Mother black bear was more than 100 yards from her cups?????
And you shot her when she was charging at 100 yards?
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Grizzly Bear Defence rifle
- Thread starter nulll
- Start date
Mother black bear was more than 100 yards from her cups?????
And you shot her when she was charging at 100 yards?
billbmcleod
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- Back very close to Bruce County
Mother black bear was more than 100 yards from her cups?????
And you shot her when she was charging at 100 yards?
Yes she was up on a slope and the cubs were just ahead of me.
Mother black bear was more than 100 yards from her cups?????
And you shot her when she was charging at 100 yards?
Well, I am hoping there are no Ontario Conservation Officers on here .....
Shooting a black bear at 100 yards under the pretext of self defense .... I am pretty sure Conservation Officers would consider this poaching ... and would be laying charges.
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billbmcleod
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- Back very close to Bruce County
Call it what you want but she was coming at me quick. I hadn't seen the cubs yet!
I'm sure I'll get flamed here, but what ever.
I've spent a lot of time in the bush, from growing up in the Foothills, camping in the rockies and 50 years later my wife and I still hike a lot, back country backpack, and ride dirt bikes in back country trails. Only once have I had a very close encounter with a brown bear... it charged and then backed off TWICE. It then reluctantly left. During this encounter, I had maybe 5 seconds to react, and all I did was face the bear and raise my arms. Had I been concerned with using a firearm, I'd have likely been dead. If I'd had time to grab my bear spray from my chest strap on my back pack, it have put my trust in that far before trying to hit the bear with a slug.
Each situation will be different, but personally I feel more confident with bear spray than a firearm. If I were licensed to carry a pistol, that would also be a consideration but I think I'd still have bear spray as my go-to. Not the answer may my like, but it's mine based on experience and the back country training I've received.
I've spent a lot of time in the bush, from growing up in the Foothills, camping in the rockies and 50 years later my wife and I still hike a lot, back country backpack, and ride dirt bikes in back country trails. Only once have I had a very close encounter with a brown bear... it charged and then backed off TWICE. It then reluctantly left. During this encounter, I had maybe 5 seconds to react, and all I did was face the bear and raise my arms. Had I been concerned with using a firearm, I'd have likely been dead. If I'd had time to grab my bear spray from my chest strap on my back pack, it have put my trust in that far before trying to hit the bear with a slug.
Each situation will be different, but personally I feel more confident with bear spray than a firearm. If I were licensed to carry a pistol, that would also be a consideration but I think I'd still have bear spray as my go-to. Not the answer may my like, but it's mine based on experience and the back country training I've received.
Black Bears are "unpredictatble"
I've seen Sows leave their Cubs behind and run away. Usually the Cubs will follow pretty fast or head up tree if one is handy. Sometimes they just head for cover, hoping the Sow will come back for them.
There is a farm close by, where a Sow was driven away from the silage pit. She was doing a lot of damage, while trying to get at the black, liquor soaked fermenting corn at the bottom of the pit.
She left her three cubs behind and it was almost a week later that she came back. We were going to put the cubs down, but the local Conservation Officer said to hold off, if they weren't causing any damage. They weren't and they were right on the verge of being able to feed on their own, appx 6-8 weeks old.
They hung around in their little group, eating spring Alfalfa and bits of Silage. They even got friendly with the dogs.
The Sow just walked right back up to them and turned away as if nothing had happened and the Cubs just followed her out.
That Sow is still around, and she keeps right on having triplets every year. The silage pit is gone.
80% of the time a Sow will make sure her Cubs are safe, as in up a tree, before running off. About 1 out of 10 will just run off.
It's the other 10% or less that give all the rest a bad name.
I've seen Sows leave their Cubs behind and run away. Usually the Cubs will follow pretty fast or head up tree if one is handy. Sometimes they just head for cover, hoping the Sow will come back for them.
There is a farm close by, where a Sow was driven away from the silage pit. She was doing a lot of damage, while trying to get at the black, liquor soaked fermenting corn at the bottom of the pit.
She left her three cubs behind and it was almost a week later that she came back. We were going to put the cubs down, but the local Conservation Officer said to hold off, if they weren't causing any damage. They weren't and they were right on the verge of being able to feed on their own, appx 6-8 weeks old.
They hung around in their little group, eating spring Alfalfa and bits of Silage. They even got friendly with the dogs.
The Sow just walked right back up to them and turned away as if nothing had happened and the Cubs just followed her out.
That Sow is still around, and she keeps right on having triplets every year. The silage pit is gone.
80% of the time a Sow will make sure her Cubs are safe, as in up a tree, before running off. About 1 out of 10 will just run off.
It's the other 10% or less that give all the rest a bad name.
A black bear with cubs is far less dangerous than a grizzly with cubs. I haven't even heard of any fatal attacks by black bears with cubs that I remember. They mostly run away. I happened upon a mother with a few cubs one time. She was watching them as they played, racing back and forth through the trees at high speed. We saw each other at the same time, maybe 50 yards away, and she froze. I yelled and she ran away without even a one second delay. The cubs didn't even notice me because they were so engaged in their playing. I backed off about a hundred yards and she eventually came back and collected them and they all left.
Unless a black bear follows you in a way that indicates predatory behaviour, you don't have too much to worry about. Unless it's used to getting food from people. Lots of folks have been swatted by black bears looking for a handout, but that sort of bear will behave differently.
Chris.
Unless a black bear follows you in a way that indicates predatory behaviour, you don't have too much to worry about. Unless it's used to getting food from people. Lots of folks have been swatted by black bears looking for a handout, but that sort of bear will behave differently.
Chris.
Great post, thank you for the info!
I will be using it primarily for taking into the bush when I'm not hunting, which most of the time is a long hike in the back country. I'd like somthing fairly small and light and open sights. I've always liked lever action rifles so I'm thinking either a Henry 4570 sidegate, or the Pedersolie Boarbuster or the Guidemaster. Cabelas has them in stock so I'll prob go take a look tomorrow.
https://www.cabelas.ca/product/146875/pedersoli-boarbuster-mark-ii-lever-action-rifle
I hear what you're saying, and the research I've done aligns. People say that bear spray is the best thing because it's more likely to cause the bear to turn away in annoyance vs a lousy placed shot which would piss the bear off. I do carry bear spray, and would try to play the situation without using the gun. HOWEVER, the gun allows me the confidence to stand my ground.
Ive heard that bear spray is the best option for a charging bear from quite a few people. That being said it woulnt bring the level of comfort that having a firearm does for me. Its very unlikely you would actually need the gun, but the peace of mind from having it makes for a much more worry free trip IMO. I think having an easy carried firearm that you are very familiar with matters more than caliber (obviously within reason). Plus its always fun to have an excuse to pack some heat
That guy was a complete azzhole who deserved what he got. For one he mostly hung out with the bears while they were most interested in eating salmon, of course the bears at that time gave 2 shats about him and he treated them like teddy bears or something which thet aren't. IIRC he got himself and another person killed because they were there later in the year and no salmon around or something. Regardless he ultimately had so much interaction with those bears I think most if not all were destroyed after the incident. So he ultimately harmed those bears and made any city dweller have a completely screwed up prospective of bears. Many people including him should have followed the old adage of leave mother nature alone. All animals are unpredictable even your pet dog, its something people forget. Any bear is going to do whatever the fawk they want to do regardless of their color, brown, black or white. Plenty of people have lost their lives to predatory blacks as much as browns.
This one was a particularly sad story.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmo...rkers-tried-to-fend-off-killer-bear-1.2636133
- Location
- Southern Vancouver Island
Well put & true fer sure, sadly enough.
