What distance is the average shot on a coastal Brown Bear? When I talked to Phil Shomaker he said he tries to get his clients as close as possible usually inside 50 yd. and never takes a shot over 100 yd. I have little interest in a long range shot at a BB.
Brown Bear What is the average range
- Thread starter DR B
- Start date
Never takes a shot over 100 yards? I'm gonna take a stab in the dark here and guess that if a 10 foot brownie walks past just about any guide client in alaska at 120 yards, he's gonna get shot. Phils got alot of clout behind him with his writings and he's time afield, but without trying to disrespect the man i'm gonna say thats realllllyyyy hard to belive. A long shot in my opinion (whatever its worth...) is 250, thats a long shot, i like everything under 200 yards, but as Phil stated 50 yards is mint! my favorite is between 30-60 yards. But as you stated in your post...."as close as possible"...great rule to live by. Alot of the master guides i worked for have been 100 percent success for the last 30 years too....
groundpounder
New member
I like to get as close as possible with out alerting the bear to our presence- I will have a client shoot out to @ 200 yrds or so if he is comfortable, and is armed properly. With that said, I always TRY and get to where a 60-70 yrd shot is possible. Much closer, and stuff can go south really fast if the bear is poorly hit. Main things are get reasonably close, put the first one in the engine room, and use enough gun! I am not a proponent of using .30 cals on Brownies, although I have taken a number of them w/ 7x57 to 30'06 . The .375 H&H is an excellent choice; if my guide told me we were going to be shooting @50 yrds I'd probably grab my .416 and hope his yards are longer than mine.
The closser the better
The closser the better
I'm 52 years old from Louisiana, and just planning my first Brown Bear hunt. Giving these facts I’m not looking at that many bear hunts in my future. So in my mid the experience is more important than size of the trophy. I don’t want to look back at my hunt and say Wow I hit a 24” target of a rest at 200 yd. And look at the great mount I have. I want a adrenalin filled up close and personal experience, to remember when I look at my bear even if it’s only a 8 footer.
DR B
The closser the better
I'm 52 years old from Louisiana, and just planning my first Brown Bear hunt. Giving these facts I’m not looking at that many bear hunts in my future. So in my mid the experience is more important than size of the trophy. I don’t want to look back at my hunt and say Wow I hit a 24” target of a rest at 200 yd. And look at the great mount I have. I want a adrenalin filled up close and personal experience, to remember when I look at my bear even if it’s only a 8 footer.
DR B
akrstabout
Well-known member
close is cool
close is cool
I shot my brownie this past fall at 45.5 yards. I could tell it was not a massive bear but a nice one nonetheless. So I shot. Then shot another time just to make sure. Bear is between 7 and 7.5'. Watched the bear from about a mile or more come into that range. Pretty cool experience and will never forget. I used a .300wm and if it would have been a bigger I still would have shot but would have felt under gunned. My gun did the job good, but seeing the size of them compared to a blackie was unreal. I will bring up my thread, Survivor Man when I get the rug back soon. Have a fun hunt man.
close is cool
I shot my brownie this past fall at 45.5 yards. I could tell it was not a massive bear but a nice one nonetheless. So I shot. Then shot another time just to make sure. Bear is between 7 and 7.5'. Watched the bear from about a mile or more come into that range. Pretty cool experience and will never forget. I used a .300wm and if it would have been a bigger I still would have shot but would have felt under gunned. My gun did the job good, but seeing the size of them compared to a blackie was unreal. I will bring up my thread, Survivor Man when I get the rug back soon. Have a fun hunt man.
375ultramag
Active member
DR. B
You will have no problem with Adrenaline at 200 yards let alone walking up to your animal even if you take it at 50 yards
When you take those steps toward your down bear hold on
You will have no problem with Adrenaline at 200 yards let alone walking up to your animal even if you take it at 50 yards
When you take those steps toward your down bear hold on
Bear Buster
New member
Run like a sissy!
Run like a sissy!
I had shot a big coastal brownie at about 85 yards and the guy that was with me (Tough Guy) ran like a little sissy .....he about craped himself right there, even though the bear died on the spot shot. So make sure when you shoot'um up close, you don't take any candy azzes with ya.
Run like a sissy!
I had shot a big coastal brownie at about 85 yards and the guy that was with me (Tough Guy) ran like a little sissy .....he about craped himself right there, even though the bear died on the spot shot.
So make sure when you shoot'um up close, you don't take any candy azzes with ya.Anyone who wants to pass up a shot on a great bear cause it ain't fun enough is fine with me. your tag your life your money, gotta do what we feel is best in our own situation.
Oh and i've seen plenty of guys miss that 24" target at 200 yards! and have no mount to look at at home, can't tell me adrenaline and buck fever didn't hit them hard. seen them miss at 50 yards too, or worse wound them at 50 yards.
Oh and i've seen plenty of guys miss that 24" target at 200 yards! and have no mount to look at at home, can't tell me adrenaline and buck fever didn't hit them hard. seen them miss at 50 yards too, or worse wound them at 50 yards.
375ultramag
Active member
Must be the reason you carry that BB Gun BBear
lol ya, when a guy shows up and tells me how great a shot he is and how he never gets buck fever i turn right around and get more ammo...cause i know i'm gonna need it. not gonna toss my rear in the willows after a wounded grizz cause someone with zero experience thought he had it under control..seen that a few to many times. the guys who listen, respect the game, and pay attention to their guide 9 outa 10 pull the trigger and things start to die. guys who dont' listen, take it for granted and ignore their guide cause they've got "bear experience" are the ones who usually blow it....
thats awsome! even my wife thought it was funny....I had shot a big coastal brownie at about 85 yards and the guy that was with me (Tough Guy) ran like a little sissy .....he about craped himself right there, even though the bear died on the spot shot.
Bear Buster
New member
Moment of truth!
Moment of truth!
Funny how the guys that talk all tough till the moment of truth arrives and then turn into the biggest sissy you ever saw
Moment of truth!
Funny how the guys that talk all tough till the moment of truth arrives and then turn into the biggest sissy you ever saw
BIG Brownie
BIG Brownie
Thanks guys I got quite a kick out of reading your threads. I have done a lot of hunting and taken a few bears and passed on many more just because. In saying that I'm going for Brown Bear this spring and after seeing the one in the Anchorage airport, I'm a little over-whelmed. No black bear can even be talked about in the same senrnece as that one. And no moose will ever ptu the hurt on you that big boy could. Hope I can keep my shorts on when the time come, and hopefully it does come -this spring Thanks agian for the perspective
BIG Brownie
Thanks guys I got quite a kick out of reading your threads. I have done a lot of hunting and taken a few bears and passed on many more just because. In saying that I'm going for Brown Bear this spring and after seeing the one in the Anchorage airport, I'm a little over-whelmed. No black bear can even be talked about in the same senrnece as that one. And no moose will ever ptu the hurt on you that big boy could. Hope I can keep my shorts on when the time come, and hopefully it does come -this spring Thanks agian for the perspective
sockeye1
New member
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An 8' bear is a good bear- I found it interesting that being close was more important than shooting a trophy bear, that even if it was only 8 foot you'd rather be close. I don't know what most guides say, but I think an 8' bear is a good animal, unless there's a 9 footer standing next to it.
.
alaskachuck
New member
a bear with a bow
a bear with a bow
Ok mine was only a blackie that was just over 6' and perfect hide. 15 feet up and 12 yards away. Now that was a rush. I had never sat on bait before and sat on this bait for a month before i decided to take this bear. I will never forget the 1st one i saw. He circled in around from my 9 oclock to my 12. Walked right down the trail past the bait and then proceded to come straight up my tree to say hello. Needless to say I almost pooped myself right there. Im sure he was close to with my screaming and shouting. finally he got down and had snacks. Looking back he was huge, easy pusing 7 but my first bear i had even seen like that and was learning to judge them. Anyway my point is the rush of taking a brownie at 50 yds or 200 has to be unreal. I know when i set my bow and got ready to release my arrow It was just me and my sight. Like when i take an animal with a gun I never heard a thing. The rush of the hunt and a 1 arrow kill still has me talking and I did this in 1991. great thread and good reading guys
a bear with a bow
Ok mine was only a blackie that was just over 6' and perfect hide. 15 feet up and 12 yards away. Now that was a rush. I had never sat on bait before and sat on this bait for a month before i decided to take this bear. I will never forget the 1st one i saw. He circled in around from my 9 oclock to my 12. Walked right down the trail past the bait and then proceded to come straight up my tree to say hello. Needless to say I almost pooped myself right there. Im sure he was close to with my screaming and shouting. finally he got down and had snacks. Looking back he was huge, easy pusing 7 but my first bear i had even seen like that and was learning to judge them. Anyway my point is the rush of taking a brownie at 50 yds or 200 has to be unreal. I know when i set my bow and got ready to release my arrow It was just me and my sight. Like when i take an animal with a gun I never heard a thing. The rush of the hunt and a 1 arrow kill still has me talking and I did this in 1991. great thread and good reading guys
Alaskadude
New member
Groundpounder you said " I like to get as close as possible with out alerting the bear to our presence- I will have a client shoot out to @ 200 yrds or so if he is comfortable, and is armed properly" . What in your opinion is properly armed?
Thanks
Thanks
Bear Buster
New member
Don't go there!
Don't go there!
Don't go there!
That truns into a bucket of worms....it's been gone over on this site many times. Everyone has a different view on a proper weapon for killing bears or I should say "shooting at bears".
Don't go there!
Don't go there!
That truns into a bucket of worms....it's been gone over on this site many times. Everyone has a different view on a proper weapon for killing bears or I should say "shooting at bears".
kingfisherktn
Moderator
That's right, it's been well established that a .223 is the perfect BB gun.
Alaskadude
New member
Easy now, I ‘m just asking for his opinion; I need to know if I need to upgrade my 22-250 with something with a little more punch?
