When most folks hear the terms bull and bear in the same conversation, thoughts frequently turn to current stock market trends. In this case however, the bear is actually Ursus Americanus one of Maine’s popular big game quarries, and the bull refers to a specific brand of handgun, the Raging Bull manufactured by Taurus International. This story recants how I brought these two entities together during last month’s black bear hunt.
Seeking added challenge about 10 years ago, I decided to try bear hunting using a handgun. Since that first successful season I’ve carried a different caliber, model and style of revolver or pistol each autumn.
Some years I refused shots because bear were too small, while other times the bruin just wouldn’t present a comfortable shot situation. Still, including this season I’ve managed to tag seven bear with seven very different handguns in only 10 years.
During May, I actually hadn’t given much consideration to what handgun might fit the bill for a hunt five months away, I just happened to be in a sporting goods shop picking up some spring trolling gear and figured why not saunter through the firearms department. That’s where I spotted the pre-owned stainless steel Taurus Raging Bull revolver with an 8 3/8 inch barrel chambered in .454 Casull.
The previous owner had used this well constructed hand-cannon for longer distance shooting so an expensive mount and scope topped the revolver. I held it, aimed it, inspected it, yes, even fondled it, — and fell in love. The high magnification scope wouldn’t work for close up bear hunting, and the store owner refused to sell the gun separately, so I headed home to contact Taurus directly.
Taurus is actually a Brazilian based firm that produces a wide range of high quality long-guns and handguns, but product popularity has risen so much in the U.S. that Taurus opened an international office in Florida. For many years, I’ve been a member of the Outdoor Writers Association of America and Taurus happened to be one of our many supporting companies. Carlos Vazquez-Pausa, national sales manager for the Sunshine state plant, fielded my phone call, listened to my request and placed an order in the system for a new Raging Bull to field test.
My next phone call was to Michael Shovel, national sales manager for Cor-Bon ammunition. From years of personal experience and extensive research I’ve found no better handgun hunting ammo than that produced by Col-Bon and I wanted his advice on the best load. I filled Mike in on the gun to be used and the target game animal, and after a bit of research he called back to confirm my order for two boxes of 285 grain BC .454 Casull shells. At 1700 FPS with a muzzle energy of 1829 foot pounds, one well placed shot should dispatch any size bear quickly and efficiently.
Speaking of “well placed shots”, when Yunier Hernandez, a technical expert for Taurus called to confirm my gun had been shipped, we got onto the subject of open sight options. He informed me that no high-viz, fiber optic or white outlined open sights were supplied on the Raging Bull since most hunters opted for scopes to accommodate long range shooting.
Since most big black bear tend to show up at dusk and thick tree cover and heavy brush further reduce ambient shooting light, black sights weren’t going to cut it. Without some major gunsmithing to install a set of non-factory open sights my options were limited, and it was only 10 days before the first day of bear season. There was one other possibility however, so I asked Yunier to send along a scope mount with “the Bull” and got ready to make another phone call.
Ultra Dot makes several models of red dot sights for rifles, shotguns, and handguns used for hunting or target shooting. After only a couple of minutes of explanation, Ultra Dot CEO Tom Roach explained why his Ultra Dot Four sight was perfect for bear hunting in general and the Raging Bull in particular.
Ultra Dot Four has no magnification, making it perfect for close shots, and with only the turn of a dial the hunter can select from four different size dots for precise target or animal acquisition.
On top of that there are 12 dot intensity levels to provide a clear sighting point regardless of how bright or dusky the ambient light condition. Lightweight and compact, yet durable enough to withstand repeated recoil form even heavy hitters like the .454, the Ultra Dot Four far surpasses open sights and large scopes for many shooting ventures.
Barely a week before opening day, my entire shooting package was finally assembled and I headed to the range. Ported, well balanced, and properly weighted with top rate soft grips, the Raging Bull easily handled the brutal recoil of Cor-Bon hunting loads, and sight-in was a cinch with the Ultra Dot four. On a second visit two days later, my final trio of shots with the accurate Cor Bon shells at 50 yards could easily be covered with a silver dollar.
As you’ve probably surmised, I got my bear; two days prior to the end of the season “The Bull” proved to be all it was cracked up to be. It was a good bruin, but not a great one, and a bit anti-climactic in the end. I sat on stand nine nights, three of which I saw no bear at all, but during the other six evenings I enjoyed 14 sightings. Obviously, some were the same bears, but then on my very first evening I watched three bear at one time.
Tagging my seventh bear with a different handgun was rewarding, but selecting the gun, the shells, the red dot sight, then combining them and preparing for the hunt – I’m not sure that wasn’t just as exciting!
