Category Archives: Big Game Hunting

Articles about Big Game Hunting.

Arrow Shot Placement on Black Bear

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Hunting black bears with bow or crossbow requires some study of bear anatomy for correct shot placement. When I taught bowhunter education years ago we focused largely on whitetail deer.  My Outfitter will cover shot placement as well.

The National Bowhunter Education Foundation sells small synthetic 3D black bears, deer, etc. ($65) where the anatomy can be seen and a pin representing the arrow can be inserted to see what vitals were hit. The next best is a special target sold by Amazon. The company is called “ethikill” anatomy targets. On one side is a broadside bear and the opposite side is the anatomy, bones, heart lungs, liver and intestines. The hunter can shoot it and see the opposite side, e.g., what vital organs were hit. Many experts prefer a slight quartering away shot so the arrow enters and penetrates forward. 

The downside is that bears don’t often stand quartering for such a shot for any length of time. Broadside is still a great shot.

A video from “Bowhunting road” does a great job to educate. Here it is…

The Ethikill target is excellent for broadside shots. 

A double lung hit and your bear won’t go any distance at all, sometimes just feet. 

Good Bear Hunting!

 

Soon – Alberta Bearcation

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The clock is ticking. Getting excited! In just a few weeks I will be in a bear camp. Some folks have a Vacation, but Albertans “and guests” who hunt have a Bearcation.

I shoot my fast 10 Point crossbow daily and play with arrows, fletching and broadheads like a kid in a sandbox with a toy dump truck and bulldozer.

Recently, I watched a video of a family with three generations of bear hunters. Many are teens and 20’s seen whooping dancing and stomping like american indians prepping for the hunt in a large garage below. The senior dad is hunting with his crossbow, like I will be doing. 

Sooo much fun watching the hunting spirit of this family. 

Western Canada has tons of big black bears. Success rates are typically very high. Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario are chockablock full of ’em. And as a meat-eater that makes my day. 

My grandkids have just started deer hunting with their dad and me. Maybe get them out on a bearcation in a few years. 

Get Excited! Adventure – Go Hunt!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Color Phase Black Bear Hunt Plan

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My upcoming Alberta black bear hunt will be among color phase bears. What does that mean? Fur color can be black, chocolate/brown, cinnamon, and blonde. Blonde is perhaps the most rare of the color phases. I have not targeted a bear color per se. For me, what is important is a larger male representative of the species. If a large cinnamon presents itself and its coat is prime.  We shall see…

Of interest is this video below on color phases across North America. 

Good Hunting!

Heavier Crossbow Arrow/Bolt Hunting Thoughts

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Most crossbow companies sell “arrow speed” to sell Crossbows based on say, a 400 grain arrow/bolt.

Yes, sure, that 400 fps equates to delivered kinetic energy to game but what about penetration?

Will a 500 or 600 grain arrow get more momentum thus deeper penetration. On a target butt, you won’t see a dramatic difference because it is the target butts job to stop the arrow. It is not flesh.

The same crossbow will lose some speed with the heavier arrows but gain in penetration.

African bowhunters on really big game use say 800 to 900 grain arrows. Bolts are shorter but a 500 to 600 grain bolt will carry more momentum thus penetration. 

An exit wound for an arrow provides the all important blood trail.

If hunting moose or larger, for example; With crossbow, use a heavier arrow.

Below is what Fred Bear said on the subject; https://www.arkansashunting.net/threads/what-did-fred-bear-say-about-heavy-arrows.95210/

Good Hunting!

Todays Hunting Crossbows Live Their Useful Lives In Between A Rifle and a Bow and Arrow.

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I am both a bowman and a rifleman and I shoot both very well. Todays crossbows can launch an arrow/bolt at sizzling speeds of over 500 fps, faster than the best compound bows.

Most crossbows today shoot bolts typically in the 300 to 400 fps but the 500’s are out there now. I own two crossbows, a Grizzly recurve from Excalibur which shoots at 300 fps and has taken wild boar and turkey. Full penetration.

Grizzly by Excalibur

My main crossbow is a 10 Point Turbo S1 which launches a 425 grain arrow at around 360 fps. Fast enough and with enough momentum to penetrate the largest of wild game.

Both rifle and bow are great hunting tools. We just need training and practice to master them!

Good Hunting!

Spring Canadian Black Bear Hunt; How Big is Big? Update

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As most of my readers know, I am hunting massive male bears in Alberta, Canada in May/June this spring with my Ten Point 360 fps Crossbow.  This black bear species is known as Ursus americanus like the bears of eastern canada and USA and americanus is extending its range to 75% of Alberta. Spring Alberta male bears are lean but often exceed 300 pounds. They live in proximity to the Olympic black bear which earned the sub-species Ursus americanus altifrontalis and the grizzly bear – Ursus arctos horribilis.

https://www.alberta.ca/black-bears-overview#jumplinks-0

Encounters of grizzly can happen but are rare because the grizzly does not frequent thick boreal forests like the black bear. I will have a rifle for backup especially when I exit the stand in the darkness. 

A black bear near a 50 gallon bait drum will aid very well in determining size. If the back of the bear is near to or greater than the top of the drum, then you have a “big very likely male bear” say 300 to 400 pounds.

UPDATE

If looking for Boone and Crockett trophies, check out Jim Shockey’s article on field judging black bear. 

https://www.boone-crockett.org/field-judging-black-bear

Shockey says, “Big bears are the toughest, meanest sons-of-a-guns in the valley, and they act it.” 

For me, the fur must be in prime shape as well, not rubbed off. 

END UPDATE

Look to identify male from female. Outfitters train hunters to avoid shooting female bears.  Additionally, female bears are not unusually large as the massive 300 to 400 lb males.

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Image Courtesy Wikipedia

Females with cubs or even older cubs give their sex away simply by being with cubs. 

Further, female front legs taper from wide to narrow all the way to the narrow front paws, where male front legs are like large stove pipes like the above photo with no leg taper. Old mature bruins have smaller ears more on the side of the head and fat wide heads with a crease down the center of the skull as shown above.

If I encounter a black bear of the size above, I would make every effort to harvest him. If I could not arrow him, I would take him with rifle. 

More soon….

 

 

Ten Point Crossbow and Oracle X: It’s A Packer Of A Swhacker For Big Black Bear

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In less than 50 days I’ll be flying 2200 miles across the USA and arriving in Grande Prairie Alberta, Canada for a week of  “two-fer” crossbow black bear hunting.

Tenpoint Turbo S1 Crossbow Package (Vektra Camo)

 

I chose to travel specifically to Alberta to hunt these unusually large color phase black bears. My Ten Point Turbo S1 Arrow/Bolts are equipped with Swhacker 231 broadheads.

With my Burris Oracle X Laser Scope, I practice at 15 to 30 yards for deer and bear and target shoot well beyond to 60 yards and more with supreme accuracy.

 

The laser works best after 20 yards by lighting the aiming point. 

Back to Swhackers; It’s cutting sharp hardened steel trocar tip leads the entry till the sharp swhacker wings enter tissue and swing the 2 1/2 inch razor sharp blades to bear, (pardon the pun).

Literally, broadside exit wounds are nearly assured with crossbows shooting 360 fps. I remember in the 1960’s, reading Fred Bear, said of his two edge broadhead blades…”It makes them lay low.” The swhacker does that in spades. I shot a red practice swhacker head out to my 60 yards target yesterday. Here is a entrance and exit picture.

I was impressed and hit the bullseye too.

Good Shooting!

 

 

 

Burris Oracle X Crossbow Scope Review

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I bought this Burris Oracle X scope hoping to extend the fun and accuracy I can have in my backyard and in big game hunting. Cost: $644 on Amazon. This is definitely not a toy.

 

 

The warranty includes lifetime fix or replacement, no questions asked whether new or used. Wow!

The video below is excellent!

I own a very accurate 10 Point Turbo S1 Crossbow below (before adding the new scope) .

 

The scope can be setup for 2 different arrow weights, aka target and broadhead hunting setups. When I am in summer mode, I can setup to target shoot out to 75 to 100 yards for fun. In fall, I can setup for max 50 yards in the deer woods with heavier broadhead tipped arrows.

Things I will need to setup the scope:

  • A very steady rest. I have a great adjustable clamp type Death Grip tripod. It works! You can use a bench rest too.
  • I needed to purchase a 10 Point raised cheek comb to have better eye alignment. 

  • Get a torque wrench for clamping the scope to the picatinny or weaver base, and torque to 40 to 70 in-lbs. I own a Wheeler Fat Wrench. Test for eye relief distance before torquing down screws.

 

  • A few Extra Lithium Batteries. CR123 or CR123A work. I like Duracell but the scope does come with a battery.

 

My practice priority is for the hunting setup with my 125g Swhacker 231 practice broadheads. I get close with field points at 20 yards then switch to the practice Swhacker heads and make minor adjustments. 

The most important thing, Oracle says,  is to shoot accurately at the get-go for 20 yards. I mean within 1/4 inch of center if possible.

Read the short Instruction Manual. Takes 10 minutes.

 

Next, I began the electronic truing at hunting yardages of 35 yards. The software allows for two arrow types and gives you a max of four truing points. Set Range (SR) 1 to SR 4. I began with just SR 1. It was dead on at the 35 yard target. It was for my first and only 35 yard shot today as I have a family gathering.  More soon for SR 2 at 50 yards. Then, go hunt!!

Wow! I like this laser rangefinding scope!!

Good Shooting!

 

 

 

 

Crossbow: Field Point/Arrow Tuning Tip to Swhacker Broadheads

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I love my Swhacker 125g Broadheads and Practice Broadheads. 

However, now I use my 125g field points in my Big Shot target to replicate the broadhead impact at bear hunting distances. How?

My field points normally hit 2 to 3 inches higher than my Swhackers at 20 yards. Perhaps minor aerodynamics account for the impact shift up. 

Accordingly,  I have tuned the arrow/fieldpoint with 5 grain brass arrow washers added to the field point and now have identical impact at that distance.

I do this to relieve the constant use of my broadhead target and make pulling field points from my Big Shot target so much easier.

I shot both the 125g practice broadhead and extra weighted 135g field point at 30 yards and they both grouped within 2 inches of each other. Wow!

Three Rivers Archery sells the brass washers by arrow diameter. Give them a try…

 

Good Hunting!