slug for bear....

mauser06 · 10-05-2008, 08:02 PM

im looking to go PA bear hunting this season...thinking about carrying a 12ga slug gun...mostly thick mountain laruel and thick country and such and i'll likely be a driver so i'll be IN it..if i see a bear its likely to be CLOSE...slug gun would handle fast and is smaller and lighter than my 3006....so i may take it...

what slugs would you guys recommend?? (sabots from a rifled barrel)

thanx...cant decide what i'll take...probably take both and decide when i know if im sitting or driving....hopefully im driving...and i like to have backup guns for trips to camp and just in general i like to have another rifle sighted in and ready in deer season need be...last few years i havent so setting up the slug gun might get done this year....only need ammo and scope rings...

liquidorange · 10-05-2008, 09:01 PM

slug barrels tend to be picky on ammo.maybe try 2 or 3 brands. if its a rifled barrel i like federal barnes expanders , winchester partion golds, or lightfields. if your doing drives why not get a slug barrel with iron sights. a smooth bore shotgun barrel with the right ammo will do you good out to 50 yards easily. then you could shoot the cheapo lead slugs by winchester ot remington.

98Redline · 10-06-2008, 12:43 PM

I agree as well.

For the short range shots that you are likely to encounter while driving, even a smooth bore barrel will give you more than enough "umph" for black bears.

Rifle sights or even a bead should be enough inside 50 yards.

As for the slug, go with the heaviest slug you can find with the highest frontal area.
Something like the Brenneke Green Lightning (1 1/4 oz, 2538 ft-lbs at the muzzle)

Retaks · 10-06-2008, 04:05 PM

I know what your hunting in. I go Bear hunting in Central PA. Most of the time its even to thick for a shotgun in there. I take my 44 Mag in there with me and still wonder half the time how im going to be able to get a shot off. Ive only seen 2 bears in the Laurel and it was for a split second. When your driving Bear in that crap you are pushing them for the people sitting on the sides and end. Odds are you wont even see the Bear. We have good luck driving narrow and long spots of Laurel and putting a guy every 10 yards or so for driving so its harder for the game to double back between people. When i di use a slug gun i shoot Federal Barnes Expanders. They work great out to 100 yards on everything ive shot.

mauser06 · 10-06-2008, 10:57 PM

thanx guys...

i know its unlikely that i'll even get a shot pushing in the stuff....but swamp, hemlock, rhododendron, cut areas, thickets etc etc...so who knows...i just know my shotgun is smaller and lighter than the mauser...and will swing and follow up better than the bolt gun with a longer barrel...not looking to spray and pray...just looking to stack the deck in my favor...

who knows..maybe i will sit...i think my odds are likely better driving and much rather dog than sit and freeze and likely be bored...never know...its a big luck factor....exspecially with a smaller group and large woods...we will try to be smart about it and break up the drives and try to make them more likely to produce if we do move bear...and are working on gathering more people...just think odds are about the same...

last year their kill was an accident...someone shot and missed or wounded it first and it ran into one of the drivers..think it ran behind him or something...but he put a couple rounds from his 44mag in it and dropped it...but theyve driven bear into other groups before as well...got there too late and other groups had bear down etc...so who knows...could be me...i just wanna be prepared and have the best tool for the job...

(be a GREAT time for the big bore lever gun i want......lol)

but im PUMPED about going bear hunting for the first time....though i do realize my odds arent great, were gunna have a blast...

Retaks · 10-07-2008, 06:30 AM

Quote:

ORIGINAL: mauser06

but im PUMPED about going bear hunting for the first time....though i do realize my odds arent great, were gunna have a blast...

Thats why i go. We have alot of fun. This year they made the extended Bear season during Deer season so we are going for that instead of normal Bear season.

Rebel Hog · 10-07-2008, 08:50 AM

Check Dixie Slugs