Bear Attack

[GMan]

About 20 years ago I was backpacking in Alaska with several friends, and I came across a Mamma Bear. My heart went racing as I was looking for her cub, and the guy a few paces behind me was grabbing for his gun. Luckily for me, the cub was the other side of Momma.

I really do not recommend messing with them.

I feel for anyone and those near them who have been attacked by a bear.

[Kilted KT]

Play dead, become dead. I prefer a .44 magnum loaded with semijacketed hollow points or semi wadcutters

I'm thinking a .454 casull with a hardened 325 gr. fully jacketed bullet; that hollowpoint might not penetrate the skull, and any other placement isn't guaranteed to drop him in time.

I've got a 16" stainless .454 lever-action that would be my first choice as a defence arm if I ventured into bear country for anything but hunting them; at which point, my choice would become much bigger.

hmm...The casoul is great. Something with a huge round size and enormous amount of powder is highly recomended.

Maybe even one of those high-velocity .50 caliber pistols may work.

just don't miss...

[Riverkilt]

From what I've read, bullets seem to further anger bears....

Don't think any firearm is of much use when a bear is up close and when a bear is far away there's no need to shoot it.
Ron

[Iolaus]

From what I've read, bullets seem to further anger bears....

Don't think any firearm is of much use when a bear is up close and when a bear is far away there's no need to shoot it.
Ron

Ron, you're absolutely right in saying that when a bear is far away there's no need to shoot it, but, as this story demonstrates, there are times when having enough stopping power on hand is a prudent precation to take...and yes, an informed shot-placement with the right caliber will stop a bear - even a grizzly.

[Kilted KT]

Ron, you're absolutely right in saying that when a bear is far away there's no need to shoot it, but, as this story demonstrates, there are times when having enough stopping power on hand is a prudent precation to take...and yes, an informed shot-placement with the right caliber will stop a bear - even a grizzly.

here are some links of Bear hunters who use handguns.

Handgun Bear Hunters in Maine ( black bear )

In Alaska ( brown bear )

[Livingston]

We live well INSIDE the city limits of Colorado Springs and our housing development was filled out in the mid 70's. We've had black bears on our deck at least 3 times in the last 4 years and I'd hate to tell you how much undigested seeds (bear scat) we've cleaned up in our yard. I've even seen one crossing the street next door at 2:30 in the afternoon. We saw 2 when we came home from an early dinner out last year (about 6:30). We take NO chances outside. Even tho there are few bear problems in our area no one with half a brain will leave out garbage or bird feeders overnight. And yes, there are children that walk home from school on our street. At least they are walking in groups and making enough noise that the bears stay away.

[Jerry]

Still an' all...

Big bloody rifle. Just sayin'.

I doubt you'd need to do more than fire into the air.

We have a one day bear season during our two week muzzleloading deer season. I,m not really interestef in killing a bear, and I carry a Knight disc rifle, loaded with a 300 grain hollow point bullet and 150 grains of pyrodex. So if I should encounter a bear even if the season is open, my plan is to back off slowly. However, if the bear should become agressive towards me, I won't waste my one shot by firing into the air. To get back on topic, Since black bears are not by nature agressive, something esle might have been involved. To glassman, I don't like the ideaof randomly shooting the bears anymore than you, but, it's not exactly like going after a murder suspect with a good description. Most all bears of the same species look pretty much alike.

[The Supreme Canuck]

However, if the bear should become agressive towards me, I won't waste my one shot by firing into the air.

Good point. If the thing were charging, it would go down. If it were rearing, but a good distance off, I'd try to scare it first.

[Valencian Kilted]

Well. I know this is strange to say, considering the circumstances, but... in Spain we only have more or less 12 or 15 reproductive bear couples, mostly on the northern mountains of Asturias. Last year french hunters killed the last reproductive female of the Pirenean border, so, the spanish wild brown bears have extinguished on that area.

The main enemies of bears here are cattle owners and ilegal hunters, who want to have their trophys at their restrooms... and I know that it's sad to say this after what happened to that 6 years old girl... but I'd be really sad to know that Spain has lost its own wild bears, as well as our local imperial eagles, wolves, and the most menaced feline all over the world: the iberian linx.

It simply would mean that a part of our patrimony would be lost forever. Imported wolves, bears, linxes or imperial eagles would not be much more than substitutives....

It's for that that it's strange to me to listen to u all talk so easily about which would be the better way to kill a bear, ... even knowing about the overpopulation of them over there,... it makes me remember what happened to us here.

¡Salud!

T O N O

[The Supreme Canuck]

It's for that that it's strange to me to listen to u all talk so easily about which would be the better way to kill a bear, ... even knowing about the overpopulation of them over there,... it makes me remember what happened to us here.

But remember: most of us (if not all) are discussing the best way to kill a bear only if it wants to kill you first. I'd never want to shoot a bear just to shoot a bear. But if it's me or the bear, that bear is not going to live.