Gun or Bow?

[EatSleepFish]

What one do you guys prefer to hunt bear with and why?

[Code-Man]

Buddy got drawn for a tag and he is in the same boat. Bow which he is good with or the 7mm which would be deadly. Confidence with bow but second shot in seconds with 7mm. Decisions decisions. He made a comment about putting bow and gun on a coin and flipping it in the morning.

[Boar]

I took my first bear with abow, I shot him a little hight an a little far back, all the vitals werefine when I gutted him, I thought what killed this bear? I had hit the main arteryjust below his spine, I got lucky. He bled out with in 20 yards. I hunt bear with a muzzleloader now, dont get me wrong, killing a bear with a bow was a great thrill but with fire arms theres less chance of having to track a wounded bear. I also like to lessen the work of draging too. Fire arms helps keep them closer to the site. Boar

[harvey lee]

I have taken bear with both. The first year I took a gun as I wanted a bear. Since, the thrill of harvesting a bear with a bow is three times the thrill. Practice with the bow and get shooting well. Bear will stand for you and give you plenty of time for a good killing shot.

If I ever do the bear thing again, it will be without a doubt with a bow again. I have heard of bear go as little as 30 yards with a good hit. I shot one with a 7mm and it wasnt a good shot and the bear was recovered at 3am in a swamp. Its all about shot placement.

if you would like a bigger thrill, use the bow. If this is your first bear hunt and would really like to harvest one, maybe flip the coin.

[charliepete2]

My buddies and I all bowhunt. It's really a rush to take a bear with a bow. With a 30-06 you can pretty much drop the hammer as soon as you see the bear, but with a bow you have to bide your time and wait for a good shot angle. For me the added difficulty adds to the fun.

In my personal experience a bear that takes an arrow in the boiler room isn't going far. The majority of the bears that my buddies and I have taken have gone down within 40 yards of where they were shot. I've had three that didn't make it 10 yards. My buddies Booner only made it 20 or so yards and it was a giant.

[TrophyEyes]

Now I have never Bear hunted, but I have a lot of friends and co-workers that have. I have heard good and bad about both. For the Gun, it is over much quicker and the rush isn't as big. However, if you are all alone, and tracking a wounded bear, give me a gun. As for a bow, I know some guys that have taken record Brown Bears at 10 yards and what a rush that had to be. The bears didn't go more than 20 yards. On the flip side I had a buddy shoot a monster black bear in MN on a filmed hunt, he put it right in the boiler room and the bear had such a thick coat that there was no blood trail. It closed on itself or it just soaked up in the hide. It was amaizing because he recovered the arrow and it was lung all the way. He never found the bear even with 6 guys and dogs tracking it for 2 days. It was a Gander Mtn TV show hunt, so these guys knew what they were doing.

If i was going to pick a weapon, I would choose a TC Encore 50 cal muzzleloader open sites. Its the best of both worlds because you only have 1 chance, but you can punch it through some light cover and do all the damage you need to do.

[charliepete2]

One universal truth that I've learned from bowhunting and talking with other bowhunters over the years is that most animals that aren't recovered were 'hit perfect'. I've even tracked some of those 'perfect hits' hundreds of yards only to find that the woods fairies have gotten there first and magically healed the hole right behind the shoulder and stuck the arrow in a the back hip or front shoulder just to be funny.

Some of those 'perfect hits' you catch on video are actually just one lungers or brisket hits due to a steep shot angle. New bear hunters have the tendency to set their stands pretty darned high (for safety from the bears) and create impossible shot angles for themselves.

Lastly I'm sure there are a few miracles. There are innocent guys in prison, and there are animals with holes in both their lungs that manage to make it. I'm sure it happens, it's just not as often as guys in prison or guys who just whiffed on a standing broadside animal at 15 yards would have you believe.

[EatSleepFish]

Yeah, last year was my first year bear hunting, got a shot off at a bear with my .270, but he slipped off across a creek and that was the end of the blood trail when he did that. I've been thinking of maybe bringing both the bow and the gun up into the stand with me, depending on what I feel like shooting when the bear strolls in. I'll be shooting Rage 2 blades with a 60 lb. draw, so I think I'm O.K as far as power goes. I guess it's all a confidence thing.

[Hitman54]

I bring both. I hunt with the bow but carry a .454 for backup if needed. In the last three years I have shot two bears, one with the handgun and one with the bow.

[Boar]

Sounds like like it's all personal experience that determines what a guys is comfortable shooting, no doubt I'll do the bow again, loved it, my first bow kill was my first bear, never shook so hard in my life. I havent shot alot of bear, but I sure each one is gonna be different each time no matter what ya shoot. Funny how ya can shoot out the heart on a buck an it'll run a hundred yrds an the next one will drop in it's tracks. Some day when I can commit the year for practice, archery range, 3D, back yard, tree stand, I'll do it again. Boar

[TrophyEyes]

I am not sure you can bring a rifle and a bow. I know you can bring a bow and a handgun, but not sure on the rifle.

[walterman]

I have shot 2 bear with a gun and 1 with a bow. It is purely a matter of preference as to which you use. A bow can be just as deadly as a gun with good shooting habits. Last year I shot my biggest bear 19 & 8/16 with the bow in my double bull. This year I plan on using a bow and blind hunting again. Being eye to eye with them on the ground is something you will never forget.

[charliepete2]

Walterman...I've got a double bull blind and I've really been contemplating trying bearhunting from the ground. My question to you is, do you leave the blind out for a few days before hand? I thought that if I don't leave it out the bears will probably spook the first time they see it, but I don't want them eating my blind either. How do you handle it?

[Boar]

I hauled a an old pop up fish house out the woods years back to hunt deer out of an a bear tore it up, I'm sure it smelled like fish, but a bear i think will be really curious an investegate. Boar