There’s something about the 6.5 Creedmoor that brings out the worst in people. On both sides of the coin, there are people who are so emotionally attached to their beliefs about this cartridge that it almost becomes part of their personality. In my time at Outdoor Life, I’ve seen these battles rage on in the comments sections and always wondered why it’s such a polarizing cartridge.
To be fair, I had zero experience with it prior to the spring of 2024, so perhaps I just didn’t know enough to develop strong feelings about it. Growing up in the big woods of Pennsylvania, the main rifle I’d used for big game was always the .30/06, which never let me down. But I’ve never been against shooting other cartridges either. I guess that’s why I’ve always found the fighting over the 6.5 creed so foolish.
Then in May, I was given the unique opportunity to form my own opinions about the 6.5 Creedmoor while hunting for black bear in northern Alberta with W&L Guide Services on an invite from Mossberg, Swarovski, and Hornady. The trip fell smack dab in the middle of May, so the spring bear season was in full swing by the time we arrived in camp. If all went to plan I’d get to shoot two big Alberta bears with the 6.5 Creed.
W&L has been guiding spring black bear hunts for over 20 years. The accommodations made for a great camp atmosphere.
Welcome to Alberta
After enduring the flights and 8-hour bus ride to camp, we arrived with time to hunt for six days. We would be sitting over bait from elevated platforms located deep in the bush. Having hunted black bears very little in my life, I was both nervous, and excited about the chance to see them up close and personal.
As our guides refreshed the bait, we checked our rifles and scopes to make sure they didn’t get bounced around during our travels. For my hunt, I chose the Mossberg Patriot Predator paired with a Swarovski Z8i 1.7-13.3×42 and 143 grain Hornady Precision Hunter ELD-X bullets. I didn’t worry about assessing the true accuracy potential of this rig since my likely shooting distance on this hunt was going to be about 50 yards. I can say that at that range my average group size was well under an inch — as it should be.
The author’s setup was ideal for black bears.
After confirming the rifle, scope, and ammo combination was ready to roll, we loaded into the trucks for our first evening sit. We drove for about 45 minutes and then pulled into a trailhead and took off on a four-wheeler for another 25 minutes to finally arrive at the stand deep in the bush.
The view from my stand on the first evening of the hunt.
Unfortunately, the bears didn’t get the memo that evening. Other than a few sticks snapping in the distance, it was a long, five hour sit with only a few pine squirrels munching on leftover marshmallows to keep me company.
A Long Week in the Stand
That first sit with no action would become the norm for me. As other hunters in camp watched bears on bait during their first and second hunts, I sat idly, biding my time.
By the end of the third day, I was the only hunter in camp who hadn’t seen a bear yet. But, growing up in the big woods has its lessons: You get used to not seeing critters every time out. So I wasn’t too downtrodden heading into our fourth day afield. That evening, all of my bad luck washed away and I got to experience something most people never will: A wolverine came by my stand and put on a show for about 20 minutes.
The wolverine spotted me from the base of my ladder. The encounter left the hair on the back of my neck standing up.
After the wolverine sighting, however, it was right back to long hours spent without any action. By the end of the fifth day, I still hadn’t had an encounter. The other hunters in camp, along with the guides, were all dumbfounded by my bad luck. Other hunters were seeing five to six bears in an evening. I knew I had to switch things up.
A Last-Day Hail Mary
On the final day of the hunt, the idea of sitting for another six hours in an elevated platform without any action had me itching to hunt any other way. So, after some consideration, I talked with one of the guides, Shane, who agreed that we could take a crack at still-hunting.
The new tactic brought new hope. As we departed camp while the others enjoyed their lunch, I shouted that we would be back soon with both my tags filled.
When we arrived at the trailhead, Shane and I unloaded the trailer and took off down a cut line in the direction of the first bait barrel. After a quarter mile, we turned a corner and, to my surprise, spotted a black bear about 300 yards away. I hit the deck and handed Shane my El Range 10×32 binoculars so he could get a better look. Once we both had glass on the bear, we were able to determine that he was a mature boar. Even better, he was slowly closing the distance between us.
After what seemed like an eternity, the boar had waddled his way to 200 yards. By this point, the initial nerves had worn off, and my breathing was under control. I simply needed a broadside shot. As the boar slowly turned to take a trail into the bush, I settled the crosshairs and squeezed.
The light recoil allowed me to watch the impact, right where I had aimed. The boar lunged forward and disappeared. Shane and I were confident in the shot, but decided to give him some time, just in case. After 30 minutes had passed, we crept down the cut line and found the boar piled up not 10 feet from where he’d been hit.
The boar measured out at 6’6”, a solid first black bear.
I was in awe of the bear’s size, and in the performance of the 6.5 Creed. The bloodtrail was short, obviously, but substantial thanks to the entry and exit wounds. Of course, a single shot on a single animal doesn’t amount to any kind of data set, but still: The cartridge’s performance on this bear, an approximately 350-pound boar, inspired confidence in my setup and cartridge selection.
After loading up the bear and helping refresh bait barrels nearby, Shane and I still-hunted a few other areas. When we reached the final trailhead, I was still grinning from ear to ear.
We were making our way down the trail toward the last bait site when we heard a loud growl ahead of us. After a few more steps, we saw a giant boar stand up on his hind legs and stare through the bush at us, only 20 yards away.
It was clear he wasn’t sure if he should investigate or run, but when he touched his front paws to the ground, it seemed as though he had made up his mind that he was coming our way. I quickly settled the crosshairs and squeezed off a shot, sending him into a tailspin before crashing down just 10 yards away.
The second boar measured in at 7’1”, a bear that will be tough to beat.
That was the kind of hair raising encounter, that some might argue requires a magnum rifle cartridge for more “knockdown power” (though this is a myth). With this close range shot, I was yet again impressed by the performance of the 6.5 Creed. The bullet entered the brisket, just below the neck and between the two front shoulders. It exited on the left side of the bear, near the last rib after pounding through the top of the heart and lungs. Internally, the hemorrhaging made it clear that the bullet maximized damage.
Cumulatively, the bears made it about 13-yards after impact, with entrance and exit wounds creating extensive blood trails over the short distances. Which left me wondering, why on earth would hunters despise such a productive cartridge?
A Look at Black Bears and the 6.5 Creedmoor
After returning from my trip, I was only more intrigued by the 6.5 Creed. I couldn’t think of anyone better to ask about it than OL’s staff writer, Tyler Freel, who has taken lots of game with the 6.5, and even hunted a grizzly with it in 2023. Freel’s point? The only thing remarkable about killing a big grizzly bear with a 6.5 Creedmoor is that people think it’s remarkable.
Frankly, the 6.5 Creedmoor is an ideal cartridge for black bear. A great black bear cartridge needs to do a lot of damage, be accurate, and allow you to shoot it well, without excessive recoil. From my limited experience, and Freel’s extensive experience, the 6.5 Creedmoor checks all of those boxes.
“Black bears are not hard to kill. They have a large vital zone and if you hit them there, they won’t be going far,” he says. “The key for taking any game is taking the time to make a good shot. When it comes to the 6.5 Creedmoor, the cartridge and bullet are more than capable of doing the damage necessary.”
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According to Freel, and the results I experienced in the field, my setup was ideal for black bear hunting in almost every condition. It gave me the ability to make accurate, close-range shots, and also to shoot accurately at longer distances. As for the performance after the shot, Freel hit the nail on the head.
“As a baseline, if you’re choosing and taking ethical, careful shots, a good 140- or 143-grain 6.5mm bullet will kill stuff just as dead, and often just as quickly as bullets that are a little bit larger, fired at similar velocities.”
When comparing the Creed to the .30/06 paired with Core-Lokts I grew up with, my eyes were opened even more. With a 50-yard zero, the two cartridges are vastly different at 200 yards. Simply put, the 6.5 Creedmoor has a better trajectory, higher velocity, and more energy than the Core-Lokt load at 200 yards.
Now, for the sake of argument, I also added the Nosler 180-grain Partition to the comparison chart to prove that there are definitely .30/06 loads that can out-perform the Creedmoor on paper at that distance. But of course, they bring much more recoil. These stats above really only show performance on paper, but none of them are real metrics for measuring the effectiveness of a load in the field.
For me, I’d rather take less of a punch to the shoulder knowing the downrange performance remains quite similar, if not better with the 6.5 Creed.
Although I’m sure some of you will, it’s hard to argue with the results. As someone who had never fired a round of 6.5 Creedmoor ammo prior to this trip, I’d encourage all big game hunters to at least try it. Either way, when it comes to hunting black bears, I won’t be reaching for anything else.
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