Bear vitals diagram

Bears are big, tough animals that are unforgiving when hit bad.

Section Navigation Section Navigation. Probably the biggest advantage of hunting over a bait station is the opportunity for good shot placement at close range, ensuring a clean kill. By properly setting up your bait container and cubby of logs in relationship to your tree stand or ground blind, you can force the bear into a proper angle to expose the vital areas. However, especially if you are bowhunting, you will get a clearer shot at this vital spot if you wait for the bear to move its nearest foreleg forward. If you are a bowhunter, take practice shots at your site to build your confidence from an elevated position. Always remember that a bear is a three-dimensional object, not flat like a paper target.

Bear vitals diagram

Cautiously easing our way down the trail, we saw two black bears gorging themselves on the lush green clover just out of archery range. Just 10 minutes earlier, my wife Heather and I had spotted them in the distance and we were now getting close. For our spot-and-stalk bowhunting, we hoped to get within at least 40 yards. We were hunting in early June so spring rains had already affected the grasses and the clover was already heavily covering linear corridors and open, south-facing areas. On one hand, it made for quiet walking. On the other, the taller grasses meant that Heather would have to carefully choose her shot opportunity. At one point, she went to full draw. With the bigger bear at 40 yards quartering away, the angle was good; she could have sent the arrow clear through its chest. Unfortunately, he saw us and bolted for cover before she could take the shot. In the end, that turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Minutes later, both bears emerged from cover another couple hundred yards down the trail. We waited until they went over a subtle rise then hustled and quickly gained on them. As luck would have it, we found the two boars, with one that had been chased up a tree.

Bears tend to leave significantly less-substantial blood trails than other game animals, mostly because of their physiology. I could see the glowing pin well, but my sight window was full of black fur! Additionally, bear vitals diagram, they often inhabit thick, dense brush making tracking conditions difficult.

This is mainly due to the black bears having heavier bones and hides compared to other big game animals. Another factor is black bears have long thick fur and layers of fat that can inhibit a good blood trail. So good shot placement results in a quick kill. When using a bow to hunt black bear it is imperative that the hunter knows how that arrow is designed to kill. Broadheads are designed to cut arteries and veins which results in blood loss. If the arrow hits both lungs this causes the lungs to collapse, which results in a fairly rapid death by suffocation. When using a firearm to hunt black bear it is imperative that the hunter knows what that bullet will do.

If you have the time, it is always best to let the animal turn and offer a broadside shot. Broadside means the animal is perpendicular to you, facing left or right, not looking at you or away from you. In a broadside situation, a shot placed behind the crease of the shoulder will result in the bullet traveling through both lungs. The lungs and heart are your primary target when trying to kill an animal. A hit in the liver can also produce a kill, but it is not quick. Shooting just behind the shoulder hits only minor bones in the ribs, preserving most of the meat.

Bear vitals diagram

After all the work to get within shooting distance of a big bear, you need confidence in your ability to make a great shot. Bears are big, tough animals that are unforgiving when hit badly. Many new bear hunters use shot placement and strategy derived from experience in deer hunting, but bear anatomy is slightly different. Here are five keys to making a great shot this spring. The impulse to rush the shot is probably the biggest mistake a bear hunter can make. My favorite shot is a broadside or slightly quartering shot with the nearside front shoulder forward or straight down. A broadside shot gives the most room for error and the greatest opportunity for the most lethal hit of all—a double lung shot. In my opinion, the heart shot is overrated.

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All of these positions are much different than a deer. Skinning, processing and transporting a bear are difficult tasks and may be impossible without assistance. However, I typically tend to favor just slightly forward of the middle. The truth is that bears are easy to kill and knowing where to shoot a bear is more important than the weapon or caliber you use. Just be aware that you will need to have a plan for controlling your motor functions during that surge of adrenaline. I had no idea where I was aiming. Cub sizes can vary widely by their first fall depending on food availability throughout the year, the fitness of the sow, and the number of cubs in a litter. Related posts. Hunting with firearms is more forgiving. The lungs of a pound buck are much larger than the lungs of a pound bear. Nick Hopkins.

I do bear hunting seminars at sports show across the Midwest each year, and I work in booths at these shows for some of the companies I partner with.

Put all this together, and these elements will go a long way in helping you close a tag on your next bear hunt. This will help lead to a quick and effective kill and minimize the chance for wounding the bear. Using a bonded or A-frame bullet grains and larger is most sensible. When they die, bears tend to melt to the ground, and if they fall in a depression, you may have to walk right on top of them to find them. Be patient. This article first appeared in Bear Hunting Magazine. I was able to quickly find all three bears based on where I last saw and heard them. Bears often have a thick layer of fat and long hair on their belly. Be patient. All Gear Content Hunting Fishing. The following dissection of a hog demonstrates proper shot placement for that species, but it can offer sportsmen guidelines for precise target selection on other game animals as well. When looking for a shot, always be patient. You may dismember the carcass to pack it out of the place of kill as long as all of the carcass parts are present at check in and the identity of the sex is not destroyed.