How Big ya need …to feel Safe?

[Mangonboat]

Your biggest and best caliber is the distance between your ears. Do some research about bear behavior. For example, the admonitions to hunt in pairs and finish the job of dressing and packing out a kill ASAP and promtly depart from the kill site is directly related to the fact that urctus horribilus have figured out that a loud BOOM is the invitation to a meal that somebody else has prepared so they frequently head, with great dispatch, TOWARD the loud boom, and their noses enable them to zoom in on the precise location of the meal while moving at speed. This describes a best case scenario, i.e., one where you might plan for a grizz coming in. At the other end of the spectrum, if you come around an outcropping and find yourself in the midst of mama and a couple cubs, she is programmed by nature to come at you (or any other threat) as her first response and buy some time for the cubs to get to safety, but bear spray has been more successful than any other intervention at convincing bears to move to their second programmed response, to stop short, especially if her brood has headed the opposite direction.
Have fun planning your trip!

 

[Africa58double]

Sensible and intelligent by all means… My Boss and Guide will be with Modern rifles.

I was more interested to see what others do or did while hunting in that kind of environment.

Anyone Use a .72 or Just the norm .50 - .54 ‘s

Was hopeful of some interesting stories and experiences to have shared with of precaution and such.

I’m sure I’m not the only one who will be “Muzzleloader” hunting in land of the Bears this year.

Camaraderie on the subject is good Reading.

 

[Africa58double]

I never hunted where the browns were, only black bears and always carried my ROA loaded to the max with 4F and a RB as a back up. Now to your question and the area and what you might run into you only have to look to the right. I guess one of these would give me plenty of up close comfort. The 6" Diablo double barrel shotgun.

If you don’t mind, please elaborate on these experiences. Do you feel the Roa to be sufficient. Also I’m seeking Black Bear… My boss Elk. So I may be in different areas…. And the Northern part of state has large population of Grizz. Also Black Bear are not exactly Friendly.
My Roa is the 5.5” with fixed front sight and with 777 max and a 255gr conical I feel up close it’s not a pea shooter

Small front site - I Shouldn’t have to “File it off” as some suggest. (Silly regurgitation of comment in a bear thread)

 

[Ragged Edge]

So a 45 conical with 70 gr of Black Powder is your muzzleloader suggestion for Elk hunting while Angerus-De-Fur-Humungunus is Roaming around the Mountain your hunting?

It’s a .58 Pedersoli Kodiak , I also have a Big Boar T/C .58View attachment 117984View attachment 117988

You need to borrow my 11-bore double. Round ball weighs 570-grains. That's the same as a .500 Nitro slug.

 

[Africa58double]

Photos say a thousand words… Let’s see that Bruin Buster!

You need to borrow my 11-bore double. Round ball weighs 570-grains. That's the same as a .500 Nitro slug.

 

[Ranch 13]

A few things to keep in mind.
Major George Nonte in his book Handgun Hunting wrote the immortal words that to expect a handgun to bail you out of trouble a rifle got you into is folly.

Bear encounters are few, but well publicized as they do tend to be pretty spectacular, and make for good fillers on various news outlets. The good thing is with the communications available to folks nowadays and the number of life flight's available at most of the regional medical centers your chances of survival are better than 10 years ago.
Take what ever caliber guns you feel comfortable with.

 

[Africa58double]

Was hopeful of a bit more Muzzleloader rifle information. Caliber, projectile etc
Yet thank you for the Post.

A few things to keep in mind.
Major George Nonte in his book Handgun Hunting wrote the immortal words that to expect a handgun to bail you out of trouble a rifle got you into is folly.

Bear encounters are few, but well publicized as they do tend to be pretty spectacular, and make for good fillers on various news outlets. The good thing is with the communications available to folks nowadays and the number of life flight's available at most of the regional medical centers your chances of survival are better than 10 years ago.
Take what ever caliber guns you feel comfortable with.

 

[Arrow139]

Have hunted in NW Wyoming and Montana as resident in both states. Use a .58 Enfield as my go to hunting rifle, very dependable. Outfitters here tend to carry 12 gauge with slugs in addition to their bear spray. Bow season most dangerous, at least as regards bears. Moose can be unpredictable up close if you surprise them in the willows, and they dont hibernate.

 

[Africa58double]

.58 Enfield ? Nice compact rifle- rugged choice. What projectile and powder? What charge.

Have hunted in NW Wyoming and Montana as resident in both states. Use a .58 Enfield as my go to hunting rifle, very dependable. Outfitters here tend to carry 12 gauge with slugs in addition to their bear spray. Bow season most dangerous, at least as regards bears. Moose can be unpredictable up close if you surprise them in the willows, and they dont hibernate.

 

[SOLANCO]

I have a friend who cooks on a wood stove. But she keeps a modern fire extinguisher in the kitchen, not a bucket of water. I like her logic. So....

ML rifle for the elk. S&W 629 Mountain unmentionable in .44 magnum for griz.

 

[Mark Herman]

I have a .72 percussion rifle that I would feel comfortable with, regardless of the length of the fangs or claws.

 

[Loja man]

Welcome to grizz country.... ....
View attachment 117994

Great pic!! I love our area of KY but miss the big open spaces of the west. Lived in OR for about 11 years.

 

[Ragged Edge]

Photos say a thousand words… Let’s see that Bruin Buster!

I just KNEW you were gonna ask....

 

[Arrow139]

.58 Enfield ? Nice compact rifle- rugged choice. What projectile and powder? What charge.

This is a ParkerHale musket that a former owner back in the 1970s cut down the barrel to temove bayonette lug, then put in brass tacks to make a c.1880 percission trade gun, except it still has rifling and iron fixed
sights. Shoots both round ball and conical. I cast my own .562 RB, and cadt my own Lee target Minies, which I find more to my liking for hunting as well they have a big flat nose. Have tried paper patching these minies, but after a while saw no real advantage to that. I use Swiss FF, 80 grains for conicals, and up to 100 grains for roundball. Good accuracy with both loads. Also use 60 gr load with rb for normal target load.

 

[Loja man]

Africa58,
I know you have not quite received the information directly related to muzzleloaders you had hoped for. Yet a lot of good info here. I don’t have the impression you are looking for a bear fight. I think your on the right path with your double, a hand gun and bear spray seems logical as well.

 

[Ranch 13]

Keep in mind that caliber etc of a muzzleloader or modern rifle doesn't really matter. Grizzly are protected species, and you best have a pretty healthy batch of medical bills and rock solid eyewitness, and a can or two of empty bear spray at the scene to help defend you in federal court for shooting one, should things happen to go bad.
Again caliber , projectile and powder charge comes to what you feel you can handle. But my choice runs to muzzleloader calibers that begin with 5 and powder charges going north of 100 grains.

 

[Nuthatch]

I have a family member who worked for AK fish & game. When out on research treks, they carried a short 12 ga with slugs. I don’t think I’d want anything less. Modify accordingly for a smoke-pole version.

 

[Africa58double]

Yes they are endangered- and Shooting one is Not something I Obviously am advocating. However When I was in Africa the Black Rhino was not on the Market- couldn’t shoot it… Yet when a Mother and baby got within 80 meters - All of of Prepared for a “Defense shooting situation”

Being “prepared” to Defend life is what I’m discussing.

So Caliber, Projectile, powder charge is a consideration to think about.

I just KNEW you were gonna ask....

Keep in mind that caliber etc of a muzzleloader or modern rifle doesn't really matter. Grizzly are protected species, and you best have a pretty healthy batch of medical bills and rock solid eyewitness, and a can or two of empty bear spray at the scene to help defend you in federal court for shooting one, should things happen to go bad.
Again caliber , projectile and powder charge comes to what you feel you can handle. But my choice runs to muzzleloader calibers that begin with 5 and powder charges going north of 100 grains.

 

[Africa58double]

I have a family member who worked for AK fish & game. When out on research treks, they carried a short 12 ga with slugs. I don’t think I’d want anything less. Modify accordingly for a smoke-pole version.

My Double .58 is equivalent to that 1oz slug at 1500 fps. Or better with a 600gr.

Yet keep in mind- I’m Hunting Black Bear or with my Boss as he hunts Elk.
So I need to be able to reach 100 yards accurately. I can place a 1oz 445gr 8 Bhn Real Bullet few inches low at 80 yards. Have a Ghost ring set at 50 yards andexpress sites for further-distance I can see over the ring.

 

[Africa58double]

Actually I have received some information that is good- yet more about Bears and what to do with them or around them than about the muzzleloader aspect of the subject.