Closest a bear can get...

I prefer express sights when the range is short.

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And a low powered Leupold 1.5x5 variable in QD rings for hunting.

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What is your range that you are comfortable with when using the express sights?

I have used Ghost ring but beyond 50 yrds I was not much capable.

The quick release/detatch is a great option for the dangerous country for sure!
 
In the woods, and depending on the aggressive behavior it was displaying I'd give it a 40yard limit or whatever James Gary Shelton is recommending for the Behaviour/Circumstances/Species of Bear.
 
sealhunter said:
What is your range that you are comfortable with when using the express sights?

I have used Ghost ring but beyond 50 yrds I was not much capable.

The quick release/detatch is a great option for the dangerous country for sure!
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For bear defense, 50 yards with the express sights. Past that he's not an immediate threat. For bear hunting, the 1.5x5!
 
I've had the misfortune of being circled by several black bears during my canoeing excursions over the years. Some as close as 50 feet once a lot closer.
So far, I've come off unscathed. Most of these encounters where in parks, where firearms are prohibited. .... and people have died before....

One memorable incident was the blackie that came at night, and was sniffing my tent, when my hound dog woke up. :D
I held the hound, the bear broke brush. My ears may never be the same. One PO'd beagle in my tent. That bear stunk like he'd been rolling in something long dead.

Makes you wonder how the citified zoo trained people handle such incidents.
"Get a picture dear"?
 
I have had a bear come out of the bush at 30 ft and stop at ten feet. I was unarmed at the time but would not have made a lick of difference I would have not had time to do anything.
My comfort zone is 50 yds. If the bear breaks that then I assess my options and react upon my conclusion. Many times I have had bears well within 50 yds but most of the time the bear never knew I was there.
I have never shot a bear and have no desire to shoot one. I wouldn't hesitate in a defensive situation but I hope that situation never arises.
 
MHUNT said:
As Rod said above, there is often not much time to react. I've talked to a couple of guys who have been attacked and to an ER doctor who looked after a guy who killed a grizzly with a knife. That fella was just standing up with his rifle in hand, after putting his boots back on after crossing a stream or beaver pond. Next thing he knew his rifle was flying, he was on his back and a grizzly was on him. He pulled his knife and while he bear was trying to get a grip on his stomach, he stuck the bear in the throat and sawed till he got a gush of blood. (I bet he would have traded his knife for a handgun if he could have). He then stabbed the bear in the eye, which caused it to break off the attack. The bear died from the neck wound.
Another guy was a student in a 1st aid class I was teaching years back. He was working in the bush with a couple of other guys when the next thing he knew there's warm stuff running down his neck and something gnawing on his scull. He lived to tell the tale with the help of some brave but unarmed co-workers. The rest of our lunch break was spent talking about what hand guns and slug guns they all carry since then.
They don't all start with so little warning, but they sure can. I'm always uneasy when gutting a moose, especially when the sun is going down. Kinda makes me feel like bait.
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I like to have a good sized knife, regardless of whether I can carry a gun or not. If a bear gets a hold of me, I don't expect to do so well as the fellow who killed his grizzly attacker by sawing it's throat open, but I'm hoping that keeping busy trying to stab it will help keep my mind off the idea that the bear is killing me. And hopefully I can make it finish me off properly before it starts eating me.
 
Seems to me a lot of folks put too much emphasis on bear or cougar defence. Because I do a lot of riding in cattle grazes which happens to fall within good grizz and cougar country I feel that I can say this with a good deal of experience. In twenty plus years, I have seen both grizz and cats. Never one have I feel threatened. It's just a matter of awereness and knowing that all they want is there own space. So when a sighting occurs and I feel that me or my horses could be vulnerable, we exit. Many of those times, I have encountered hikers, with nothing more than bear bells. The last time was a group of ladies, one of them was blind. None of them had a problem being there. Somehow, I feel that some of you guys need to grow some balls and loose your aprehensions, you'll enjoy the great outdoors that much more. :p
 
gitrdun said:
Seems to me a lot of folks put too much emphasis on bear or cougar defence. Because I do a lot of riding in cattle grazes which happens to fall within good grizz and cougar country I feel that I can say this with a good deal of experience. In twenty plus years, I have seen both grizz and cats. Never one have I feel threatened. It's just a matter of awereness and knowing that all they want is there own space. So when a sighting occurs and I feel that me or my horses could be vulnerable, we exit. Many of those times, I have encountered hikers, with nothing more than bear bells. The last time was a group of ladies, one of them was blind. None of them had a problem being there. Somehow, I feel that some of you guys need to grow some balls and loose your aprehensions, you'll enjoy the great outdoors that much more. :p
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I agree with you for th emost part- Awareness is the key. However, a firearm (and the ability to use it properly) is another tool in the toolbox.

Also, keep in mind that not all bear encounters are in high visibility areas like grazing leases, and even being aware, it's very possible to stumble onto a bear i thicker cover.:)
 
Once again, we do agree Gatehouse, with a slight bit of a different twist. Yes, the grazing leases do offer a bit more "open country" shall we say. But it is NOT in the open country that my awareness takes a step up. The grazing leases are for the most part bush. And as a means to take a short cut, I travel trough some heavily bushed country, that is when the awereness level rises. Funny enough, my worse scariest experience to memory was not involving grizz or cats. My riding partner got holded up into a hornet's nest in thicK bush. His horses and him self got severely attacked. I felt absolutely usleless as if I rode in, I could have only got myself into trouble. You just can't take action to help out your fiend in a situation like that. Had it been a grizz, then I had something to shoot at. Bottom line is that it seems to me that a lot of people respond to a thread concerning bear attach where they have not experienced anything like that at all. Let me tell you that a close up grizz will make you feel like nothing more than a zit no matter what you pack. Humbleness is the best way out.
 
Start yelling on sight, if it comes toward me, rifle gets shouldered at anything else than 100ish meters, anything below 50ish meters and the lead will start to fly, I'd rather deal with the CO.
 
I guess a hornets nest is even worse than a horse getting bear sprayed:evil:


gitrdun said:
Bottom line is that it seems to me that a lot of people respond to a thread concerning bear attach where they have not experienced anything like that at all. Let me tell you that a close up grizz will make you feel like nothing more than a zit no matter what you pack. Humbleness is the best way out.
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Having been up close to a number of grizz, I concur that it is humbling, and the best way to not get a negative encounter is to retreat from one, but sometiems you gotta stand your ground...;)

I am sure you (being a horseman) can find some humour in this scenario that happened to me a few years ago:

My friend and I are on a 7 day hunting trip, in the mountains. We are using his horses, and he is far more experienced a rider than I am. We are climbing up a steep, tight, rocky trail, to the top of a small, narrow ridge. As we get to the top of the ridge, we discover that a grizzly has been doing the same thing- from the opposite side.

We stop dead, the bear stops dead and we eyeball each other. There really isn't any real room to manouver, and this could turn ugly if the horses panic. I am having visions of getting bucked off onto the boulders, and watching my horse run off...With my rifle.

I turn to my friend and say "What are the horses gonna do?" He replies "I'm kinda interested in finding that out myself":runaway:

In th eend, the grizz got a whiff of us and took off. I am glad it didn't go some other way...:runaway:
 
I'm starting to like you Gatehouse. Best advise I always give green horns (novice riders) is to have the tippy toes of your boots in the stirrups when things look like they could go the ####s. :D
 
This actually brings another topic to mind, but probably better suited to yet another thread. That is, how to mount your scabbard rifle A lot of people mount it "John Wayne" style. On the "up" side and stock facing back. Anyways, I have comments on that, but like previously laid, I don't want to hijack.
 
I have been charged a few times in Gatehouses neck 'o' the woods...The worst was when my ####head dog PO'ed a big black and it chased the dog back to me. I put a bead on the bear at (approx) 50m and it stopped short of it demise and stood up and woofed at me for a bit. He faux charged a bit and danced around as I swore and cursed.

After our little stand off he left (seemed like a while ). I saw 6 more bears on the way back to my car and decided that beer was safer than fishing.

As I was unloading my SG the bear popped out of the bush about 10m away from me and was heading in my direction fast. I dove in the back seat, and climbed into the front seat and got the hell out there.

Stupid dog...Stupider Dugy

I left myself in a bad spot and the bear took full advantage of it while stalking me.

I am glad I didn't have to shoot him but that dog of mine ain't coming fishing on the Birkenhead anymore!
 
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Gitrdun-

Here is how I mount mine. The scope is in the up position. I lost the zero in a scope after it being in the down position several years ago, and I'm not convinced it didn't have sometig to do with that. What do you think?

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PS, Bear defense threads are OPTIMUM for hijacking...:dancingbanana:
 
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