grizzly hunting

[1eyemountainmen]

Has anyone hunted grizzly with a muzzleloader. I have a 58cal Hawken and I live in Alaska so, I would love to shoot one without getting killed. Any ideas???

 

[Sharp Shooter]

Where at in Ak are you? I would thing if you have a large conical you should be ok. Have a buddy back you up with a high power if your worried about getting charged.

Kirk

 

[1eyemountainmen]

I'm in Wasilla AK. most of my friends don't hunt

 

[larry wv]

Just make sure you can out run your friend :grin: .Yes use a conical and a lot of back up. Thats way down on my to do list. Get some first hand advice and enjoy. Larry Wv

 

[flintlock75]

Greetings,
I live up the road in Houston and hunt all the time. I have hunted grizzly with a .54 using conicals and my .72 double with round balls, i have not been lucky enough to shoot one yet but have taken several black bears with ML's.
Shot placement is everything especialy with a big bear. Having backup is always a good idea.

 

[pgilmore]

I would have a back up shooter with a big magnum such as the 300 win mag. or 7mm ultra mag. just in case. But a good side arm such as a .44 mag or .500 mag will do just fine if you are charged.
And if all else fails bring a friend who cant run very fast. You dont have to be faster then the bear you just have to be faster then your friend. :grin:
Good luck, hope you get the chance to take that bear.

 

[Sharp Shooter]

I'm in Wasilla AK. most of my friends don't hunt

Where is that from like Anchorage or Fairbanks?

 

[BrownBear]

One of my buds is a 30-year brown bear guide on Kodiak. For all his adult life he's done all his personal hunting with flinters, so I thought he might have useful insights.

He's never popped a brownie with a muzzleloader or seen it done, though he's been on hand for more bear kills than most of us manage with deer. His personal favorite flinter is his 54. Asked about a 58 for Kodiaks, he said "something bigger" with wheelweight balls. For interior grizzly he speculated that a 58 with wheelweight balls would be just fine with a good hit.

He added that you want your backup shooter to be someone you have good reason to trust to stand his ground and shoot well and fast under pressure. His pick for backup, based on a whole lot of holes in bears, is a 375 H&H with 270 grain Remington softpoints. He won't let his assistants carry anything else. Second best is a 416 of some sort.

He didn't differentiate between coastal brown bears and interior grizzlies when it comes to backup. You want to do a lot of damage in a hurry, no matter whether the bear is pointing at you or away from you, and no matter how far away it is. Even if it's running straight away, "shoot hair and keep doing it till it stops moving." You just don't want to let it get out of sight, especially in brush.