Grizzly Bear Defence rifle

I'd like to know what size and brand of bear spray is the best. Lighter than carrying a firearm.

That being said, when I hike the woods, my Marlin 336 in 35 Rem is my friend. That's in black bear country. My son was young at the time, he had our lab with him and an 870 with buck and slug loaded alternately. We had more of an issue with big nasty flies, most of the time Blacks are timid and run off. Most, not all, juveniles are a pain, unpredictable. Momma and cubs, stay clear. Dump bears, yell and chase them off with a switch.

No experience in grizzly country, but I'd carry 2 cans of bear spray, and if weight wasn't an issue, a big gun.

I love these posts, amusing.

Seriously, in Alaska the Glock 20 in 10mm is very popular. 15 round mags. Light(ish) and reliable. We need to change our laws in Canada.
 
null I meant no offence with my questions. This is a question that I ask all the people I have trained as bear guards in the past. The more experience you have with firearms and hunting in general the better. I think that with what you have described you have a fairly good grasp on what you need.
 
If you were being charged by a blackbear and you had a loaded gun and you stared him down instead of shooting him , that’s pretty amazing.
 
45C said:
If you were being charged by a blackbear and you had a loaded gun and you stared him down instead of shooting him , that’s pretty amazing.
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I know an older hunter who had his scalp pealed back by a Grizz and a few other love bites for good measure, when he was able to get his gun on the Bear, he told the Bear he didn't want to kill it, but was more then ready to oblige..... Bear backed off and left him to walk back towards camp which was quite some distance...... truck came along the road and he didn't flag them down but they stopped when they saw how bloody he was, he was worried about bleeding inside the truck so agreed to sit on the tailgate with the drivers partner assisting in case he passed out en route to medical assistance.

Animals have a sense to leave well enough alone.... mostly.
 
45C said:
If you were being charged by a blackbear and you had a loaded gun and you stared him down instead of shooting him , that’s pretty amazing.
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I was scared AF! To be honest, it wasn't a full sprint charge. I was walking pretty fast against wind and came around a bend and surprised the bear. There was approximately 15-20 yards distance between us, and it huffed and clawed, then it did a short charge forward and then stood up against a tree and stared at me. I made eye contact and it reacted with a scuffle, at that point I started backing away slowly until I had enough distance to turn around and start walking. The bear remained on it's hind legs with front holding on to the tree while I backed off.
Once I got about 100 yards, the bear walked out onto the trail and started sniffing around. It then began to follow me for about 50 yards so I fired a warning shot and it ran off.

I came close to pulling the trigger. A couple more steps and I would have.
 
pounder said:
null I meant no offence with my questions. This is a question that I ask all the people I have trained as bear guards in the past. The more experience you have with firearms and hunting in general the better. I think that with what you have described you have a fairly good grasp on what you need.
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No offense taken. I appreciate the questions, it's important to have context.
Thanks for the info.
 
Oh it was one them pesky little Black bears. I’ve kicked a few of them in the arse and told them to scram.

I thought you came upon a Grizzly or something.
Are you sure it wasn’t a Sasquatch? Those things are pretty tame once you yell at them.

Hahaha .. JK
 
45C said:
Oh it was one them pesky little Black bears. I’ve kicked a few of them in the arse and told them to scram.

I thought you came upon a Grizzly or something.
Are you sure it wasn’t a Sasquatch? Those things are pretty tame once you yell at them.

Hahaha .. JK
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lol. Yeah, my guess is 3 year old black bear.
 
I have seen 8 black bears on my 200 acre deer camp over 15 yrs., while walking the trails. One time a bear was walking East on a trail.
I was walking West on the same trail. We met on a curve in the trail about 25 yds apart. This is the closest I have been to
a bear "In the Bush". At the time I saw him , he was smelling a tree @ the side of the trail. In that time I aimed my .22 Mag.
@ him & yelled "Bear go away". He quickly looked @ me , turned around & ran away. Clearly I was not carrying a .22 mag for
bears , but that is what I had. Good 4 a warning shot perhaps? In the next 3 weeks I carried a pump shotgun with slugs, & never
saw any more bears.
 
nulll said:
lol. Yeah, my guess is 3 year old black bear.
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OP, thanks for helping to keep this thread intelligent.

Only one post so far mentioning bear spray - It deserves more consideration. It's not to everyone's taste, but having read what you wrote I think you personally should carry both a long gun and big can of spray on your hip (or chest). Don't strap it to your pack, and don't put it inside your jacket or pack (unless you're in really cold conditions and you need to keep it warm). It needs to be accessible at all times.
 
alpining said:
OP, thanks for helping to keep this thread intelligent.

Only one post so far mentioning bear spray - It deserves more consideration. It's not to everyone's taste, but having read what you wrote I think you personally should carry both a long gun and big can of spray on your hip (or chest). Don't strap it to your pack, and don't put it inside your jacket or pack (unless you're in really cold conditions and you need to keep it warm). It needs to be accessible at all times.
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**full disclosure-I've never shot, or hunted bears, and a conservation officer I spoke to in S. BC once told me you're far better off with bear spray over a gun**

Only time I wish I had a gun with me was in Grizzly country (AB), but it was a young black bear that was a little too interested. Didn't get hurt or anything, but I had no confidence in the fly rod I was holding to help me either. I've had more experienced guys tell me that you can just "tell" when a bear has ill intent, and I never knew what that meant. Had a bad feeling about that bear the second I saw it.

Had a black bear get half-way into our tent here in Ontario last spring, fortunately by buddy who owns the camp is a light sleeper. I woke-up to the sound of someone hitting a spoon on the bottom of a large pot. lol Same guy has an 870 at arm's length all the time, just isn't as nervous as this suburban guy. :)

I have seen a few Grizzlies in AB, one fairly close while I was in a Nissan Pathfinder. Based on the size of those bears...it's easy to believe the 45-70/12ga slug gun suggestions. It's alarming to see how fast bears can move overall, I think if there is really a concern about bears..you want to be good with whatever you choose, and practice getting shots off fast. Something like a Marlin 1895G would be small/fast-handling if you can find one. You could also leave a round in the chamber and know you're very safe/could be cocked very fast, etc. Personally, I'd trust myself with a 12ga pump more, but mostly due to familiarity/confidence.
 
nulll said:
...while holding a loaded .308 Henry long ranger ...
Anyone have any experience with Pedersoli Guidemaster 4570? I've read some good arguments for 30-06 which is a caliber that I like. Was thinking a BLR 30-06 with a heavier load might be good. I'd prefer a lever action since I'm left handed.

....
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Sounds like you're really into lever actions. You should use whatever you're comfortable with, but I generally don't recommend any out-of-the-box lever action for this application. Unless you have put many hundreds of rounds of your exact "carry" load through it without any hiccups. The actions are more complicated than most people realize, and they can be very finnicky, mechanically speaking. (I have a lever gun specifically for bears, but I haven't worked it over enough yet to put it into use)

If you haven't already, look into the pros and cons of controlled round feed actions. It's not a cure-all, but you should be aware of the differences for your long gun shopping. Many firearms don't cycle well when operated by a panicking user, and you should consider how and if this applies to you. Sounds like you've got a cool head, but it might be different if you or someone you know is actively getting chewed on.

There is also a strong argument in my opinion for a semi auto option in certain cases. If you're considering the Pedersoli, then your budget would easily allow a Browning or Benelli semi auto in a stout chambering, for example. Or certain proven semiauto shotguns.

If you can put the training time in, you may not need a LH specific option, regardless of action type. Can you give us more info about the type of long gun you want to carry? Some people want short/light. Some need a traditional look, etc. If you're in and out of vehicles frequently, then a detachable magazine is a great feature.

For caliber, stick with something common (easy to find ammunition since you don't reload) at 30 caliber and larger. Ammo selection specifics will come after you choose the firearm!
 
Only thing I’m going to suggest is that if you carry bear spray, you should buy a spare can and use it to practice. It can be a little disconcerting how short the spray goes and how short the duration. Also, be conscious of wind direction. Ask me how I thought about that last one……
 
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