another thing to consider when talking bear hunting , IMO< is what type of bear hunting is this
is it over bait
which tends to mean very close shots and well set up stands, where a hunter can take there time to make a shot, and many times even have a rest!

or even when hunting say with dogs, again, very close shots most times

then you have spot and stalk, which shots can be from close to FAR!


then in many places, bear drives are very popular in very thick terrain and many times VERY fast shooting is the game as is many FAST repeated shots after the first one is fires!
I have seen many hunters go wild shooting at running bears!(deer and other game too)


then you also, have to IMO, consider WHERE your hunting bears as in STATE
some states just have bigger, heavier bears than other places, and then there is also the possibility of there being even LARGER bears , as in brown,/ grizzly, that you might want to be carrying a gun of more potent size just in case , if you follow?

so, when hunting bears a some times you have many variables to consider besides just caliber, as some bullets might work great up close and not so great far away, all the more so on some calibers that send then down range at very fast speeds
so, kind of knowing what your in for, also has a say , IMO< in what caliber/bullet to be using!

700 lbs black bears ain;t unheard of, and that's a BIG difference from the average one killed in most places, might even be 3 times the size, if you think about it??
and there are some coming closer to 800 and beyond every yr too!

I know I have personally seen several black bears in the 700+ range(and a few were on scales ALIVE) and one I swear would have broke 800 without trying in spring time, meanaing he most likely lost a 100+ lbs over winter and easy can put that back on and more by late fall!

again, NOT that a .308 wouldn;t work fine when bullet and shot placement are right!
but might be more a issue on some lighter calibers many use I

, in a less than perfect shot, and who would want to loose a trophy bear of that size due to having too little gun , LOL
as always just food for thought of sorts!