Smaller Calibers in Grizzly Country

Markus said:
I spent the better part of a decade doing forestry development with nothing more than an axe and a pocket knife.

I never put Grizz into the equation when grabbing a rifle to take out hunting.
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I too spent a decade all over bc east west north and south with nothing but a pocket knife. I had a few issues with bears but not serious. This topic always seems to get blown out of proportion. But... the big difference is that you and I were not standing next to a steaming fresh gut pile or packing fresh meat On our backs. So the topic has merit.
 
It's not what you got, but how you use it . :) Poor hit with a cannon is still a poor hit , been carrying my 7mm Trm. for decades and never felt under gunned.

Grizz
 
joey.45 said:
I too spent a decade all over bc east west north and south with nothing but a pocket knife. I had a few issues with bears but not serious. This topic always seems to get blown out of proportion. But... the big difference is that you and I were not standing next to a steaming fresh gut pile or packing fresh meat On our backs. So the topic has merit.
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Fair enough!
 
I live on Vancouver island in a small town, two guys I work with have some pretty impressive scars after spending brief periods of there forestry careers in grizzly country with only a pocket knife. Guessing there pretty glad to be back on the island.
 
Leavenworth said:
Thanks very much for the replies fellas , some real good points you have given me !
I’m thinking from all of the replies Practice Practice keep alert and keep cool
Thanks
Leavenworth
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Make yer snowt werk iff'in you can't see.
They do have an ahhrowmah 'bout them.
Most times it t'ain't Sqwartch that's tingl'in yer noze'airzs.

Oh, nudder thing I found, dem'airs awn the back yer neck,
when they start tuh twitch'in, pay ten'shun.
Sumtimes that six cents kicks in.
 
You have about a 25 times greater chance of being fatally struck by lightning in NA than being killed by a bear. That doesnt make it zero, but it shouldn’t keep you awake at night.
 
Dogleg said:
You have about a 25 times greater chance of being fatally struck by lightning in NA than being killed by a bear. That doesnt make it zero, but it shouldn’t keep you awake at night.
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Unless you are sleeping on a gravel bar amidst dead salmon... ;)

That's akin to standing on your roof holding a 10' aerial in a thunderstorm...
 
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Timothy Treadwell was an American bear enthusiast, environmentalist, and documentary filmmaker and founder of the bear-protection organization Grizzly People. He lived among grizzly bears of Katmai National Park in Alaska for 13 summers.
Guy lived the life style and it finally caught up to him....
Rob
 
hoytcanon said:
Unless you are sleeping on a gravel bar amidst dead salmon... ;)

That's akin to standing on your roof holding a 10' aerial in a thunderstorm...
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I think we slept on the same gravel bar. ;) Still; the long term average for bear fatalities is two per year for the continent. I don't think we're up to 50 for this century yet.
 
FLHTCUI said:
Timothy Treadwell was an American bear enthusiast, environmentalist, and documentary filmmaker and founder of the bear-protection organization Grizzly People. He lived among grizzly bears of Katmai National Park in Alaska for 13 summers.
Guy lived the life style and it finally caught up to him....
Rob
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I remember that Timothy Treadwell story . Little too risky for my liking ! Too bad his girfriend ended up getting killed also. Kinda sad really !
Leavenworth
 
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FLHTCUI said:
Timothy Treadwell was an American bear enthusiast, environmentalist, and documentary filmmaker and founder of the bear-protection organization Grizzly People. He lived among grizzly bears of Katmai National Park in Alaska for 13 summers.
Guy lived the life style and it finally caught up to him....
Rob
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Tim Treadwell was a complete fawking idiot who got exactly what he deserved. To camp in the middle of a grizzly bear trail during by far the most dangerous time of year with no weapons, no mace or electric fence around his tent is shockingly stupid. His reckless behavior resulted in not only the death of the girl who accompanied him, but 7 of the 12 known bears he made contact with. I did a little follow-up research on the bears after watching the movie and it turns out four of the bears died after Tim's death approaching humans after becoming too comfortable around them. A direct result of his actions. Several others died after not fattening up enough to survive hibernation. A direct result of him providing food for the bears in the years he visited the park. The ONLY reason he was not eaten sooner was because food was plentiful as a result of healthy salmon runs. This idiot in reality knew nothing about bears or ecology and did far more harm than anything else. Approaching bears and encouraging others to do the same is a colossally stupid idea. You endanger not only your own life but the life of the bear for a multitude of reasons. This should be obvious even to a low IQ dimwit like Tim, but bears and humans having a healthy fear of each other is a GOOD thing. How anyone thinks Tim Treadwell was anything other than a psychopathic moron is beyond me. RIP Amy. Tim Treadwell can rot in hell.
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Taken from another site but very telling.
 
Dogleg said:
I think we slept on the same gravel bar. ;) Still; the long term average for bear fatalities is two per year for the continent. I don't think we're up to 50 for this century yet.
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Even the number is correct, this "fact" is misleading in that it ignores that many more people are mauled or injured by bears, many others are fortunate to escape without injuries
To those who claim that they only need pocket knives in the bear country, thank you for the laugh.
 
Between the guides, two of which are here on CGN including Hoytcanon, and Dogleg who can run his own hunt and hunted here too, and myself at the outfit we’ve had a half dozen serious Grizzly encounters in a massive cumulative time afield between everyone. Serious to me means charges or serious aggression inside twenty five yards, and there have been too many to count 5-15 yard no-charge run ins and posturing both in hunting Grizzlies and encountering them during hunting other species.

None the chambering would have had any effect over. I imagine 2019 could bring new excitement but I’m far more afraid of the rivers and ocean, and the mountains than the Grizzlies, and there are more Grizz here per square km than anywhere else in Canada. I’ve been on the river days where we’ve seen twenty in rifle range, mostly sows and cubs to be fair, but those are the ones that have a chance of making things more interesting than you desire. Your brain will save you long before your gun, your gun can often get you in more trouble. Anyone who’s hunted goats or sheep with a heavy magnum will know weight puts your life at greater risk in the mountains than bears do.

The one place I like a .375 is when I had to follow up a shot Grizzly that didn’t drop in sight, and went into the three yard visibility devil’s club etc. This said I can shoot those guns instinctively and practice that exact type of shooting, carrying a .338 or .375 with a scope on it and a 26” barrel is going to put you worse off than a quick pointing .270 or what have you can actually aim in a hurry. The benefit to the Glock for me is I never put it down, no matter how thick the bush or how steep the slope. I have no illusions about it dropping Grizz on the spot it’s a last resort, and a welcome one, that is miles behind a .243 as a bear gun.

elker said:
A heavy and big caliber certainly helps For your imperfect your shot placement. In an emergency and In a hurry, you do not have the certainty to make a perfect shot. Big calibers DO help!!!!!
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I shoot and build big guns religiously, but no, for most folks they just get in the way frankly.
 
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elker said:
Even the number is correct, this "fact" is misleading in that it ignores that many more people are mauled or injured by bears, many others are fortunate to escape without injuries
To those who claim that they only need pocket knives in the bear country, thank you for the laugh.
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Only about 10% of people who are hit by lightning die.
 
This is why light, handy lever actions in the 358 Win work so well as back up rifles for guides, bow hunters, trappers, etc.
Quick to get into action, mild recoil and enough energy to sort out any problems.
There is a good write up in the Nosler Reloading Manual #4 about the 358 Win, citing the Savage 99's use by those in Alaska. It was a thought when I was looking for my 358.
I've used my BLR in such a role for 15 years now. Fortunately have only used it once to back up a friend on his grizzly, and had one hunter used it to finish his moose when he realized that he had left his spare ammo on his horse before the stalk. I do carry it when following up shot bears in the brush, and it is easier to carry in the thick stuff.
Other than taat, it has also put its fair share of elk and moose into the freezer.
 
elker said:
Even the number is correct, this "fact" is misleading in that it ignores that many more people are mauled or injured by bears, many others are fortunate to escape without injuries
To those who claim that they only need pocket knives in the bear country, thank you for the laugh.
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Nobody claimed they only need pocket knives. But 99 percent of people who work forestry quickly realize a long gun is completely impractical for carrying during everyday work. 999/1000 it gets left behind and you carry out your work as normal, making lots of noise and backing off when you find yourself in a beary situation. I’m a complete gun pervert and a pilot that despises bear spray being near me at work, but it’s hard to argue against its effectiveness compared to a super duper magnum that you can’t shoot for schit or don’t even bring to work anyhow.

Where was I going? Oh yeah, I feel great packing my 280/270 in bear country.
 
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