Long Range Bear Hunting

phorwath said:
Agreed. Shooting at bear at long ranges really increases the odds of a disappointing hunting experience.
Might as well take a single shot rifle, because you're likely to get a single shot only.
Backup is for bear attacks more than long range, because I don't know anyone good enough to hit a bear on the go, in the open (or more likely the thick stuff), at long range.
This doesn't mean it can't be done. I've gone so far as to set up a target on the distant hillside or opening where I expect the bears to appear, and confirmed zero in order to improve my odds for the first round POI. Then hunt that location until a bear shows itself. I'll protect my rifle from any bumps/impacts as if it's a fragile uncooked egg.
Yet still be prepared for disappointment!
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Well we do use guns with magazines for bear, but we don't for deer.
The pulse rate is definatly higher on bears, and not having to fumble around with rounds is a help. My Rem action will only hold 2 plus the one chambered with that cartridge anyway, and after that i single feed if necessary. But as you said, you have to be absolutely ready,
when and if it happens. We know the ranges at least very close at the places we hunt, so we don't need to take time to range, which is apt to be changing in a hurry anyway. I don't dial that scope either, it has an old Premier multi dot reticle programed for that cartridge/load.
So its just hold and shoot, with no time loss dialing/redialing.
And just as we do with deer, we always use a spotter on tripod mounted glasses for calling shots. And that is no doubt the most important thing for any long range hunting, but especially so with bears. Everything has to go right, and its very easy for it to go wrong.
 
Thank you for all the replies. It is very easy for it to go wrong with any animal in my experience. I have a spotter with good glass to call shots and wouldn't shoot without it. And I would never take a single shot hunting. When the adrenaline starts pumping who knows what gonna happen. I wouldn't be comfortable with single feeding all the time. Too much time in my opinion. All I can do is breath deep, stay calm and rely on experience and practice. I am confident in my shooting ability but anyone who has ever shot at an animal knows things change somewhere when its fur and not paper or steel.
 
Some places if you hit a bear, but can't find the bear, or it gets away for any reason, or it fall into a river and is swept away. You are required to punch your harvest ticket. You don't get to go look for another bear. The hunt is over.
 
I agree. I am not out to just kill a bunch of animals illegally. Sorry if I gave anyone that impression. That's not the case. I only shoot what I have a tag for. Nothing more. Sometimes less unfortunately. If I am 100% confident I missed. I will keep hunting. I have lost animals before and it makes me sick. And the next time I made sure I am even more prepared or practiced or whatever I need.
 
Sevy said:
Thank you for all the replies. It is very easy for it to go wrong with any animal in my experience. I have a spotter with good glass to call shots and wouldn't shoot without it. And I would never take a single shot hunting. When the adrenaline starts pumping who knows what gonna happen. I wouldn't be comfortable with single feeding all the time. Too much time in my opinion. All I can do is breath deep, stay calm and rely on experience and practice. I am confident in my shooting ability but anyone who has ever shot at an animal knows things change somewhere when its fur and not paper or steel.
Click to expand...

Not sure you understood my (spotter) comment.
I'm not talking about a spotting scope, I'm talking about another person doing the spotting when we shoot at animals while long range hunting.
Then there is also the recovery aspect to consider in the event you are successful. In many cases you just don't walk over there and recover the animal for a whole host of reasons including the possibility of a large stream to cross. And when you do get over there it might look entirely different than it did from where you shot from, making finding a dead animal difficult at beast.
So if it sounds like I'm encouraging you to have a buddy along, its because i am, and yes the buddy might just be the lucky one.
We can pound our own chests all we want about our ability, but when live animal targets are involved at l/r, that's not enough.
Use a spotter or don't do it, is my suggestion.
 
I did mean a spotting scope with a guy behind it. Especially one that knows how to call shots. And that spotting scope will pretty much always have a phone scope attached to it so we can refer back to the video while tracking when we get over there and it looks completely different. I must have made it sound like this is the first hunt I have ever been on. Far from it. Just happens to be the first time spring bear hunting long range.
 
I am an oldtimer. It comes with the saggy jowls, bald head and seniors discount. Most of the rifles I hunt with are older than I am, but not all. I like stainless steel and I like modern optics. If you are going to shoot bear, at any distance, scopes with a custom turret make sense. As I said before, black bears are the most undefined animal I have ever hunted, and it's not just because of their shaggy coat and even colour. Small bears look like big bears, especially at a distance. I have been fooled and shot hundred pound bears thinking they were three hundred pound bears. Real trophy bears stand out. The wide head, small ears and sway back let you know when you are in the presence of a special bear, but all the others are just a carbon copy of each other. If you are doing the holdover thing it makes a difference whether it is a small bear or a big bear and, unless you have some reference point to indicate the size, it is very difficult to tell. If you can hold dead on at every distance it helps.

Two more points: In deep, lush vegetation, which is what they like to hang out in during the spring months, little cubs can disappear. I almost shot a big bear once that wouldn't run away from me until I saw the deep grass moving a few feet from her and realized there were cubs handy. When I saw that I backed away and she seemed visibly relieved. If it wasn't for that grass moving I wouldn't even have figured out she was a female because she was quite large. Another point is bears are one of the easiest animals to stalk. When they have their head down feeding you can get closer, sometimes much closer, and that is a real thrill - that is real hunting in my mind and it feels like it - but I live in a world with lots of bears so I can be fussy.
 
I also find it tough to judge bear size, even after having shot quite a few of them. The closer they are the better my size estimate. But the real bruisers do tend to stand out from all the average sized bear.
 
LR bear is a very difficult proposition all I can say is hit them with as much gun as you can.
 
Yes I agree. I actually got back from the hunt about 3 weeks ago and shot the first one I had an opportunity at and rolled him with one shot at 992 yards. He didnt even flinch. I was pretty happy with the shot and the gun, everything went really smooth.
 
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