Buckshot and bears (PICTURE OF MY BEAR AT END)

[efremtags]

I don't understand the desire to shoot buckshot at bear on bait. I know people who use buckshot in Fl. in very thick brush for deer, but that's at a smallish animal in very thick cover, usually chased with dogs. Bear are typically pretty easy to shoot at over bait, and a slug is proven much more effective. I don't see how distance can be an issue, I have shot deer measured in feet with slugs. That has more to do with your sights than ammo.

I personally see no value in buckshot except for predators (2 and 4 legged). They can't guarantee shot placement on game, and can't guarantee penetration into vitals on anything bigger than smallish deer, so why bother. There are better options, so why not use them.

[Redhawk1]

I don't understand the desire to shoot buckshot at bear on bait. I know people who use buckshot in Fl. in very thick brush for deer, but that's at a smallish animal in very thick cover, usually chased with dogs. Bear are typically pretty easy to shoot at over bait, and a slug is proven much more effective. I don't see how distance can be an issue, I have shot deer measured in feet with slugs. That has more to do with your sights than ammo.

I personally see no value in buckshot except for predators (2 and 4 legged). They can't guarantee shot placement on game, and can't guarantee penetration into vitals on anything bigger than smallish deer, so why bother. There are better options, so why not use them.

YET ANOTHER PERSON WITH A GREAT POST...  Thank you Thank you Thank You!   

[jpred1]

I agree and disagree. Buckshot will probably kill anything on the planet. But you may not find it due to lack of trail. Thousands of whitetail have met there end during the days of dog hunting.But as with anything, a pass thru shot from a 30 cal or similar is a much better option.I had to track a deer last year a co-worker had shot , when I arrived he showed me what he was hunting with, get this, a 410 with a 2 1/2 buckshot. 1 Shot at 45-50 yds on a 180 lb buck.At first I really thought what a waste of time, he had been looking for the deer for 2 hrs saying I know I hit him. Anyway,after 30 minutes I did pick up a small blood trail that came and went for 350 yds. End result , 1 shot in hind quater ,dead deer ,tired tracker.I swore to never come and help if he ever tried that 410 thing again. Later I sold him a crossbow really cheap and he made 2 perfect shots and easily recovered deer.Anyway, for the bear I wouldnt choose as a primary, but for close range like an attack, Id feel better with 5 rounds of 00 or 000 than a single bullet.

[SHOOTALL]

A pass thru with a 30 cal , hum ain't #1buck 30 cal. ? I shot two 8 pointers running togather once with 000 buck they both had larget than 30 cal. pass thru. wounds and both stopped . I have helped hunters track deer that were shot with both rifle , handgun and shot gun , that really proves little . As to why one would hunt with Buck , ITS THE LAW ! Also there are places in the south that it is the best choice plain and simple . What i have trouble understanding is the ignorance shown toward it from people who lack the experince of using correct gun-load and knowing how the gun -load works . I also hunt with rifle and handgun so i really have no dog in the fight just hate to see poor imformation spread.

[jpred1]

Ive probably downed 50 or more whitetail with buckshot but can remember on one hand how many pass thru shots, usually when skinning 90% of all pellets are found in the deer. And if you believe tracking a deer in Bama isnt easier with a big pass thru shot than a few one sided wounds without an exit wound , You've lost it.Now in the real thick stuff at close range and running dogs , buckshot may be the best alternative, I done it for years. But I believe we were talking about black beer in the open from a stand. Rifle @30 cal at 3 times the speed of buckshot would be 1st choice 4 me.Tracking wounded animals proves a hell of a lot, no blood trail, or one that is lost usually means dead deer for the coyotes, all my tracking jobs were easier with a decent placed rifle compared to all buckshot hit deer. If they dont drop within sight it could be a long night.As for hunting with Buck being the law, May be in some states, not mine.I dont have a dog in the race either,neither have I ever shot a bear but you shoot the 000 and i will stick with my rifles.

[SHOOTALL]

You must use a big 30 cal. if its 3 times faster than modern buck shot well over 3600 FPS as a 300 win mag would be hard pressed to be that fast. Like i said I use 000 buck either Fed. Gold 3 inch or Win supre. both will result in pass thru. shots at reasonable range from a gun that shoots that load well. But then I don't plan on tracking wounded game when i shoot and try to make a killing shot . I can't remember how many deer I have killed with a shotgun but I hunt in a target rich area and we can kill 6 a year on our lic and buy more tags . I also have helped with damage control. Been doing so for 45 years now so the totals are high.
As far as black bear from stands the ones i saw in Canada were at 4o yards or less from the bait and the guide said they used shotguns . Alot of hunters used slugs and alot alternated slug and buck .
Take a 3.5 12 ga. mag loaded with 00 buck . Thats 54 shot at over 1300 FPS inside 40 yards with a gun made to shoot it there are not many critters in North America that could take a well placed shot and walk away.

[TheCoachZed]

Well I got my bear last week. It was kinda small.  I had a big one on my trail camera, but I was running out of vacation time to shoot one.

Anyway, I used Winchester Super X Foster slugs. Results were very impressive!

[Dixie Dude]

I cleaned a deer one time that was previously shot with buckshot.  It was just under the skin when I skinned it, and the meat around it was green, nasty looking.  I threw the deer away.  A clean rifle or slug shot would have been better. 

[1sourdough]

 Coach, glad you got a bear. It sounds like no tracking required. Now next time you can hold out for the monster boar.

[SHOOTALL]

Dixie dude maybe so if it were a long shot. Or like I have experinced bad shells and have had more bad slugs than shot . Also I have had bad rifle ammo.

[TheCoachZed]

Coach, glad you got a bear. It sounds like no tracking required. Now next time you can hold out for the monster boar.

I was trying to. I was pretty sure this was the big one I had on my trail cam, but it's hard to judge their size from up in a stand. Oh well. I have two cousins and another buddy all gunning for the big one, so maybe someone will get it still. I'm sorely tempted to continue baiting it all this year so I can shoot it next spring . . . .

[Dixie Dude]

Don't know who shot the deer with buckshot or when it was shot, but it looked like it was getting gangrene.  That turned me against buckshot.  It would have to be under 30-40 yards before I would use it. 

[TheCoachZed]

And yeah, there was no tracking required.

I had shot at the big boar a few days previous and inexplicably missed. I put a day into looking for signs of a hit, but found none. But, that was enough to make me remember why I used a 12 gauge slug instead of a .30 cal bullet the year before. If you hit a bear with a slug, you've got an entrance wound bigger than the exit wound left by some rifles.

I really would like to try some buckshot sometime, though. If I had two tags I think I'd give it a go on a smaller bear. I know I could have killed the one I shot with a load of 000 buck to the lungs, neck, or even head.

[TheCoachZed]

Here is a picture!

[halfbreed]

Dixie Dude, I have cleaned a deer that had been previously shot with buck shot as well. Mine had gangreene that was nearly liquid oozing out of the wound.
 I buried mine.
 John

[SHOOTALL]

Seen same with arrowed deer and one BP shot deer . A bad shot is a bad shot whats the point ?

[Redhawk1]

Seen same with arrowed deer and one BP shot deer . A bad shot is a bad shot whats the point ?

DONT USE BUCKSHOT ON BIG GAME..

[Thebear_78]

I've always believed "shotguns are for birds"!!  They aren't bad stoked with #4 buck or heavy shot for predators, especially coyotes and wolves from an airplane.     Give me a rifle every time.     In a pinch a good hard breneke or full bore hard cast slug will do for bear defense, still take a rifle every time.

[Dixie Dude]

We once used buckshot on dog drives when everyone was about 100 yards apart.  We used logging roads and utility easements to surround a piece of property, usually from 50 -100 acres.  Then run dogs through and shots on deer coming out were mostly less than 30 yards and buckshot worked ok.  Pistol caliber carbines were better. 

[SHOOTALL]

In some locations it buckshot or no hunting . I have never had a problem downing deer with buckshot but then I have hunted with it for over 40 years .

[Redhawk1]

Sounds like some people need to educate there law makers and DNR.   

[SHOOTALL]

Why ? Slugs have been proven to be one of the most dangerous hunting projectiles used . Buck shot has proven itself safe for years here .

[Thebear_78]

Soft lead foster style slugs are notorious for poor penetration on big animals.   The hard cast brenneke  big game slugs are much better than standard foster style and the only thing I would shoot at a bear out of a smooth bore shotgun.   Accuracy is generally pretty decent out to 50 yards maybe a big more with a good barrel and rifle style sights.   A rifled slug barrel shooting a quality sabot slug or full bore hard cast is another animal all together.  The sabot and full bore hard cast are much better all around for big game and would work at ny reasonable range.   

I would still choose a rifle every time unless absolutly forced to use a shotgun by law.  I even perfer a muzzle loader to shotgun for big game.

[TheCoachZed]

Soft lead foster style slugs are notorious for poor penetration on big animals. 

I'm not going to entirely disagree with you, but I will say that with foster slugs, entrance wounds are so big that you don't necessarily need an exit wound - they bleed plenty out of the .72 cal hole going in!

And I got a pretty massive exit wound on that bear I shot, although it was small and not really a "big" big game animal. But yeah, a hard slug would probably work better if you expected anything over 250 lbs or so.

[Thebear_78]

There are plenty of horror stories about foster style slugs flattening out and failing to penetate the shoulders of bears.  There is definately a reason that all the fish and game/ forrestry guys all carry breneke 3" black magic hard cast slugs.   They found foster style soft lead slugs ineffective. 

[S.E.Ak]

All I will say is in Alaska folks carry slugs not buckshot for bear protection. Buckshot as its name implies is for bucks.Anything can be done with proper buck but slugs will do it better

[Ron 1]

i have heard a good hunting story or it could even be a hunting tail
this man was hunting black bear from a tree. he shot a large black that was  in the bait pile with a  12 ga. remington slug and it turned and started to climb the tree he was in. he shot it again in the top of the head and the rem slug peeled the hide off the bears skull. a few minutes latter the bear headed back up the tree and he shot it in the lower neck and it fell from the tree.  i have seen the bear rug then i was little and it did have a bald spot the whole fore head and a hole in the neck and one hole in the shoulder. i thought about it often. maybe  he hit it with his truck, and his story sounded better. i do not know for sure but and at 10 or12 years old it sure was a good story.
           rw

[SHOOTALL]

All I will say is in Alaska folks carry slugs not buckshot for bear protection. Buckshot as its name implies is for bucks.Anything can be done with proper buck but slugs will do it better

You must not have had a shot at a dog run deer in thick cover 

[S.E.Ak]

We were talking about bear,its called buck for hunting bucks so thats a given. Up here we would shoot the dog running the deer but have no problem with it where allowed