18.5" - 20" Remington 870 12 gauge with slugs or 000 buck. Mossberg 590A1 would do equally well. If you have an old Winchester defender, they were completely underrated and one of the best pump combat shotguns. The marine models of the a/n shotguns are just as good of a choice, perhaps better.
Looking for options on mushroom picking and trapping /trail cutting Yukon gun.
- Thread starter hunter89
- Start date
Pounder does.
When hunting Grizzly in the Bella Coola (Hagensborg) area in the late 1990's, I was surprised at how small my 300 win mag felt once I got into the thick bush with little visibility, and when I was within 100 yards of a nice big bear...... yes, I know the 300 mag is plenty of medicine but psychologically I was intimidated when there was nothing between me and the bears.
When doing contracted forestry work in the Sicamous area, and being told that Grizzlies occasionally frequent that area, I packed a Remington marine magnum with a pistol grip (loaded with slugs) in one of those scabbards that you wear like a backpack that goes down the center of your back. Again, with that thick bush, I wasn't 100% confident with that choice neither, but a lot of that work was on my hands and knees so it was convenient.
When hiking for recreation, I have the luxury of holding my firearm in my hands so my choice for that is a Winchester model 92 with a 16" barrel, in 44 magnum. Yes, it is not a Grizzly hunting rifle, but it is 100% reliable, very light, and easy to carry.
In my opinion, any bear encounter that would actually require the use of a firearm, would be at closer than 40 yards, otherwise I would probably have the option of backing away. At that close of range, I am thinking that a heavily constructed bullet out of a 44 magnum would be not a terrible choice. I hope I never have to find out.....
When doing contracted forestry work in the Sicamous area, and being told that Grizzlies occasionally frequent that area, I packed a Remington marine magnum with a pistol grip (loaded with slugs) in one of those scabbards that you wear like a backpack that goes down the center of your back. Again, with that thick bush, I wasn't 100% confident with that choice neither, but a lot of that work was on my hands and knees so it was convenient.
When hiking for recreation, I have the luxury of holding my firearm in my hands so my choice for that is a Winchester model 92 with a 16" barrel, in 44 magnum. Yes, it is not a Grizzly hunting rifle, but it is 100% reliable, very light, and easy to carry.
In my opinion, any bear encounter that would actually require the use of a firearm, would be at closer than 40 yards, otherwise I would probably have the option of backing away. At that close of range, I am thinking that a heavily constructed bullet out of a 44 magnum would be not a terrible choice. I hope I never have to find out.....
Ruger Gun Sight Scout 308 Win rifle ( #6829 ) with a Red Dot mounted up on it ! Handloads with Barnes 180 TTSX bullets .Fast to come up and shoot . RJ
https://ruger.com/products/scoutRifle/specSheets/6829.html
https://ruger.com/products/scoutRifle/specSheets/6829.html
X2 almost useless unless the critter is standing over top of you then you could just shoot yourself in the head
My choice Rem model 7 308 win 180 gr accubond . Open sights or 1-4 leupold with quick detach mounts . Ea to his own
that is the request of RCMP and Yukon CFO few years ago. i cant tell for today but you may contact them to see what they allow now.
Think about it this way, nobody would feel uncomfortable with a 44 mag revolver on their belt in the same situation. Part 2, size and weight matter for daily carry. I used to pack a 7rnd maverick 88 loaded with slugs for a long time. My switch to an 1892 was just awesome by comparison. Unless you're coastal, bears aren't that big so they take a lot less than people think to drop.
killing a moose and STOPPING a grizzly are two VERY different things.....yes some people have killed bears with a 22....portability vs stopping power....
the "best" bear stopper is according to an alaskan bear guide is a 350 grain hornady in a 458 win mag "loaded for bear"...I wish I could find a stainless one...the 375 ruger/350gr Barnes is my second choice and what I have....from there its all down hill...you decide the balance between portability vs stopping power...I think a 45-70 trapper Marlin is minimum but only loaded to the nutz and the user is well practiced at multiple hits...my trapline is south of Watson
the "best" bear stopper is according to an alaskan bear guide is a 350 grain hornady in a 458 win mag "loaded for bear"...I wish I could find a stainless one...the 375 ruger/350gr Barnes is my second choice and what I have....from there its all down hill...you decide the balance between portability vs stopping power...I think a 45-70 trapper Marlin is minimum but only loaded to the nutz and the user is well practiced at multiple hits...my trapline is south of Watson
What size of animal are you trying to stop? Average grizzly size in the Yukon for a male is around 139kg according to yukon.ca. They have black bears listed at up to 226kg. Wikipedia is giving me 300-600kg on Kodiak bears from Alaska.
I had the same need and after trying different rifles I found one that works well for me. It is a Ruger Hawkeye compact, laminated stainless in .308. I have a Leupold 1-4 shotgun scope on it. It is light and short enough that it doesn’t catch branches. A lot more powerful than a .44 magnum and it has the bonus of allowing 200 to 250 yard shots if needed. Lots of bullet selection from varmint to full metal jacket. Nothing I have ever used that is as versatile.
I would absolutely not recommend this gun for bear defense. I had one fail on me in the middle of shooting a problem bear. Light primer strike. After profusely ####ting myself, and mag dumping the rest, I gave the gun away in disgust. (With full disclosure)
Google maverick 88/mossberg 500 light primer strikes. It's bad!
