Coalition for 'shotgun-for-bear-defence-thread' control

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Dave L.

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I'm starting a Coalition for 'shotgun-for-bear-defence-thread' control.

What we ought to do is find a good thread about shotguns for bear defence, and then sticky it. That way, people will be able to find the information they want right away, without having to leaf through endless pages of results.

I've seen a couple, and every time, someone mentions the search function. I personally find the search very difficult to use. I don't know if it's only me, but I find it hard to use, and often I just end up leafing through the pages upon pages of threads, combing through the titles one by one.

So, what say we look for, or start a new thread about shotguns for bear defence, and then sticky it? It might be a good idea, it might not be, but at least people who had questions would be able to find it quickly and effectively.


Thoughts, anyone?

- Dave.
 
So what would you guys use?
I mean there is a distinct possibility there....
If I go fishing.... should I pack a shotgun too?
Just for the bears, you know.
Am I better off using slugs, or buckshot?
What slugs? Brenneke? Foster?
What pellets? 00? 000?
3" for more weight load, or 2 3/4 for follow up shot easiness?

Am I missing something?
Oh yeah! all threads are punctuated by someone declaring the supremacy of the 45-70 (he must as well specify handloads...)
And another townfolk (better known as "sarcasticus sapiens") making use of their armchair distance to point out the .22 lr or 410 with 7 1/2...

This should cover most of the bases....
 
The answer to all of the questions above:


DROP THE SHOTGUN..............USE AN AXE



bearattackvo9.jpg
 
I work in the bush every days and was attacked twice this summer :cool: (attacked meaning these guys were comming at me to eat me)

Both time I used buckshot, fired 10 m in front of the bear (that's 5m from me : 15m is my last line of negociation :) ).

I usually load 2 buckshots and 3 slugs magnum, but soon I'll go with 2 birdshot, for the dinner :D

Only problem with a shotgun : it's heavy, bulky, and the ammo too...so ...HANDGUN !!
 
Niko-PG, experiences such as yours are very valuable to anyone who spends time in the bush. Please, detail the attacks and let us know what you think triggered them, and what you would do differently if it happened again. Black or brown bears? What shells were you using, and how did they perform? Thank you for any additional details you may provide.

Sharptail
 
Over a year ago I did a huge post detailing shotguns and ammo for bear defense, competel with pics of newspaper/phone book penetration tests, bear head targets shot at varous ranges with various ammo and the Famous Propane Tank test..:p

I asked for it to be sticky'd but it never happened....:(
 
link ?

On both my experiences I was just lucky : I heard him before he spotted me.
I heard bushes being crashed, looked around and saw him coming, then he smells me...and disapeared :confused: I took my shotgun and start making noise. I spotted him making a circle around me at approx 35m WITHOUT ANY SOUND and incredebly fast :eek: Then his head poked above the bushes for a last look and then he came right at me, on his four legs, looking right in my eyes :eek: I had time to yell once, then I was 15m and I open fire. He stopped then turn around, I shoot again to accelerate his departure...I reload and spend the rest of the day with the shotgun in my hand (what a pain...).
Both time it was blackies, one of them more than 400 pnds.
In my job I usually have to deal with bear with no human experience, so IMO any noisy gun will do the job.
Camping or hikking near cities is different : you may have to shoot to kill. A shorty shotgun with slug and TRAINING sounds good to me. But don't do like me : don't leave it in the car !! One day I was blocked in the river with a little curious blacky between me and the gun...after 20mn I charged him with my knife :eek: and he took of...ok this one was less than 100 pnds so no big deal:redface:

Concerning my attacks, I'll do the same : I don't want to kill them because I don't think they are dangerous : they are just hunting :D A bear with human experience is way more dangerous.

If you can, watch these videos :"working in bear country" lots of infos on the differents kind of attacks etc...
 
Gatehouse said:
Over a year ago I did a huge post detailing shotguns and ammo for bear defense, competel with pics of newspaper/phone book penetration tests, bear head targets shot at varous ranges with various ammo and the Famous Propane Tank test..:p

I asked for it to be sticky'd but it never happened....:(
Click to expand...

Is this where you included your famous propane tank test?
I remember it.....;)
 
eltorro said:
Is this where you included your famous propane tank test?
I remember it.....;)
Click to expand...


Well, the propane tank was more fun than scientific, as bears dont' wear proapne tanks, but it was one more dramatic example of why buckshot is such a poor choice compared to a good slug.:)
 
It's a good idea, but I think you underestimate the joy the "Bear Defence" threads create.

Every month or so, a newbie asks the legitemate question if a shotgun is good for bear defence and if so what ammo to use.

Then the fun starts:

The angry regulars will yell about using the search function.
The calm regulars will answer the question.
The angry regulars will yell at the calm regulars for answering the question.
Others will say the search function does not work.
Lever gun experts will assert that the 45-70 Government is better than a shotgun.

Have I missed any? :)
 
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Smoothbore said:
It's a good idea, but I think you underestimate the joy the "Bear Defence" threads create.

Every month or so, a newbie asks the legitemate question if a shotgun is good for bear defence and if so what ammo to use.

Then the fun starts:

The angry regulars will yell about using the search function.
The calm regulars will answer the question.
The angry regulars will yell at the calm regulars for answering the question.
Others will say the search function does not work.
Lever gun experts will assert that the 45-70 Government is better than a shotgun.

Have I missed any? :)
Click to expand...

yeah!!!!
Did you mention the almightiness of the 45-70?
Did you?
Well, even if you did, once more is still not enough.:) :) :)

Remember (I believe it was ATR) the shot at a propane tank with the .50 BMG?

You can get a folding stock for it, so you can carry it easier.....

Gatehouse, What about the spear? That used to throne over all threads for months.... Are you up to it?
 
Niko-PG said:
link ?

On both my experiences I was just lucky : I heard him before he spotted me.
I heard bushes being crashed, looked around and saw him coming, then he smells me...and disapeared :confused: I took my shotgun and start making noise. I spotted him making a circle around me at approx 35m WITHOUT ANY SOUND and incredebly fast :eek: Then his head poked above the bushes for a last look and then he came right at me, on his four legs, looking right in my eyes :eek: I had time to yell once, then I was 15m and I open fire. He stopped then turn around, I shoot again to accelerate his departure...I reload and spend the rest of the day with the shotgun in my hand (what a pain...).
Both time it was blackies, one of them more than 400 pnds.
In my job I usually have to deal with bear with no human experience, so IMO any noisy gun will do the job.
Camping or hikking near cities is different : you may have to shoot to kill. A shorty shotgun with slug and TRAINING sounds good to me. But don't do like me : don't leave it in the car !! One day I was blocked in the river with a little curious blacky between me and the gun...after 20mn I charged him with my knife :eek: and he took of...ok this one was less than 100 pnds so no big deal:redface:

Concerning my attacks, I'll do the same : I don't want to kill them because I don't think they are dangerous : they are just hunting :D A bear with human experience is way more dangerous.

If you can, watch these videos :"working in bear country" lots of infos on the differents kind of attacks etc...
Click to expand...

I just have to ask... what and where is your job in the bush Niko?
I would like to know how big a bear has to be to attack it with a knife. This strategy has me fascinated and I really want to hear more. If there is more than one bear do you hold a knife in each hand? What about cubs?
Do you think that shooting bears in the face with buckshot is better than killing them? What kind of human experience makes a bear way more dangerous than one that has none? How many years of experience do you have working with dangerous bears in the bush?

I think we should sticky Niko's post... this is the best bear defense post I have ever read... I'm serious.
 
Niko-PG said:
One day I was blocked in the river with a little curious blacky between me and the gun...after 20mn I charged him with my knife :eek: and he took off ....
Click to expand...
When I charge a bear with a knife, I usually clench the knife in my mouth so it frees up my hands so I can grapple the bruin to the ground before using the knife. Also ..... I usually have a spare knife on hand, just in case. :eek:



Here's me ....... Ready for action!!



knife.jpg



sc

 
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See this is what I'm talking about... serious discussion about an important topic... my hat is off to you SuperCub. Well done.
I am going to practice my knife defence stance in front of the mirror right now. Where did mom put my Khurkri's?
 
Niko-PG said:
link ?

On both my experiences I was just lucky : I heard him before he spotted me.
I heard bushes being crashed, looked around and saw him coming, then he smells me...and disapeared :confused: I took my shotgun and start making noise. I spotted him making a circle around me at approx 35m WITHOUT ANY SOUND and incredebly fast :eek: Then his head poked above the bushes for a last look and then he came right at me, on his four legs, looking right in my eyes :eek: I had time to yell once, then I was 15m and I open fire. He stopped then turn around, I shoot again to accelerate his departure...I reload and spend the rest of the day with the shotgun in my hand (what a pain...).
Both time it was blackies, one of them more than 400 pnds.
In my job I usually have to deal with bear with no human experience, so IMO any noisy gun will do the job.
Camping or hikking near cities is different : you may have to shoot to kill. A shorty shotgun with slug and TRAINING sounds good to me. But don't do like me : don't leave it in the car !! One day I was blocked in the river with a little curious blacky between me and the gun...after 20mn I charged him with my knife :eek: and he took of...ok this one was less than 100 pnds so no big deal:redface:

Concerning my attacks, I'll do the same : I don't want to kill them because I don't think they are dangerous : they are just hunting :D A bear with human experience is way more dangerous.

If you can, watch these videos :"working in bear country" lots of infos on the differents kind of attacks etc...
Click to expand...
are you for real ?:rolleyes:
seriously if you work in the Bush find carrying a shotgun in your hand all day a pain i think you might have wanted to pay some attention here GET A COMFORTABLE SLING one shot tactical has some really nice single point slings for sale
in all honesty i have been around the not so isolated bush and the REALLY isolated bush many many times and have come to the conclusion usualy black bears only come crashing through the bush like a frieght train when they are really hungry and at that point making noise and shooting it in the face with some buck shot will probebly just piss it off some more. anytime i been in any kind of bush black bears have always booked it as sson as they pic k up the scent of a human near by
 
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some precisions here,

Someone ask for my experience, that's mine...I don't have a Ph es Bear Defense and I don't pretend to have The Knowledge.
Concerning the bear I charge with a knife, I was in the water for 4 hours, fishing, when with guy arrived. During 20 mn he turn around my car, looking around. It was just a small, young curious bear...and BTW was spotted doing the same some days ago by a friend of mine. As I wanted to go, and yelling didn't work, I walk to him with my knife in my hand (better than a fishing rod) and scared him. End of story, nothing glorious.

Maybe I wasn't clear enough but I didn't shoot the bears in the face, I shoot between them and me, just for the noise, and it works, twice.
For the bears with human experience being more dangeurous...it's commun sense : if a bear associates food with human, he will look for human...

Again, that's just my experience; but I'm working with some old forestry techs (that's my job) who never had an issue with bears and some other who killed a couple every year. For the sling, my bad : I usually carry my shotgun in a scabbar in the back of my vest so I didn't bother taking a sling.
Anyway that's only two from april, 5 days a week, that's not a lot of encounter when you can see up to 5 a day from the truck on the way in. I have way more problems with mosquitos and black flies :D

and yes, last time I checked I was real ;)
 
Dave L. said:
I'm starting a Coalition for 'shotgun-for-bear-defence-thread' control.

What we ought to do is find a good thread about shotguns for bear defence, and then sticky it.

Thoughts, anyone?

- Dave.
Click to expand...

I wish all the "stickies" were at the bottom of the forum so you wouldn't have to look at them every time you go to a forum. I can't scroll past them fast enough...
 
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