260 *after* field dressing, so it was a big one!
Um, no, that is actually "average" to small in the coastal PNW where these guys were. Frankly, I know local hunters who would not bother to take a shot at one that small as it wasn't "sporting." I had another friend who was a dedicated AK grizzly hunter (he held the NA record for a few decades, actually) and he would not unsling his rifle for anything less than 500lbs he told me once. FYI - I am not putting myself in their league - they are people I know personally - and out of my league by far; just clarifying that for a bear in OR/WA/Can./etc. that is not large. Let's not even talk about AK or northern Can.!
They are that small on average in other parts of the US and interior Canada and other countries. There is a big variance in average size based on habitat. For Oregon/WA/BC on or in the western side of the Cascade slopes, that is not large. I have even seen some I and another hunter both estimated at 400+ pounds even in Eastern WA (granted that was late fall during their hyperphagic feeding season).
Professional hunters in Africa always advise a fast second shot when dealing with dangerous game -- or even with antelope. They say one great fault of American hunters is "admiring the shot" -- standing there and looking when they should be working the bolt and putting another one into the animal.
Damn good advice. "Double Tap" is more than a brand of ammo.
should have had a shotgun with slugs and left the handguns at home for fun at the range.
Hello? .338? They weren't just joking with that caliber, you know.
Goes to show that the simplicity of a revolver would have allowed him more than 3 shots before the mag release was hit.
Or the ejection port was jammed by fur or flesh, or the slide was not allowed to lock back because it was in the belly, etc. These are but a few of the reason my serious self-defense guns are all magnum revolvers. I love autos, but when it's serious, it's a revolver for me. I will take the odds of six pretty certain rounds of .44 Magnum vs. 18 probable rounds of 9mm or .40 S&W in a civilian self-defense scenario any day.
doesnt matter where you hit the bear if the bear is spooked you better destroy the brain
Amen. For those who didn't read the story (seems like many of the posters), this bear took a .338 and then stalked the hunter. And this is where, once there is some better scientific evidence, bear spray might hold an edge. It effects the nasal mucosa if you hit them square in the nose. This is wired straight into the brain via one of the cranial nerves. So it CAN be highly effective. But you have to hit the nose just right. In serious bear country, am beginning to believe both are really wise. Neither is foolproof, but better more weapons than just one. Especially when one of them is as cheap as pepper spray.
Now this is my favorite quote about North American black bears I've ever run across; I keep it bookmarked for reference:
A black bear was hit and killed by a car near Winnipeg Canada, in 2001. The official recorded weight was 856.5 pounds, but it is estimated that the live weight of this large male was more than 886 pounds. The driver was not injured and there appeared to be little damage to the Mazda.
So I am thinking of packing a Mazda in addition to my .44, .30-30, and pepper spray!
