walking in black bear country

Andy54Hawken · Dec 11, 2022

Any critter out and about in the wild...can be uppity or even dangerous.
With that said...
The chances of actually being in danger when out in the wild from a animal are pretty slim...
Depending on the time of year , location and such.

Enjoy being outdoors and don't over worry so much over all the "What Ifs"....

Keeping a clean camp...And paying attention to your surroundings...
Helps to keep yourself from unwanted encounters of the bear kind...or almost any other for that matter.
Remembering that animals ain't like those in a Disney cartoon or zoo...is good too.
Not over thinking this Is also wise.
Andy

Yarome · Dec 11, 2022

Andy54Hawken said:
Enjoy being outdoors and don't over worry so much over all the "What Ifs"....

Sage advice! Don't let irrational fear of the unknown or unfamiliar hamper your full enjoyment of what nature provides.

Concrete jungles are vastly more likely to do you in.

The Heretic · Dec 11, 2022

OldBroad44 said:
Lung shots, even with rifle rounds such as 30-06 or .308, do not even reliably cause instant incapacitating in light built animals such as deer. Many a deer has been shot through the lungs or heart and has run a hundred yards or more. A bear can kill you while dying from a lung shot. You need a head or spine shot for an instant incapacitating on a bear. And with a bear load, which as far as I know, manufacturers don't even make for 9mm. It would be irresponsible. They make bear loads in .357 mag and up for revolver loads and 10 mm and up for semiautomatic loads. And even with good bear loads in .44 mag, only a brain or spine shot gives you instant incapacitation.

For a large attacking four legged animal that is hard to kill, it has been suggested by those who have taken them down (e.g., guides in Alaska that have killed brown bears), to first disable their means of locomotion by shooting first one front shoulder, then the other, then the rear hips. Of course, with heavily muscled/boned animals, this takes a projectile that can penetrate and cause severe damage to these areas and cartridge that can propel the projectile such that it can do that.

A forehead brain shot on a brown bear often will not penetrate sufficiently to reach the brain, especially if the angle is wrong.

Bobbygun · Dec 11, 2022

I've had several of encounters with bears while bowhunting. A couple of those were a little unnerving. I was actually charged by a smallish bear (around 200 pounds) in the Snake River Unit, probably because I was sneaking along squeezing one of those Hoochie Mama calf elk calls. I could hear him coming and thought it was an elk, nocked an arrow and was ready to let him have it. He got to within about 30 yards and realized I wasn't an elk about the same time I realized he wasn't an elk. We were both disappointed. Him probably more so. He didn't hang around very long. One of the coolest looking bears I've ever seen. The color of a chocolate lab. The area we were hunting was too far off of the beaten path to be arrowing a small bear, so I didn't (did have a tag). We were five miles from the trailhead on mountain bikes with Burley trailers and had made a pact not to shoot any little bulls.

The other unnerving encounter was a little more serious. Again, I was elk hunting with a bow. This time over in the Diamond Lake area. I have really poor hearing but could hear this sound that sounded like a sick moose. Then I could hear what sounded like an elk thrashing a small tree. I thought: "What the heck?" I wondered if it was someone with very little skill at it, trying to call in an elk. I slowly worked my way toward the sound. Eventually, with the use of the 6-power optics in my rangefinder, I spotted a small bear cub up a tree about 60 yards away. What I was hearing was momma bear trying to get her cub to safety and she was getting more and more agitated. I dropped my backpack and fished out my S&W 686 plus .357 magnum that I only happened to be carrying because I didn't want to leave it in camp since my kids and other kids were there. It gave me great comfort as I slowly backed my way out of the vicinity and radioed my brother-in-law telling him to avoid the area.

Most of my other encounters with bears have resulted in them leaving post haste. It's fun when you can still hear them busting brush a couple of minutes after they are out of sight. I did have one really big reddish bear who knew I was there, but just pretty much ignored me while staying just out of bow range.

I am almost always carrying a S&W Airweight .38 special in a Blackhawk Serpa holster while bowhunting. Not exactly a bear gun but could be in a pinch. I worry more about two-legged dogs, and I don't worry about them all that much.