapon also.

Excellent answer! I would take the rifle unless hunting over bait.

 

[mrbb]

well I will say this, a sharp broadhead kills by cutting main organs or arteries
a BULLET can also damage organs and arteries but also has a lot of SHOCK value as the bullet travels thru thing, leaving a little more room for error, as well as a faster second shot if needed
both are more than capable at killing a bear if you put the projectile of either where it can kill
but a rifle had an advantage with out a doubt IMO!
I would just make sure if hunting over bait, that what ever rifle you use is sighted in for the close ranges, and I would use a bullet capable of expanding yet staying together at close range
and be using a caliber of proven track record on bears !

 

[Marc Young]

Excellent answer! I would take the rifle unless hunting over bait.

Good choice

 

[Justice1327]

Thank you, didn't think about follow up shot. Hunt over bait is our plan. Just got to find a good place with big bears. This will probably be just a one time deal.

 

[RidgeTop]

There is no guarantee a rifle will drop a bear in it's tracks. One thing I do is I don't shoot a moving bear - they usually take off like a rocket. Shoot them standing still and they fall over if hit properly. (talking black bear)

 

[Charles Keethler]

If over bait or out to 200 yds. 45-70 lever auction.

 

[6.5x300 WBY]

Spot n stalk hunting =Gun
Bait hunting = crossbow

 

[BobHu]

My wife and I want to go bear hunting. Which would down a bear the quickest: proper bullet/cartridge or cross-bow with proper blade/tip?

Only been one time…Wyoming while Elk/Muley hunting. Shot at 159yds with 7RM.

So not a lot of experience or knowledge …any advice is appreciated.

A crossbow will definitely put down a bear. However you're taking a knife to a gun fight in comparison.. I find a single shot to the head over bait puts the bear down right there. They don't even twitch.

 

[Teri Anne]

My wife and I want to go bear hunting. Which would down a bear the quickest: proper bullet/cartridge or cross-bow with proper blade/tip?

Only been one time…Wyoming while Elk/Muley hunting. Shot at 159yds with 7RM.

So not a lot of experience or knowledge …any advice is appreciated.

I once heard a comment made, "Never bring a knife to a gun fight." I live in bear country and to be honest one pretty much has to look for them or bait them in close enough to shoot, either way. How many of us have ever shot a deer with a bow or xbow and had them drop in place never to move again. During that short period between when the arrow penetrates and does it's damage to when a deer not knowing it's dead and runs and then rolls over dead would be way to far and way too long to wait for a bear, especially if it was headed in your direction. How much damage could that bear do while you are trying to reload your xbow?

I have read a lot of articles and seen pictures of many bear, even Alaskan Brownies brought down with a bow and arrow. However behind that hunter is a guide with a very large caliber rifle to back up the archer in case things go south.

I gave my last bear tag to one of my teenage shooting students. Last year she took a nice 300 pound sow with one shot. She was using a .270 with 140 gr Federal Premium ammo. It was a short shot, 25 yards but the bear dropped in its tracks and did not move until it was dragged and propped up for the photo.

Based upon the above and the fact that I am older now and can't run as fast as I used to be able to I much prefer a rifle to my xbow when hunting game that could eat me.

 

[Justice1327]

Well said everyone. Might change up what we do. I have a 444 Marlin and a .460 mag S&W pistol. My wife has a 454 Casul and 357 Mag lever guns. Might just be the ticket for bait hunting. when and where is the best black bear hunting in North America for bait hunting?

 

[coyote wacker]

I guided bear hunters in Michigan for over 45 years and hunted them for over 50 years in USA and Canada....shot them with a bow, crossbow and gun.....
Much preferred hunters to use a gun I just don't like going after a wounded bear shot with a bow or crossbow....I insisted hunters on there first hunt use a gun....
Every hunter on there first hunt is a brave sole until a bear steps out by the bait barrel and gain 400 lbs....have had many hunters shoot a 150 lb bear and swears it weighs 300 lbs or larger even had a few that swear the bear they shot is not really there's because its too small....

One time had a hunter shoot a bear on a bait just before dark....had him and his partner in a tree stand 14' up that had a very nice 300 + lb male coming in....he shot a bear with a 7mm Rem Mag 175 gr. factory load not 20' from the tree both guys said it was a monster with a large white "V" on its neck ....
First I didn't like that the bear was 20' away when shot the bait was 50 yards and 7 mm Rem Mag with 175 gr bullets are just not needed for black bear hunting and was a very bad angle to get both lungs....told them it was going to be cool that night and better for tracking in the morning....
Next day at first light we headed out with one of the Walker hounds for tracking.....I would not allow any of the hunters to take a gun I didn't want to get shot and sure didn't want the dog to get shot....only going a couple hundred yards the dog had the bear in a brush pile fighting I slipped in and put the Remington 870 to work with slugs and buckshot...
After the shooting was done the hunter and I approached the bear....first words out of the hunter mouth was that bear is to small and I didn't shoot that one....my partner and I carried the bear whole out of the woods it weighted after field dressing 115 lbs and had a beautiful white "V" from shoulder to shoulder.... the hunter put the 175 gr. bullet just clipping one lung going down not a very good shot....I had to force the hunter to tag the bear and he said he would let everyone that would listen how I shot a bear and made him put his tag on it....
From that day on I had one of my guides or me set with every hunter....fowling years we shot not as many bears but larger bears....

 

[mrbb]

I will tell you after 40+ yrs of being about bears and working with them, I'd almost swear 90 % of folks that GUESS the size of a bear are wrong! and I mean this with respect
I have been called out to help trap a 500+ lb bear and to find its a 250-300 at MAX bear
having spent a lot of time at check stations where folks had bears weighted, and hearing there before GUESS to what it ends up being, its amazing how far off some are on there guess
its like no one believe s there are small bears out there!

I'll add a short story if anyone cares to read

a dozen yrs back now or so, I was bear hunting with some friends
I typically just hunted with them for fun, no real intentions of shooting one at this point in my life!
on public land, and a LOT of hunters out that day
about noon, I was sitting on a hill side bench, when I had a female bear with two cubs come walking past me at about 25 yards, she went up above me laid down , the one cub was a chocolate color and TINY (MY Guess at the time) maybe 45 lbs IF that! other a tad larger maybe 55 and she was about 200 lbs! I would NOT shoot a female nor one with cubs,, but that's me, they were legally allowed where I was at
well not so long a hunter above me and the bear spooked her, and she started down the hill side, mean time another pair of hunters was working there way UP the hill side and not about 100 yards from me
bears about 50 yards in front of me!
and figuring things are about to get interesting!, and I back myself up close to a big tree! getting ready for lead to start flying!

just as expected the one hunter below me opens fire, empties his rifle, the one cub took a hit and was flopping about trashing , when this guys buddy showed up and gave it a killing shot!
Mother and other cub, ran about 65 yrs or so, and were behind a tree, but out of sight of the hunters, she watched for a bit, and then left
dead cub was about 60 yards from me, and it was then I started walking down towards the hunters that shot it, it was that way back to my truck so, I was calling it a day
as I got to the hunters
both were smiling ear to ear like a kid that got what they wanted for X mas!

when I got closer the first shooter said to me, WHY DIDN"T YOU SHOOT< they had to be close to you, didn;t you see them??
I said, yeah they were close to me, it was a female with two cubs, and I don;t shoot either!
guy started laughing at me saying that;'s DUMB< its BEAR season,, but thanked me for NOT shooting , because that got him one of them!
(they shot at all 3, but never looked of the others to see if they hit any, they didn;t, I saw that as I looked hard at them when they were watching things after the shooting!
so didn't bother saying anything to them felt it would be wasted words)
he then says to me, HOW in the world could I pass up a CHOCOLATE color bear, have to be crazy! and just look at it, its awesome!
I have the perfect spot to put it, on top of my fire place!

guy seemed like he was taking a jab at me about passing the bears all the more so this one!

SO, i said to him, well, I also have a rule I don;t shoot bears smaller than my dog!
he responded what's that supposed to mean??
I said, well, its a SMALL bear maybe 50 lbs IF that!(and I was being nice at 50 lbs)
my dog weighs 75 lbs!
both told me NO F'n way and I didn;t know squat about bears, that is was twice my guess or more!

, I said, enjoy and walked away
both of them mumbling about something as I left

I got to my truck and stopped at the local check station to kill a little time and see what came in!

a while later these two guy 's again showed up, proud as could be( no bash here meant either by the way)
they put the bear on the scale, carried it over with 1 hand!

38 lbs on the scale!

both said they thought it would be me a LOT more
yet the one guy carried it with 1 hand to the scale??
HUMM<
he must think he's also super strong too!

m,y advice to anyone going bear hunting, is LEARN how to judge bears if you want a BIG one, spend time, about bears even zoo's help, as they tend to know weights, or look for any bear wildlife re hab centers that has LIVE bears you can view , and get to see some of the differences in bears, telling males from females
it won;t be a sure deal, but will get you way more prepared than not learning about them!














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