Bear Protection choice
- Thread starter Sam Steele
- Start date
In northern Alberta I won't hike here without a bear defense gun and usually the dog as well. I use a bubba M44 Nagant with 180 Grain Sierra Spitzer with a Choate stock (great bush gun!)
The GF carries the Mossberg 590 loaded with 3" slugs. There has been a lot of bear activity here in the last year of so. Fish and game had 92 incidents last year and looking to break that record this year.
Like American Express, don't leave home without it!
The GF carries the Mossberg 590 loaded with 3" slugs. There has been a lot of bear activity here in the last year of so. Fish and game had 92 incidents last year and looking to break that record this year.
Like American Express, don't leave home without it!
Furync said:So when the bear comes along to attack you and your slow/fat friend, you're going to run all the way to your vehicle, unlock the trunk, open it, get the gun case out of the trunk, get the gun out of the gun case, fiddle around to find the key to the trigger lock, unlock the trigger lock, remove it, open your box of bullets, load them into the rifle, aim, shoot?
I would hate to be your fat/slow friend.
I guess you missed the part where I said I would be on a very remote lake. The only real chance of encountering a FWO would be on the road to and from. Obviously I'm not going to leave the rifle in the vehicle locked up and go camp 3 kms across the lake.
Kind of defeats the purpose. SS
Sam Steele said:I guess you missed the part where I said I would be on a very remote lake. The only real chance of encountering a FWO would be on the road to and from. Obviously I'm not going to leave the rifle in the vehicle locked up and go camp 3 kms across the lake.
SS
Poor Sam... never been the victim of a Bear Defence Thread mauling! As you may have guessed by now, this question has been asked many times before and usually runs to at least 10 pages before it dies of typographic exhaustion. I seem to recall that there has been a request for a "bear defence" sticky to spare newer members from Ursine Stress Syndrome.
Well, you know what they say about opinions, so.... FWIW, I'd vote for the 30-06, although I think I'd prefer a good set of iron sights (!) on it in this partic. case as you'll only be needing it at close range. A big bead or Firesight on the front and an express (wide "V") at the rear would be dandy. Or one of the XS ghost ring apertures, although I don't think they have one that will mount on a Ruger base.
Oh, and one other thing: Practice quick shooting at close range!
Stuart
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- Location
- Somewhere on the Hudson Bay Coast
I can see from the posts who has been paying attention and who hasn't. Black bear - human conflict is on the rise folks. How many cases this year already, a dozen? There is a higher incidence of black bear predatory behavior towards people than there is with grizzlies, and yet we hear time and again - "Oh, I'm not scared of black bears - if you are stay home!" Predatory bears involve only a small percentage of the cases where people have been attacked. Bears habituated to human food sources, bears protecting a natural food source, aggressive defensive behavior, personal space intrusions…the list is endless.
I don't think you have to be in a state of terror when you travel in bear country. I do think an individual must understand the nature of the problem and take appropriate precautions! Lots of folks say they aren't scared of the cold, yet even in mild winters people who are unprepared for the cold die. Same with bears. If some of you don't think it's prudent to carry a firearm in bear country, that's your choice. But when it's cold out I carry appropriate gear, and when I'm in bear country I do like wise.
I don't think you have to be in a state of terror when you travel in bear country. I do think an individual must understand the nature of the problem and take appropriate precautions! Lots of folks say they aren't scared of the cold, yet even in mild winters people who are unprepared for the cold die. Same with bears. If some of you don't think it's prudent to carry a firearm in bear country, that's your choice. But when it's cold out I carry appropriate gear, and when I'm in bear country I do like wise.
well said boomer, I seem to be noticing that those of us with the most time living or working in bear habitat, seem to be the most likely to be pragmatic about bear defence. i.e carry a firearm.
In thousands of days in bad bear country I have only had the misfortune to need to shoot one bear. no choice in the matter.
seems like pretty good odds eh, 1 in a 1000. Would I gamble on those odds when the 1 meant pain and death, no friggin way!
If you are going into an environment where there is a possibility of encountering toothy carnivores carry a firearm!
In thousands of days in bad bear country I have only had the misfortune to need to shoot one bear. no choice in the matter.
seems like pretty good odds eh, 1 in a 1000. Would I gamble on those odds when the 1 meant pain and death, no friggin way!
If you are going into an environment where there is a possibility of encountering toothy carnivores carry a firearm!
Good post Boomer, kind of common sence isn't it. We used to do a lot of camping when the kids were small, I used to have a 30-30 or shotgun in the camper closet when ever we were out. I've been within 50 yds of many bears while hunting, they've always left on their own or I've scared them off and never had to fire a shot. That doesn't mean the next time it'll be the same. I've got a little defender I take along when walking the dog in the moutains up the valley. 5 1/2 lbs. with pistol grip on a sling you don't even notice it.
Ok lets face it. Bear defence threads is our subconcious trying to come up with an excuse to bring a gun along, wherever we're going. If it's not for the bears, it's for the zombies. The real truth is that we are just plain, self-admited, gun nutz who would do anything just to pull the trigger.
Notice SS never mentionned anything about his fishing gear, or even what he was fishing for... but hey, he's packing a gun! not just any gun, a <insert gun model here> using <insert bullet type/load/grain/etc here> and this is what it should do to the <insert some sort of a threat here>.
Personally, I think the real question SS was asking is (masked as a bear defence thread) would a 30-06 or a 20 ga. be better to shoot the fishies?
Notice SS never mentionned anything about his fishing gear, or even what he was fishing for... but hey, he's packing a gun! not just any gun, a <insert gun model here> using <insert bullet type/load/grain/etc here> and this is what it should do to the <insert some sort of a threat here>.
Personally, I think the real question SS was asking is (masked as a bear defence thread) would a 30-06 or a 20 ga. be better to shoot the fishies?
- Location
- AB foothills
geologist said:
That will be next on the list
Please lord, make it stop
geologist said:
Shark Defence threads on the Freediving/Scuba sites are almost as popular as the bear defence threads here.
of course, most of the time an interested party WILL DO A SEARCH OR LOOK BACK A FEW PAGES AND FIND THE ANSWER THEY ARE LOOKING FOR.
hint hint.......
