I plan on black bear hunting in Pennsylvania this fall for the first time. I own a Model 29 (6 1/2'') and am looking for any advice on preparation for the hunt, scope and ammo recommendations (if any), and hunting day tips. Thanks in advance.

My revolvers wear 2 1/2X glass. I hunt in the jungles of western Oregon and fairly similar to your country in PA, as I remember. Lots of guys are using the Red Dots with good success. It your hunting area what would be your longest...and average shot? Are you stand hunting over bait? Are you a hand loader?

Bill in OR

Zeke, that model 29 will work great. Will you be hunting spot & stalk, over bait or maybe running them with dogs? What ammo you use will depend on what type of bear hunt you plan on. A scope works great unless you are in close & personal on a mad bear, then iron sights works best, lots of options when bear hunting.
If you are hunting spot & stalk I would use cast bullets (my preference) for everything. Many times you will have less than an ideal broadside shot so the cast slug will give you great penetration from any angle, I like that.
For hunting over bait or maybe standing next to a $2,000 hound you might want to select a good quality jacketed slug which "might" turn his lights out a little quicker than cast although I've never had that problem. A 240 gr XTP, Speer Gold Dot, etc or even better a 300 gr of the same make will finish the job with ease if place correctly. The heavy Speer Gold Dot weighs 270 grs & I've taken elk with it, great bullet!
Don't overpower your gun, what I mean is, shoot a load you can handle, not some over max load that gives heavy recoil & causes a flinch, hitting is more important than muzzle blast & could save you or a valuable hound. Black bears aren't hard to kill but they can cause you some grief if you mess up the shot.
If hunting over bait ( I don't do it) then I would have my gun cocked & have my left thumb between the frame & hammer, bears have superb hearing. I do this a lot when I get in close to any animal, its perfectly safe if you are careful. When doing this I just carry the gun in my left hand.
Busting both front shoulders is a good choice, it breaks them down & even if not finished they aren't going anywhere & you can give him a finisher.

Dick

I'll be stalking (which I've never done before).
In regards to bullet, I have been told that bullets easily glance off a bear's head - sometimes resulting in an angry bear. Would the cast bullet prevent this? BTW, I do not handload.
I also have not hunted in PA before - I'm actually from Michigan, so I have no experience with mountain hunting. I have in-laws that live near Williamsport, PA. They deer hunt out there and we are planning to bear hunt this fall for the first time. My brother-in-law has a .460 XVR. I got my 29. Definitely excited about this but cautiously trying to prepare for it as well.

Don't shoot at head ;-)

Seeing I haven't did this sorta hunting before, I can only guess that I'd be shooting from 50 - 100 yards tops. If anybody has a better clue on that, I'd like to hear it.

Good luck, I recently read an article about bear hunting Pennsylvania. They shoot some big bears there every year. They do not allow the use of bait or hounds. The season is fairly short. The article said that a lot of people there drive them like deer.

A 300 grain wid emeplat hard cast will bust his skull and that is for sure and for certain.

Welcome to the forum & the addiction Ezekiel 2517.
Sounds like you want to rain down wrath & vengance on them bears :-)
That's a good gun for the job.
I've carried an 8&3/8" version of the same gun for the same purpose.
My favorite combination is to team it with a 30mm Ultradot red dot sight.
For factory ammo I would use Federal 300gr Castcore.
I think with that sight & ammo you will be well equipped for the task at hand!

I'm taking notes... You guys have been helpful. I'm sure more questions will arise in the future...

Zeke, the head is only a target if it needs to be, but don't worry about glancing a decent bullet off the head, maybe in the old black powder days with slugs that were almost pure lead but not now. Lungs or front shoulders are pretty good places to shoot anything!

Dick

This is really good advice.

You've gotten some great advice.Probably the most important is this,"Don't overpower your gun, what I mean is, shoot a load you can handle, not some over max load that gives heavy recoil & causes a flinch, hitting is more important than muzzle blast & could save you or a valuable hound. Black bears aren't hard to kill but they can cause you some grief if you mess up the shot" by sixshot.

The 270 GD by Speer is pretty impressive as well as 300gr CastCore by Federal.Both loads have been accurate out of almost any gun I have shot or seen used,and recoil was not overly harsh.

Black bears are not particularly hard to kill. I don't really care for 300 grain bullets in the 29, so I'd use just a quality 240 grain bullet, or perhaps the Speer 270 grain Gold Dot on the heavy end.

Personally, I'd put a 2x scope on the 29. You don't really need it as far as magnification goes, but it allows you to pin point where you put your bullet. You want to put the bullet in the shoulder or tightly behind it - pretty much the same shot placement you would go for on a deer. If he's facing you, try to shoot him in the center of the chest. Don't shoot at the head unless he's super close and it's your only choice. You'll probably knock him right down with a shot like that, but beware that they can get back up VERY quickly. If you hit him in the head, be cautios and be ready to put another shot in him ASAP.

Still hunting for black bears is one of the most exciting things I've ever done. Hopefully you will be hunting while the acorns are falling ,as this is the best way to come across bears. When they're going hog wild eating acorns, they're pretty easy to sneak up on.

Have fun, be safe, and tell us how your hunt goes!

Best Wishes,
Brian.

I can’t find it online, but the American Hunter magazine, June 2006, pg. 46-49 has a GREAT, and I do mean great article on shooting bears.

If you can’t find it let me know and I will scan it...

I searched online for it and couldn't find it either. I'd certainly appreciate a scanned copy... Thanks.

Im from southwest PA and have a long time family camp in North Central PA, havent gotten a bear yet but go every year. The terrain is steep mountain slopes, deep hollows and lots of thick mountain laurel covered ridges and hollows. Your shots should be 25-75 yards with a 100yds being a long shot.
Spot and stalk the action can be fast paced and a scoped handgun you will need lots of practice picking up target possibly/probaly a moving target in thick cover. iron sights are best if you can shoot fast and accurate. Open style red dot for easy target acquistion is an oppition also. As far as loads Im a hardcast guy like most on here. Federal Castcore, Double Tap, anything that groups in your gun. Bear size can be anything from a small 50lbs to a true monster 400lbs+. They have been bears killed 600-700lbs. Its a great time in beautiful country have and good luck.

I will try to scan it tomorrow at work and email it to myself. LOL

Ezekiel, we hunt a lot of bears here in CA, mostly over dogs so many shots are limited to the height of the tree 15-20 yards. I see 25-30 bears killed a year and almost all of them are killed with 44 mags. Most people use standard 240gr factory loads, but I have come to love 300 gr XTP's or 300 gr LBT, WFN leads bullets. I have never seen a 44 mag bullet bounce off of a bears head before, and the head is where we tell people to aim, faster kills every time. The last thing you want is an angry bruin coming out of a tree when your are standing at the bottom of it.

If you are stalking, I wish you the best of luck. Just remember, bears are much smarter then people give them credit for. Hunting bears without dogs or bait is a challenge, the only succesful stalk hunt I have ever had, I used a rabbit distress call to locate the bear first. Have fun and be safe.

Adam

I got it scanned and emailed to myself. If you would like a copy let me know.

I also scanned a bear hunting article and one for shot placement on deer to compare.

Duane

TCTex, I wouldn't mind a copy of that article myself, if it would be possible.

Thanks,
Dewayne

PM me your email address Bro!!!

Most of the houndsmen that I know in Northern California that use handguns recommend the 44 Magnum for bear. Oddly enough, a goodly number of those that carry a rifle, use the old Savage 99 in .300 Savage. If nothing else, that will tell you that you do not need a cannon for bear. In factory ammo, the WW Partition Gold is very hard to beat from what I have seen. Although, there is absolutely nothing wrong with the Speer Gold Dot, which is what I use in my 480 Rugers, when I am not shooting cast.

TCTex, PM sent. Thanks!

Dewayne

I have photos I recently took of the 2011 model bears in PA. They are about 6 lbs each.[ I have no idea how to post photos] .My M29 will never see anything more than 280 gr , It's not necessary. Corbon DPX ,all copper Barnes, 225 gr. Federal Swift A-frame 270 gr. Gold Dot 'Deep Curl' 280 gr, like the Gold Dot but tougher construction. Practice, Practice !!
Biggest black bear in PA was 900 lbs ! Most though will be 250-350 lbs.A good heart/lung shot will take them down quickly.

I recieved the article, TCTex, very informative. Thanks

Thanks for the article TCTex and in my opinion Ian McMurchy is spot on.Most informative article I have read on the subject.Thanks again.

I have to agree, this is agreat piece!