If you had to shoot a Black Bear;

[John Patrick]

I'm not quite sure what to say.

Some of us live and recreate in actual bear & lion country.
I've had close encounters with both.

Even handgun hating Maryland officials have found the need to allow bow hunters in the mountainous western region of the state to carry a handgun while archery hunting - and, really remarkably, even without a MD wear and carry permit.

But it seems to have escaped them that the exploding bear population has bears migrating east, out of the mountains, into farm country and even suburbs.

ETA: When I carry a handgun while hunting, I carry either a 3" 357 K frame or Colt's King Cobra. I'm agnostic when it comes to ammo, though I usually just stick with the 38spl +P personal defense loads that are in the gun. Occasionally I'll swap to BB hard cast 38spl +P.

 

[rwt1405]

Update of Pistol Defenses Against Bears 123 Cases, 98% Effective - AmmoLand Shooting Sports News

 

[rwt1405]

Black Bears aren't that big and will usually run unless around their cubs.

Perhaps where you are from, but in my Home state Black Bears get pretty big.

 

[mikerjf]

I live in a Minneapolis suburb. I've had 1 bear encounter and 2 with cougars.

 

[BabaBlueJay]

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[vipermd]

I used to bear hunt in the North Maine woods about every year. The State of Maine wildlife folks have some strict laws about caliber of back up guns. When my outfitter found out that the three inch model 629 I was carrying was .44 magnum he stopped me from carrying it because the .44 magnum is apparently legal for hunting bears and I would be carrying a "bear gun", loaded when it was not permitted. That would incur a citation and confiscation of the firearm. I checked with the guides who worked the site and found that they carried about an even mixture of .45acp and .357 magnum. I switched to a 686 from then on.

Hi When were you hunting bear in Maine. I was bear hunting 2017 with my wife and we both carried 44 mags, 4", 5" as backups.. I saw nothing in the game laws to say I could not carry a " Bear" gun when I was hunting Bear. So I do not understand what you are talking about. Maybe the laws have changed, I do not know. Primary was a 30-06 for both of us. All of my Bear in Canada, Mi, Pa, Maine have been taken with the 30-06, one shot to the Heart. Be Safe

 

[Autonomous]

Everyone jumping on what I'm saying should carry 500 magnum or 475 Limbaugh then �� or better yet at that point carry a rifle specifically for that threat.

If you hunt or engage in recreation where you expect bears or routinely run into them do as you please. I duck hunt and I'm fine with just bringing my shotgun or having a 686 with hollows.

If you really need the 180 grain Hardcast bullets to make you feel better, you do you.

Stop digging. Just stop.

 

[BabaBlueJay]

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[Cal44]

Buffalo Bore has an Auto Rim 225gr full wadcutter load that makes 1125 fps out of 4 inch barrel.

I've always thought those loaded in my 625 JM would be a good bear gun.

Those big flat point hard cast wadcutters should be effective on anything smaller than Gizzly.

 

[BabaBlueJay]

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[Autonomous]

Just wound the bear and let someone else deal with it later.
Sounds ethical.

 

[venomballistics]

Probably the most important thing is coming to understand the objectives of the late Elmer Keith.
1 bullet and one load that did everything well enough.
That's what you want here.
No whizzbang gadgets.
The most honest chunk of lead you can sling.

 

[CJH]

I'm not an expert by any means but I carry a 44 in the woods. Hottest round I can shoot accurately regularly in a package I'm physical comfortable toting around.

I've been curious about a 460 but if I'm hunting I'll have a long gun on me most of the time and if I'm doing anything else honestly that weight is just too heavy to not be annoyed by. Either way it's a precautionary measure for a highly unlikely event. Something is better than nothing and to me 44 isn't that much more annoying to shoot or carry than a 357 so I figured I might as well step up to the 44 when there's not really a downside (out in the woods at least) and potential benefits.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

Stop the bickering right now. We are supposed to be adults here on this forum. I'm tired of having to close threads because of a few.

One and only warning, stop it...

 

[Tom Kent]

vipermd, I have not hunted bear in about five years and the warning about the .44 was about 3-4 years before that. I normally used a 30-06 or a 45-70 as my "bear gun" and never had to use my back up gun. I know that the wildlife police were pretty adamant about their rules and regulations. It could also be that the outfitter did not want to create any controversy with them. You had to have your primary gun unloaded at the end of legal shooting time. My primary use for the back up gun would have been for moose or two legged predators with the bears being at most third place in the danger mode.

 

[BabaBlueJay]

Stop the bickering right now. We are supposed to be adults here on this forum. I'm tired of having to close threads because of a few.

One and only warning, stop it...

Duly noted, I was out of line on this one. People can carry whatever they like.


@Autonomous I am sorry for being a jerk.

I was wrong in this thread in every way, so I'll bow out.

 

[Autonomous]

Thank you, we're good.

 

[Shibadog]

If I'm fooling round in the toolies where blackies are present I'll have either my 3" model 60 loaded with hard cast or a 4.25 model 69, also with hard cast. Having a close encounter with a large predator miles from anywhere is an "interesting" experience. I've never had to shoot one but I was darn glad I had that 60 with me when the rifle I was carrying at the time (squirrels) was a .32 Tn Mtn flinter throwing a .310 patched round ball over 12 grains of FFFg. At that moment that old 60 was worth $$$$$

 

[Drm50]

I only have knowledge in Ontario & Quebec but a lot of Blacks are whacked grave yard dead with 22s. Multiple hits with 308 from a stand and have to finish it with a couple 44s? Me thinks nothing important was hit. It's same as the gobbling over deer guns. You have to put a decent shot on the quarry, no matter what you use.
The big game was shot to extinction in the east with muzzle loaders of 40cal or less. Those big bores didn't show up until people were far enough west to encounter Grizzly, Buffalo and Elk.

 

[biku324]

The big argument in northern New Mexico where the biggest bear and elk live was 150 grain or 170 grain trienta y trienta (30-30) 'shells.' The 170s got the most agreement amongst the most successful local hunters.