I hunt upstate NY, the bears are similar in size I think and the average here has been around 150 lbs. For me I would take my FA 454, but if I were to take my 44 I would go with 260 -300 gr hard cast with a large meplat, ie. WFN to get your best shot at 2 holes. Bears don't don't tend to bleed much even when hit with rifle, so if your track of land is small you'll need to anchor him quickly. Just my 2 cents worth...Good luck!