brucelanthier

If you can place a quality shot on the animal I don't see anything wrong with it. The object is to kill it and if your woodcraft is good enough for you to sneak up on it while it is sleeping or be in a position to shoot it while it is sleeping then good. Would you scuff the leaves so that you made sure it woke up before shooting it? Would you throw a small pebble at it to wake it up before shooting it? What's the point, you are still going to kill it and the only one that would feel better for waking it up is you, not the animal.

Charlie P

I remember reading something on the bowsite about a very good angle on a bedded bear.

If your good enough to sneak up on a bedded bear in an alder thicket at twenty steps and shoot it more power to you.

brucelanthier

I did a quick check and rinehart sells a bedded sheep, doe and elk target.

GMMAT

Guys.....like I expected....ALL good points.

I DID overlook one thing about the original post. I looked over the BROWN adjective just before "bear".

Hell yeah, I'd shoot HIM, sleeping......or wake him up RUNNING![8D]

Colorado Luckydog

GMMAT is right, its a personal decision.

I'd do my best to harvest that animal, given the chance!

njbuck22

If i was in the situation and i had a clear shot at his vitals, the shot would be on its way and then i would be running the opposite direction. Just remember with bear, you dont have to outrun the bear, you just have to outrun the person your hunting with.

GR8atta2d

Well I think the point of "Trophy" in the thread can be replaced with animal size. I think what the original poster was getting at is..You wouldn't shoot a sitting rabbit or a floating duck, goose, many don't shoot pheasants unless they take flight..etc. So does a sleeping bear deserve any less???
At this point I don't know how to answer for myself..I would have to be there, to know every detail. In every situation it's different. Was it the last day of a $10K hunt? Was it the first? Dunno like I said I would have to be there...

I've heard many stories of guys shooting bedded bucks some were good clean kills..a few shot animals that were already dead or injured..could this have been the case?? Variables..I can't sit here and pass judgement on someone who did this or that..cuz I wasn't there. If he was proud enough to take the animal and publish an article about it..He obviously believes it was the right choice.

HuntingBry

OK, guys I'm going to go Atlas here with the quotes.

What does the species of bear have to do with anything? Bedded deer, sleeping bear (any species), wallowing bull, whatever. You still need to have the skill to stalk through the animal's environment and get within their defenses to be able to get the shot, and still keep your composure while shooting. To me the type of animal in this case is irrelevant.

Generally when you are shooting the other game you mentioned it is with a shotgun, so the skill comes in of wingshooting or shooting the animal on the run. It's considered "less" sporting to shoot animals with a scatter gun while static. On big game with a bow itis generally considered good ethics to shoot a calm animal that is not moving. A sleeping animal doesn't get much more calm or still.

My opinion, if I could do that and I had a clear shot at the vitalsI would definitely have no questions about taking the shot. One question for the guys that have had ethical questions (GMMAT and MichaelH) is your problem with the fact that the bear is sleeping, or that you feel that a sleeping bear offers a less than optimal shot? GMMAT is right, no right or wrong answeres on this one.

GR8atta2d

So huntingBry is this situation also weapon dependant? Suppose you were hunting with a Rifle? what about Black powder? Pistol? Shotgun w/slugs?
Does your answer only hold water for a bow? What type? Compound? Traditional? Scoped CrossBow?

Germ

Holy cow does it really matter?

Does a pack of wolves walk up on a deer and say "look she is sleeping, lets wait until she wakes up"

If you can sneak up on a sleeping bear, bedded buck or any other critter great for you. Does anyone think if the bear was hungry and found you sleeping he would wait until you had a sporting chance?

It is ok to take to shoot an animal while they are eating, but sleeping is out of the question, LOL

It is ok to trick a deer with scents and calls, but god forbid you hunt and stalk one and shoot during nap time.

Geez

Ok done with rant