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Looong, but interesting read. Thanks for posting it. The obvious conclusion is that having any handgun, even a .22 or .380 is a lot better than being totally defenseless in bear country. I personally would prefer a 12ga but sometimes carrying one wouldn't be practical.
I was a little confused by the term, "handgun or pistol". Is there an occasion where a pistol is not a handgun? I always thought handgun was an all encompassing term that included semi auto pistols, revolvers and any other small single handed firearm like derringers or the T.C. Contender. Bob
We don't "EVER", EVER, walk outside out mountain house, without a sidearm, because of the bears. We have 9 bears that come out daily at our place. Never had a problem with them, and even been within ten yards of them, But never trust them. They usually run away when they smell us. Their eye sight stinks, but they can smell you a mile away. Each time I encountered a bear up there, it was by accident. Rounding the corner of the house or out cutting wood with the chainsaws going. The noise doesn't bother them at all. Never had one charge or even a fake charge. The only huge issue I have with them is, They like to eat the telephone poles. The linemen said it has something to do with the creosote in the wood. I fixed that. I put 10"" metal round pipe around the pole and filled it with concrete. Problem Solved!!!
I've heard two first hand accounts of bowhunters being 'treed' by black bears.
One bowhunter was treed in a large evergreen(maybe a cedar) by a bear he met while bugling for elk. He climbed the tree as far as good sized branches allowed, pulled his 9mm loaded with 147 HP ammo, and sent one bullet into the bear's open mouth when it was about 3' from his boot. Bear was on the ground and dead within a few seconds.
Another bowhunter managed to scale a large boulder as a bear approached. As the bear was trying to climb the rounded side of the boulder, the hunter threw a large rock he found atop the boulder hitting the bear full force on the snout. Bear fell to the ground and ran off bleeding profusely but didn't leave the area for about an hour growling and raising holy heck with small bushes and dead branches. With dark approaching, the hunter slid off the boulder, drew his 44 mag and left the area in the opposite direction hoping the bear didn't notice. Cost him an extra 2 mile hike but didn't see the bear again(also didn't hunt that spot again).
Each and every time I've done any hiking or ML hunting in bear country, I've carried a 44 cal revolver. I've never had to use it but no doubt it will work.
Meet a female grizzly with cubs on the trail and you have a problem. Occassionaly a griz opens a tent for the cookies a potato chips. Black bears stalk humans. They view us as food.
It is a bit chilling to walk up a canyon in the snow looking for deer, and when you come back down canyon finding bear tracks over over your tracks. Sidearm? You bet!
My best friend worked for the FAA and was in Alaska for eight years, he told me that the most dangerous animal in Alaska was the black bear. He said that black bears will stalk, hunt and kill humans as prey, you don't have to surprise them or come upon them with cubs.
One of the cases in the report that toad67 posted (the one where a man and his wife were chased to the roof of their cabin, and she was later eaten by the bear when he went for help) was told to me by my friend when it happened, I still have the newspaper article he sent me.
I have brothers in law living in Idaho and Wyoming and one carries a 454 and the other a .44 mag.
"Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they're not out to get you"
I have a couple of black bears that come through every so often and pull the bird feeders down. Lately they have been showing up during daylight,and they keep their distance,but don't scurry away in a hurry like they once did.The only problem that could come up is I have a 20 pound Jack Russell that has no doubt he could take on any bear and win.
Comments
Looong, but interesting read. Thanks for posting it. The obvious conclusion is that having any handgun, even a .22 or .380 is a lot better than being totally defenseless in bear country. I personally would prefer a 12ga but sometimes carrying one wouldn't be practical.
I was a little confused by the term, "handgun or pistol". Is there an occasion where a pistol is not a handgun? I always thought handgun was an all encompassing term that included semi auto pistols, revolvers and any other small single handed firearm like derringers or the T.C. Contender. Bob
We don't "EVER", EVER, walk outside out mountain house, without a sidearm, because of the bears. We have 9 bears that come out daily at our place. Never had a problem with them, and even been within ten yards of them, But never trust them. They usually run away when they smell us. Their eye sight stinks, but they can smell you a mile away. Each time I encountered a bear up there, it was by accident. Rounding the corner of the house or out cutting wood with the chainsaws going. The noise doesn't bother them at all. Never had one charge or even a fake charge. The only huge issue I have with them is, They like to eat the telephone poles. The linemen said it has something to do with the creosote in the wood. I fixed that. I put 10"" metal round pipe around the pole and filled it with concrete. Problem Solved!!!
I've heard two first hand accounts of bowhunters being 'treed' by black bears.
One bowhunter was treed in a large evergreen(maybe a cedar) by a bear he met while bugling for elk. He climbed the tree as far as good sized branches allowed, pulled his 9mm loaded with 147 HP ammo, and sent one bullet into the bear's open mouth when it was about 3' from his boot. Bear was on the ground and dead within a few seconds.
Another bowhunter managed to scale a large boulder as a bear approached. As the bear was trying to climb the rounded side of the boulder, the hunter threw a large rock he found atop the boulder hitting the bear full force on the snout. Bear fell to the ground and ran off bleeding profusely but didn't leave the area for about an hour growling and raising holy heck with small bushes and dead branches. With dark approaching, the hunter slid off the boulder, drew his 44 mag and left the area in the opposite direction hoping the bear didn't notice. Cost him an extra 2 mile hike but didn't see the bear again(also didn't hunt that spot again).
Each and every time I've done any hiking or ML hunting in bear country, I've carried a 44 cal revolver. I've never had to use it but no doubt it will work.
Always carry the right ammo in bear country !!! 🙃
Meet a female grizzly with cubs on the trail and you have a problem. Occassionaly a griz opens a tent for the cookies a potato chips. Black bears stalk humans. They view us as food.
It is a bit chilling to walk up a canyon in the snow looking for deer, and when you come back down canyon finding bear tracks over over your tracks. Sidearm? You bet!
My best friend worked for the FAA and was in Alaska for eight years, he told me that the most dangerous animal in Alaska was the black bear. He said that black bears will stalk, hunt and kill humans as prey, you don't have to surprise them or come upon them with cubs.
One of the cases in the report that toad67 posted (the one where a man and his wife were chased to the roof of their cabin, and she was later eaten by the bear when he went for help) was told to me by my friend when it happened, I still have the newspaper article he sent me.
I have brothers in law living in Idaho and Wyoming and one carries a 454 and the other a .44 mag.
I have a couple of black bears that come through every so often and pull the bird feeders down. Lately they have been showing up during daylight,and they keep their distance,but don't scurry away in a hurry like they once did.The only problem that could come up is I have a 20 pound Jack Russell that has no doubt he could take on any bear and win.
I know that story. A good friend of mine knew those people. And he told me about that. It was a terrible gruesome story.
One of our daily visitors.
That's a pretty steep slope .........................
I think that's a blurry picture of a Lego bear
🇺🇲 "The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants." - Thomas Jefferson 🇺🇲
I'm cheering for him!
Local talk show host called his a "Jack Russell Terrorist."