Bear Defense thread.

I charged a bear once. He pulled a 410 on me. I laughed and he ran away in shame. Stupid bears should have read CGN.

Lesson is don't get between me an my porridge especially when it's just the right temperature.
 
Okay, was reading some of the posts and last one was the .410 with slugs thread.

So, I asked myself , how many people do you know that actually had to honestly defend themselves from an attacking bear?

I couldn't name a single person, nuisance bears yes but aggressive ones no.

So, here is the question, how many have had to actually pull the trigger in self preservation against a bear?

Kelly, that is soooo corect.
Also, I have never read or heard, of any wounded black bear attacking the shooter. Never.
I fully believe that all one really needs for black bear defence is a 22 long rifle. I think that a bear hit with a 22 would do just like they do when wounded by a larger rifle. Just get the hell out of there, as fast as they can.
 
Well typically when they plunk down at my tree stand a good ole "hey .............bear!!!!!!!!" typically sends them packing.




Kelly, that is soooo corect.
Also, I have never read or heard, of any wounded black bear attacking the shooter. Never.
I fully believe that all one really needs for black bear defence is a 22 long rifle. I think that a bear hit with a 22 would do just like they do when wounded by a larger rifle. Just get the hell out of there, as fast as they can.
 
I was working out of town one summer and instead of going home one weekend I went to my cabin to meet my brother. I got there real late. I was so tired, I shouldn't have really drove. I got out of my truck and went inside and went to bed.

When I woke up in the morning there was a bear on my deck. He dragged my cooler out of the back of my truck and was eating my food. RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME! I yelled at him. He looked up at me and had my jar of peanut butter in his mouth. That was all I could stand. I grabbed a corn broom and beat that son of a ##### and sent him packing.

I was so tired the night before I left the rifle locked in the truck.
The bear took one bite out of everthing in the cooler.
Had to go to town and get new food.
After buying new coffee, I realised that I just chased a bear off my deck for eating my peanut butter, stupid.
I also realised that my "bear problem" was actually a garbage problem.

f:P:
 
ok basicaly unless youre talking Grizzly, bang some pots and pans together and they run away usually, if not 12 guage with buckshot would be my choice...

oh but by the way for those of you who posted that a bear rarely attacks, thats mostly true but a few years back i met a friend of a friend from the states who had an up close and personal encounter with a black bear.He was hunting with a friend and they were using primitive black powder rifles Flinlocks to be exact.So his buddy shoots this bear and he shoots a follow up shot that misses, the bear retreats into the bush about 30 yards ahead of them.So far so good but before they have a chance to reload the one guy goes after it well the bear was only wounded and severely pissed off at this point and out of the blue it comes screaming out of the bush and attacks the guy grabbing a hold of his
leg!!
Well the poor bugger goes for his knife and ends up finnishing off the bruin with his bare hands!!

True story and i got a first hand look at his leg,not a pretty sight this being about 10 years after the fact.This story did appear in an old Field and stream i believe, annyway food for thought, you never know what a wounded animal can do.
The guys nickname is "Baboo" he is a historical reenactor from northern Minnessota.
 
Kelly, that is soooo corect.
Also, I have never read or heard, of any wounded black bear attacking the shooter. Never.
I fully believe that all one really needs for black bear defence is a 22 long rifle. I think that a bear hit with a 22 would do just like they do when wounded by a larger rifle. Just get the hell out of there, as fast as they can.

A lot of attacks don't get mentioned, i had to shoot a attacking black bear!

The damn thing was injured due to someones poor shooting during archery season, had just over a foot of the arrow left in it's hind quarter festering.

The 308 was plenty though
 
I shot one a few years ago at about 6 inches. I had cornered him in his den without knowing it.The long and short of it was I stepped over the top of a fallen tree and He was making his den underneath it. My first shot as with one hand and the barrel was in his mouth, the second went in the same place, the third shot went between his eyes. I was moose hunting and packing a 7mm RUM with 175gr Nosler Partitions. The hide is 6'6 across the paws and 7 feet from nose to tail. One bullet has lodged under the knee of his back leg and was 136 grains.

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Never shot one...but...

About 5 years ago myself and a colleague were bluff charged by a sow black bear 6 or 7 times in the same encounter, juiour was up a tree. No gun, no pepper spray. She stopped charging at us when we were finally far enough away from the tree with the cub in it.

Last August myself and 4 colleagues were working around a small wetland inside typical northern Ab. boreal forest. I heard a weird scratching sound, myself and one of the other guys looked at each other with a puzzled look on our faces...then he says "cubs"...theres two cubs hurrying up a tree about 20 yards away. A few seconds later I could hear hissing and a general "I'm a PO'ed bear noise"...None of us ended up seeing the sow...but she was dang close. We all had pepper spray, and backed out to a cutline about 35 yards in the opposite direction and picked a new location for the work day.

Moral of those stories is that hair raising bear encounters aren't always unavoidable. Things happen quick even with experienced people.

In October of 2010 I played a fun game of using gun fire to encourage a boar grizzly to keep his distance from me. The best part was the last 20 minutes or so of the game took place in the dark as I was making my way back to the truck. When I first realized that his path was going to take him right into my lap I stood up and waved at him (he was 100 yards away at this point)...this tactic has made alot of bears run away. All this guy did was look at me and keep walking towards me. At 30 yards I fired a round into the dirt in front of his face. This put distance between us. So I gather my things and headed for the truck. Some more gunfire and raised blood pressure but it eventually ended well for both of us.

Just this past fall, I had my crosshairs on a tank of black bear boar in an oatfield at 7 yards. I was trying to intercept feeding elk on their way back to cover when yogi and I crossed paths. He stood up to have a look at me so I said "hey" in a somewhat muttered tone (didn't want the elk to get to wound up :D) then I put the crosshairs on him but he did what was expected and bolted in the other direction.

I have a handful of other black bear stories, two whch involve pepper spray being used..but the ones above are the most interesting.

Long story short...having a firearm and knowing how to use it is comforting in bear country.
 
hehehehehe

Another bear defense thread.

So... In all seriousness, a .410 is too light, the best bear defense, is another bear, well to be exact a few very well trained liger/polar bear hybrids, trained to use a light sabre's.

But really to answer your question, at least three people I know who have been treed or attacked by bears, off the top of my head.
 
A few years ago I was supposed to walk the neighbours dog. I got home from work and it was dark, they lived down a secluded bush driveway. No big deal, i knew the path well. I turned the first corner of the driveway and there was something in the middle of the driveway at about 10 yds, with two smaller somethings behind it. I think they were as surprised as me. I quickly shuffled my way home to change my pants, the bears went back to eating their garbage rather than me, and the dog #### in the house. Everyone was happy.
 
My father had a bad chase with a Grizzly when still living in the Yukon, he didn't shoot it as the rifle was no longer in his hands but he would have if he had it. Running downhill in a steep ravine apparently saved his butt. I had a Black Bear get very, very friendly while in a tent, I didn't have a gun, both of us left scared and OK. Other than that, 'bumped' lots of bears with no issues.
 
I think your exposure factor to a charge goes up according to where you live and roam, ........don't think there's many griz charges in TO or even in Ontario. However, in the west, you expect to run into them in the mountains or the North. I'd expect Ardent (in High Level, Alberta) to run into enough bears to be charged eventually. Same here in the North, ......the odd charge around Yellowknife, but most local bears know man and avoid humans. Go north into the barrens where most animals have never seen or smelled a human and its a different story, ......if it moves, it must be food, and the bears are at the top of the food chain. As a guide, especially when packing or working on meat, I expect to be charged. I think all of my guides have been charged or stalked on lots of occurences, ......it's just part of the territory and you get used to it. Usually they can be turned away, but there's always that stubborn one that has to go down, ...and you have to be prepared and watch your surroundings.

My real dream, though, is to find a good getto bar in TO or Van, and toss in a grizz or a wolverine, bar the door, and find out who's really the toughest in the bar!!!
 
I have had 100's of black bear encounters over the years but only really been charged 3 times first one happened over 25 years ago shot it at appr 10' - 15' with my 308 Norma Mag last two happened when I was out prospecting.

Never been charged by a grizzly...
 
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