Another Bear Thread

[RGVshooter]

And they say a .357 is too small for Bears? I beg to differ. I'm gonna keep on carrying my 4" 686...


Pennsylvania man kills 679-pound male black bear at 5 yards with .357 handgun: report | Fox News

 

[Ole Joe Clark]

I saw that earlier, and knew it would show up here. I would want some of my hot reloads in my 4" 686.

Have a blessed and safe Thanksgiving,

Leon

 

[Absalom]

Good Lord! What do these things feed on back there?

That bear in the photo further down in the linked article looks like the result of one of our Western black bears having illicit relations with a pot-bellied pig.

 

[billwill]

With bear drills, the only thing I practice at 5yds is changing my drawers!

What was the guy waiting for.....did he want to count the bear's nose hairs first before he shot him?

 

[RGVshooter]

Good Lord! What do these things feed on back there?

That bear in the photo further down in the linked article looks like the result of one of our Western black bears having illicit relations with a pot-bellied pig.

A 680 pound Bear is a BEAST. Now I'm not sure if that's a corn feed beast or all natural monster bear. What nerves me the most is the fact the hunter waited until it was 5 yards away. To wait until it's practically on top of you takes huevos IMHO.

I'd like to know what load he used (probably handloads)... I'm assuming he blew its brains out because 680lbs is a lot of hide, muscle & fat to go thru...

 

[Faulkner]

Most people are significantly more likely to be assaulted by a thug in the suburbs than a bear in the woods. That's what I prepare my family for.

 

[Fishinfool]

PA has a reputation for big bears. Plentiful food crops and genetics, I would guess. I have seen a couple big ones myself, though if you hang out at a bear check station like I did for a couple hunting seasons, most go about 200 lbs, or less. Seen quite a few that were smaller than my German Shepherd.

About 15 years ago, a buddy of mine shot one that weighed about 550 lbs. He had a full standing mount done, and the taxidermist did it in a two piece mount that kind of screwed together in the middle. I have seen Grizzly mounts that were smaller.

I once killed a small (about 175 lbs.) black bear in Maine with a .357 mag. One shot and down, but I admit a lot of luck, and would not use a .357 (125 SJHP no less) again on purpose. I was deer hunting at the time when the opportunity presented itself.

Larry

 

[Absalom]

... What nerves me the most is the fact the hunter waited until it was 5 yards away. To wait until it's practically on top of you takes huevos IMHO.
..

You’ll notice the whole article is based on “The man said ... “.

I’m pretty sure the hunter did not “wait until it was 5 yards away”. This was almost certainly a chance encounter at close distance.

It mentions a Christmas tree farm. We have a lot of those, and I’ve hunted them for deer before. From a certain tree size on, a trophy buck could be doing a dance routine 20 feet in front of you and you couldn’t see a thing.

The guy most likely was sneaking along the edge of a stand of trees, the bear ambled out right in front of him, and the hunter popped it in the head.

Lucky guy, but it says nothing about appropriate bear defense calibers. Nowhere does he claim to have stopped a charge.

 

[ace22]

i wonder what caliber bears consider using when coming across all of the "what caliber for bears" threads on the s&w forum.

 

[andy52]

Bears are not all that abundant here in Missouri and are mainly in the southern part of the state. I have never seen one up here in the north were I live.

 

[Rustyt1953]

All the predators here are bipeds.

 

[ParadiseRoad]

...Bella Twin said 22 long was plenty...

...it's all shot placement...

...shoot them in the head until they're dead...

 

[BigBill]

My 41mag is always near me.

 

[BigBill]

All the predators here are bipeds.

Bigfoot’s?

 

[walkinghorse]

Bigfoot’s?

High Heeled, oh wait, that's cougars!

 

[bearman49709]

Most people are significantly more likely to be assaulted by a thug in the suburbs than a bear in the woods. That's what I prepare my family for.

I'm happy to report I'm one of few more likely to be assaulted by a bear in the woods than a thug in the suburbs.

 

[BigBill]

We have more bears in the suburbs than thugs.

If you seen a bear attack a thug I’d let it kill him.