What caliber for rabid black bear?

[MaterDei]

HAGERSTOWN - A rabid black bear trying to rip out a window air conditioner lost its tug-of-war with a terrified housewife when her husband blasted the beast with a shotgun, the woman and a state wildlife official said today.

The bear rushed the house after Charlotte Stanton yelled out her screen door to try to scare it away from a goat pen. Stanton, 39, of rural Grantsville in Garrett County, said she was losing her tussle with the 134-pound sow when Michael Stanton pulled the trigger.

"I finally yelled at my husband, because I couldn't hold on to that air conditioner much longer," she said. "It seemed like forever, but I'm sure it was just seconds."

The load of buckshot didn't kill the bear, which lay bleeding and moaning in the yard of the Western Maryland home for about 30 minutes Aug. 29 before a state Natural Resources Police officer arrived to remove it.

All four family members -- including daughter Caitlin, 10, and son James Winebrenner, 15 -- will receive a series of rabies shots because of their exposure to the animal's blood and saliva, Mrs. Stanton said.

"We cleaned up the blood and stuff from the house," she said today in a telephone interview. "All of us had pretty much blood on us."

Michael Stanton, 49, won't be charged with a wildlife violation because the state allows killing bears out of season to defend people and livestock, The Cumberland Times-News reported.

The bear was the first known case of a rabid black bear in Maryland, said Harry Spiker, who heads the state's bear management program. Rabid bears have been confirmed in Pennsylvania and Canada, he said.

Spiker said the agency tested the bear for rabies because she was so aggressive.

"That behavior was just completely out of the ordinary," Spiker said.

Stanton said bears often come into her yard and most are easily chased away. But now, "when I see a bear in the yard, I'm not going to think twice about running for the house or even getting a gun out," she said.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/bal-bear0905,0,5543864.story

I don't know why the guy didn't put the bear out of its misery.

 

[grizz]

.17 HMR

 

[cpttango30]

For a rabid bear I want a one shot kill, nothing smaller than a 45/70. with a 500 smith mag pistol for a BUG.

I have been upclose and personal with a few rabid animals. One cat war rounding around her cage in the normal circles you see on the floor the cat was running from the floor up one side across the top down the other side and then he would start all over again.

I would get a big rifle and an even bigger pistol if I were them people.

 

[JamisJockey]

12ga with slugs. There is a reason Alaskan guides use them for bear defense.

 

[rero360]

well after just reading Stephen King's Cujo again, I'd say nothing short of a 20mm rifle. but hey, I'd also perscribe a MOAB for that darn clown in Derry. ;-)

 

[230RN]

12 gauge 1 oz slug = 438 grains
Caliber is 0.73 inches.

Pick or interpolate yer velocity:

1400 f/s = 1907 ft-lbs
1300 f/s = 1640 ft-lbs
1200 f/s = 1300 ft-lbs
1100 f/s = 1175 ft-lbs

That's why I wanna buy a rifled slug barrel for my shotty.

---------

Energy = (velocity times velocity x weight) / 450240

The denominator varies slightly. Weight in grains, velocity in feet per second, energy in foot-pounds.

 

[trueblue1776]

One slug would probably work, thirty rounds of .223 would be more fun.

 

[Legionnaire]

12 gauge slugs. But I'm with MaterDei; why didn't the homeowner finish the job? I understand shooting to stop a human perp, but once you've decided to shoot the animal, the humane thing to do is put it down.

 

[Double Naught Spy]

Maybe they weren't feeling too humane after being attacked by it?

 

[4v50 Gary]

I think the caliber was the right choice. I would prefer slugs but the 00 buck seemed to have neutralized the threat ceased. To be humane, I would have finished it off.

 

[MikeJackmin]

Looks like a good excuse to pick up one of those new .375 Rugers.

 

[yesit'sloaded]

Mosin Nagant wouldn't be too shabby in this situation. Smith and Wesson makes an awesome "bear attack" kit that comes with a .50 pistol..hold on maybe I can find the link...http://www.smith-wesson.com/webapp/...d=10001&productId=49906&langId=-1&isFirearm=Y
everyone should have one of these...just like a smoke detector. I would never want to fire one of those unless I was actually being chased by a bear.

 

[CDignition]

An AR-10 with 20 round mag would do ok also..

 

[taliv]

never heard of a rabid bear before.

 

[MakAttak]

One reason they may have not finished the bear off is they were afraid it may recover while they went out to shoot it and attack again.

Another reason they may have refrained from shooting it, (if they were able to think ahead) is, given the way the state of Maryland operates, they may have been afraid of being cited for a hunting violation.

 

[22-rimfire]

Those folks are going through the rabies shots. Ugh. Not plasant. They did okay. I don't know why they didn't finish off the bear.

 

[1911Tuner]

105mm...

 

[crankshop1000]

9mm with the gun held sideways.

 

[AndyC]

Jedi mind-trick - "This is not the food you're looking for..."

 

[Geno]

A 12 gauge is about as good as stopping power gets. I would prefer the 1.25 Oz. slugs

 

[Zen21Tao]

4" S&W 500

(Bullet size comparison from right to left: .22lr, .40S&W, 10mm, .45acp, 500 S&W)

 

[TexasRifleman]

To be humane, I would have finished it off.

I would too but you can understand the hesitation to do so with all the uproar harming an animal can cause. These days it seems you are more likely to be in trouble for shooting a dangerous animal than a dangerous human.

 

[RyanM]

For those who think a shotgun with any old slugs is fine, I suggest reading:

http://www.african-hunter.com/Rifle_Choice_4_Dangerous_Game.htm

Lions are about the weight of a large black bear, or small brown. Leopards the size of a rather small black, and much thinner-skinned. If slugs don't even work against them, why would you have better hopes for the same load against a larger, heavier-skinned, heavier-boned animal?

Brenneke slugs work okay against leopards, but not lion. So basically, even the best slugs wouldn't be a guaranteed stop, against a large bear. Yet a standard caliber high-power rifle is fine for both.

I think I'd rather have an autoloading .308 or .30-06 for bear defense.

 

[glockman19]

Nothing less than a .44 mag. A Shotgun with slugs, a .460, or .50 caliber would certianly do the job.

 

[Chipperman]

Nuke it from orbit. It's the only way to be sure.







All your bears are belong to us.













Sorry.