Shooting a bear in self defense

Well it think, or at least hope that everyone here has enough common sense to know that shooting ANYTHING in self defense is a last resort option only.

Well it think, or at least hope that everyone here has enough common sense to know that shooting ANYTHING in self defense is a last resort option only.

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I don't. That is my FIRST and BEST option if it is in self defense.

We had a bear in Camp Baldy at Philmont in the summer of 2007. He didn't bother us, but he sure startled a guy sitting on the outdoor pot at 5:30 a.m.!

The bears there are not known to be aggressive, and the BSA has strict rules prohibiting firearms in camp (because the boys will end up shooting each other by accident).

Away from BSA camp, bring a gun if you want to to deal with bears of uncertain disposition.

I think

pull out your 454 Casull Alaskan with 300 grain hard-cast wadcutters and start blasting

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is a great plan B!

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Absolutely!

I never want to have to shoot a bear at all, but I certainly don't want to have to shoot one twice...

Speaking of animal attacks... not a Black bear, but a mountain lion story which just happened in New Mexico.

One man killed and eaten by a mountain lion.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25354688

I would never hesitate to kill either a Black bear or a mountain lion if I perceived a threat to me or mine. (And, yeah, I been around both enogh to know what a "threat" is.)

L.W.

Steve Herrero is a wildlife biologist and author of "Surviving Bear Attacks",[/ He studied bears in the NW Territories and Alaska for many years researching human encounters with bears. His conclusions regarding Black bears are, in my paraphrase, (1) arm yourself, (2) if you are attacked fight until one of you is dead, (3) firearms are not always the best defense owing to the following:
-in a surprise situation the human may have only seconds to identify the threat correctly, draw, aim and fire ACCURATELY. It takes a trained person to react like that- trained in bear behavior (false charges) and trained in combat or law enforcement.
-the kill zone on a bruin is small, very small and the bear is charging meaning the zone is bouncing up and down.
-bear spray disperses into a cloud that can envelope the bear or at least covers a wider area,
-a knife in handy for stabbing when Bobo is sitting on you trying rip out your guts for lunch.
following his logic a Boar Spear such as those offered by Cold Steal, and mounted on a stout pole that can be used a walking stick, might be a better weapon.

It does not take long to drop into the "Present Bayonets" stance. Sorry, I do not know what the USA or USMC calls that in their manual of arms.

One old timer I knew kill a Black Bear with an axe when he charged while they were felling trees in northern California.This was back in the 1930s.

my personal OPINION is this. if i encounter a bear, i will do everything im my puny little mind that i can to move away from the bear that i phisically can. if that does not work, AND there is time, i would fire a warning shot, as i do recognise that in many cases, the loud noise may scare them away, but if it comes down to me, or him, and i have a gun, i am not going to be attacked and possibly killed. i have 2 little kids that NEED me very much. i WILL NOT worry about the bear at that point.

From my time in "bear country" way out West, if you want to be safe from bears, stop drinking. It was always some leather-faced boozer (with a breath like a flamethrower) telling us about how dangerous them thar "bars" is.

bear gun might be just as handy for pot growers and park meth labs.

load for bear, don't be surprised if you need it for humans.

It is not about the bear's well being. Herrero's observations are that guns are often ineffective and lead to over confidence. Bear spray, a good Bowie knife or Kabar or a spear are sometimes more effective in quick action. Hard to think about getting that close, though. He printed a story told by a scientist with the USGS who had a black bear sit on her. She was in a prone position, fortunately. The bear proceeded to eat her and she witnessed her own devouration and lived to tell about it. She lost the use of one arm and both legs. Her butt is also smaller than before. If she had a suitable knife the story would have ended differently. Had she been in a supine position when the bear started on her she would certainly have died. Black Bears prefer to start with the stomach and its contents, then the intestine, then the large muscles. Grizzly tends to go for the head of its' prey, crushing the skull- a small mercy I suppose.

I agree that two footed predators are more dangerous be it a National Parl or the back country of National Forrest Lands.

Well it think, or at least hope that everyone here has enough common sense to know that shooting ANYTHING in self defense is a last resort option only.

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I don't. That is my FIRST and BEST option if it is in self defense.

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So as soon as you see a bear your going to empty out your .44 into it's head instead of trying to move away?

Bear spray, a good Bowie knife or Kabar or a spear are sometimes more effective in quick action

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A knife? I only know one man who pulled that off, and he's tougher than anyone here. Plus he had a rifle too. There is no set MO with the way bears kill. It depends on the bear. A large enough brown bear can simply pile-drive you and break your back. But a knife alone is not going to cut it. They have ample fur and fat layers to defend against the slashing of other bears, so your knife won't do much. A spear might work if you knew what you were doing and had ten other guys with spears and could lose a few guys in the process.

99 times out of 100 when you see a black or brown bear, it will amble away or ignore you. The instances of predation have been very rare. Most of the attacks are prompted by the bear's own desire to defend its own life and property. You will get in deep trouble, and rightly so, if you start shooting any bruin you see in DLP. You have to be able to judge the situation. There's a big difference between a bear up on two legs to get a look at you and a bear barking and smacking the ground in preparation for a charge.

That doesn't mean you shouldn't carry or that attacks never happen, just that folks seem to overestimate the danger. Oddly the further you get from real live bears the more people seem to fear them. Go figure.

I saw this and thought it applied to this thread