I know an old sheep rancher in Colorado who was surprised by a bear while on horse. They rode right up on the bear. The horse spooked and threw the guy off. As he was falling off he had the presence of mind to pull his rifle from the scabbard. Like most old woodsman around the west, his rifle was a single shot 22. He regained his footing and while the bear was occupied with his dog, he shot the bear in the head. The bear was un-impressed and lunged at him pinning him to the ground. By this time the young pup he had along started biting the bear on the butt. The bear was on top of him looking back biting at the dog. The guy was able to fish a second round from his shirt pocket, load his rifle and shoot the bear through the bottom of his mouth which resulted in a dead black bear landing on him. When he tell the story it is quite comical.
6 Bear attacks in two weeks in Alaska
- Thread starter CAJUNLAWYER
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BearBio
Member
"Actually At the point where a bear has you down attacking I doubt very much you would even think about the spray. Remember you are gonna get it too if you spray it. "
Having been charged once, I can honestly say the idea is to NOT LET THE BEAR GET THAT CLOSE! That's the smart thing to do, I would guess. Statistically, the odds are roughly twice as likely the bear will get to you using a handgun! Cold, hard facts!
Having been charged once, I can honestly say the idea is to NOT LET THE BEAR GET THAT CLOSE! That's the smart thing to do, I would guess. Statistically, the odds are roughly twice as likely the bear will get to you using a handgun! Cold, hard facts!
Texas Star
US Veteran
I don't know of any five-shot.44 Magnums. Maybe that new M-929? I suggest a S&W M-629 with four or six-inch barrel.
The last .44 Magnum shooting of a bear I read about involved a big Alaskan grizzly attacking two men who were butchering a caribou that one had shot with a rifle. The man who killed the bear used a stainless Ruger Super Blackhawk and I think fired twice. The bear was killed at that point. He said the bear sneaked up on them and the charge was quite dramatic. The rifles were just out of reach.
This account was in, Sporting Classics several years ago, and the men were both doctors. That should ID the story if anyone browses the magazine for it.
I also know of brown and polar bears killed with S&W M-29's, one by publisher Bob Petersen and one by a Norwegian scientist whose name I haven't read. Petersen had a nickeled gun with 6.5-inch barrel. I don't have the barrel length or ammo data for the scientist.
Keep in mind that one man incapacitated a brown bear that was mauling him by stabbing it in the neck with his Buck Model 110 lockblade knife. This let him crawl over and get his rifle, with which he finished killing the bear. He sent the bloody knife to Chuck Buck, who kept it framed on his office wall for some years.
I also know of a man who killed an attacking cougar with the Schrade version of that knife design.
Finally, a man killed an African lion with a knife having a six-inch blade. Search for Harry Wolhuter to read about that case.
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hoosierone
Member
Bro in law lives in NW Montana with bears literally walking right by his cabin. (mountain lions too). Walk 100 yard from the cabin and you are in deep bush. When he is outside he carries a Ruger .44 mag. Funny, his wife goes walking with the dogs and is unarmed.
The few times I've gone walking around there I was very apprehensive. Can't relax knowing something that can eat me is nearby.
The few times I've gone walking around there I was very apprehensive. Can't relax knowing something that can eat me is nearby.
BearBio
Member
Dogs can be a very effective aversive for bears.
sasu
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Dogs can also bring an angry bear to its owner. There have been such instances in my country. A dog makes a bear irritated, then gets scared of the bear and runs to its owner for safety. Owner is not so happy to face the provoked bear.
BearBio
Member
True-why dogs should be on a leash or VERY well voice trained!
One of my favorite bear stories was an incident that happened to an elderly man I knew. In the 1930's he was working a coal mine in the long gone town of Marian, Colo. Living in a large one room cabin with his wife and 9 kids, he had a dirt floor, woodstove and no electricity. One night a black bear broke into the cabin full of kids. Grabbing the only gun he owned, a Marlin 1893 full length rifle in 38-55 caliber, and in the chaos, shot the bear 3 times with the only 3 cartridges he had. The bear now hurting but not dead made a dash for the door which Burt was standing in. As the bear passed, Burt clubbed it with the rifle. The bear died outside and Burt nailed the butt stock back together with 10 penny nails. In the 1990's I got the rifle in pieces as some relative had taken it apart and lost interest and put the pieces in a grocery bag. I ordered the 3 parts missing, did a fair job of repairing the butt stock again, sighted it in and gave it back to his great grandson, with instructions to shoot it only and keep his mitts off of it otherwise.
Squarebutt
Member
Best caliber for big grizzlies is a .22 Long (not Long Rifle) from a Stevens single shot: OT--Record grizzly, killed, 22 Long - Paco Kelly's Leverguns.com
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sasu
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This happened in Finland yesterday.
"Damn it, you are not touching that..."
[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=40Fck4ux6sE"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=40Fck4ux6sE[/ame]
Then there is the bear man...
[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RI_f0buRi2c"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RI_f0buRi2c[/ame]
And his bears paint.
[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjDoivsh4vY"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjDoivsh4vY[/ame]
"Damn it, you are not touching that..."
[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=40Fck4ux6sE"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=40Fck4ux6sE[/ame]
Then there is the bear man...
[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RI_f0buRi2c"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RI_f0buRi2c[/ame]
And his bears paint.
[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjDoivsh4vY"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjDoivsh4vY[/ame]
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