Cartridges for the big bears, left to right: .325 WSM, 8mm Remington Magnum, .338 Win. Mag., .338 Remington Ultra Mag., .340 Weatherby Magnum. If you get into trouble with a big bear, a .375 or .416 would be better, but the author prefers the fast medium magnums in 8mm and .33 because they have more versatility.

I had just such a situation in the spring of 2005. It was my third attempt for one of those big, beautifully furred Arctic grizzlies, and this was the first chance I'd had at the kind of bear I was looking for. A stiff crosswind was blowing snow to near whiteout conditions, and the bear was on a moose kill across a broad expanse of clean snow.

Alaskan Master Guide Dave Leonard and the author with a big Arctic grizzly. Boddington had to take the shot in blowing snow at about 225 yards, so he was grateful for the flat-shooting, hard-hitting, versatile .325 WSM from his Kimber.

We got as close as we could, but there were ravens and they would surely give us away if we tried to cross that open snow. No rangefinder can work under such conditions, so I have no idea what the range really was--at least 200 yards, possibly 250, probably 225.

I was shooting a Kimber in .325 WSM. This was probably minimal for the job at hand, but it was powerful enough and flat-shooting enough. It was not a one-shot kill, but the bear was anchored short of timber. There are many cartridges that would have done as well and a few that might have done better, but if I hadn't been using a versatile, flat-shooting cartridge I couldn't have taken the shot at all.

All of the big bears may be taken at bayonet range or may require a bit of reach. A cartridge with the ranging capability and hitting power of the .35 Whelen is a good place to start. Better are the medium magnums from .325 WSM all the way up to .375. But with the strong possibility of a "take it or leave it" shot, my personal favorites for the biggest bears are the fast .33s: .338 Winchester Magnum, .338 Remington Ultra Mag, .340 Weatherby Magnum. And don't forget to choose a tough, heavy-for-caliber bullet.

AGAIN, FOLLOW-UP IS DIFFERENT
On a baited hunt for lion or leopard there may be a chance to change guns before taking the tracks. This is not likely with bear hunting. You will carry what you have, and it better be enough. Which is another rationale for going a bit heavier than is absolutely necessary.

If you have the ill fortune to have to follow a brown bear into the alder thickets you would probably be best-served by (again) a bigbore double, and a few Alaskan guides carry such cannons. Many others carry open-sighted .458s.

These are for backup, and they make sense, but you as the hunter need more reach than an open-sighted bigbore provides, so you're stuck. You will carry what you have, and what you have may be the only thing keeping you from getting munched. Keep this in mind when you choose your rifle for a bear hunt--any bear hunt. I personally know a lot more people who have been chewed by black bears than by all the rest put together. I'm sure it's a most unpleasant experience.