Carry gun in the Coeur d'Alene area...Grizzlies?

[ikemay]

Just another bunch of idiots!

Hmmm, ok.

 

[Argonaut]

I agree with KKG. Make noise and you likely won't have to worry about close encounters. The Missus and I frequently do day hikes to Blossom and Revette Lakes up near Murray, ID. Usually in the deep summer (August) and we've never had problems, though we also have our dogs with us (a couple big fellas, 100+lbs each). If you were visiting up north around Priest Lake, I'd say you should take extra precautions, as there are grizzlies and lots of black bears up there.

I haven't heard of any grizzly issues around CDA, however. Not to say it's completely out of the question. I usually have my .45 with me. That plus my loud dogs, and a wife that I can outrun makes me feel pretty secure out there.

Well reasoned comments. I have always felt that a 45 (ACP or LC) is adaquate for personal defense......it will always be close.....bears don't like dogs and unless cornered will run when they appear, even a smaller dog intimidates them. I am going to the Priest lake area to get a rug soon. We were on the Lochsa last week but only saw moose, deer, eagles and hundreds of turkeys.

 

[Tony617]

If I am going hiking in bear country in Idaho I would take a 12 gauge shotgun and load it with Brenneke Black Magic slugs. I know carrying a shotgun is heavier than carrying a sidearm. I will carry bear spray but if the wind is blowing in your direction then you cannot use bear spray. I practice with my shotgun at 50 yards with slugs and I only have a cylinder bore in my pump shotguns.
http://midcurrent.com/experts/does-bear-spray-work/
Does Bear Spray Work? | MidCurrent

 

[Argonaut]

If I am going hiking in bear country in Idaho I would take a 12 gauge shotgun and load it with Brenneke Black Magic slugs. I know carrying a shotgun is heavier than carrying a sidearm. I will carry bear spray but if the wind is blowing in your direction then you cannot use bear spray. I practice with my shotgun at 50 yards with slugs and I only have a cylinder bore in my pump shotguns.
Does Bear Spray Work? | MidCurrent

That would be the ideal self defense gun for most anything, but why would you have to defend yourself at 50 yards? Hunting at 50 yards would make sense, but why would a reasonable person be threatened by seeing a bear at 50 yards? That is what the judge would ask.

 

[fredball]

357 magnum is Ideal for Bear or Mt. Lion

 

[RainMan_PNW]

TL/DR the thread...BUT

I grew up north of CDA (Bonners Ferry) and spent my entire childhood in the woods. Dad sometimes packed a .357 Magnum (Ruger Security Six 4"), but I think it was really more so we could do some target practice once we were up in the hills. We saw PLENTY of bear - especially late summer/early fall (huckleberry season) - but almost always it was the hind end as it was making haste to get away. Usually, we were well over 100 yds away when they were already heading the other way. Even during deer and elk hunting season, it was more common to spot them on the opposite side of a drainage than to actually see one up close and personal. During spring and fall bear seasons, well that's a different story (but we also weren't carrying pistols for that).

And in my entire lifetime up there (to my early 20s), I saw ONE grizzly...which was actually at one of the local dumps.

I've hiked more in my life in that area without anything but my pocket knife, and never felt the need to be worried about bears. Same with cats (though I have doubled back on my own path cross-country skiing a few times to see I was being followed by one of them). The only times the hackles on my neck have ever been raised is running into 2-legged critters that didn't seem like they belonged there...all the four-legged animals I've ever seen in the woods up there were more worried about getting out of my way than making a snack out of me.

 

[caarecengi]

Hi!

The wife, dog and I are going on vacation to Coeur d'Alene. We will be doing some hiking in the area, should I worry about bear defense in this area?? By biggest caliber handgun is a .357 and it's a snubbie- I don't trust it for this. Either I pick up a can of bear spray and I carry my usual .380 or you guys tell me that grizzly encounters are common and I'll pack my compact 20 gauge pump loaded with slugs. I really appreciate the opinion of any one who lives or has spent time in the area.

thanks!
Dave

FWIW, the Myth Busters folks did an experiment and discovered that there is one grizzly bear deterrent - Cayenne Pepper. You may want to consider picking up a good sized container - it compresses well in a backpack and has very little mass.

 

[Certaindeaf]

FWIW, the Myth Busters folks did an experiment and discovered that there is one grizzly bear deterrent - Cayenne Pepper. You may want to consider picking up a good sized container - it compresses well in a backpack and has very little mass.

Don't forget the bacon. pre-compressed and delicious also!

 

[maddog]

That would be the ideal self defense gun for most anything, but why would you have to defend yourself at 50 yards? Hunting at 50 yards would make sense, but why would a reasonable person be threatened by seeing a bear at 50 yards? That is what the judge would ask.

Especially when they're loping uphill away from you.

 

[Adelaarvaren]

I just did a 52 mile hike over 6 days in Bob Marshall Wilderness in Montana. My wife and I each carried a can of bear spray, and I carried my largest pistol, a .40 S&W. In those 6 days we saw exactly 3 other humans - they were Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks officers who were out there trying to trap grizzlies. There are roughly 1700 grizzlies in the lower 48 states, of which roughly 1000 live in that ecosystem (which also includes Glacier National Park, just north of there). If we had been on horseback, I would have probably carried a rifle, but since we were hiking, the pistol is what we took. Of course, we didn't need it. We only saw one bear, and it was a black (but we saw some beautiful bighorn sheep).

Ultimately, I think your chance of even seeing one is super slim, much less having a negative encounter. But if you do have an encounter, the statistics seem to show that Bear Spray is more effective. Of course, I still carried what I could...

 

[Vettewine]

Hi!

The wife, dog and I are going on vacation to Coeur d'Alene. We will be doing some hiking in the area, should I worry about bear defense in this area?? By biggest caliber handgun is a .357 and it's a snubbie- I don't trust it for this. Either I pick up a can of bear spray and I carry my usual .380 or you guys tell me that grizzly encounters are common and I'll pack my compact 20 gauge pump loaded with slugs. I really appreciate the opinion of any one who lives or has spent time in the area.

thanks!
Dave

If all you have for your choices is the .357 Mag, the .380 or the 20 gauge definitely take the .357 Mag...!
Better yet would be a .44 Mag...!

 

[41mag]

for those seeking a bit of historical perspective I refer you to the portion of the Journal of Lewis and Clark on their way westward into their first encounter with 'Ursa Horribilus' ; there is a quite enchanting tale of what happened as the advance meat hunting party tried to escape while being hotly pursued.....

 

[Sandaholic]

TL/DR the thread...BUT

I grew up north of CDA (Bonners Ferry) and spent my entire childhood in the woods. Dad sometimes packed a .357 Magnum (Ruger Security Six 4"), but I think it was really more so we could do some target practice once we were up in the hills. We saw PLENTY of bear - especially late summer/early fall (huckleberry season) - but almost always it was the hind end as it was making haste to get away. Usually, we were well over 100 yds away when they were already heading the other way. Even during deer and elk hunting season, it was more common to spot them on the opposite side of a drainage than to actually see one up close and personal. During spring and fall bear seasons, well that's a different story (but we also weren't carrying pistols for that).

And in my entire lifetime up there (to my early 20s), I saw ONE grizzly...which was actually at one of the local dumps.

I've hiked more in my life in that area without anything but my pocket knife, and never felt the need to be worried about bears. Same with cats (though I have doubled back on my own path cross-country skiing a few times to see I was being followed by one of them). The only times the hackles on my neck have ever been raised is running into 2-legged critters that didn't seem like they belonged there...all the four-legged animals I've ever seen in the woods up there were more worried about getting out of my way than making a snack out of me.

I've been hiking up past Bonners Ferry. I bring my G21 loaded with .45 Super on every hike now. Worked with a guy who recently saw a Grizzly in the last few years near Usk.

To the O.P. carry what makes you feel comfortable.

 

[DenimChicken]

TL/DR the thread...BUT

The only times the hackles on my neck have ever been raised is running into 2-legged critters that didn't seem like they belonged there...all the four-legged animals I've ever seen in the woods up there were more worried about getting out of my way than making a snack out of me.

Great point.

To the OP, I wouldn't worry about grizzlies enough to bring an elephant gun. There are some great suggestions in this thread already on how to mitigate the slight threat that might be present. I have spent a fair amount of time hiking/hunting in Northern and Central Idaho with bears, cats and wolves around and felt comfortable with a .357 loaded with hard cast. You can spend all day and read stories online about people who swear anything less that a 12 gauge slug won't work, and other accounts of Alaskans who feel comfortable packing 10mm's.

 

[crstrode]

As a tyke in the 1950s, my Dad told me to whack the coffee can we used for picking huckleberries. If that didn't work, give the berries to the bear.

Never had to give away my huckleberries.

 

[ArgentineSteel]

Only time I've seen bear up close is in camp, never on the trail. Did see bear scat on the trail in the middle of a huge huckleberry patch that the scouts never saw was there. They were very disappointed I took so long to show up until I showed them where huckleberries came from.

 

[KaniksuKidd]

I lived in Alaska for 26 years, 8 of them on the Kenai Peninsula right in the middle of Brown Bear country. Got charged by a black bear in Wasilla and took him out with a .308 in my back yard. Got charged by a sow Brownie in the front yard of my Kenai house in 09/2000 after dark armed with a flashlight. I don't recommend that.

Alaska Fur, Fins, and Feathers did a "study" in the early 1980's where they took a lot of confiscated Brown Bear skulls out of their freezer in Anchorage, thawed them (I bet that smelled great!), went to the Rabbit Creek Shooting Range along the Turnagain Arm, and shot them with a variety of weapons. To summarize, any handgun that started with .4 and ended with Magnum would reliably penetrate the skull (these were the days of old when .41 and .44 mags were all that were available), any rifle from .30-30 on up worked, buckshot didn't work, round nose slugs skidded off the skull 40% of the time, and Brenneke slugs made 12 gauge holes in the skull EVERY time because the sharp corner dug in. After that every LEO in Alaska loaded their 870's with Brenneke slugs. Me too, still do.

I have lived in Idaho since 2002 and now live in the Sandpoint area. Your chances of meeting up with a griz in the CDA area are about as likely as meeting a liberal at a Trump rally. If you are proficient with your .357 get some Buffalo Bore ammo loaded with 180-185 gr. flat point cast lead bullets, practice a few rounds, and you'll be good to go. Be on the lookout for gold in the creeks that cross the trails - it's there, just don't tell anybody about it, OK?

BTW, NEVER bring bear spray to a gun fight. An unfortunate 26 y/o female field geologist learned that lesson in June near Delta Junction, AK when she was attacked and killed by a black bear. The bear spray didn't work. A team member's 12 bore did. May God have mercy on her soul.

 

[ArtBrownSr]

EDIT:Sorry KaniksuKid, I posted before I read through the thread.
As you I believe strongly in the Brenneke!

Hi!

The wife, dog and I are going on vacation to Coeur d'Alene. We will be doing some hiking in the area, should I worry about bear defense in this area?? By biggest caliber handgun is a .357 and it's a snubbie- I don't trust it for this. Either I pick up a can of bear spray and I carry my usual .380 or you guys tell me that grizzly encounters are common and I'll pack my compact 20 gauge pump loaded with slugs. I really appreciate the opinion of any one who lives or has spent time in the area.

thanks!
Dave

IF a 20 Gauge is all you've got get:
Magnum™ | Brenneke - Ammunition
Brenneke Magnum slugs. I use the Black Magic (only available in 12 Gauge) and I can't find any 20 other than the Magnum (437gr.)
Distance(yds) 0 25 50 75 100
Velocity(fps) 1476 1322 1193 1094 1022
Energy(ft lbs) 2120 1701 1385 1165 1016
Trajectory(inches)-2.00 +0.40 +1.50 +1.20 -1.00
Flat trajectory out of a SMOOTH BORE, High energy out to 100 yrds Zerod for 80 yards

 

[DaveLikesGuns]

Again, Thank you for all the posts everyone.

We are back home safe and sound and loved Idaho, great forest hiking and a beautiful, clean, safe city with places to eat and drink.

We didn't end up hiking to far out of town so we ran into many other people in the forest...the only 4 legged guys we encountered were black tails and lots of them.

We'll be going back sooner than later in which case I will either be buying a lever gun, scout rifle or bigger handgun by then...tax returns and hopefully Christmas bonuses are coming. I'm really drooling for a 45-70 lever gun lately.

 

[KaniksuKidd]

You won't go wrong with a .45/70 lever gun. That's what I used to carry when hiking on the Kenai. I always said that if you carry a handgun for bear protection you should figure out a way to remove the front sight so when the bear takes it away from you and shoves it up your arse it won't tear things up so bad...