is a 30-06 good for black bear and elk hunting? what would be a good load to use? i will also be carring a .357 mag and pepper spray.

06' will do just fine. I'd suggest a Nosler Partition for starters but as always pick the most accurate premium bullet in your rifle. I would look 165 - 180 gr in various premium offerings. Others would be Failsafes, Barnes, Swift A frames, Nosler Accubonds, HornadyInterbonds, Trophy Bear Claws or Speers Grand Slams.

Don't know to much about elk but I do know a little bit about moose and a good 180gr. will do good on moose and will kill black bear no problem.

Good luck.

Ike, thats the same set up I have, I use 180 corloks for elk/bear out of my 700 when I am not bowhunting them. Its also a good moose load and for any other big game here in North America. Where are you going and when? Keep us posted, good luck, Bobby

I took my Elk with a speers 150gr bt from a winchester model 70 30-06, it was about 425 yards. the big thing to rem is the bullet drop rate, if I am zeor at 100yds, I will be -1 at 200 , -6 at 300, - 18inches at 400yrds, and -43 inches at 500 yards. knowing this I knew that I had enough energy in my shot to take down the Elk with a well placed shot.

You don't need a 180gr round, just know your gun, with what round you have. what you need to do no matter what size round you shoot, buy a box of each load your interested in , and shoot them. find the box that groups the tightest, and use that. don't get hung up on a fancy named bullet. shoot the round that your gun likes the best. most factory loads are pretty good. Remember when shooting your rifle, if you have a floating barrel, do not put any downward preasure on the barrel when shooting(don't hold the stock and barrel together with yor forward hand). this can can cause your rifle to shoot different each time you fire it.

I have always shot a 150gr. because it will take down moose, bear, elk, and yet is not over kill for deer. I'd bet that my 30-06 is responsible for more moose and deer kills than hyw 43.
if you don't get time to practice with your gun I would say a min of 100 rounds a year, then maybe you need to load her up with the heaviest round you can get, just to ensure some damage is being done if you miss your mark.

thanks for the info guys. i will be hunting elk/bear in western washington with my savage 30-06 with a floating barrel. i prefer to use remington core lok or core lok ultra. our bear season starts in aug to end of oct. elk is november. it will be my first time hunting either one. i am going with a buddy who does hunt both of them though. i hope to fill all my tags this year. thanks guys.

It should work very well. I would use the 180 grain bullet. But like the others have said the 150 and 165 should work well as long as they are of good construction. As above, the Fail Safe Partitio or Grandslam are good choices. Last year I udes the grandslam 150's for deer.