I am going to side with moose here. No way i am going after a bear with a bow, sorry but to me it just isn't worth it. I have had several incidents here with bears while hunting other species and i just can't imagine tracking one especially if the shot was not ideal. Call me a wuss call me what you want but from my experiences I am using the rifle. For an interesting read check out "Bear Attacks Myth and Reality" can't remeber the author I think it was James Robertson or something along that lines. For us folks in bear country especially for Moose who is up in northern BC this is a must read. You might be suprised after you read a few of the incident stories and the authors views.