Bear vitals diagram

After all the work to get within shooting distance of a big bear, you need confidence in bear vitals diagram ability to make a great shot. Bears are big, tough animals that are unforgiving when hit badly.

Bears are big, tough animals that are unforgiving when hit bad. Many new bear hunters carry with them shot placement and strategy derived from experience deer hunting. Here are five keys to making a great shot this spring. The impulsiveness to rush the shot is probably the biggest mistake that a bear hunter can make. My favorite shot is a broadside or slightly quartering shot with the onside 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. A bear has the body structure to put himself in all types of odd shapes.

Bear vitals diagram

Bear hunting is a physically demanding activity, especially removing a harvested bear from the woods. Pre-hunt planning is very important to a successful and rewarding bear hunting experience. Long before harvesting a bear, the hunter must decide how the meat will be processed and how the hide will be used. Hunters should arrange to have help available for all aspects of handling a harvested bear and have plans made ahead of time to ensure that the meat and hide are properly processed. Bears have a tremendous amount of fat and a thick hide that provide great insulation. Both the meat and the hide can spoil quickly especially at temperatures above freezing. A dead bear can be large and cumbersome. Skinning, processing and transporting a bear are difficult tasks and may be impossible without assistance. As a result, it is imperative that the hide be removed as soon as possible to prevent meat spoilage. In temperatures above freezing, if there is going to be a delay in getting your harvested bear to a cooler, you should consider quartering it to allow the heavier portions to cool more quickly.

I like to aim bit closer to the shoulder without hugging it too tight, bear vitals diagram. Long before harvesting a bear, the hunter must decide how the meat will be processed and how the hide will be used.

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.

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

Understanding where to shoot any game animal is important, but especially so with black bears because their anatomy is unique. At least one to two inches of the body mass is fat, and another three to four inches is long, thick hair. The very back of the lungs extend just past the mid-point of the body. The liver and kidney are immediately behind the lungs. An errant shot may hit too low, too far back or too far forward. Never take a shot when the bear is either standing and facing directly away from you, sitting or lying down. Bowhunters should limit their shots to when a bear is broadside, quartering away or standing and facing them. The heart and lungs are the only aiming points for archers, and that means hitting tight behind the shoulder and almost half-way up the torso, or right in the middle of the chest. For an unobstructed broadside shot, wait until the bear extends its leg forward, exposing its vitals. And as with bowhunting, a bear standing on its hind legs facing you will fully expose its vitals, presenting a great shot opportunity.

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On one hand, it made for quiet walking. Pull your eye away from the scope or peep and look at the bear with your naked eye, then look back through the aiming apparatus. Section Navigation Section Navigation. Last year I shot three black bears, and only one left any blood trail at all. Search Submit. Trophy Copper MeatEater Edition. Hide Section Navigation. Heavy bones, hides, and fat layers may prevent quick-clotting blood from dripping and leaving a good trail, making an injured bear hard to track. These opinions seem to be especially prevalent among folks who have never killed one. If you hold for the same spot you would on a broadside bear, you may not even kill the bear with this shot angle. High-percentage shots always involve aiming for the heart and lungs.

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For this reason, you should get very familiar with your area beforehand; know where the bear trails lead and where the main game trails are located. If you are a bowhunter, take practice shots at your site to build your confidence from an elevated position. If you follow a wounded bear too soon, its adrenaline will likely kick in and it may escape any efforts you make to track it. The reason for the popularity of this phrase has to do with the greater margin of error—a bear shot towards the front section of the gut usually dies fairly quickly. With all that hair, bears are notorious for not leaving much of a blood trail. The internet is full of opinions about the best broadheads or rifle cartridges for bears, where to shoot a bear, and blood trailing. If you like hunting over bait, be careful not to set your stand or blind too close or too high. A head shot is not recommended since a bear skull is very dense. How to Pick a Fly Box March 3, If you shoot tight to the shoulder, you risk losing the bear.