In May 2015 3 friends and I will be making the trek From South East Texas to New Brunswick on our first bear hunt. As you can imagine we are practicing even more than normal, tweaking our setups, collecting gear, researching bears and techniques. I'm having difficulty finding recommendations on a arrow and broadhead weight recommendations. I'm shooting a Matthews Switchback XT @ 72LBS. Any suggestions?
I have never hunted bear, however, I would recommend a heavy arrow such as the FMJ's and a sharp fixed blade like a Muzzy, Slick Trick or Ramcat to ensure a lot of kinetic energy.
Everyone is going to have there favorite for a broadhead. Whether you choose a mechanical or a fixed I would shoot a larger cutting diameter. Sounds like you will have enough poundage to handle anything. If your going in the fall the wounds can seal up with the fat and if tracking is required it can be tough, especially when the hair soaks up the blood. I would study the anatomy of a bear very closely as well because it is a little different then a deer. Also with the hair sagging below the body it is sometimes hard to judge the belly line to line up the right shot. Hope this helps a bit.
Bears have very soft ribcage bones, (kind of like cats) nothing like a moose (can't say for deer, I've yet to shoot one...). So they are very easy to kill with a lungs shot. The arrow normally goes right through and buries itself in the ground or a tree behind. I've shot 3 and used the Montec G5 100 grains on a Carbon Express Maxima 350 using 70lbs bows... The thing to pay special attention to, is that it is easy to shoot under a bear because its fur is so thick. It gives the impression that the body is much bigger then it actually is. Bear in these area is normally baited. Most people will use an elevated setup like a portable tree stand or a fix platform. Couple reasons for that first of course is increased safety for the hunter, second reason is that it allows you to take your time if you're a trophy hunter. Being up in a stand allows you to let pass a few of the smaller ones and sows until the big boar comes for dinner... I use a natural ground blind (uprooted tree or thick bush) for my own reasons... First, nothing like the thrill of bow hunting bears (and moose) from the ground, and second, even though I like getting the big ones, the main reason I'm hunting bears is to keep the population at a reasonable level so the moose calves have a chance to make it past the first few vulnerable weeks... May in Canada is brutal for black flies, make sure you bring a tight nit mosquito net, long sleeve shirt, long pants, duct tape to seal the arms and legs and gloves. Bears are deceiving in size, unless you have a known size reference (like a 45 gallons drum at the feed) they are very difficult to judge the size. Make sure you read on how to field judge them otherwise, that ''MONSTER'' that will come out of the woods may end up weighing only 75lbs. A few tips on sizing... -The ears on big bears will appear small and more to the side. On a small bear they look like the ears of a German Sheppard, big and on top of the head. -The belly on a big bear will appear as if it's almost touching the ground. The legs on a young bear are long compared to its body. -They way the bear approaches to bait site is also a good indication of it's size (or at least his rank in the neighborhood...) if he walks in confident and without hesitation, he's probably a shooter and the biggest bear in that area. If he appears nervous and ''jumpy'' you can wait, there is a bigger one on the block. Bears that are used to a bait will come back, even if spooked. So take your time for a nice clean shot... you'll have that time! PS. May is also season for lobster and Atlantic shrimps... so if you like seafood, New Brunswick is the spot... ;o) Good hunting
choppersk61 covered most of it. Most bear guides i have talked to don't like their client shooting expandables but they tell you to shoot what you are comfortable with. Last year I used the NAP Exodus and it did really well. Big holes and busted through a shoulder. This year I am going to try the Muzzy Phantom CS if I can get it them to fly ok. In most cases if you get both lungs the bear won't go far. If this is your first hunt ask the guide how to gauge the size. Most of the time you want a bear that is longer than 5 foot and also before shooting wait just to make sure that the bear has no cubs. Sometimes the sow come sin first but most of the time cubs will be in tow or in front. Either way good luck and take plenty of pictures. Please don't forget to share
I used a Toxic on mine last year and it worked... Not as great as I thought it would but I recovered the bear. If I had to do it again, I'd use a Rage
Chopperski61, THANKS!!! This is a great help. Interestingly enough the arrow broadhead set up you mention above is the exact set up I use in whitetail, mule deer and hogs. I was hoping for to hear I was close. It did a number on the 310 lbs boar in the picture. Crazy thing about the "cat-like" ribs. I expected to find them more heavy duty than our wild hogs.
Like the others have said a larger head is generally recommended, whether it's a fixed blade or expandable that may be up to you or perhaps your guide will only allow one over the other. The place I went several years ago in Saskatchewan would not allow expandable's at all. If I were to go again I would be looking at the Slick Trick Magnums and sight my bow in for them to get prepared. Our guide always told us to shoot the middle of the middle.....half way between the front elbow and the front of the hip and half way up. When I shot mine I hugged the near shoulder and hit the offside shoulder, a perfect shot on a whitetail. Had a decent blood trail at first but soon got a good distance from the stand and we let it go over night. Rained in the middle of the night and had no blood to follow the next morning. Luckily we found it about a quarter mile away on a game trail. Of course the guide pointed out to me that I didn't shoot the middle of the middle like they instructed and pointed out that as being the reason it went so far. Used ACC's and Thunderhead 100 for that set up at 62 lbs.
There is no question that I will NOT be shooting expendables. I have had too many fail on deer and hogs.
When you are shooting 70 plus lbs, any broahead arrow combo will work fine, if you make a good hit you will get a pass thru everytime. Dont worry to much about buying new arrows or broadheads, if you use your regular stuff that your used to shooting it will take down any bear. Ive guided bear bow hunters every year for the past 5 years in the spring and many bow hunters shot 60 lb bows with lighter arrows and still got pass thrus. Anything will be good to go for you! Good luck!
Anybody have advice for a crossbow hunter. One of my guys wants to hunt with one. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Looking for a lift more advice. What is considered a "good" amount to tip our guide? He will be dropping us of and picking us up, plus caping and transporting out kills to the butcher. Regarding butchering. We want to donate the bulk of the meat from our kills. If we wanted to keep only a few choice cuts of New Brunswick black bear, what would it be Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I am lucky enough here in Maine to be able to hunt black bears every fall (and thanks to our voters we can continue to hunt over bait, dogs, and trapping in years to come)... I have shot my last three bears with a bow, all using the same setup I use for deer. I was shooting a z7xtreme at 65lbs with easton bloodlines tipped with 100 grain G5 Montec's. Other then hitting one in the spine, I got full pass throughs on the other two and the bears went no more then 50 yards. I personally wouldn't look into changing your setup much at all, just get comfortable and confident shooting it and you will be all set! As far as what cuts of meat to keep, I would steak out the back straps and tenderloins and hamburg the rest. Personally I like bear burger much more then steaks.
