I have successfully used Nosler Accubond bullets on bull moose and bison out of my .375 Ruger.

But I have not used the AccuBond Long Range (ABLR) bullet on big game yet. I have plenty of 7mm 175g Nosler ABLR’s left from my Newfoundland moose hunt last year. Note: Since, I was staying in Newfoundland for 6 weeks, Canada would not let me enter with my Browning 7mm rifle unless I was headed directly to my hunt.

Hopefully,that will soon to change this fall on my Foggy Mountain Maine bear hunt this September. 

The AccuBond ABLR is designed to expand faster than the AccuBond.

But will the bullet mushroom “too much” in my 7mm Rem Mag 175g ABLR at say 50 to 75 yards?

I am hoping for a large exit wound for blood trailing.

Time will tell! 

Nosler says the ABLR will hold and mushroom as fast as 3000 fps below. 

At the muzzle of my Browning X-Bolt, my hand loaded 175g  ABLR exits the barrel at around 3000 fps. At 75 yards from my bear stand, the bullet will strike at 2900 fps. Energy is a whopping 3240 ft-lbs.  Accordingly, I do expect the ABLR bullet to blow a big blood trail hole as the bullet exits. Below is a Nosler ABLR video.

Hunters and guides who follow black bear blood trails hope for an exit wound and blood trail for fast recovery. No blood trail makes it very hard for fast recovery and maximizing the meat quality. 

Good Hunting!

Photo Courtesy Wikipedia

This fall I am hunting bears that have been hunted before, my research indicates that, in particular,  older larger bears are very reluctant to come to bait in daylight. Sometimes letting smaller bears go first to test the water as it were.

This reluctance is very likely because of mistakes we hunters make year over year. We are in fact teaching older bears how to avoid certain bait stands.

That said; This September, I will hunt with rifle from a further away ground stand or treestand site. 

There are many more shot opportunities with rifle than bow.

And I’m not getting any younger. 

On caliber, my master guide tells me that big bore fast 3000 fps rifle bullets from say 375 H&H exit but with a small hole and lack of mushroom. Many say slower big bore like the 45-70 are better.

Said, my 7mm Rem Mag was a better choice of rifles I own. The bullet will really mushroom and create a larger exit hole for blood trailing. 

Ok! So what are some of our mistakes? 

Not watching the wind. Say, you find the wind blows from your stand to your bait? Skip that bait hunt site till the wind shifts away. Else big bruins wont be coming. 

Not washing yourself and hair (even mouth) or clothes before the hunt. 

Clothes have collected camp scents like campfire smoke or cigarette/cigar smoke. 

Clean Boots – Inside the boot too.

Not Wearing Mosquito netting. 

Break up your facial outline. Use camo and a face mask. 

Hunting too close to your bait. 

Coughing or making noise in your tree or ground stand.  A real no no. Quiet that cough!!

Fast movement of head or hands. Like swatting mosquitoes. 

Big bears circle and wind the site. 

Metal on metal clink sounds.

Eliminate these mistakes and you will greatly increase your chances of bigger bear showing themselves.

I noted earlier, in retrospect that big bears will let little bears enter a bait site first. Another tip off. 

Secondly, smaller bears tend to watch their backtrail often due to a larger bear. That’s a tip off…

Thirdly, Big bears sometimes approach and circle from behind to the tree stand first and give it a good sniff before heading to bait. 

Good Hunting!