shotgun fired bear bangers
- Thread starter brian p
- Start date
Clobbersauras
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Waaay out west.
Caution!
My bother fired live rounds at the feet of a griz 50 yards away in the arctic. These are at least as loud as bangers. Didn't phase it in the slightest it just circled around until at about 25 yards they shot it with a 7mm. The 7mm didn't drop it either - it ran away and except for a small blood trail they never saw it again (I think they overshot it and winged him in the back). Now there are a whole lot of things wrong with this story - I would have shot the thing much sooner, but apparently he was worried about the fine he would receive for shooting a griz...
I say you can't pay a fine if you're dead
My bother fired live rounds at the feet of a griz 50 yards away in the arctic. These are at least as loud as bangers. Didn't phase it in the slightest it just circled around until at about 25 yards they shot it with a 7mm. The 7mm didn't drop it either - it ran away and except for a small blood trail they never saw it again (I think they overshot it and winged him in the back). Now there are a whole lot of things wrong with this story - I would have shot the thing much sooner, but apparently he was worried about the fine he would receive for shooting a griz...
I say you can't pay a fine if you're deadI don't know if those were the specific ones that I used, but I got a "polar bear kit" from someone in Yellowknife before going out for 6 weeks in coastal areas of Baffin Island where bears are frequent. It had slugs, rubber slugs and "bear bangers". I loaded 3 real slugs, 2 rubber slugs and two bear bangers in that order, so that they would feed cracker-cracker-rubber-rubber-slug-slug-slug. I tested the bangers first and found that they shot out about 50 yards with a "screaming" sound, then "popped". In a real "situation" you'd have to be careful not to shoot it past the bear and have it pop behind him. Personally, I'd prefer just to have straight blanks like the Kent Fieldtrial blanks or something like that instead of the bear bangers - then you can be sure that the big bang comes right from you and not somewhere else. Just be sure if you use these that you don't use them in a semi - it will probably not cycle them - great in a pump like most "bear defense" guns. I usually give the "non-gun" people in the camp those pen-style banger launchers, which fit easily in a shirt pocket and are easy to use. Better than all of these options though, I also usually hire my Inuit friend to come out with me to watch my back - he knows much better to me how to "read" what a bear is going to do and how to deal with it. I know that I sure as hell sleep much better when he's in camp! I've shot over bears a few times to get them on the move, but the only time that I ever had to deal with a real "problem bear" that would not take "no" for an answer I was sharing a camp with an Inuit family and they took care of it by chasing it with ATVs and shooting 2 boxes of .303 rounds at him.
-DW
-DW
Never use these out of a shotgun with anything tighter then cylinder bore choke (no choke)...they tend to get stuck in the end and flare out the end of your barrel, not to mention you will be standing less then 2 feet from the big bang.
Other then that they work great IMHO on Black Bears, but I have heard they don't work as well on Grizzly.
Also make sure you don't overshoot your target and have it go bang behind the Bear or you could have a bear running towards you pretty quick.
Most folks I know that use them allot fire them straight up in the air above them so the BANG comes from their location.
Also be careful in dry forest fire danger conditions...these things can burn hot.
Other then that they work great IMHO on Black Bears, but I have heard they don't work as well on Grizzly.
Also make sure you don't overshoot your target and have it go bang behind the Bear or you could have a bear running towards you pretty quick.
Most folks I know that use them allot fire them straight up in the air above them so the BANG comes from their location.
Also be careful in dry forest fire danger conditions...these things can burn hot.
I have had to remove broken separated cartridge cases from shotguns fired with these non-lethal rounds. Don't know if they were bangers or polyurethane slugs. Because of this I don't know that I would trust them in a gun that might be needed for slugs, unless I did serious testing beforehand. Another consideration is that some seem to use blackpowder as the propellant.
Bangers, poppers, thunderflashes, artysims, sprays are all very well. But if you have a serious bear problem, you will want a good gun, and someone who knows how to use it. The thought of a wounded grizzly is unsettling. As mentionned, a popper can overshoot the bear. Can herd him toward you. Also know of a bear that went over to a banger, and was sniffing at it when it detonated. This resulted in a really PO'd bear that didn't run away.
Bangers, poppers, thunderflashes, artysims, sprays are all very well. But if you have a serious bear problem, you will want a good gun, and someone who knows how to use it. The thought of a wounded grizzly is unsettling. As mentionned, a popper can overshoot the bear. Can herd him toward you. Also know of a bear that went over to a banger, and was sniffing at it when it detonated. This resulted in a really PO'd bear that didn't run away.
Bear bangers only get the bruin mad. Our worksite has many bears around it. The best method is using Karilian dogs, after a few encounters, the bears stay away. Keeping all garbage sealed and removing it offsite has reduced the bear problem. At present there is a raven on the pipeline right of way who will enter any vehicle if the window is open, and remove your lunch. The bird also knows how to unzip backpacks left on the decks of welding trucks, and remove lunchbags, smart bird!
manbearpig
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Somewhere in the Third World
i prefer to have 1-2 bear bangers loaded as the first shells in my 12g, followed by 3" brenneke magnum slugs. unlike some mall-ninja types that are gnawing at the bit for any excuse to shoot something id much rather just scare it away. some will argue that in a suprise charge you will never have time to fire that second or third shot, but if its a suprise charge in the bush you probably wont have time to unsling your weapon anyway.
its never been put to the test, but ive always thought that if you are stopped by a CO or RCMP in the bush with a shotgun loaded with slugs and its not bear season (even worse if your gun isnt plugged) youre in for quite the hassle (or worse) -- i think it would go a lot better for you if the first round or two was a bear banger since it would be clear why you are packing.
ive fired plenty of them out of cylinder bore and IC choked guns, but would never attempt to shoot bear bangers or flares out of anything tighter than IC. i dont know what you guys are talking about but bear bangers are a LOT louder than standard 12g slugs. dont fire them way up in the air, fire them AT or in front of the bear, the closer the better.
out west with grizzlies id opt for a full load of brenneke slugs, screw the bear bangers.
its never been put to the test, but ive always thought that if you are stopped by a CO or RCMP in the bush with a shotgun loaded with slugs and its not bear season (even worse if your gun isnt plugged) youre in for quite the hassle (or worse) -- i think it would go a lot better for you if the first round or two was a bear banger since it would be clear why you are packing.
ive fired plenty of them out of cylinder bore and IC choked guns, but would never attempt to shoot bear bangers or flares out of anything tighter than IC. i dont know what you guys are talking about but bear bangers are a LOT louder than standard 12g slugs. dont fire them way up in the air, fire them AT or in front of the bear, the closer the better.
out west with grizzlies id opt for a full load of brenneke slugs, screw the bear bangers.
Last edited:
- Location
- Somewhere on the Hudson Bay Coast
Personally I think it is a poor practice to shoot scare cartridges and slugs from the same gun. Often the bangers leave partial obstructions in the bore that can result in problems if slugs are fired before the gun is cleaned. If you are alone, use a scare pistol and keep the shotgun as a more permanent solution to the problem.
In my experience bears do not seem to react to live fire unless a bullet kicks dirt in their face. The results don't justify the risk of accidentally shooting a bear. Put a round or two of rubber bullets in your sidesaddle. If you have the opportunity to use them to drive off a pest, you can single load them without compromising the capacity of your magazine.
A wounded bear is a mauling waiting to happen. Under most circumstances I would do everything in my power to finish what I started if I wounded a bear, but there are exceptions. If I was guarding a group of people it would be irresponsible to leave them unprotected while I went off hunting. I would not go into heavy cover after a wounded bear in the dark, but come first light I'd be after him. In the mountains or in the arctic, daylight can be a scarce commodity during the winter, but you do what you can.
In my experience bears do not seem to react to live fire unless a bullet kicks dirt in their face. The results don't justify the risk of accidentally shooting a bear. Put a round or two of rubber bullets in your sidesaddle. If you have the opportunity to use them to drive off a pest, you can single load them without compromising the capacity of your magazine.
A wounded bear is a mauling waiting to happen. Under most circumstances I would do everything in my power to finish what I started if I wounded a bear, but there are exceptions. If I was guarding a group of people it would be irresponsible to leave them unprotected while I went off hunting. I would not go into heavy cover after a wounded bear in the dark, but come first light I'd be after him. In the mountains or in the arctic, daylight can be a scarce commodity during the winter, but you do what you can.
