If you are planning on trying to save your life from a charging bear if necessary, I suggest you leave the buckshot at home and stick to some good hardened slugs like Brenneke or Challenger(they make a hardened one dont they?) Buckshot is called buckshot and not bearshot for a reason...
BC bush carry question
- Thread starter Freyr_255
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If you are planning on trying to save your life from a charging bear if necessary, I suggest you leave the buckshot at home and stick to some good hardened slugs like Brenneke or Challenger(they make a hardened one dont they?) Buckshot is called buckshot and not bearshot for a reason...
I'm not a fan of buckshot but it is considered acceptable for bear defence in BC and this is what we are talking about isn't it
My personal preferenceI is for slugs if I'm using a shotgun and most comfortable with a lever in 45-70
Considered acceptable based on what? (not trying to be confrontational, just curious as to how it is considered acceptable, because from the stories I've heard and read, its entirely unacceptable because it just doesn't offer much in the way of penetration, and you need penetration to hit the central nervous system to stop a bear)
Whats your opinion of the 45-70? Whats your preference in general?
Wen I'm doing wildlife monitor its Standard to be given both buckshot and slugs as well as bear banger main reason for shotgun is it rang limit much safer option for working in the bush
If I'm working up in the mountains then I'm allowed a rifle but most jobs it a shotgun
Rifles I like 45-70 or 30-06 or 308 no scope and is easy to find ammo in Remote northern communities
VanIsleCam
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
Given you are prospecting, you are unlikely to see another human being for 5 plus hours after you leave "civilization" and for the length of the prospect. I would not sweat what I was carrying at all nres. If you start taking beasties out of season I trust you are doing so out of necessity. If you didn't pack enough food, well...
I haven't looked at their offerings lately, but when I took my PAL almost 3 years ago they had a course simply called Bear Defense (or something very similar)
So then its your employer that considers buckshot acceptable for bears? Can you elaborate on what wildlife monitor means? (Im assuming its work where you are responsible for keeping the bears from eatting everyone else?) What Industry do you work for/in?
This is a god setup you can also apply for a free miner permit and make your trip text deductible
With free miner permit if a CO stop you which is highly unlikely just pull out you Permit and shake the mans hand and wish him a good day
If your working for a exploration company ask about the Company policy on fire arms first
Thy may have hire wildlife monitors already in wich case you may not be allowed a fire arm at work
if your prospecting on your own or partnership don't worry about it as your the boss
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Ardent
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
I wrote this for another forum, but it applies here pretty well, and addresses more than just thoughts on .45-70 (of which I'm not much of a fan personally). It will kill grizzly bears reliably but there are far better choices. The friend tipped at the end is our own Dogleg, and Hoytcanon was on the double September Grizzly hunt.
Originally posted by Angus Morrison:
My African exploits pale compared to many (most) here, but have done Cape Buffalo and Lion, both .375 H&H. I used two very different bullets, 300gr TSX for Buff and 300gr Interocs, widely viewed as a junk bullet, for Lion. Took numberous plains game with 235gr Speer Hotcors, 270 and 300gr Interlocs, 270 and 300gr TSXs. My favourites at the time were the TSXs but I couldn't ignore more spectacular bang flops with the cheaper bullets, granted these pertain to species lighter than buffalo though many still not small (Zebra, Wildebeest, Gemsbok etc).
Now fast forward to home where I outfit and guide coastal Grizzly / Brown bears, Moose, and Mountain Goats in volumes to form opinions with some leg to stand on. This improved performance from slightly more lightly constructed bullets continued to be evident, however a particular recipe needs to be in place. The results I like occurred with fast loads, and a bullet that violently disrupts tissue, and doesn't exit. Exits are now in my view wasted energy your shoulder enjoyed Newton's law thereof for little reason- below big bovids, elephants, hippos and such. On those that excessive penetration is necessary in my view.
I've just recently been sponsored by CEB (full disclosure), and am considering loading my client loaner rifle with them, and my personal backup .375. I'm feeling pretty good about them academically but will have to wait on a formal opinion until after a couple seasons and testing them on black bear hunts. They seem to have both the tissue disruption I like, and the penetration, a rare combination. The Partition does an admirable job of this mix too it should be noted if moved fast enough, as does the Accubond. The quickest kill I've seen on a big bear was the .300 Ultra with a 180 Accubond, no heavy penetrator, but kills like lightning. I don't think you need that much speed but no denying it works, I like 2,500fps and up for big bears. Only taken one Lion but I liked that recipe there too.
What puts a tense smile on my face admittedly is African dangerous game style loads for big bears- heavy for caliber, stiffly constructed bullets. It's a different mechanism of terminal effect I'm after on them than those loads provide. Did two Grizzly / Browns with 200gr Trophy Bonded Bear Claws from .300 Win in September, impacting the bears around 2,000-2,100fps at the range shot. With good hits they had time to spin and look at the hit, try and figure what was going on whilst two more good hits were made on one and one more on the other, and one ran the five yards back into the river and died, going downstream fast. No load can be counted on to kill like lightning, and both these bears discussed were dead on their feet. But you sure see a more impressive effect, more often, with more speed and a bullet that violently disrupts tissue.
If it does less meat damage, it delivers less shock, and bears are much more susceptible to shock than buffalo. I'm not trying to say the stiffer heavier bullets don't kill, they certainly do! They just aren't as likely to anchor soft dangerous game on their own shadow as something faster and more violently expanding. There are thresholds here, I don't profess varmint bullets, I like properly motivated Partitions, Accubonds, Hotcors, etc. Even the DGX does well and seems its too-soft-for-buffalo construction works alright on bears (.375, top bear pictured). Like I said big hopes the CEB Raptor proves to be perfection after a bunch of testing, no Grizzly / Browns dropped by them yet. I came across them because I was daydreaming my ultimate bear bullet, a mono that fragments petals reliably, and a friend said "You know a company called CEB makes that."
A lot of prospectors use 45-70 and shotguns in BC
wen I say a lot i'm talking about most of them no sense fixing something that's not broken
- Location
- Lower Mainland
google bc hunting and all the applications that you need are available there
- Location
- Behind a large rock
I can think of very few guys (1) that use 45-70... And the one that does hand loads. There's about a billion choices better than 45-70. 30-06 comes to mind.
Everybody that I know that uses 12 gauge (myself included) uses it because of company policy.
Carverk I assume is working on Haida Gwaii which doesn't have grizzly, just black bear and buckshot will certainly change a black bears intentions quick - a grizzly not so much, a different animal all together when it comes to defensive carry.
Shotguns do to its Limited range is ideal for work safety
work safe BC is in the process of making wildlife monitors Only use 12 gauge and you will have to Account for ammo use and document all wildlife incidents
Look up wildlife monitor training in BC and Alberta
12 gauge pump action with Iron sights is standard
I carry a Marlin 1895 Guide gun. Have for years. My hunting buddy who has hunted for decades and has trapped in BC does as well. But unless the rounds from any rifle used are put where they need to be you could have a howitzer and it won't do any good.
I grew up in Stuwart BC Grizly bear encounters was the norm
I also work expiration and put up remote fly camps in northern BC and do wildlife monter work for mining companies up north bin doing it for 25 sum years in northern BC
Last 5 years bin pipelining in Alberta don't see a lot of Grizly but I have seen sum
the helicopter rigging is my specialty so I'm off on my own a lot in sum of the most remotest places in BC
