Bear defense

[Gator Monroe]

it's obvious you guys aren't organic farmers
you should see the tomatoes I grow in goose poo
shovel it into a 5 gal bucket every week and age it
some hot stuff - have to let it age for months before I use it


rjmt

We are more Bat Guano people ...

 

[rjmt]

On a serious note, anytime I'm in bear country, which is often, I carry a .44 mag... Black bears 99% cut and run as soon as they scent or sight a human, however, if it has one of those days, a .44 will do the trick...

a cut down Mosin 19/30 should do the trick
5 rnds of 54R should handle most bears

rjmt

 

[Flymph]

View attachment 438909

That's the old adage i've been talking about! LMAO

 

[Certaindeaf]

a cut down Mosin 19/30 should do the trick
5 rnds of 54R should handle most bears

rjmt
View attachment 438955

 

[tac]

true - true - on the bear bells.
we've been out here 20 years - from day one, the kids would hike in the woods with hiking sticks with bear bells
not bear or cougar ever challenged them or I, when they knew we were around from the bells
I've seen a cougar at 50 yds, but no closer, when they knew I was there
prevention beats reactive protection any day

rjmt

Then there's that story about a bunch of wood-tourists asking the ranger how to tell the difference between puma and bear scat - his answer was that the bear scat us often full of little bells.....

tac

 

[Dan Adams]

A friend who worked in the Fairbanks hospital ER a few decades ago, wrote an article for the Alaska magazine about why to carry a gun for bear defense. His story in brief: after setting up camp on a mountain, he walked a bit above tree line for the view. A grizzly caught scent of him and started ambling quickly toward him from a couple hundred yards away. Grizzlies amble pretty fast, according to my friend, so he turned and started hustling back to camp. Looking back, he saw the bear was only about 50 yards behind him. So he pulled out his .44 mag and stood his ground, afraid to move. Apparently in his new position, his scent wasn't carrying to the bear. The bear stood up, sniffed the air for a couple of minutes--my friend said it felt like a half hour--before giving up the chase and heading back up the mountain. My friend's conclusion? You carry a big gun not to kill bears but to give yourself the fortitude (that's "guts" in case you need to know) to stand still until the bear goes away. Because if you're moving, the bear can see you even with its poor eyesight, even if he can't smell you.

 

[tac]

Bear story #42 [I have dozens].

A pal and I were off to find ourselves a nice-sized bear with a view to ending up with goulash/bear pie/fricassee. He was wearing the usual outdoor hunting gear, including his spiffy new $350 Scarpa hunting boots. He looked at me, noticing my Nike runners, and snorkled - 'hey, dude, you know that you're not going to able to run faster than a bear, right?'

I responded - 'I don't have to be able to run faster than a bear - I just have to be able to run faster than you...'

tac

 

[The Heretic]

Disclaimer: I have spent months in Alaska in areas where bears frequent, including the Kenai peninsula. I have also spent time in Montana, including in GNP and a few other areas where bears are known to be a problem. I once spent an afternoon off from work in Yellowstone. I have a bear that crosses my property from time to time (others have seen them and cougars). I have hunted both WA and Orygun for years until I could no longer make the treks required.

I have never seen a bear in the wild. I have seen their fecal matter (yes, they do **** in the woods) and their tracks (including brown bear tracks in Alaska).

I do not feel threatened by the fact that bears and cougars are in the woods. I carried often in Alaska and Montana, but I am regularly out in the woods on my property with little more than a pocket knife. I feel more threatened by dogs - both domestic and feral - I've seen them attack other dogs and humans and I've had them chase me and act very aggressively.

More people are attacked and injured/killed by moose than by bears. More people than that have been attacked and injured/killed by domestic dogs.

So, I have noticed the frequent topics here and there "what is the best bear gun/caliber".

Given that a full sized brown bear was once taken down by a woman with a .22 rimfire rifle, I would say whichever one you have with you at the time - which is why my choice is a S&W 329PD because if I am going to carry something, I want it to be light enough to be hardly noticeable and I don't mind that it is a pain to shoot - I can handle it if necessary.

Which brings me to this article which I just now stumbled onto:

Defense Against Bears with Pistols: 97% Success rate, 37 Incidents

Update: Handgun or Pistol Against Bear Attack: 93 cases, 97% Effective

Three failures out of 93 cases where guns were used to defend against bears translate to a 97% success rate for the use of guns against bears.

www.ammoland.com

 

[Alexx1401]

Update: Handgun or Pistol Against Bear Attack: 93 cases, 97% Effective

Three failures out of 93 cases where guns were used to defend against bears translate to a 97% success rate for the use of guns against bears.

www.ammoland.com

Interesting read. I liked this part from it:

<If the use of the handgun stopped the attack, it was a success whether the bear was killed immediately, or left the scene, as long as it stopped attacking. >
That of course is the ultimate goal, get the bear to not eat you. I noticed a lot of them were Blacks which are of course generally a lot easier to deal with. Even with the Browns a lot of success. While any hand gun is far from ideal in bear country it certainly beats praying.

 

[Dan Adams]

A friend, Marty, who's also a doctor did his residency in Juneau, and frequently hiked in bear country--as I did when living in Libby, Montana. Marty had an article about hiking in bear country that was published by Alaska magazine in the early 1970s. In it he explained why you want to carry a large caliber rifle or handgun. One time while his camping partners were setting up the tent, Marty took a hike above treeline to see the sunset. There he noticed a very large bear and decided to hustle back to camp. I can't tell you what kind of bear. But it also noticed Marty and started rambling toward him. When large bears "ramble," they cover a lot of ground. So when Marty looked behind him again, the bear had already cut the distance in half. Remembering what he had been told to do in that case, he stopped and stood as still as he could. Which he managed to do because he had his .44 Magnum revolver strapped to his chest. When the bear was within about 50 yards, Marty said it was all he could do not to turn and run for his life; instead, he got a good grip on the wheelgun and cocked the hammer. The bear apparently lost his scent and stood on its hind legs to search for him. Fortunately, bears don't have great eyesight, and after a couple of minutes, decided to ramble back the way it came. The moral of Marty's story: You go into bear country with the biggest gun you can handle well, not because you might need to use it but for the confidence it will give you to stand your ground and not give your position away to a hungry carnivore.

 

[tac]

Best bear defence is to go to the woods with a pal who has a bad knee.

 

[Andy54Hawken]

Best bear defence is to go to the woods with a pal who has a bad knee.

To be polite...should you bring some salt , pepper or other condiments for the bear...?
Andy

 

[tac]

See also post #87.

 

[The Heretic]