kwilson16

So, I am going on an archery bear hunt in September with Hunt's End Outfitters in Linneus, Maine.

I plan to use my trusty 09 82nd @ 60 lbs/27.5".

I also plan to switch to a fixed head.

My current arrows are 365 grains @ 285 fps. I am blowing through whitetails with expandables but I am due for new arrows this spring and I am considering moving to a heavier shaft like the Easton ACC or Easton FMJ.

Is the heavier shaft a good idea/required for black bears?

Rob/PA Bowyer

Any set up for whitetails is more than adequate for black bears. Especially those that you'll encounter where your going as you won't see any giant bears.

Black bears hides are thinner than that of a whitetail although their hair can be coarser. It's just a lot of hair. Also, black bears are not difficult to bring down as obvious with any animal, shot placement is the key. Vitals can be hidden by mass of air making them appear higher or lower than they usually are pertaining to a whitetail because of the longer hair.

Your current whitetail set up is more than fine.

Schultzy

Like Rob said, easily more then adequate to do the job. Their skin Is much thinner. If you get one and skin It out you'll find out how easy It Is to accidentally cut the hide when trying to skin It out.

BTBowhunter

Keep your deer setup just as it is. Spend your time learning bear anatomy and concentrating on shot placement. A double lunged bear will go maybe half as far as a whitetail but as Rob and Schultzy said, there's a lotta hair and a lotta air around those vitals.

Good luck! They die pretty easy but a bear (any bear) with your bow is a real rush and a real trophy. If the death moan doesnt pucker your pooper, nothing ever will!

Ben / PA

Cool, good advice already in this thread. An archery bear hunt is in my future at some point as well. I hear it's a blast.

MeanV2

Bears are easy to blow through even though they are generally heavier than deer they are Not tough. I blew through the last bear I killed (450#) with a 60# BowTech shooting a 360 grain CX Maxima Hunter tipped with a 100 grain Slick Trick Magnum.

Good Luck on your Maine Bear Hunt!

I'm itching to head back to Canada but in this economy I don't see it happening anytime soon.

Dan

elkmtngear

Shot my one and only black bear over 20 years ago, and that pretty much did it for me! Double lungs, he went down 50 yards away, and it sounded like a dog dying. I felt awful.

But it was definitely a rush! When the arrow hit, that bear was a 400 pound pissed off ball of fury, rolling around, jaws snapping! I was seriously glad to be in a tree!

Best of Luck,
Jeff

kwilson16

Thanks fellas.

When you recommend keeping the original set-up, would that include expandables? I have good, fixed heads that I use for BH tuning but I have been shooting expandables in my suburban deer hunts.

Are there any books that you would recommend? Specifically, books that contain reliable info on shot selection & placement.

MeanV2

Check with the Outfit you will be Hunting with, Many Outfitters will Not allow use of mechanicals. If he is Ok with it then use what you want.

Dan

RonPenner

Hey good luck, enjoy the hunt, if you've never hunted black bears before, get ready for the rush when you see your first black shadow moving about back in the woods or hear the first tell tale "Crack" of an approaching bear...you are going to have a blast!!!!