Broadhead for black bear

[Biathlonman]

What broadhead do you all like for black bear?  Will be out if a 50@28 bow drawn right at 28".  Arrows appear as if they will be in the 575-600gr. Range when finished.

[SEMO_HUNTER]

I've never hunted black bear, but just my opinion if I were to go after larger game than deer I would opt for a big 2 blade w/bleeders. Mainly because of the penetration factor, I'd want that broadhead to make it through both lungs and maybe some bone if need be.

I've used the Magnus Stingers and buzzcuts with very good success, they fly great and more than do the job. Only downside is I can't seem to get them razor sharp again, so I'm switching to Zwickey 155gr. 4-blade along with my old standy 125gr. Magnus Snuffers. I have no problem getting them razor sharp.

Good luck on your bear hunt, hope you get a Biggun!  

[R. W. Mackey]

You will get alot of oponions on this, as with most questions of this type. My preference is a big 3-Blade head, Bear are not that hard to bring down if hit properly. They have long thick hair that will absorb alot of blood, so I want a big hole for as good a blood trail as I can get on a marginal hit. I like the big 1 1/2" VPA Terminator, will leave a serious hole and blood trail.  RW

[bowtough]

Killed a nice black bear with a W.W.went about 20yds. and promptly died. Good head for bear if put in the right spot. 51# bow.  

[centaur]

I have killed a grand total of 1 bear. A Zwickey 2 blade put him down in 15 yards. Hit 'em in the right place, they fall down quickly.

[YORNOC]

I agree with Roy, the thick hair does clot up the blood.
I've shot 5 blackies, from 140 to over 400 lbs. All I ever used was a two blade zwickey eskimo. Keep quiet after the shot, none of my bears went more than 60 yards. I gave them all over an hour of my being deadly still in my stand even though the shots looked good.
I think a 3 blade would be great, I just never tried one...the zwickey's made short work of every bear. But again...DEAD silence, no movement after the shot. Let them calm down and lay down.

[TURKEYFOOTGIRL]

Any hear you use for deer is perfect for bear.  I will be using Simmons Tigersharks or treesharks this year for bear.  Bear dont always put a lot of blood on the ground so I like to try to optimize the bloodtrail with these big two blades.

[BOSS]

razor sharp

[joe skipp]

Sergio and Roger Rothaar convinced me back in 1986 that the 160 gr Snuffer would work just fine. Took their advice and never looked back....

 

 

 

[JamesKerr]

Use whatever head you can get the sharpest. It doesn't matter if it's a 2 blade, 3 blade, or 4 blade. The key to killing any animal with a bow or gun for that matter is not what type of broadhead you use or how heavy your bow is. Shot Placement is what kills.

[buckeye_hunter]

The one in my avatar was shot with a 150 grain 2 blade Magnus from a 53 lb bow with arrows right at 600 grains.  70-80 yards was the total distance she ran before dying. Not much for a blood trail with a high double lung. We killed 12 bears with everything from 2 blades to 4 blades. They all worked fine with good shot placement. My arrow never even seemed to slow down and stuck deep in the dirt on the other side of the sow.

Good luck! Bear meat is by far my favorite game fare to this point.

[Manitoba Stickflinger]

Any sharp one that flys good will do. I've shot bears from 125 lbs to well over 500 lbs, with bows from 44 to 85 pounds and with most style heads available. They all seem to work well....and the few I hit in the chest even worked better!

[L. E. Carroll]

I had very good luck with a 250 gn 1 1/4" VPA Terminator 3 blade mounted to a GT5575 cut to 29 5/8" for a total wt of 585 out of a 58# Kwyk Styk.   My shot resulted in marginal liver hit (complete "Pass thru") on a nice Boar in Alaska... Long tracking job, but recovering him at all, was only made possible by what blood was a available along the way... I credit the recovery of my bear to the broadhead I was using.  

[CRS]

I will second what has been said above.
1. Sharp
2. Any broadhead that works for deer, will suffice.
3.  Did I mention sharp?
4.  Any that flies perfectly out of your bow.
5.  Sharp
6.  This is a given but needs to be stated again.  Shot placement, shot placement, & shot placement.  

A sharp broadhead in the correct spot is a proven recipe for success.

[rdoggsilva]

Originally posted by CRS:
I will second what has been said above.
1. Sharp
2. Any broadhead that works for deer, will suffice.
3.  Did I mention sharp?
4.  Any that flies perfectly out of your bow.
5.  Sharp
6.  This is a given but needs to be stated again.  Shot placement, shot placement, & shot placement.  
A sharp broadhead in the correct spot is a proven recipe for success.

Some darn good advice.

[Ray Lyon]

Shot placement is paramount on bears. I could repeat this 10 times and it wouldn't be any less important.  I've shot 3 bears, all double lung shots and all went 60 yards or less. One with 3 blade razorcap, 2 with Zwickey 2 blade Delta.  I've been with a friend on hunts and his two bears killed went 50 yards or less, same double lung hits.  Look at bear anatomy posters on the top of this forum.  Make sure you have sharp heads and low shot angle if hunting from tree stand (when baiting, many stands are close to the bait, so if you get to high, you risk missing the solid two lung hit). I've not seen any of our stands higher than 10 feet at the base for bears and preferably in a pine tree for cover. If you are hunting over bait, let him commit and take a relaxed shot. Let yourself calm down.  I've taken 1 bear stalking in Montana and 2 over bait. All were broadside or slight quartering away, which is a good shot angle. Penetration is not an issue on black bears.  I personally like three blades now, but that's only a personal preference.  Four of the recoveries I was on were Zwickey Delta 2 blades and they were all short.

Shot placement, shot placement.  Good luck and have fun.

[wingnut]

Nothing special for bear as far as broadheads.  They are thin skinned and die very easy.  Put your deer arrow in the right spot and they are done.

Mike

[owlbait]

I've only killed 1 bear. Shot it at 12 yards. It traveled 9 yards and died while roaring and tearing up some saplings. 2 blade Zwickey. Like wingnut said" thin skinned and die very easy" and if they do it before your very eyes, it is memorable!

[hunt it]

Thin skinned animal use a sharp 3 blade of your choice for optimal blood trail. No shortage to choose from, Muzzy Phantom comes to mind. If 2 blade is your thing then a Tuff Head would be my choice.

[Bowwild]

LIke others, I have killed two with same broadhead I used to deer hunt with -- Bear Razorhead without the bleeder. An exit hole is pretty nice to have as the long hair is really good at soaking up blood.

According to work done in Canada more than 20 years ago, double-lung arrowed bear travel, before dying, about 1/3rd the distance as white-tail deer -- 50 yards vs. 150 yards.