I have shot 9 bear with the bow and arrow. 4 with the compound when I was younger and now 5 more with the recurve. My biggest bear weighed 325lbs and scored 20 5/16 P@Y. All were shot over bait here in Minnesota, there's no other way to do it here in Northern Minnesota because of the thick woods and all unless you have access to a corn field or an oats field that there destroying. They only hit these fields for a limited time, just when the crops arestarting to mature, usually a 2 to 3 week period. My dad has shot bear in the mountains ofColoradodoing spot and stock with the recurve. You can't bait there but you can hunt off of your gut pile's.