In my opinion, the “heart shot” is overrated. This is mainly due to the black bears having heavier bones and hides compared to other big game animals. A high shoulder hit will drop a bear, but I’d still suggest a double lung hit. Show Links. IBEP Hunter Study the bear diagram. For the shoulder/heart shot, which is popular for anchoring bears in their tracks, follow the centreline of the front … While its probably not WISE to take on a black bear with 9mm, shot placement still rules - and realistically black bears aren't THAT large. But that is what I hunt deer with also. Originally Posted by ironbender I was asking where the escapee was hit. “Low and tight” to the shoulder is a great shot on a deer. Ruger270man. I don’t trust mechanicals for bears. If you’ve got a big caliber gun, a frontal shot square in the sternum is deadly, but requires precision. Again, this takes us back to aiming at the middle mass, not towards the periphery of the animal. If you are a bowhunter, take practice shots at your site to build your confidence from an elevated position. Luckily, we stumbled upon the bear the next morning. HEART SHOTS For the shoulder/heart shot, which is popular for anchoring bears in their tracks, follow the centreline of the front leg up to the one-third point of the body. If you shoot just a little too far back, however, you may get lucky and strike the liver. I just shot a sleeping bear point blank in the side of the head in the cave by Misanthrope's. So, where on an animal should we try to place our bullet to ensure a one-shot, clean kill? Remember, when it comes to shot placement, the goal isn’t simply a freezer full of meat it’s also to get the job done quickly and efficiently. While we all prefer broadside shots, as often as not we face shooting opportunities from an angle. Sometimes you only get one chance to bring down a big-game animal. Think I will have a poster made up of the picture in this article for out hunters. They're also acceptable in the rare event of an emergency, when a dangerous animal needs to be brought down in a hurry. Black Bear: While the average black bear is no larger than your average white-tailed buck, the boned … The Best Shot Placement for Black Bear 31 Jan. A bear really isn’t as big as he looks because of hair and fat. Bears can often have a thick layer of fat on their belly, and they also have long hair. It’s so close and it seems hard to miss. If you’re hunting out of a treestand it will be a high wound, and will bleed very little. ... and I were part of the crowd that quickly gathered to look at/admire this magnificent creature. Quartering Away Shot: Red Arrows Are Kill Shots (Black Bad Shot): Take this into consideration before you pull the trigger or let that arrow fly. From what I’ve seen with bears, my experience is with Brown bears, the shot placement is what makes or breaks the situation. HEAD & NECK SHOTS This allows for a fair margin of error. Hint: Shot placement on a black bear is not the same as on a whitetail most of us grew up hunting. It's a certainty that as long as there's hunting, game will be wounded and not recovered. Permalink: /2019/9/5-tips-for-shot-placement-on-bear-podcast, /2019/9/5-tips-for-shot-placement-on-bear-podcast. The last one I shot I hit square in the chest (only shot I had) with my 300WM at about 50-75 yards. Bears are notoriously hard to blood trail. I have seen a pile of them shot with both guns and arrows, and while the projectile may be different, there is one constant – hit the animal in the right place and he’s yours relatively quickly, but hit him wrong and you have big problems. While the average black bear is no bigger than your average white-tailed buck, it's much heavier boned. While no doubt fatally damaged if hit, the heart offers a small target, and is often covered by the upper leg. He may well have been right, but 1 still maintain that allowing as much room for error as possible is the wisest thing most of us can do. Ideally you need to break down a bear, and bust his shoulder or preferably both. Behind the nose, there is a channel in the skull leading directly to the brain. But then I always use 338 and up for bear hunting. The impulsiveness to rush the shot is probably the biggest mistake that a bear hunter can make. And if your bullet strikes too far back, you've got a gutshot animal. Here are some important considerations in making that happen. LUNG SHOTS I've never lost a bear when shooting X and TSX bullets. The lungs on a bear are positioned a little more forward than on an ungulate, so you don't have as much leeway if you shoot back of your aiming point. Much has been written and discussed about selecting the best rifle, cartridge, bullet and optics for hunting specific species under various conditions. } Animals hit in this vital organ tend not to go too far before lying down. A broadside shot gives the most room for error and the greatest opportunity for the most lethal hit of all – a double lung shot. I’ve personally done a necropsy on a bear and found the lungs to extend back to the second-to-last rib. What should you do? then quickly realized he was dead Brown bear #1- I finally took my first brown bear this fall. Posts: 1,074. Head and neck shots do have their place in the right circumstances, but they should only be taken at close range by capable shooters who know their quarry's anatomy. Shot placement on bears for me is the same as deer, I always take the first available good shot when the bear comes into the bait as usually they are broadside and standing. 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