Polar Bears
- Thread starter Thomas D'Arcy McGee
- Start date
When i was working in Cambridge bay, most of the locals i seen, had a .222, 303 or 30-30,
our bear guards mostly had a 30-30,
Can remember only 5-6 types of centerfire ammo, at the Northern store, the above three, and i think 22-250, .243 and .308
our bear guards mostly had a 30-30,
Can remember only 5-6 types of centerfire ammo, at the Northern store, the above three, and i think 22-250, .243 and .308
I can see a 222, but a 22LR being used to take more bears than any other cartridge?
I dont know about most bears, but I have seen a mounted grizzly that was killed with a single shot 22LR. It's standing in the lobby of the old provincial forestry building in downtown Edmonton. So I guess it's technically possible. Wouldn't be my first choice though lol. - dan
No, a woman shot it up by House Mountain. They were breaking ground and the bear came up too close. Besides, all the gangsta bears are in. Churchill. - dan
I remember reading a some years back, in / on some Artic Adventure in Svalbard, a teen boy was dragged out & killed by a Polar Bear from his tent in the A.M. Many others mauled badly in trying to help.
The 'Guide' was issued a K98.
He couldn't operate the rifle! He supposedly racked/loaded 4 rounds through, tried shooting the Bear, & none of the rounds went off.
They all just ejected on the ground. The story goes during the attack the gun failed to fire four times because its safety catch was engaged! Dumbass / Poor Training!
He got it on the 5th shot after awhile, supposedly. He was severely injured as well.
The 'Guide' was issued a K98.
He couldn't operate the rifle! He supposedly racked/loaded 4 rounds through, tried shooting the Bear, & none of the rounds went off.
They all just ejected on the ground. The story goes during the attack the gun failed to fire four times because its safety catch was engaged! Dumbass / Poor Training!
He got it on the 5th shot after awhile, supposedly. He was severely injured as well.
Not the same bear, but it can be done if you have to.
https://www.ammoland.com/2017/06/be...-world-record-grizzly-and-more/#axzz7jzKYTVvi
Grizz
I can see a 222, but a 22LR being used to take more bears than any other cartridge?
Years ago I read a John Barsnes story about how he was hunting in the arctic and his old Inuit guide told him he used a 22 magnum for polar bear hunting. Shoot them in the lungs, wait for 40 minutes or an hour and the bear bleeds out and dies. Of course the bear wasn't going to run off and hide in the timber and die so that factored into the plan.
That's interesting!
Interesting indeed.
When I was coming home from my hunt we were on the same flight as a nurse who relayed the story of 2 young fellows mauled after being pulled from their tent.(Arctic Bay)
The rifle had been left in the sled while they were sleeping and took some time to get into action.
Both were chewed up pretty good but survived.
The bear was shot.
Reaction from one of the elders who later said ......"Rifles don't have legs."
When I was coming home from my hunt we were on the same flight as a nurse who relayed the story of 2 young fellows mauled after being pulled from their tent.(Arctic Bay)
The rifle had been left in the sled while they were sleeping and took some time to get into action.
Both were chewed up pretty good but survived.
The bear was shot.
Reaction from one of the elders who later said ......"Rifles don't have legs."
Sadly, a lot of official people entrusted with guns really shouldn't be. - dan
I pretty much NEVER use safeties. I always carry my rifles w the bolt handle up so the thing cannot fire but can be brought into action very quickly without fumbling for a safety.
The story above reminds me of a video I saw that was shot by a photographer near Churchill MB. This guy went and bought the "best" semi-auto shotgun he could, which was a recoil operated gun (don't remember the make). Being a photographer he had no understanding of how a recoil operated shotgun operated but someone told him this was the best and it was likely expensive so it had to be the right tool?
In the video, a PB tries to sneak up behind him while he is doing his photographer stuff. At the last minute he spotted the bear and brought the gun up to his hip to fire a warning shot. Lucky for him, the bear scared off and did not pursue the attack because unbeknownst to Mr Photographer, he had just signed his life away with a firearm he didn't understand. The video clearly showed the gun had failed to cycle properly due to being fired from the hip and a fired shell was jammed in the ejection port. A recoil operated shotgun requires a shoulder to recoil against or it will. fail to cycle. Mr Photographer would have been way better off with a basic and simple pump gun and he'd have been even better off if he had spent a few boxes of 00-buck worth of practice.
and they trained on the spot despite years of brainstorming of not using them ... it remembers me my army time when the guys that never shot were so scared of the guns we used ...
CO students at the local university had to get their PAL and some basic training. Most seemed deathly afraid of the fiarearms used. - dan
Over the years training bear guards I found that the hardest thing to teach was when not to shoot. Anyone can carry a gun but as said not all should. We taught bear behavior and firearm safety. Stand your ground and draw a line.
Thomas D'Arcy McGee
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
"She said everyone who hikes or skis in remote areas of Svalbard is advised to carry a gun. “We strongly recommend that folks who are out in the field take a rifle or shotgun with sufficiently powerful ammunition,” she said."
