westcoaster
CGN Regular
- Location
- Central BC
I understand.
NR for dangerous game in Ontario
- Thread starter BullOnParade
- Start date
Janetvilleadam
Member
- Location
- Kawartha Lakes, Ontario
Any lever action rifle or pump action 12 gauge. Reliable and nice to carry. Just spent a week in a tent in northern
Ontario sharing a cot with a model 94. Good cuddler too. I would recommend open sights too. I’ve spent a lot of time
camping in northern Ontario with no problems, but you can never be to careful
Ontario sharing a cot with a model 94. Good cuddler too. I would recommend open sights too. I’ve spent a lot of time
camping in northern Ontario with no problems, but you can never be to careful
freddyfour
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Brant County, Ontario
If it makes you feel better, friend of mine from Chapleau considers Sudbury as the start of northern Ontario.
freddyfour
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Brant County, Ontario
Only time I had ever had a problem with bears up north was one night sitting around a camp fire enjoying a few beverages when the steak and beans we had for dinner hit me like a truck. I had to make a quick dash for the make shift crapper and low and behold there was a blackie sitting on his but right beside the thrown watching us!
Three-O-Eight
New member
- Location
- Bancroft ON
You are going to be paying an arm and a leg for a Mare's leg style lever gun and likely won't be able to hit the broad side of a barn with it either. Nothing in Northern ON is really going to bother you but if you want piece of mind something light with a bit of punch like a Winchester 94 carbine in 30-30 wouldn't be a bad option, especially if the brush is thick.
- Location
- Southern Vancouver Island
The young ones like that bugger are just fine to goof around with, so long as momma bear ain't around to notice.
Had some fun times with a yearling boar in the 70's at our logging camp, and he was about 40 lb heftier than that one. (It's momma got picked off by someone so it became almost a camp pet.)
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Ardent
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
There was more than a dusting of sarcasm on that mares leg post
, was just surprised one outfitted as described showed up. Hunt bears for a living and while I’ve carried some curious guns (Hoyt can tell ya he guided here too) I’ll never shoulder a pistol cal mares leg. This said and all fun aside it’s a fact bears live across Canada, and it’s an even more established fact it’s fun to carry a gun in the woods. Nothing wrong with that and I’d throw my vote to Dogleg’s suggestion of a Kimber, as light as a mare’s leg, and far more effective.
elimsprint
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Kelowna, BC
There was more than a dusting of sarcasm on that mares leg post
Fine, to each their own. I haven't met a bear yet that I feel would take 6 rapid fire 250 gr RNFP @ 1800 from 25yds or less and cause me any more problems but hey, you're the self anointed expert. And I'd love to see a Kimber that would be of any use to me at night which is when I have had most of my close up PO'd bear encounters. I walk 3 unleashed dogs for about a mile on a dark rural road every night of the year, do you?
I carry a full stocked Ranch Hand in .45 Colt, 250 gr hard cast @ 1800fps. Burris FFIII and optional flashlight for night time dog walking on Pearson rail. I have never had to shoot a bear in my close up encounters with them but have shot a couple of deer just to try it out on animals. Very effective and very easy to carry with a single point sling. Cheap to reload for if you cast your own but even buying cast bullets is not very expensive. A .44 Mag would probably be as good but I liked .45.
I finally ordered a Pearson rail for my 45 Colt Mares Leg. I've got a similar single point sling although I will leave it with the shorty stock. I might add an offset light to mine, too.
I have found that using the stock sights (and shorty stock) I can make accurate hits to 50 yards, but it is not fast. However a red dot will be ideal and much faster. I'll use a Vortex Venom, as I have had one on my Tavor and one on a Beretta cx4 carbine for a few years and they haven't lost zero, and the batteries have lasted.
if I could carry a handgun, I would, so the shorty mares leg is the next best alternative for general bumming around. If I am going somewhere that I feel I need real protection, I'm taking my 375 Ruger anyway.
Looking forward to trying out the rail and red dot with 300gr bullets, they should put a decent smack on anything I need it to.
Ardent
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
Yes, more or less, probably just further out there than you’re picturing. Just means I have an opinion too. Your red dot will ride just as comfortably on a Kimber Adirondack, weigh a bit less, and be much more effective. But if you like the mares leg and it makes you feel comfortable, that’s swelll too. It’s a free country.
- Location
- Behind a large rock
This thread is hilarious... one of the best bear defence threads I’ve read and it’s not the wealth of information, it’s the wealth of misinformation.
The humor here bears reiterating. (See what i did there? Lol)
If you can get 6 pokes into a mad, moving bear inside 25 yards with a mares leg you are probably in the top 5 percent of shooters in the country. Now, murdering a bear in the dark that has been jumped by your three dogs and is scared and confused is entirely possible, and an entirely different situation.....
But just to clear up any confusion that may be there, Ardent has a bit of bear experience, what with being a former grizzly outfitter and all. Not to mention the fact that the guy works out of Fort Nelson as a heli pilot, where black bears are widely recognized to be more aggressive than anywhere else in their range . But I don’t want to minimize your nightly walks with DOGS in a residential area. I’m sure it has its share of hazards as well.
However as has been already said, if it makes you feel more comfortable to carry the mares leg, then by all means, give’r. Just don’t think its the be all end all of bear protection weapons.
- Location
- NFA country
Just picked up a Trapper 45-70, compact, and easy to carry.
A friend of mine (also a licensed machinist) turned his 1895GS into a takedown.
He sent me the plans.
He can carry the gun in a briefcase and it is even more accurate than it was before the modification.
Assembly, disassembly of the rifle takes seconds.
This winters project is mapped out.
Not top 5%... you would be the only one alive and you would have to be a time-bender to boot... nobody is that fast with a lever action or with a semi... a serious charging bear is faster than your brain can compute multiple thoughts and act on them... one shot... yes (probably shakey), two shots... sure "if" you are calm and collected, three shots... doubtful, four shots... highly unlikely, FIVE OR MORE shots... no way.
I have had the misfortune (or fortune depending on how you look at it), of being in several of these types of situations over the years.
- Location
- NFA country
My top gun 45-70 load pushes a Woodleigh Weldcore 405 grain SP to close to 2000 fps.
It only takes ONE shot.
It only takes ONE shot.
elimsprint
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Kelowna, BC
I worded that wrong, I have 6 shots but I didn't mean to say I could take them in that time frame. I can take 2 aimed shots in barely over a second and 3 in less than 3 seconds starting with the gun mounted and cocked though. Do that with a bolt gun.
I have a little over 1700ftlbs of energy compared to a 308 at 2400ftlbs but with a much larger cross section which many equate to "stopping power" so I truly don't feel under-gunned at close range.
The Kimber is a nice rifle and would obviously take a red dot but how do you mount the flashlight so that it is easy to turn on as you mount the gun. With the RH and the Pearson rail it is completely natural. The Kimber also costs about 4-5 times what I have in my RH. Then there is the carry method. The RH on the single point is super fast to lift and shoot, about 2 seconds to hit an IPSC target @20 yds in daylight. A bolt gun would be hard to carry and get into action anywhere near as quickly IMO.
Then there is the matter of muzzle flash. I used to carry a shorty shot gun but the first time I discharged it at night I could "see" the problem, I couldn't see anything afterwards for 10-15 seconds making any second shot impossible. Same with any centre-fire rifle I tried, huge muzzle flash. With the RH and the powder I finally chose after my multi powder testing you can hardly see the muzzle flash with the flashlight on so I can take a warning shot, which I have done on a couple of occasions and still see for a second shot if the bear doesn't stop. They did stop and retreat after the warning shots thank goodness.
Ardent is probably a great bear hunter and knows a lot about them out in the wilderness. I know about rural bears attracted by my idiot neighbors who insist on putting their garbage out the night before pickup. I know about rural bears heading through my area for the orchards below me and running into myself and the dogs on the way. And on that subject, my dogs would never "jump" a bear, they are very well trained as I spend a lot of time doing so, the bears have always gone after them. In case you have never had the opportunity to notice bears hate dogs with a passion, specially sows with cubs. My dogs regularly walk past the local deer herd as they lay and browse in my yard, many times within a few yards and the older deer who know them usually don't even move or get up unless they are right on the trail. The dogs stop and look at the deer and then walk on by when I tell them to just as I trained them to do with all wildlife.
I've had my fair share, couple dozen, of close, inside 30 yds say, encounters with bears over the 14 years I've lived here and never had to shoot one and hope I never do. I think I have put a lot more thought and experimentation into what I needed for a "dog walker" than most people so please don't denigrate my choice or opinion unless you have done the same. Is it a hunting gun, no, but it is the best I could come up with for its' intended purpose which is close range personal protection, day or night.
I have a little over 1700ftlbs of energy compared to a 308 at 2400ftlbs but with a much larger cross section which many equate to "stopping power" so I truly don't feel under-gunned at close range.
The Kimber is a nice rifle and would obviously take a red dot but how do you mount the flashlight so that it is easy to turn on as you mount the gun. With the RH and the Pearson rail it is completely natural. The Kimber also costs about 4-5 times what I have in my RH. Then there is the carry method. The RH on the single point is super fast to lift and shoot, about 2 seconds to hit an IPSC target @20 yds in daylight. A bolt gun would be hard to carry and get into action anywhere near as quickly IMO.
Then there is the matter of muzzle flash. I used to carry a shorty shot gun but the first time I discharged it at night I could "see" the problem, I couldn't see anything afterwards for 10-15 seconds making any second shot impossible. Same with any centre-fire rifle I tried, huge muzzle flash. With the RH and the powder I finally chose after my multi powder testing you can hardly see the muzzle flash with the flashlight on so I can take a warning shot, which I have done on a couple of occasions and still see for a second shot if the bear doesn't stop. They did stop and retreat after the warning shots thank goodness.
Ardent is probably a great bear hunter and knows a lot about them out in the wilderness. I know about rural bears attracted by my idiot neighbors who insist on putting their garbage out the night before pickup. I know about rural bears heading through my area for the orchards below me and running into myself and the dogs on the way. And on that subject, my dogs would never "jump" a bear, they are very well trained as I spend a lot of time doing so, the bears have always gone after them. In case you have never had the opportunity to notice bears hate dogs with a passion, specially sows with cubs. My dogs regularly walk past the local deer herd as they lay and browse in my yard, many times within a few yards and the older deer who know them usually don't even move or get up unless they are right on the trail. The dogs stop and look at the deer and then walk on by when I tell them to just as I trained them to do with all wildlife.
I've had my fair share, couple dozen, of close, inside 30 yds say, encounters with bears over the 14 years I've lived here and never had to shoot one and hope I never do. I think I have put a lot more thought and experimentation into what I needed for a "dog walker" than most people so please don't denigrate my choice or opinion unless you have done the same. Is it a hunting gun, no, but it is the best I could come up with for its' intended purpose which is close range personal protection, day or night.
Ardent
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
Getting sucked into what’s become a classic bear defence thread. 
I think you’ll find over the course of a few dozen shot bears the diameter of the bullet means nothing on them (I’ve tried up to .505”, will try .577 next year hopefully), expansion and velocities the mid 2,000s and up do however make an academic difference. Solids, hard cast, and slow rounds (sub 2,500fps) will kill them cleanly but not necessarily rapidly as often as something faster. There are the same number of light attachment options for a Kimber as a mare’s leg, lots of guides in Grizzly country have a short rail near the forehand with a light or a barrel mounted light, finger flick distance from the supporting hand. You’re happy with your gun and that’s what matters, and in all likelihood will never have to use it, I also enjoy walking with a handy rifle.
While I’ve carried some curious bear defence guns too, if it’s for serious bear encounters I’d like it to be a .308 or up with a Partition or the like in the chamber. Dogleg who made the initial Kimber suggestion has land further than you can shoot in any direction he walks and hunts regularly, that’s positively loaded with bears. Similar evolution of concerns and think he’s on the right track. I played with a .45 Colt stocked Ranch Hand one of the guys at the day job brought up and was really put off by the quality, and accuracy. Admittedly couldn’t take the gun too seriously, though I initially loved the handy little gun on concept. They look cool as all getup.
I think you’ll find over the course of a few dozen shot bears the diameter of the bullet means nothing on them (I’ve tried up to .505”, will try .577 next year hopefully), expansion and velocities the mid 2,000s and up do however make an academic difference. Solids, hard cast, and slow rounds (sub 2,500fps) will kill them cleanly but not necessarily rapidly as often as something faster. There are the same number of light attachment options for a Kimber as a mare’s leg, lots of guides in Grizzly country have a short rail near the forehand with a light or a barrel mounted light, finger flick distance from the supporting hand. You’re happy with your gun and that’s what matters, and in all likelihood will never have to use it, I also enjoy walking with a handy rifle.
While I’ve carried some curious bear defence guns too, if it’s for serious bear encounters I’d like it to be a .308 or up with a Partition or the like in the chamber. Dogleg who made the initial Kimber suggestion has land further than you can shoot in any direction he walks and hunts regularly, that’s positively loaded with bears. Similar evolution of concerns and think he’s on the right track. I played with a .45 Colt stocked Ranch Hand one of the guys at the day job brought up and was really put off by the quality, and accuracy. Admittedly couldn’t take the gun too seriously, though I initially loved the handy little gun on concept. They look cool as all getup.
