I own a bear camp in Edmunds Township, ME and have shot a bunch of bear, along with seeing clients bears taken.

First off - I always recommend open sights. Our baits are between 15-25 yards from the stands. The cover is thick and there is little opportunity to shoot further. We like fiber optic sights or we put a little glow-in-the-dark paint on the sights.

The average ME bear is around 175 pounds. Big ones can go up to 400 but that is rare. You don't need tremendous power.

We highly recommend bonded core bullets. We have seen a lot of bears run off without leaving a lot of blood. Premium bullets will (hopefully) leave and exit hole. The exit hole is very important.

Secondly, the first shot is most important. However, we encourage putting lead on the bear for as long as you can see it. If you can see black - out more rounds on it anywhere - as long as you know your first shot was right on.

Your choice of rifle should be made considering:

1) good sights for 25 yards
2) premium bullets
3) ability to quickly get off follow up shots.