Big Bear, 44 carry.

[Peak53]

Bear Spray Effectiveness on Two-Leggeds

I had the occasion last summer to run two different bears off the deck, one of them twice. They were inspecting the grill. Anyway, I failed to get either one with a direct hit in the face, more like a shot to the the south end as they retreated. The BIG black one only retreated a few feet out of range, so I took a few steps toward him to spray again. Apparently, the spray sort of fogged the area and I stepped through the fog, fired again, the bear ran, and I suddenly realized all was not well on the home front. In fact, I was on fire. A quick shower and a few gallons of cold water to the eyes made things better. So, yes, I believe bear spray would be quite effective on most any threat.

 

[Kanewpadle]

Evidently bear spray doesn't always work.
Two More Bear Spray Failures in Montana - The Truth About Guns

No thanks.

 

[Runs With Gun]

This story was told to me by an old friend who was a forest ranger:

He said that the best defense against a bear was to wear bells and carry pepper spray.

He also said that it was important, when hiking, to be aware of what type of bears were in the vicinity. The best way to determine the difference between black/brown bears and grizzlies was to examine their droppings.

It seems the black/brown bear droppings will contain berries, leaves and insects. Grizzly bear droppings, on the other hand, will contain bells and smell like pepper spray...

John

My neighbor works for the state water system inspection department and he told me that years ago, he received an email from the department head concerning just that joke about "bells in droppings."

He said the email was so official-looking, it fooled you until you got to the last line.

I think Alaska DNR carries 12 gauge shotguns with slugs for bear. I'd go with the bear spray and a .44 Mag myself.

 

[Elksticker]

Evidently bear spray doesn't always work.
Two More Bear Spray Failures in Montana - The Truth About Guns

No thanks.

Every fall there are more instances like this here with bowhunters. While I'm sure spray works sometimes, it doesn't often enough that I have no intention on relying on it. And if something is charging my wife or grandchild over there while I am over here, my spraying seasoning at it will do nothing. I carry my 44 when bowhunting or pretty much anytime in the woods, my wife and kids carry 357's with loads that hopefully will never be tested but should do the trick. Three days ago my wife was walking her dogs and had a close encounter with a mountain lion, close enough that she cut loose with three rounds into the dirt to make sure it got the message.

 

[vortex360]

WOW ...carrying a .38 in bear country!

Brave man.

I prefer a 22.

 

[junglefighter]

Bears are the main reason I bought a M69 4" for my woods walk around gun.I go to Nat'l. Parks and I did not want a heavy weight revolver to just go for a walk in the woods.I do not reload and I am still undecided on the best carry ammo.So many choices and opinions to choose from.

 

[fredj338]

Bears are the main reason I bought a M69 4" for my woods walk around gun.I go to Nat'l. Parks and I did not want a heavy weight revolver to just go for a walk in the woods.I do not reload and I am still undecided on the best carry ammo.So many choices and opinions to choose from.

If it is for bears you want a wide nose solid for penetration & some tissue crushing. Why I handload, I get exactly what I want to feed my 44mags.

 

[Whitwabit]

In my experience growing up in Alaska, black bear are known to be much more unpredictable and more aggressive than a brown/grizzly. Even at only 300 pounds a black bear with a bad attitude can be just as difficult to stop.

The 44 magnum has served a few generations of outdoorsmen well. I never carried anything smaller.

And......I know of one instance where pepper spray failed.

Fully agree .. Had a brown bear walk 15 feet in front of 3 of us along the Kenia River and would never have allowed a black bear to do the same .. They are just plain unpredictable and are just as likely to attack as they are to walk on by !!

 

[beagleye]

This good sized boar got hit by a car a couple miles up the road. Law enforcement had to finish him off. It was a very solid animal. I'm guessing it might weigh 350, not sure. Yesterday I encountered 2 cubs at the bottom of my driveway. They're thick out there this year.

 

[Kid44]

If I did come up on any bear with a bad attitude I would hope I had something with a 4 on the barrel. I still would have one big advantage over the bear, I would be running on clean ground!!

Clean ground, dirty ground, high ground, low ground whatever ground you'll never outrun a bear.

 

[Biggfoot44]

Unless you're talking fly-in/ pack in wilderness , more likely to encounter a pot grower or meth cooker than an attacking bear .

That said , it's much better to encounter a human malfactor with a .44 or .45 , than a bear with 9mm or .38 . My preferences include .45 Vaquero , and will eventually include 10mm Glock when I have more trigger time with it .

 

[one eye joe]

I live in black bear country. They are thick in my neighbor hood. I have seen probably a dozen in the last month or so, mostly mothers and cubs. And thru the years, tons. And they never fail to leave me underwhelmed with their prowess. I have seen a couple of fatties that would have been 4-5oo. But really rolly polly. I know they could tear you up, but they really don't look like they want to. I have been carrying a 38 in the woods for years, really without considering bears.

A couple weeks ago a bear crossed the road in front of my car that was like a pony. Tall, sleek, muscular, fast. It made me think of my dog shaking a ground hog, except with me in the role of the ground hog. I couldn't guess how much it weighed, enough. It has made me re-evaluate my woods gun and I think the new strategy is a model 1926 loaded with some Keith loads. I know they very rarely hunt people, but 44s are probably one of the main reasons they don't and that's a trend I want to encourage.

A WORD OF CAUTION---NEVER UNDERESTIMATE THE SPEED OR AGGRESSIVENESS OF A BLACK BEAR---ESPECIALLY A FEMALE WITH CUBS....

A .38 SPL IS HARDLY ADEQUATE TO STOP AN ANGRY BEAR IN ATTACK MODE.....

A MORE APPROPRIATE WEAPON WOULD BE 4" M629, FULL OF AMMO THAT CAN PENETRATE DEEP, AND SMASH HEAVY BONES, LIKE HSM'S 305GR, FLAT NOSE, GAS-CHECKED, SOLID LEAD, "BEAR LOAD"......

TWO HARD CAST, SOLID LOADS WOULD ALSO GET THE JOB DONE---THE 305 GR FROM UNDERWOOD, AND BUFALO BORE'S EVEN HEAVIER, 340 GR BULLET.......

 

[joeintexas]

Clean ground, dirty ground, high ground, low ground whatever ground you'll never outrun a bear.

You do know I was kidding, right?

 

[Kid44]

You do know I was kidding, right?

No, not really because there are people who think bears just shuffle along and are never in a hurry. A grizzly can outrun a racehorse for a short distance. Sorry if I offended you.

 

[joe44va]

I remember camping in the Allegany Mountains of PA as a kid. My father's favorite weapon was a large, galvanized wash pan and a big metal serving spoon. It always hung on a fly pole and was used to chase off many a bear.

 

[beagleye]

Unless you're talking fly-in/ pack in wilderness , more likely to encounter a pot grower or meth cooker than an attacking bear .

That said , it's much better to encounter a human malfactor with a .44 or .45 , than a bear with 9mm or .38 . My preferences include .45 Vaquero , and will eventually include 10mm Glock when I have more trigger time with it .

I know the odds are long. But there are so friggen many this year. I prefer to be prepared.

 

[joeintexas]

No, not really because there are people who think bears just shuffle along and are never in a hurry. A grizzly can outrun a racehorse for a short distance. Sorry if I offended you.

Not to worry, takes more than that. But I would give 2 dollars to see that race you're talking about between the bear and the race horse. And yes, I'm just joking here.

 

[625-7]

30 yrs ago I ran the mile and a half in ten min flat. Would't bet on that against a bear. I carry big medicine when out in the woods, and at least something on the property. Other night at dusk a pack of coyotes ran by yipping within a quarter mile and the 66-3 was on my hip at the time. Best bet to carry at least the minimum to get the job done.

 

[crstrode]

This sounds to be more than the hypothetical bear thread .

Bear repellant is usually high concentration pepper spray and should be quite effective on two-legged assailants; be sure to check it is legal to carry in your area.

Actually, people spray is about 10 times more concentrated than bear spray. Bear spray comes in a bigger container that sprays more stuff and sprays it farther, but the percentage of active ingredient is very watered down compared to what is in your wife's purse.

 

[one eye joe]

From what I've read, bear spray is by a wide margin the preferred weapon as it is far more effective than any pistol.

If a handgun is required, 357 actually has better penetration than 44 on a large animal. So choose the 357 you prefer and load it with the Outdoorsman load from a reputable ammo maker like Buffalo Bore or Underwood. I've had issues with hard primers from Buffalo Bore, so be sure to test the ammo to make sure it works in your gun. Just have a bucket of ice ready to soak your hand.

As far as which 357, personally I'd reach for a 4" S&W model 19 or a Ruger GP100. I'm not a big fan of the S&W 686, but many folks are. A 686 weighs almost as much as a 627, so I'd be likely to go that route if I wanted a large S&W 357. Also, shooting Outdoorsman loads from a 627 would be far preferable to shooting them from a Model 19.

WITH ALL DUE RESPECT FOR YOUR OPINIONS, I WOULD FEEL MUCH BETTER PREPARED TO THWART AN ANGRY CHARGE BY A LARGE FEMALE PROTECTING HER CUBS, WITH A .44 MAGNUM REVOLVER LOADED WITH HEAVY, SOLID HARDCAST BULLETS BY UNDERWOOD, BIG BORE, OR THE 310 GR HAMMER HEAD BY GARRET......

EITHER OF THE 3 WILL PENETRATE DEEP, AND SMASH BIG BONES LIKE A SKULL. SPINE OR PELVIS, DROPPING THE BEAR DEAD IN ITS TRACKS, AT A SAFE DISTANCE---WITHOUT THE RISK OF YOU, OR ANYONE ELSE, GETTING A FACE FULL OF WIND BLOWN BEAR SPRAY......