In many respects, any discussion about guns and cartridges for black bear can break down into an East/West discourse similar to deer hunting. By that I mean deer hunting in the East differs from the West in that the latter is likely to involve much farther shooting distances. The terrain is more mountainous, so more often than not your quarry is spotted on an opposing slope, and dropping down into the valley and trekking up the opposite side to close the distance rarely works because ground clutter prevents a clear shot.

The author chose Remington’s Model 673 Guide Rifle for his black bear hunt on Vancouver Island. With a short, 22-inch barrel, the rifle is handy in thick overgrowth, while its .350 Remington Magnum chambering provides ample downrange energy to ground even the largest bears.

   It’s the same with black bear hunting, particularly in the spring. Baiting is not allowed in most western states and British Columbia, so bears are spotted as they forage on slopes or along the edges of streams and lakeshores. In the latter case, shooting distances can be short, but you can never be sure of that, so you have to be prepared for a longer shot. Hunting over bait, on the other hand, as it’s done in most Canadian provinces and some northern-tier states, guarantees shooting distances will be close—oftentimes ridiculously so—so one’s choice of gun and caliber can be quite different from those of a western hunt.
   I hasten to add, though, I’m assuming any hunting over bait will be done with an outfitter, in which case there will be blinds or tree stands set up in advance. I’ve made 18 black bear hunts over bait, and in every case the outfitter used the same stands for both bow and gun hunters. The reasoning is simple enough: For every bait being “worked,” there is a setup that can be used by either. Also, most outfitters believe the closer they can get their client to the target, the less chance there is of a miss. While that is certainly the case for archers, I’m not so sure it holds true for gun hunters. But more on that subject later. Let’s now look at what’s best in the way of firearms and cartridges for the various hunting methods.

Baited Bruins
   If you’ve got a scoped .300 magnum you’re equipped for any situation, East or West, near or far. But because hunting over bait is done at such close range, it provides a wonderful opportunity to wax nostalgic by using a gun and cartridge one might not otherwise consider. I’m talking about dusting off your dad’s or granddad’s lever-action .35 Remington, .348 Win-chester or .45-70. If you’re more up to date, the .444 Marlin or .450 Marlin are also dynamite bear cartridges. You might even consider using open sights, but that I couldn’t recommend. Too many bears—especially the older and wiser ones—visit the bait during the last few minutes of daylight, when seeing open sights can present a problem. Most stands I’ve been on have been in deep woods where thick overhead canopies made it too dark to see, yet open areas still had plenty of shooting light remaining.
   I’ve taken bears using a wide assortment of cartridges—.30-06, 6 mm Remington, .270 Winchester, 284 Winchester, 7 mm Remington Magnum, my own 7 mm JRS wildcat, .350 Remington Magnum and .444 Marlin. About half of these were in bolt guns, the other half in either lever actions or Ruger No. 1 single shots. For the past several years, whenever I’ve had the luxury of using my own rifle, any baited bear hunt I’ve undertaken has been with a Marlin lever action in .444 Marlin. I also have the same basic rifle in .450 Marlin, which I would dearly like to use but have not yet had the opportunity. I’ve taken three bears with the .444 Marlin, and not one moved more than a few feet before collapsing. The .450 Marlin is quite a bit more gun, so it should work as well, if not better, than the .444 Marlin. Needless to say, a Winchester 94 in a suitable caliber would be just as satisfying; it’s just that I own several Marlins.
   When you’re not going to be more than 25 or 30 yards from your target, there’s something that’s just so right, so appropriate, in using a traditional lever-action rifle and a big-bore cartridge. You don’t have to give a thought to the drooping trajectories of the round- and flat-nosed bullets used with these cartridges, nor their poor retained energy figures at longer ranges. At 30 yards even the .30-30 Winchester has all the power needed to drop a bear, so long as it’s put where it’s supposed to go. Velocity loss in the short, 18- to 20-inch barrels that are standard with lever guns is also of no concern. In fact, these short barrels are a plus when it comes to maneuvering in a tree stand. The recent introduction of Hornady’s LEVERevolution ammunition has certainly added a new dimension to the traditional lever-action rifle, but it is irrelevant in the context of close-range shooting.

Black bear cartridges vary with the hunting styles that are most appropriate in a particular region. Western cartridges at left: .325 WSM, .338 Winchester Magnum, .350 Remington Magnum and .35 Whelen. Some popular close-range Eastern cartridges at right: .356 Winchester, .444 Marlin, .45-70 and .450 Marlin.

   Almost every one of the many guides and outfitters I’ve spoken to through the years recommends the .270 Winchester as the minimum they like to see their bear hunters show up with, and the .30-06 is usually the preferred standard. Their reasoning is simple enough: They’d rather you err on the side of more gun rather than less. I think most of them know better, but they like to think that a little extra oomph might make up for a marginal shot.
   And make no mistake, there are plenty of marginal and just-plain-bad shots, despite the fact that shooting distances are virtually point-blank. I’ve been in some camps where among eight hunters the missed or lost rate was 25 percent. On average, though, I’d say among those outfitters I’ve surveyed, the rate for rifle hunters is somewhere between 15 percent to 20 percent.
   Why so high when the shots are so close? Two reasons, one of which is plain ol’ buck fever. It’s not unusual for an experienced deer hunter to come unglued at the sight of his first black bear, especially if he’s sat hour after hour for two or three days and nothing’s happened. Suddenly, there it is—and so close you can almost hear it breathing! It can be very exciting.
   The other reason, the one most responsible for wounded and missed bears, is the sharp downward shooting angles involved. If your stand is 20 feet off the ground and the bear is 10 or 15 yards away, the normal hold about a third of the way up the body behind the shoulder will clip the heart or lungs rather than score a solid hit. It may eventually be fatal, but bears can go long distances through incredibly thick forest and underbrush. Of the several I’ve helped track that started with a good blood trail, only two were recovered. When there’s no exit wound, it’s amazing how quickly a bear’s skin seals up any poorly placed bullet hole.
   When most outfitters are quick to recommend cartridges like the .270 Winchester, .308 Winchester and .30-06, it’s because these are far and away the most common calibers, and they rightly assume that most of their hunters own some type of rifle in that category. But make no mistake, show up with a .45-70, .444 Marlin, .450 Marlin or an old .348 Winchester, and you’ll get that knowing wink that confirms you’ve made a great choice. Bear guides love cartridges that make big holes going in.
   As I’m sure you’ve surmised by now, any standard cartridge in the .308 Winchester class is perfectly adequate for hunting black bear over bait. That means rounds like the .270 Winchester, .280 Remington, .30-06 and .35 Whelen are all great choices. Obviously, any of the belted or short magnums in those calibers are excellent choices. With distances being as close as they are, you’ll want a scope that will crank down to at least 4X, and 2.5X is even better.
   As I am a firm believer in placing the bullet on—rather than behind—the shoulder if presented with a broadside shot, I recommend a bonded-type bullet. Most premium bullets are available in factory loads and as reloading components. The last two bears I’ve taken were with a .30-06 pushing Remington’s 180-grain Core-Lokt Ultra Bonded, the two prior to that with 200-grain Core-Lokts in .350 Remington Magnum, and the three prior to that with handloaded Hornady 265-grain flat points. I don’t read anything into it, but the three bears taken with the .444 Marlin were the most spectacularly sudden kills, but then none of the other bears I’ve collected ran more than 25 yards or so. I’ve been pretty lucky, but I’ve also wounded and lost two bears, so I haven’t been entirely successful.

The maneuverability a short barrel offers is a bigger consideration than the velocity loss it incurs as a result. Two excellent choices for hunting black bear at close range are Remington’s Model Seven rifle and Model 870 Express Slug shotgun.

Western Excursions
   Switching now to those western states and Canadian provinces like Montana, Washington, Oregon and British Columbia where baiting isn’t allowed, the ideal black bear rifle differs not a whit from what makes a great mule deer or elk rifle. The typical rig would be characterized by a bolt action chambered in a 7 mm or .300 magnum with at least a 6X scope. The field is wide open here, so long as we’re talking cartridges in the .30-06 and 7 mm Remington Magnum class pushing spitzer bullets of at least 140 grains.
   In Alaska black bears are hunted year ’round, and while baiting is allowed in some areas, the most productive time is in the spring when ravenously hungry bears just out of hibernation gorge themselves on spawning salmon along stream and river shorelines. Spot-and-stalk is the modus operandi, and shooting distances are often less than 100 yards. However, you have to be prepared for 200- to 300-yard shooting as well.
   Two years ago, hunting the islands along Alaska’s Inner Passage, I saw bears at distances from 100 feet to 350 yards. The previous year, while hunting Vancouver Island where baiting is not allowed, most of the bears I spotted were foraging high on the hillsides, and most shooting opportunities were well over 200 yards. Yet the bear I took on that trip was about 25 feet away when I pulled the trigger. And the year before in Alaska, it was about 25 yards. You just never know.
   To sum it up, there are no special requirements of a black bear rifle other than it be chambered for an adequate cartridge. It’s best to have a repeater of some sort. Bears are noted for the kind of histrionics that make a hunter believe he has made a perfect shot, but they have this nasty habit of jumping to their feet and running off. I’ve taken three bears with Ruger No. 1s without incident, but I’ve experienced and have heard of too many incidents where the day was saved with a rapid follow-up shot, so I no longer use or recommend a single shot. Anything else—pump, lever action, semi-auto or bolt action—is fine.

 

Rifles for black bear hunting in the western United States and Canada mimic those used for hunting mule deer and elk in the same area. A good bear rig will be a rifle chambered in a 7 mm or .300 magnum cartridge and topped with an optic of at least 6X magnification or a variable capable of reaching that level.

Big-bore lever actions are tough to beat when the hunter needs a lot of stopping power delivered at close range. These rifles also offer fast access to extra rounds if the situation calls for such.