Couldn't Agree More
I have killed a NJ bear with a powerbelt over 100 grains of 777. Bears are not as tough as people believe its shot placement. I will be using the x bow because my bear hotspot is within 450 feet of other houses. Perfectly legal with bow and just too close to illegal for me for the muzzle loader. I have been waiting since they started bear season in NJ to be able to use the bow for backyard bears. I have killed 4 bears and never thought of them as any tougher than deer. I would agree if you hit shoulder (like on a deer) penetration suffers.
I couldn't agree more. There is no reason why a 250 grain or larger muzzleloader round sent through the boiler room shouldn't drop a bear within 50-100 yards. Bears really don't die that hard in fact I have seen well shot deer go further than a poorly shot bear. It really is all about shot placement. That being said i would definitely shoot a tipped bullet versus a hollow point sabot as a bears thick coat could plug the tip and decrease expansion.
I can however say that I have lost two bears to mechanical broadheads. Rage to be precise (i hate them). The design of a Rage is a slip cam design and the long wiry hairs of a bear plug those small slip slots and affect blade deployment and suck up your impact energy. I would always recommend if your going to shoot bears with a bow to shoot a stout fixed blade like the G5, Montec or even Muzzy, Trocars. Make sure your bow is tuned as broadheads, especially fixed blade types, have a tendency of amplifying tuning issues.
Practice, practice, practice and all the rest should fall into place.
