That is a beautiful bear. I live in WV and we have lots of black bears here, but I have never saw one that color. Is that a phase or would it always have been that chocolate color?
Is 450 yards Long Range? - Bear Down!
- Thread starter ktgoodman
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I have a March 2.5 by 25 by 42 and it is super accurate. I put that scope on the gun 5 or 6 years ago, sighted it in and have never not had it go right back to zero. I've been shooting the same load and never had to adjust the scope. I did fiddle with the ballistics program on velocity to make sure it is spot on 200 to 1,250 yards.
Good question, the bear looks to be about 12 years old, so it could have lightened up. But I have seen small bears in all color phases, blond, cinnamon, brown, chocolate, black. So far this year, I've seen 6 bears: 2 jet blacks, one dark chocolate, one brown and the one I shot - light brown / blond.
I shot a 7' square black bear in Idaho a few years back with my bow. I believe Idaho is 86% color phase ... which makes sense why I shot a black bear. Keep in mind, it was the only black color phase I seen in 5 days of hunting.
Awesome state for bears for sure! It was very rugged and rocky compared to my experiences in Colorado and Montana.
Great bear! Congrats!
Steve
Awesome state for bears for sure! It was very rugged and rocky compared to my experiences in Colorado and Montana.
Great bear! Congrats!
Steve
Lee Goodwin
Well-Known Member
Regular people wish they could see a bear with their bare eyes at 450 yards. And, regular guys wish they could consistently hit a pie plate at 450 yards, from a bench...not hunkered down over a fallen tree or a big rock. That's a heck of a shot i think.
I understand in some hunting situations, you can just know the drop and go right from the reticle. With this bear, I had lots of time to get set, range, calculate, pontificate, etc. I also have the Di Plex Hunting Reticle, so I dial on everything over 350.
Litehiker
Well-Known Member
Beautiful trophy. Good shooting!
For me 450 yards used to be "too far". But after entering into the world of competitive long range shooting now 1,000 yards is a long shot. It's all up to experience and the right rifle, cartridge and scope/reticle.
My 3- 15 x 42 SWFA scope reticle has mil hash marks for exact holdover based on my LRF binocular reading.
What MARCH scope are you using? I may get a MARCH 3 - 24 x 42 illuminated scope for my 6.5 CM Browning X-Bolt Pro. Here in Nevada we often have some long shots.
Eric B.
For me 450 yards used to be "too far". But after entering into the world of competitive long range shooting now 1,000 yards is a long shot. It's all up to experience and the right rifle, cartridge and scope/reticle.
My 3- 15 x 42 SWFA scope reticle has mil hash marks for exact holdover based on my LRF binocular reading.
What MARCH scope are you using? I may get a MARCH 3 - 24 x 42 illuminated scope for my 6.5 CM Browning X-Bolt Pro. Here in Nevada we often have some long shots.
Eric B.
The closest I can find on their web site is the D25 V42M, the hunting model. Mine does not have Turret Caps. It is a sweet scope.
memtb
Well-Known Member
smokey3, Between my wife and I, we have 4 Wyoming bears....and only one is black. We have a brown, a two-tone blond, a cinnamon, and our most recent....my wife's Bear is a black! It's pretty neat to see the various color phases we have here in the west! memtb
Congratulations, NICE bear, great shot no matter range.
Robert McCollough
New Member
Robert McCollough
New Member
Very nice bear, great looking weapon and practice makes close to perfect. Congratulations on a job well done. Enjoy your success.
Hespco
Well-Known Member
I have been working site in days at a local range since the early 1990's. Always a great bunch of folks. Most have not even touched their rifles since the previous hunting season. Some I've seen over & over again for years. They have driven hundreds or thousands of miles to get here. As great a bunch as they are, most tend to shoot 2" to 3"groups at 100 off the bench mainly because they jerk their triggers. Most have ammo that was the least expensive they could find. Yet there is considerable talk among them about long range shooting. You will see an occasional shooter that places their shots into tight groups. These are a small minority. Some hunters have quality scopes but a considerable amount have bargain basement type's. If asked to shoot to 200yds they find this challenging without the use of a solid bench rest. In the field they are very challenged. If they have to make an off hand close range shot at 100yd or closer which happens frequently they are lost. The amount of shooters that are capable of long range shots is small. You always hear about the hunter that made a successful long range shot. You never hear about the many attempted long range shots that are misses or are wounded lost animals & they are considerable. Sometimes the animal can be found but many times it is not. The vast majority I talk to are unwilling to spend the money or time required to become proficient. So called long range shooting should be discouraged except by those that are actually willing to spend the money & time to become qualified.
ofbandg
Well-Known Member
Bears are one of the animals I don't shoot at long range. I live in an area where we have lots of bears. In fact, when I came to this area over forty years ago bear season was all year round no bag limit and they were considered pests. The problem is, at long range it's hard to tell how big they are and that makes a difference on where you hold. And unless the light is perfect they just become a black blob in your scope so it's difficult picking your spot. Finally, it's tough determining their gender when they aren't right out in the open so you may not see any small cubs they might have with them. I have seen and heard too many sad stories over the years and had a few bad experiences myself. Nowadays I get closer and make sure it is what I want. Your bear looks like it was in a perfect spot, was a good colour, and you had time to watch it for awhile, but this isn't always the case.
