Hunters, best caliber when in Brown bear country.

[Boarhuntor]

All grizzlies are brown bears but not all brown bears are grizzlies. Hope that clears it up

Nope:

1. you might notice, the question was addressed to another "biologist"
2. Wrong answer, brown bears are not a color of a bear but a specie, as well as black bears who can have different colors, even "blonds" but they are still black bears.

For further clarification, if you have more doubts, please read

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brown_bear

"Hope that clears it up"

[htm8569]

Uh I know. Brown bears= Ursus arctos. Grizzlies =Ursus arctos horriblis
Grizzlies are brown bears without access to marine resources.
Pope and young/ Boone and Crockett separates the 2 by whatever lives within 100 miles of the coastline I believe.

[htm8569]

Brown bear


Grizzly bear


Toklat blonde grizzly (color phase)



Grizzly


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[htm8569]

Friend of a friends brown bear. The claws are kinda awesome.


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[cannon]

A .25acp is all one needs. Simply shoot your hunting partner in the knee and start running. The bear won't get YOU that way.

This and a 30 06.

[Bull Elk]

Both brown bears and grizzly bears are Ursus Arctos - colloquially known as the ‘Grizzly Bear’. In the US there is no difference, the subspecies for both is Horribliss.

Lots of research states that brown bears are grizzlies that live on the coast and are basically carnivores who predominantly feed on fish and other marine derived food. Grizzlies on the other hand live further inland and typically do not have access to marine-derived food. Grizzlies also supplement their diet with plant life. While brown bears and grizzlies are of the same species, the grizzlies are considered a separate sub-species who generally may weigh 200-700 pounds less than a coastal brown bear or Kodiak brown bear.

Now, putting that all aside, I wouldn't want to run into either a brown bear, grizzly bear or Kodiak brown bear under any circumstances; however, if I did, I want to be properly armed and have a can of bear spray that I've practiced using over and over again before I stepped foot in bear county.

[Bull Elk]

could you please elaborate on the differences between browns and grizzlies?


..

Same species with the grizzly considered to be a sub-species of the brown bear. Brown bears generally live on the coast and have a diet that includes fish and other marine life. Grizzlies generally live further inland and do not have the same access to the marine life food as a brown bear, thus, brown bears typically tend to weight 200-700 lbs more than a grizzly. Actually, the Kodiak brown bear is also a sub-species of the Alaskan brown bear and tend to be the largest of the these three bears.

But lets be honest, grizzly, brown or Kodiak bears---any of the three can and will kill you. Whatever you hunt and where ever you hunt where these bears live, be prepared. Personally, I'd have a handgun (along with my rifle) and a can of bear spray that I've practiced with over and over so that I could operate it without looking or thinking. Interestingly, many of the bear guides that I know of and have met preach the use of bear spray over a hand gun, but also prefer to have a shotgun as added protection.

[CVShooter]

Assuming you shoot them the same & they're equally the same to carry & shoot, .30-06. But that's more for the hunting of elk, not really for the bears. An '06 gives a slight edge in power over longer ranges as you have a 180 gr bullet flying faster out of the '06 than a 150 gr bullet out of the .308. But within most hunting distances, it's only a slight edge. Get within 200 yards &, for all practical purposes, it's a wash.

For the bears at defensive ranges, it doesn't matter either. both have plenty of "stopping power." But if you're carrying a long gun, I'd rather have a shotgun with slugs over a rifle for short ranges. A cousin of mine used to work for Alaska F&G & she carried a slugged 12 ga when out in bear country on research projects. Whatever the pros use is what I'd trust.

Bear in mind (excuse the pun), the firearm is intended as backup to good judgment & possibly bear spray. A conflict avoided is much preferred over having to use a firearm defensively against any 4-legged or 2-legged attacker. Plenty of folks bow hunt without sidearms in grizzly country leaning heavily on being aware of your surroundings & using good judgment. And even when attacked, plenty of people survive with some outpatient care as long as they can keep their cool under that kind of stress. Above all, just remember that if a bear finds your elk, it becomes his/her elk, regardless of whose name is on the tag. Prepare to give up some pride in exchange for your life & limb at any time & you'll be fine.

[NapalmCheese]

Well you learn something new every day: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subs..._of_brown_bear

Lots of research states that brown bears are grizzlies that live on the coast and are basically carnivores who predominantly feed on fish and other marine derived food. Grizzlies on the other hand live further inland and typically do not have access to marine-derived food. Grizzlies also supplement their diet with plant life. While brown bears and grizzlies are of the same species, the grizzlies are considered a separate sub-species who generally may weigh 200-700 pounds less than a coastal brown bear or Kodiak brown bear.

Now, putting that all aside, I wouldn't want to run into either a brown bear, grizzly bear or Kodiak brown bear under any circumstances; however, if I did, I want to be properly armed and have a can of bear spray that I've practiced using over and over again before I stepped foot in bear county.

[USMCM16A2]

I will have bear spray, as will the guide. California’s Grizzlies were some of the largest ever. I read an account where one of the largest was shot out in Canyon Country in or about 1873 it weighed 2300 pounds. It was weighed at the rail road station scale. Holy ****, 2300 pounds. A2

[MARKFP]

I've read many similiar articles, some of the largest " california grizzlys " were known to exsist in what is now the San Berdo national forest.

[MJB]

When the bears don't have to hibernate for an extended period of time they tend to hold their weight and get much bigger, of course genetics & evolution all play a role.

[NapalmCheese]

I will have bear spray, as will the guide. California’s Grizzlies were some of the largest ever. I read an account where one of the largest was shot out in Canyon Country in or about 1873 it weighed 2300 pounds. It was weighed at the rail road station scale. Holy ****, 2300 pounds. A2

That would be a big *** bear.

The thing to remember about bear spray, and where CalGuns tends to get it wrong, is that bear spray is most useful as a deterrent and stand-off weapon to prevent attacks. Seems on this board people are only concerned with the actual attack portion of getting eaten and figuring out how to kill a bear vs. just not getting attacked.

As I said previously, your first line of defense is awareness. Your second line of defense is giving up the elk you just shot and field dressed. The third line of defense is using your horses to ride off while the bear is eating your elk's guts. Your fourth line of defense is to use your bear spray to create an uncomfortable fog of pepper that will hopefully dissuade the bear from getting any closer to you should it be invading your space. Your final line of defense is to shoot it. Chances are, if you don't hit it in the CNS on the first shot (how are you going to break its shoulders when it's charging you?) you're going to get hurt.

When the bear is charging you and you are preparing to shoot it, you're aiming for a 4-5 inch wide vertical stripe going from just over the head to just about the jaw. Charging bears lower their head so if you shoot over their head you have a chance of hitting them in the spine. The top of the head can (and has) deflected bullets, so a good penetrating round with a hard sharp meplat is your best bet there. Bears have big lungs and a lot of oxygenated blood; shooting one in the lungs or heart isn't going to immediately incapacitate it.

As the training I took for my stay at a long range radar base in the Arctic circle said, "if you have to shoot a bear, shoot to kill".

But yeah, chances are you won't have any problems. When I'm hunting around bears I like to fetch up my dead animal as quickly as possible and get it field dressed as soon as I can. I drop the guts (keeping the parts I want) and move the dressed animal 100 yards from the gut pile (or move the gut pile if moving the animal is impracticable). I have often come back the next day to find that the entire gut pile is gone except for the stomach contents and the grease spot that was the gut pile is surrounded by bear, dog, and crow tracks. If I'm alone I often have a sidearm otherwise I don't bother carrying the extra weight.

[bigbossman]

I'm thinking that the best caliber for hunting in bear country is the one my partner is using.