Broadheads for Black Bear - Options, Options

[BigWoods]

Well everything came together to fill my archery deer tag last night on a big mature doe and start stocking the freezer for the year ahead.

Notice how the broadhead stuck into a sapling after sailing through both lungs of the deer. It's still hair-popping sharp. She made it about 60yds.



I've still got a bear tag that is good for the next two weeks and have a cornfield down the road that they've been hitting hard. There is fresh corn-filled scat all over the place down there:


My plan is to set up in the tree from which I took the picture overlooking the cornfield. I could take a rifle, but I'm on a roll with the bow and the challenge sounds enticing. Question being; I have the bow nicely tuned to stack the VPA 1 1/8" 3-blade heads. I took the deer with these and performance was excellent. The reliability of the fixed blade is very appealing to me. I also have some 1 3/4" Rocky Mountain Warhead 2-blade mechanicals (Work like a Swacker) that are real sharp. Which would be the better option for bear? I've heard a big blood trail can be a big plus with the shaggy coat of a bear. I'm drawing 60lbs with my Mathew's Traverse to send my 510gr arrows at 250fps.

Any other tips for hunting bears over corn are welcomed! I've never harvested a bear, so hopefully this will be a first.

Thanks!

 

[Wapiti1]

Shoot the VPA you are tuned for. A blood trail on a bear is almost 100% dependent on a pass through. No pass through, no blood. I don't think the Warhead will do that as reliably as a fixed blade on a big bear.

Shoot halfway up the body in line with the back of the front leg. The long hair can make a bear look taller in the chest than it is. More margin for error if you shoot for the middle.

Take a rifle for the follow up. DO NOT follow up a bear without a firearm. Great way to get a story and a hospital bill.

Jeremy

 

[BigWoods]

Shoot the VPA you are tuned for. A blood trail on a bear is almost 100% dependent on a pass through. No pass through, no blood. I don't think the Warhead will do that as reliably as a fixed blade on a big bear.

Shoot halfway up the body in line with the back of the front leg. The long hair can make a bear look taller in the chest than it is. More margin for error if you shoot for the middle.

Take a rifle for the follow up. DO NOT follow up a bear without a firearm. Great way to get a story and a hospital bill.

Jeremy

Good point on the probability of a pass through! I doubt the warheads will allow much if any blood out through the entrance. There are some pretty substantial piles in that field so I'd think there's probably a big one coming.

I really appreciate the input on shot placement; such a different animal from deer (like I said, this would be a first!).

For the followup, I'll have a pistol on me and back out to get a rifle for the tracking unless I see the bear go down in sight. I remember the story a few years back of a guy night tracking an archery bear in central MN who got mauled real bad before his buddy caught up to him with his 45ACP.

 

[Nick Muche]

I love shooting bears with mechanical broadheads. Properly shot bears require zero blood trailing as they die within 30 yards most times. I rarely look for blood when I know the bear was hit well, just walk in the direction he ran and there they are.

 

[Kotaman]

I've taken several bears. The shortest blood trails have come from mechanicals. Every black bear hunt I do in the future will be with mechanicals. However, in your situation, I'd stick with the VPA's and call it good. Excellent fixed blade head.

 

[BackcountryBloodline]

I love shooting bears with mechanical broadheads. Properly shot bears require zero blood trailing as they die within 30 yards most times. I rarely look for blood when I know the bear was hit well, just walk in the direction he ran and there they are.

I've had to track them 100+ yards but like you said properly shot I've had them drop within a few yards running downhill. That said 30 yards in crazy thick pacific northwest reprod can be like a quarter mile in different terrain, have done some pretty interesting loops and zig zags while tracking as well. Doesn't look like that will be a big issue for the OP but I also prefer the widest cutting diameter mechanical I can get my hands on for bears. That Rinehart X-ring is definitely misleading as well, in my experience bears vitals are a bit farther back, a quartering away shot between the last 2 ribs exiting around where you would aim on a typical bear 3d target is the ideal shot. Any broadhead through the boiler room will do the job but it's thick where I hunt and I like to find them so I go for big mechanicals every time, haven't tried the sevrs but I may give those a try this spring

 

[BigWoods]

Thanks for all the experienced input!

Unfortunately the corn field got harvested yesterday ahead of today's big rain storm so I'm back to incidental bear hunting if one comes past while Muzzleloader hunting for deer.

 

[Spiral Horn]

Have had great luck on bears with both fixed and mechanicals. Bears expire quickly from a well placed arrow. As Kotaman already pointed out - if your setup is shooting well, no need to change anything to take a bear. Personally lIke QAD Exodus for a fixed head and Rage Hypodemics.

 

[shtrbc]

Have harvested a few bears over the years. I would agree that the shot placement should be further back than a typical deer shot. My buddy that is a guide/outfitter in MN told me 1/2 way up the body, dead center between the front and back legs. The lungs are further back on bears. All bears shot there have never gone more than 30 yards no matter which broadhead. With that being said have used Muzzy, Ulmer Edge, and Iron WIll, all with success.