12 as a good bear protection shell??
- Thread starter Alfonso
- Start date
I grew up in northern Saskatchewan and wound up going in the bush after my fair share of bears that had been wounded by others. If you are hunting bears I would recommend at least a .308. Defence is something different. This would indicate that you are being charged/attacked. When I used to go in after wounded bears I carried a Mossberg 500 with an 18" barrel. Nice and handy in the bush. I used to load slug, slug, slug, 00 buck, 00 buck. As I told a friend of mine, if they come at you in the willows, the first 2 rounds you just point and shoot. If he's still coming, by that time you don't have to aim. There have been a couple times when I've emptied all 5, and I'm still around. A rifle is great, but it is precise, and when you get charged the adrenilan is off the charts. You want instant stopping power, and the bigger the chunk of lead the better, as far as I'm concerned.
an ATC permited revolver, I like this idea.
I'll have to ask the CFO's office if I can get one to check cattle. Not likely, but I'll ask anyway. I wonder if they'd be more likely to approve a single action 357 or 44 over a double action?
We don't have a ton of cats here, but have a couple that hang around my dad's house and about 2 km from my place every winter. We generaly don't see them often, but if you're seeing them, they've likely been seeing/watching you quite a bit. I'll start worrying about them alot more if we lose calves, the revolver would be nice insurance tho.
JT.
JT.
I'll have to ask the CFO's office if I can get one to check cattle. Not likely, but I'll ask anyway. I wonder if they'd be more likely to approve a single action 357 or 44 over a double action?
We don't have a ton of cats here, but have a couple that hang around my dad's house and about 2 km from my place every winter. We generaly don't see them often, but if you're seeing them, they've likely been seeing/watching you quite a bit. I'll start worrying about them alot more if we lose calves, the revolver would be nice insurance tho.
JT.
JT.
Brutus
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
PH Peter Hathaway Capstick & wounded leopards
First and foremost, read a few chapters of Peter Capstick's first book, "Death in the Long Grass" then feel free to criticize me.
- Location
- Langley bc
I Have only run into black bears, and never had to even fire one shot. I got surprised once by one ten feet in front of me. It just tucked tail and ran. But I carry 2 3/4 slugs anyways.
Clarification
Which Fisheries would that be, Federal or Provincial?
(Edit to add - So it doesn't look like I am picking on you)
It definitely is not Federal Fisheries as they only use slugs. Some use slings at times but in some areas slings are not used as the gun is at hand all the time, it depends on the area and potential threats. Mag extensions just make the gun muzzle heavy and after several ours of walking rivers or streams it gets annoying.
Cheers
Which Fisheries would that be, Federal or Provincial?
(Edit to add - So it doesn't look like I am picking on you)
It definitely is not Federal Fisheries as they only use slugs. Some use slings at times but in some areas slings are not used as the gun is at hand all the time, it depends on the area and potential threats. Mag extensions just make the gun muzzle heavy and after several ours of walking rivers or streams it gets annoying.
Cheers
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I'm not sure where all this talk of buck shot stunning or wounding bears comes from. A few seasons ago me and a buddy were gutting a deer when a bear appeared 30 or so yards away. I had a bear tag so I hit him with a 000 buck out of my 535 mossberg and it didn't wound or stun him, it killed him where he was standing no if ands or buts. And Ive only ever witnessed bear vs slug twice, both were over 125 yards away and they too were bang flops. Are we giving bears too much credit here? I mean they're only made of meat. Correct me if I'm way off on this, but these have been my experiences.
Man..the blackies always bolt when i see them (daily) trying to break in my garbage(bear proof). The best defense is to make lots of noise. Handguns are a useless bear repellant until the bear actually has you. I've only seen one charge in my life and i see bears on my local trails all the time. The twelve gauge pump you got is more than enough. The anti-bear technique i employ if a bear was to charge, is to trip my wife and run away.
Everyone's experience varies but what I have seen directly (or heard directly from the horse's mouth and verified as true - i.e. not from a friend of a friend of a friend) is completely opposite. I know of a grizzly hit broadside with a slug in the boiler room at 40m that was not fatal and the bear survived to be killed as a problem bear the following summer; and other bears that required several slugs (good hits to boot) to kill them 'dead right now'.
I personally do not even consider 00, 000 or anything other than a good slug to be a choice for use on bears, even 'little black bears'.
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- Location
- Victoria, BC
I can't comment on the Grizzlies, but every Black Bear I've seen shot with a slug went down like a sack of potatoes.
Handguns for bear defense ...
A guy (who should know) once asked me why ... if a guy carries a BIG handgun for bear defence ... why should the front sight be totally removed.
"Why?" asked I.
"So ... if he somehow survives an encounter," he replied, "it'll be easier for the doctor to remove it from his rectum."
A guy (who should know) once asked me why ... if a guy carries a BIG handgun for bear defence ... why should the front sight be totally removed.
"Why?" asked I.
"So ... if he somehow survives an encounter," he replied, "it'll be easier for the doctor to remove it from his rectum."
Brutus
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
I think I've heard this often quoted comment (paraphased) too many times.
