What firearm NOT to use on grizzly bears.

I remember Elanor O'Conner shooting a charging lioness at point blank in the face with a #8 20ga AYA double barrel while bird hunting in Africa, in one of the Outdoor Life magazines years ago.The local law wrote it off as self defense.Harold
 
My best bear protection is my wife. I take her with me anytime I go for a tromp in the woods. She's 30 lbs. overweight with a bum knee.
 
provoked the bear what did they expect when I have run into grizzlies befoer do I yell at them nope....do i shoot them nope

Surprised he didnt try using the 22 lol
 
Well, Bruce... professional or no, I'm not a fan of the decision making process employed... a bear facing the other way at 50 yards, has given you every opportunity to disengage, and that is exactly what should have been done, particularly considering how they were armed... but there may be extenuating circumstances, of which we are unaware?
 
I know lots of people hunt in grizz country with only small caliber fire arms too hunt small game .. But I never would venture in bear country without a bear gun .. too see a guide do this is very troublesome.
A few years back I was told by a farmer that he had picked up a set of deer sheds and left them in a fence row ..
When I went too get them I walked up on a black bear not 50 yards from me eating grass .. The chances of seeing a bear without them hearing you is close too nil but #### happens .
I know people think I am over killing things but I do not leave me truck and go into the fields or woods without a firearm.. And not a 22 .. When the bear became aware I was that close I already had the gun shouldered .. the bear took off and all was good ..
Most people ""KNOW "' they are going into bear country when they leave the house .. Is it that hard too take a gun with you.
The law may say you can not carry a gun over a certain caliber if deer season is not open .. but at least carry the best the law will allow
Last year a friend was baiting bear and then he decided too take fifteen minutes and look around the site area .. When he returned too the bait there was a bear already at the site .. the bear was between him and his truck and snapping it;s teeth .. he had no gun .. and according too him it took about another fifteen too get past the bear..
Why people go into bear country without a bear gun is beyond me ..
If nothing else you may see a coyote or wolves and you can rid the society of them
 
hoytcanon said:
Well, Bruce... professional or no, I'm not a fan of the decision making process employed... a bear facing the other way at 50 yards, has given you every opportunity to disengage, and that is exactly what should have been done, particularly considering how they were armed... but there may be extenuating circumstances, of which we are unaware?
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Well Greg, I didn't get into this with the idea of defending his actions, but I only posted it as an event that happened. However, I will give an idea of how the old time bushmen reacted to bears and other predators.
Gold seekers moved into all sections of BC, regardless how remote the areas were, starting in about 1855. Generations of prospectors, who often were also trappers, occupied all the hinterlands of BC until about 1960, when they just seemed to fade away.
I started to get into the remote hinterlands of BC in the early 1950s, thus I got to know quite a few of the old timers in the bush, and learned how they operated, and how they survived. They all had a cabin somewhere, but it was a common practice for them to be gone from their cabin for a period of weeks, or even months, while on a prospecting venture. Sometimes they went in pairs, but often one man would go alone. Some had a dog to help pack the supplies, but others didn't, but, in any case they travelled with the barest amount of supplies, or anything for shelter. They depended very heavily on wild meat, thus they had a rifle. But invariably, their rifle was a single shot 22 and they always used shorts for supplying a goodly number of squirrels, ground squirrels, rabbits and grouse for the pot, or over the fire. Back at their cabin was probably a 30-30 for getting winter meat, but they rarely carried it on their prospecting trips.
All this is to point out that the old timers who lived year around in the bush had about a 100 percent different view of bears and bush survival, as do many people currently on the CGN. I believe a veteran outdoorsman like yourself will get what I am trying to say. Then was then, now is now, different world, different people.
Bruce
 
H4831 said:
Well Greg, I didn't get into this with the idea of defending his actions, but I only posted it as an event that happened. However, I will give an idea of how the old time bushmen reacted to bears and other predators.
Gold seekers moved into all sections of BC, regardless how remote the areas were, starting in about 1855. Generations of prospectors, who often were also trappers, occupied all the hinterlands of BC until about 1960, when they just seemed to fade away.
I started to get into the remote hinterlands of BC in the early 1950s, thus I got to know quite a few of the old timers in the bush, and learned how they operated, and how they survived. They all had a cabin somewhere, but it was a common practice for them to be gone from their cabin for a period of weeks, or even months, while on a prospecting venture. Sometimes they went in pairs, but often one man would go alone. Some had a dog to help pack the supplies, but others didn't, but, in any case they travelled with the barest amount of supplies, or anything for shelter. They depended very heavily on wild meat, thus they had a rifle. But invariably, their rifle was a single shot 22 and they always used shorts for supplying a goodly number of squirrels, ground squirrels, rabbits and grouse for the pot, or over the fire. Back at their cabin was probably a 30-30 for getting winter meat, but they rarely carried it on their prospecting trips.
All this is to point out that the old timers who lived year around in the bush had about a 100 percent different view of bears and bush survival, as do many people currently on the CGN.
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Yes, times have changed... and points of view have changed from survival at the expense of (modern) ethics, to (sometimes) ethics at the expense of survival (Treadwell effect)... I suppose it is easy to pontificate when our bellies are full, the gas bill is paid and the hardest decision is which vehicle to take to the mall.


H4831 said:
I believe a veteran outdoorsman like yourself will get what I am trying to say. Then was then, now is now, different world, different people.
Bruce
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I do understand... I am just old enough to remember shooting all of our meat with my grandfather's '94... the same .30/30 that CGN debate's on "appropriate cartridges for game" tells us can't kill much of anything.
 
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He never heard about "Never point a gun at anything you do not want to shoot or destroy "..

bird shoot for grizzly. If he's still alive natural selection didn't did her job...

Personally when I am out in bear country I have my 375H&H or at least a 12ga with slugs And when I aim at something it's to kill , not to scare.
 
Lived in Ketchikan Alaska for several years.
Hunting Grizzlies and inland and coastal brown bears is different than self defense.
A Remington 870 shotgun with slugs is good self defense bear protection as is a handy levergun like the stainless Marlin Guide Gun with heavy hitting ammo like the Buffalo Bore or Garrett 400 grain+ hard cast lead 45-70 ammo.
I kinda like my Dominion Arms Grizzly shotgun but a Chinese gun with a 12.5" bbl wouldn't be legal in Alaska for several reasons.
Lotsa guys were packing bolts in 338 Winchester, 375 H+H, 416 Rem Mag and a few with 458 Winchesters.
The bolts in 338 Win and 375 H+H are good for hunting brown bears as well as self defense carry.
 
H4831 said:
Just to keep things on track here, I think it is safe to assume that the guide/outfitter with a considerable number of years guiding in grizzly bear country had more experience with grizzly bears than any of the rest of us here who are commenting on it.
He did not fire the 22 LR, only the 20 gauge and the light grouse load at fifty yards, which would have most of its energy taken up in the bears thick hair and in no way would it penetrate the hide, thus the bear would not be wounded, except maybe his pride was hurt.
It was the outfitters considered opinion that a sting in the rear end would simply send the bear on its way, but this time it didn't. Thus, we can all recite the mistake he made, but please, don't rhyme off a lot of large calibre rifles or shotguns he should have had for "bear protection," because after all, it was he who was the professional on such things.
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Bruce I QUOTE from your opening post ( but here is a true story about what NOT to shoot a grizzly with ) not a very Professional GO doing what he did or did he just have a large Brain Fart- either way Lucky they did not both get severly mauled or killed ! jmo RJ
 
Do more damage walking up to it and kicking it in the berries than using a 20g in its butt cheek.
Also, if I was with an outfitter that wanted to shoot an animal instead of retreat, I would be out of there in a second. Stupid,Lazy prick.
 
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