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Stopping a bear attack with a pistol, a compilation of events.
- Thread starter c1steve
- Start date
If I thought I needed a shotgun in bear country, then I'd take a "proper" one - either SBS something on a Form 1, or just carry a Beretta 1301 Tactical (which is almost as compact with none of the hassle). Monkeying around with a Shockwave doesn't seem like the way I want to leave this world.
It would be hard to find a place in the US outside of Alaska with more grizzlies/mile than my place, and there is no fucking way I am carrying a shotgun around every time I go outside. Sometimes I wonder how people make it through life with as many fears as they seem to have.
I seem to recall that the top causes of wilderness death are falls onto objects, and objects falling onto people, and then heart disease (which seems like a very American way to die in the great outdoors). Bear deaths are less common than death by anaphylactic shock from an insect sting, but yet there seems to be very little discussion on the best way to carry epi pens.
Not to mention hypothermia, which, in most grizzly bear areas, is possible well into summer if you get unlucky. Hell, around here if you sprain your ankle you could find yourself in a world of trouble. None of it so glamorous as hand to hand combat with a Griz, though.
Much easier to carry a 12GA + a 10mm sidearm for backup than it is to pack a thermal emergency blanket.
I honestly would have thought that exposure would have ranked higher than falls, but nope. Also surprising is that the pluarity of fatal falls were attributed to lower leg injuries, and not hits to the noggin. This strongly suggests that splits and tourniquets are really good ideas. Plus a 12GA to deal with the grizzlies that can now catch you due to your impeded mobility.
I carry a small soft splint if I am going anywhere more than a few miles out. It's pretty much a no brainer.
A good friend of mine is a full time teacher of back country first responder stuff. I was shocked it was even a profession. I took his three day class for fun, and it is a bit disconcerting all of the bad things that can happen to you. I'm not surprised that leg injuries cause a lot of fatalities. Femur fractures are nasty, and there is a special skill in building a backcountry traction splint. He can do it in a minute. With me, you better have some extra legs, because I don't get it right every time. But unquestionably, having a smart set of first aid stuff for your area, and a good bit of training is going to save your life before a shotgun does.
I do wonder if they are counting exposure as exposure with no other issues, because a lot of those leg break and sprain deaths end up in exposure and dehydration at the end.
That said, I often carry a 10mm pistol on the trails, and my wife always does.
This is the nightmare scenario:
One of my best pig and pistol stories is taking three 150lb pigs with a pistol by sneaking up on them in the dark. Shot all between the shoulder from point blank range. All collapsed and then one started squealing and they all got up and ran off.
Disgusting. Canned Hunt. Wished the lion got him.
Thanks for the warning. Not clicking on that shit.
I was doing backhoe work on a friends ranch, filling in places that became impassable mudholes during wet weather. I worked my way down a dirt road and was walking back to bring my truck down and all of a sudden her heard a loud growling burp from the brush. A big black Russian boar looking hog jumped up from under a cedar tree twenty feet away where he'd been taking a siesta and was looking at me chomping his teeth. It was like something out of the Black Forest in the middle ages.
We stood and stared at each other for a few seconds before he turned and trotted off into the underbrush in no particular hurry. I made a point to always carry my 1911 after that.
Same sort of story my brother and I have bout a black bear. Stepped out of the pick up to relieve ourselves unarmed. Lesson learned.
That is not a canned lion hunt, canned hunts only take place in South Africa. If I recall that was a Zimbabwe hunt.
Wrong. Cecil was killed by being lured out of his protected "park" to be shot by the dentist; at the time of his death the President of Zimbabwe acknowledged there were canned hunt programs there. South Africa has the most canned hunts, followed by Zimbabwe, followed by Namibia.
Charged twice in Alaska in 08 and 09 working in the back country for Millrock and Avalon development. First was a big young brown bear that the guy with me dropped with a shot in the snout with a 454 casull. the second with a S&W 460 mag revolver. Ive watched them stalk interns from the colorado school of mines flying around in a hughs 500 plenty of times.
You really want scary? Spook a full grown cow moose with a calf. That critter would turn you into a bloody puddle.
Rich, entitled, YUPPIE assholes with too much money and little hunting skills. I promise you cunts like this wouldn't last a fucking day out there if they were air dropped in and left alone without armed escorts.
I've seen brown and black bear while ATV'ng and unless you come upon a momma with cubs, they typically won't mess with you. I'm honestly more concerned with the bull moose I've seen. Including one a couple of weeks ago that I had a stand-off with. Rounded a corner in a boggy area (should have expected it) and there he was. Probably 10-15 feet from me. Looked to be 7' tall and 1200+ lbs I would guess. He wouldn't move and I was too scared to move. I threw it in reverse and slowly started moving and then he finally turned and walked off. I did have my Glock 20 in a chest holster, but it wasn't giving me a lot of comfort.
Yolandi Visser of Die Antwoord , from the 2015 film "Chappie" .
Yeah, who cares. It's just a strange film I kept on spindle for some reason.
http://www.imfdb.org/wiki/Denel_PAW-20 Yeah it's a "real" weapon, not just a mashup prop gun.
I'll add my experience, mostly with brown bears. I attended East Anchorage high school. Step-mom homesteaded with her 2nd husband, "Old John". We went to see the property one day, after 5 minutes I spot fresh claw marks 16' up a tree (that's how they mark their territory). I quickly survey my surroundings and B-line back to the truck, I'd seen all I needed. Old John had been charged there, shooting a .270, the bear covered 100 yards and fell dead at Johns pissed soaked feet. After that he always had big magnums 458 win. & 300 Weatherby.
With a very slow metabolism, 8 heartbeats a minute, you can blow out their heart and still be killed before they die. The only instant kill is a headshot, but their skull is so thick, you have to place your shot into an existing hole; nose, eye, mouth or ear. So technically any caliber could be used for such. There were pistol hunting clubs, backed up by guides with rifles. We had family friends that guided Bear hunts. I did have one close encounter while fishing on the Russian river, I always remembered, I didn't have to outrun a bear as long as there was someone else that I could outrun. I remember one story of a man that only had a knife, they found his skeletal remains and about 20 yards away a bear slumped over dead, bled out after his meal.
With a very slow metabolism, 8 heartbeats a minute, you can blow out their heart and still be killed before they die. The only instant kill is a headshot, but their skull is so thick, you have to place your shot into an existing hole; nose, eye, mouth or ear. So technically any caliber could be used for such. There were pistol hunting clubs, backed up by guides with rifles. We had family friends that guided Bear hunts. I did have one close encounter while fishing on the Russian river, I always remembered, I didn't have to outrun a bear as long as there was someone else that I could outrun. I remember one story of a man that only had a knife, they found his skeletal remains and about 20 yards away a bear slumped over dead, bled out after his meal.
My first trip to the Bush as an adult, I arrived to teach school 3 weeks early. I wanted to fish and such before school got going. Buckland. So, here's ol' white boy catching so many fish his fingers are bleeding and only going to keep a couple right before I head back to the shack. I realize that I had not seen a boat nor heard a 4 wheeler in quite a while so I look at my watch. 03:00. So, I catch a couple and start to head back the approximate 5 miles to town. I walk up off the river where it's easier walking and take a look around. Big griz about 100 yards away. I have rod, reel, 3 fish. So I start moving to town. I look behind me and he's headed my way, no hurry. Still, I'm worried, so every time I got below a rise or something gave me some cover, I ran like hell. The rest of that fall, I went with my 870 loaded hot #5 first round, then 00 and a slug. #5 was for ptarmigan or whatever and I figured I'd go ahead and shoot it AT a bear rather than waste time ejecting it. I later took the plug out.
The next year, Ambler, I came in with a .454 and some solids. I've had bears walk right up a river that would sweep me away. Some as close as 20 yards. I've cut the line rather than have a fish flopping too close to me and I've had that Casull cocked and pointed at Ursus Arctos Horribilis, begging him to just keep on going. I've also had it in my hands while going back up off the river in the willows like I was looking for a bad guy in a room I had never been in.
I never did shoot one.
When we harvested Caribou in the fall, we would brain them as they were swimming, gather them and take them to a sand bar to process. One of us, usually me, would stand watch from a high point...sometimes that was the motor...because da bears had learned that gunshots meant gut piles. On more than one occasion we had to abandon a carcass to a bear. It's pretty amazing how fast they can close 100 yards of water.
The next year, Ambler, I came in with a .454 and some solids. I've had bears walk right up a river that would sweep me away. Some as close as 20 yards. I've cut the line rather than have a fish flopping too close to me and I've had that Casull cocked and pointed at Ursus Arctos Horribilis, begging him to just keep on going. I've also had it in my hands while going back up off the river in the willows like I was looking for a bad guy in a room I had never been in.
I never did shoot one.
When we harvested Caribou in the fall, we would brain them as they were swimming, gather them and take them to a sand bar to process. One of us, usually me, would stand watch from a high point...sometimes that was the motor...because da bears had learned that gunshots meant gut piles. On more than one occasion we had to abandon a carcass to a bear. It's pretty amazing how fast they can close 100 yards of water.
Great stories!
One of the few times I made a dumb mistake that almost got me killed was heading out onto the delta thinking I could dead reckon my way back. I got engrossed in catching fish and then had a bear emerge next to me. I dropped a fish and hightailed it across a stream several hundred yards with my gear sale in tow and then realized it had clouded up and I was turned around. With all the willows it was like being in a cornfield at night. I realized I'd have to do an Anabasis to get back. Adding to it was the water had risen and finding a ford was time consuming and then some crossings were iffy. Took me 6 hours of thrashing to get back to the car. I went way upstream to get away from the bear then headed back out. I ended up way upstream as planned to be safe and had to go deep into the deep deep woods in the twilight then head back downstream to find the dirt road. Had a bear caught me in the water during a crossing I'd been toast. I got home 18 hours after I left. People were definitely beginning to worry.
Had another encounter when in a tent on a hunt. I got invited to hunt with a Tlingit and his son - a that meant NO FOOD. Just water. Brother bear came snuffling up in the rain and circled the tent a few times with me bug eyed and gun aimed at the noise. He touched the tent a few times and then left. The dad sat there the whole time bored to death. "No food, bear won't come in." After that I never took food with me into the bush. The son shot a deer and the Dad became a maniac with the knife and had the deer ready to pack out in just a few minutes. He thought we had ten minutes to get going before a bear showed up.
As a life-long Alaskan who spends vast amounts of time in the bush and am intimately familiar with all four species of bears in Alaska I can say without qualififcaton that any handgun is better then spray or a knife....Excellent compilation of stopping bears with a pistol. The pistol has been more successful than I thought.
Read more: https://www.ammoland.com/2018/02/de...s-rate-37-incidents-by-caliber/#ixzz5sS36vLdL
Under Creative Commons License: Attribution
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Defense Against Bears with Pistols: 97% Success rate, 37 incidents by Caliber
Ammoland Inc. Posted on February 19, 2018 by Dean Weingarten
Defense Against Bears with Pistols: 97% Success rate, 37 incidents by Caliber
Arizona -(Ammoland.com)- On the Internet, and in print, many people claim that pistols lack efficacy in defending against bear attacks. Here is an example that occurred on freerepublic.com:
I never received a response. I believe the claim was made in good faith. There has been much conjecture about the lack of efficacy of pistols for defense against bears. A little searching will find a plethora of fantasy, fiction, mythology, and electrons sprayed about the supposed lack.
I engaged in a search for instances where pistols were used to defend against bears. I and my associates have found 37 instances that are fairly easily confirmed. The earliest happened in 1987, the latest mere months ago. The incidents are heavily weighted toward the present, as the ability to publish and search for these incidents has increased, along with increases in bear and human populations, and the carry of pistols.
The 37 cases include one that can fairly be described as a “failure”.
The pistol calibers, when known, range from 9 mm to .454 Casull. The most common are .44 magnums. Here are the cases, sorted by caliber:
We have found four cases where 9 mm pistols were used to defend against bears. All were successful.
1. Alaska, Russian River, Grizzly Charged Fishermen, 9mm 17 August, 2002
2. Bear Charged John Tiebohl, 9 mm, 31 August, 2004 Bachelor Gulch, Colorado
3. AK: Guide Kills Attacking Grizzly with 9mm, July, 2016
4. Bowhunters, Spray Failed, 9mm, Grizzly October, 2017, account from two sources, Todd Orr, and Eye-witness, Beaver Creek, MT.
I interviewed both sources. The attack was reported to Fish and Game, but was not published.
It was at the end of the day, and was getting dark. Two bow hunters, were returning from their bow hunt. They both had bear spray and pistols. They had agreed that if forced into defending themselves, one would use spray, the other would back up the spray with his pistol.
The male grizzly bluff charged several times, blocking their return to camp.
Warning shots were fired in the air with a 9 mm pistol. The bear ran off, then came back. Bear spray was utilized but only extended 10 feet into a light head wind and did not reach the bear. The bear would not disengage. It kept coming back and getting closer. The aggressive bear was finally shot with the 9 mm pistol at close range. It ran off. The report was made to Fish and Wildlife, and the bear was found dead the next day. Eye-witness believes it was one shot to the chest of the bear.
We have found three cases where .357 revolvers were used to defend against bears. Two were successful, one was unsuccessful.
1. MT: Grizzly Bear Killed After Biting Warden in Montana Forest June 26, 1987, .357 Magnum
Pictures at Field and Stream Article here
2. Alaska Geologist Pistol Defense failure June 20, 2010, Grizzly Bear, .357 Magnum
3. Glacier National Park: Bear first sprayed, then shot with a .357 (July 2014)
We have found three cases where .40 caliber pistols were used to defend against bears. All were successful.
1. Black Bear broke into Anchorage home, AK Glock .40 , 2 June, 2006
2. Zanesville Ohio, escaped bear, duty pistol, 20 October, 2011 .40 caliber (from Muskingum County Sheriff's Office)
3. May 13, 2017 Bristol, NH, Officer shoots, kills Aggressive Black Bear with .40 cal Glock
We have found one case where a 10 mm pistol was used to defend against a bear. It was successful.
AK: Kim Woodman Kills Charging Grizzly with 10 mm 29 July, 2016
We have found two cases where .41 magnum revolvers were used to defend against bears. Both were successful.
1. Montana: Bear attacked, man mauled, used .41 Mag to stop second attack April, 2008
Bozeman daily Chronicle
2. Clark Wy, .41 Magnum, Grizzly, 19 July, 2009
We have found twelve cases where .44 magnum revolvers were used to defend against bears. All were successful.
1. AZ .44 Magnum used to stop black bear attack, AZ Republic, page 39 -Newspapers.com, July 1996
Comprehensive article from Gun Watch published in 2017
2. Muldoon Alaska, Hiker Kills Charging Brown Bear from 20 feet with .44 Magnum, 24 September, 2004
Original story from Anchorage Daily News
3. Grizzly attacked Moose Hunters, 7 September, 2006, Alaska, .44 magnum, The Longest Minute
4. Wyoming, Flying H Ranch, Bowhunters Attacked by 600 lb Grizzly, Stopped Charge with .44 Magnum 17 September, 2007
5. From bozemandailychronicle.com: October 6, 2007 MT (Tom Miner Basin), .44 Magnum
6. British Columbia: A Grizzly Bear, a .44 magnum, and a brush with death June 2010
Link to video on Youtube
7. Wyoming, Paint Creek, Shoshone National Forest, Bow hunter shot Charging Grizzly with .44 magnum, 2010
8. AK: Details on Charging Kodiak stopped with a .44 Mag Revolver (July 2015)
9. Grand Teton National Park: Fisherman fires warning shots with .44 Magnum, Deters Bear Attack, August 15, 2015
10. Idaho: Bear Attacked Bow Hunter, Could not Reach Bear Spray, Drove off Bear with .44 Magnum pistol shots, 31 August, 2015
11. AK: Successful Bear Attack Defense with .44 Magnum (Aug 7, 2016)
12. MT: Father Uses .44 Magnum to Shoot Grizzly Bear off Son (Oct. 2017)
We have found four cases where .45 caliber pistols were used to defend against bears. All were successful.
1. Grizzly shot with 9 rounds of .45 from a Glock 21 from gunnerforum.org reported August 22, 2009
2. AK, Denali National Park: Backpacker Stops Grizzly attack with .45 pistol, May 28, 2010
3. AK: .45 vs 9-Foot Brown Bear (July, 2014), .45 semi-auto
4. ID: Bear Attack on Sleeping Man Stopped with a .45 Pistol (Oct 2015)
We have found one case where .45 Super pistol was used to defend against a bear. It was successful.
WY: .45 Super Stops Grizzly Bear Charge (Oct. 2017)
We have found one case where .454 Casull revolver was used to defend against a bear. It was successful.
AK, Kenai Peninsula, Charging Brown Bear Stopped with Ruger .454 Casull, 2 August, 2009
We have found three cases where the handguns used to defend against bears were not identified. All were successful.
1. On the same day, another bear attack (Tom Miner Basin) and pistol defense of Roman Morris From mtstandard.com: October 6, 2007
2. Massachusetts: Handgun Defense against Black Bear (Nov 2014)
3. AZ: Bow Hunter Uses Handgun to Stop Unprovoked Bear Attack In Sept, 2016
There were three cases where combined arms were used to defend against bears. The two with both rifle and pistol calibers are included in the interest of complete data reporting but are not used in the determination of the success rate. The one case with .357 and .44 magnum pistols is included in the 35 pistol cases. All three cases were successful.
1. Black Bear, wounded with .338 rifle; Glide, Oregon 31 May, 2008 .45 pistol and .44 magnum revolver
In this account, the pistol is revealed to be a Llama .45 with a 3.25 inch barrel. From shootersforum.com.
2. September 2010, Elk Hunters at Bruin Creek, Thorofare Country, Wyoming .44 magnums, .45-70 rifle
3. Thorofare Country south of Yellowstone, Grizzly at 10 feet, .44 magnum and .357 magnum, September, 2013 (report from 2015)
To summarize, we have found 37 verified cases where pistols were used to defend against bear attacks. Included, for complete data reporting, are two cases where bears were shot at with both rifles and pistols, making it difficult to determine the efficacy of pistols alone.
Of the 35 strictly pistol defense cases, one was a clear failure. That is the use of the .357 against an Alaskan grizzly by a geologist on 20 June, 2010. It is likely the bear was not hit in that incident.
There are four successful defenses with 9 mm pistols. The three grizzly bears were killed, the black bear was wounded and ran off.
Two of the three uses of the .357 were successful. One was against a grizzly that was stopped with one shot, but then escaped. The other grizzly was killed with six shots fired.
There were three uses of .40 caliber pistols, all against black bears, all successful, all of the bears were killed.
There was one use of a 10 mm pistol against a grizzly. 4 or 5 shots were fired. It was successful and the bear was killed.
There were two uses of .41 magnum revolvers. Both were against grizzly bears, both were successful and the bears were killed.
There were twelve uses of .44 magnum revolvers. All were successful. One was against a black bear, it was mortally wounded but finished off with shotgun slugs. Eleven were against grizzly bears. Two were driven of with “warning shots”. One was driven off, without evidence of being wounded. One was wounded and not recovered. One was wounded and finished off at the scene with a shotgun slug. Six were killed without further assistance.
There were four uses of .45 caliber pistols against bears. All were successful. One was against a black bear, which was killed with additional shots, probably from another handgun. The other three were grizzly bears killed with multiple hits from the .45 caliber pistols.
There was one use of a .45 Super pistol. It was successful. The grizzly bear was killed with one shot.
There was one use of a .454 Casull revolver. 4 or 5 shots were fired and the grizzly bear was finished off at the scene with a rifle brought by the defender's wife.
There were three cases of pistol defenses against bears where the pistol caliber was not identified. One was a grizzly, which ran off. It was not determined if the bear was wounded or not. The other two were black bears that were killed with the pistol fire.
There was one case where both .357 magnum and .44 magnum revolvers were used. The grizzly bear was killed.
In total, there were 8 defenses against black bears and 27 defenses against grizzly bears.
One pistol failure out of 35 cases translates to a 97% success rate for the use of handguns against bears.
Successful bear defenses with a pistol are probably under-reported, much like successful firearm defenses against criminals. If a predatory black bear is shot and runs off, there are strong incentives for the shooter not to report the incident. Incidents, where no human is injured, are seldom considered news. This creates a strong selection bias against successful pistol defenses against bears.
Predatory black bear attacks are the most common fatal black bear attacks in North America. Only 8 of the pistol defenses listed above are defenses against black bears or 23%. It is reasonable to believe there should be about twice that number. Black bear predatory attacks often give potential victims good opportunities to use a pistol effectively.
I have two reported instances of successful bear defenses with a .38 special revolver. One against a black bear, and one against a grizzly. I have not been able to verify either. I have found two more reported cases of the successful use of the 10 mm pistol, and one more for the .357 magnum, but have not been able to verify them.
Even in the age of the Internet, reports can become difficult to find after a few years. I recall an incident where an Alaskan State Trooper killed a grizzly bear with his duty pistol, while an associate with a 12 gauge shotgun did not fire. I have not been able to find that report. It may have been the 2013 incident where unarmed Thomas Puerta was killed and eaten. I am not certain.
If anyone has sources for that incident, or of others not recorded here, either successes or failures, please let us know.
Pistol defense failures against bears should be widely reported. When humans are injured by bears, it is news.
In this compilation of incidents, one was a failure. The .357 magnum was fired three times. The shooter was mauled after the first shot and after the second and third shots. It seems likely the shooter missed all three shots. It is the only bear defense with a pistol, that failed, that we have found.
One failure out of 35 incidents is better than a 97% success rate for pistol defenses against bears. Using a pistol to defend against bear attacks seems to be a viable option.
The often cited Efficacy of firearms for bear deterrence in Alaska by Tom S. Smith, Stephen Herrero, and others, included 37 instances of a handgun being present when a bear attacked a human. The instances collected were from 1883 to 2009. They recorded 6 failures to stop the attack out of the 37 instances. That is an 84% success rate. Pistol and ammunition technology have greatly improved since 1883.
The authors of the Efficacy of firearms have not released their data. There could be as many as six instances of overlap between the Efficacy of firearms data set and our collection, so a combination of the data is not useful unless the Effficacy of firearms data set is released. We cannot know how many of the six “failures” of the efficacy study might be because the handgun was never attempted to be used, was unable to be accessed because it was buried in a pack, or for other reasons.
All of the instances cited in this article can be verified independently.
©2018 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice is included.
That being said I have never carried one nor will I. A 18" shotgun with good slugs and ghost ring sight is minimum. Short barrel, collapsable stock AR-10 is better... A old Alaskan saying....if using handgun for bear protection always save the round for yourself! Don't forget the 45-70 Marlin!
Classic fudd BS. Do you know how many times I have heard almost the same exact shit? It’s like you people don’t even think to look up some facts before repeating this BS.
Claw marks 16’ up a tree? Really? Grizzlies aren’t that damn big and they don’t climb trees like black bears.
The 8 beats a second heart rate is always funny too. That’s their hibernating heart rate. Guess what? If they’re charging you, they aren’t fucking hibernating. Their normal heart rate is similar to ours. Their metabolism also only slows down during hibernation too.
Plenty of people have killed them with pistols and head shots in defense, their skulls aren’t AR-500.
People hunt them successfully with bows, so again, wrong on so many accounts.
Repeating these fudd facts are probably the easiest way for someone to certify themselves as a mouth breather.
You don't know me, but you can!
I'm not spewing shit I read off the internet, wasn't any back then. I shared stories from my actual life, some are not mine personally, rather from family and friends that lived through their experiences. So how much time have you spent in bear county, you jackass know it all internet troll??
So, you’re doubling down on 8 beats per minute?
The secret lives of grizzlies
The first time Lynne Nelson entered a den of hibernating grizzly bears, she felt a little nervous. The captive bears had known her since they were babies, but
www.snexplores.org
It does go on to say that the average rate drops to 5-25 bpm during hibernation. But, as noted above, you’re not being attacked by a hibernating bear…
You two are funny.
Grizzlies can climb trees. I’ve seen it, my ranger buddies have seen it, and you can find pics of it. A big grizzly will be 9 feet at the shoulder and can reach four feet above that.
Bears are metabolic freaks. I saw one run up snow 3000 feet. No stopping. All for a pb&j. Lots of vids of them doing back to back WODs and 100m swims chasing down full grown elk and buffalo.
Yes pistols will stop them. But you will not have fun doing it and that slide locking open will be awfully loud. And lots of bears have taken a 300wm and just disappeared. No blood and no tracks.. Your average PH would have to take a big shit before he goes off into the brush to find that bear.
Polar bears are on another level.
Grizzlies can climb trees. I’ve seen it, my ranger buddies have seen it, and you can find pics of it. A big grizzly will be 9 feet at the shoulder and can reach four feet above that.
Bears are metabolic freaks. I saw one run up snow 3000 feet. No stopping. All for a pb&j. Lots of vids of them doing back to back WODs and 100m swims chasing down full grown elk and buffalo.
Yes pistols will stop them. But you will not have fun doing it and that slide locking open will be awfully loud. And lots of bears have taken a 300wm and just disappeared. No blood and no tracks.. Your average PH would have to take a big shit before he goes off into the brush to find that bear.
Polar bears are on another level.
Got no grizzleys and got no polar bears but got a DWLF that would sentence you to hell after you finished your prison sentence for shooting one of their precious black bears. However, we do have black bears and we do have hogs that are as large or larger than black bears and twice as mean, so
I never go into the woods without ole trusty at my side. Since we don’t dare walk to the woods with a loaded rifle by crossing a road or walk into the woods on anything even looking like a road, as in logging trail (hence be convicted hunting from the road) I always carry my woods conceal carry. That would be ole trusty.
Ole trusty is a large frame stainless Ruger Blackhawk in .45 Colt loaded with 275 grain hard cast Keith bullets propelled by large amounts of W/W 296 and fired by a magnum primer. She’s short and handy and a handful for those without experience, but its as stout a round as my .44’s. One of my DNS handguns.
I never go into the woods without ole trusty at my side. Since we don’t dare walk to the woods with a loaded rifle by crossing a road or walk into the woods on anything even looking like a road, as in logging trail (hence be convicted hunting from the road) I always carry my woods conceal carry. That would be ole trusty.
Ole trusty is a large frame stainless Ruger Blackhawk in .45 Colt loaded with 275 grain hard cast Keith bullets propelled by large amounts of W/W 296 and fired by a magnum primer. She’s short and handy and a handful for those without experience, but its as stout a round as my .44’s. One of my DNS handguns.
There is no such thing as small amounts of W/W 296. This is something a number of us dinosaurs have seen or experienced 
I know this thread is old, but let’s talk about this instance under the .40 cal category, story #2. Some guy in Ohio in his 60s with a personal wildlife preserve in decides to release about 50 exotic species of animals including big cats, wolves, and bears just before committing suicide. His wife had recently left him. One of the lions dragged his body out by his head while others hopped a livestock fence. The cop shows up to a pissed off charging bear and drops it with a .40 Glock service weapon? Then shoots a lion, chases down a wolf in his cruiser, shoots and kills it. This story is one of the wildest stories I’ve ever read. I’ve hunted bear growing up and we used dogs and 30-30s. Those were for black bear. These are some exceptional instances I think, but I have zero experience shooting bears with pistols. I have no desire to try it or to be put in a position where I would have to. I’m with the guy packing something shooting Nitro Express rounds. I don’t know about grizzlies, but for the description of their size, I’d feel safe with a Holland and Holland double barrel rifle around them.
So now that we have read of some success stories, how many folks were unsuccessful?
This pic is a few years old, and 150 yards behind my house. I don't wanna run into either of these when I'm out there bowhunting, especially after dark. I carry nothing less than .357 in the woods.
I just put a .460 Rowland conversion into a 1911. That may get the nod this fall.
I just put a .460 Rowland conversion into a 1911. That may get the nod this fall.
There's been a trend of professional guides in Alaska and other grizzly populated states toward 10mm semi-autos shooting hot dangerous game ammo from Buffalo Bore, Underwood, etc.,- because 15 rounds.
Also, the pistols carried by the Sirius Sled Patrol are 10mm Glocks for backup to their rifles in Greenland polar bear habitat.
Also, the pistols carried by the Sirius Sled Patrol are 10mm Glocks for backup to their rifles in Greenland polar bear habitat.
@Milf Dots Earlier this year I was listening to some guy on YouTube narrate bear attack stories (I think the show was called “Tales from the Iceman”) and I looked up details on a couple of the stories. In my reading I came across the recommendation of a 10mm for use as backup in grizzly bear country in Alaska. Since then I’ve learned that an appropriate type of round is just as necessary. Seems to me that full metal jacketed rounds are preferable for better penetration on these animals.
I ran across the series "I was Prey" so my family and I started watching it.
Astonishing that so many people put themselves in highly compromised situations with zero plan for some kind of defense against hangry organic killing machines, namely with a gun.
I'm armed when I go mountain biking, etc, because one never knows.....
I "used" to sleep up under the overhang of our barn when it was hot in the summer - until I heard a cougar caterwauling not 200 yards off the back of my property in the middle of the night one time. At least I had my STI 40 with me as well as Sampson my Siberian Shepard.
So I made a chain link fenced in enclosure attached to the barn to sleep in, yes the top/or roof is also fenced over as well. Still got the gun.
I sleep much more soundly as a result.
Astonishing that so many people put themselves in highly compromised situations with zero plan for some kind of defense against hangry organic killing machines, namely with a gun.
I'm armed when I go mountain biking, etc, because one never knows.....
I "used" to sleep up under the overhang of our barn when it was hot in the summer - until I heard a cougar caterwauling not 200 yards off the back of my property in the middle of the night one time. At least I had my STI 40 with me as well as Sampson my Siberian Shepard.
So I made a chain link fenced in enclosure attached to the barn to sleep in, yes the top/or roof is also fenced over as well. Still got the gun.
I sleep much more soundly as a result.
Yes and no. I traded my S&W 329PD .44 revolver for a Glock G40 w/ RDS co-witnessed to Hawkins Suppressor iron sights because my accuracy was so much better. That ultralite .44 was a dream to carry but a nightmare to shoot. Gotta hit that CNS. The ten extra rounds in the Glock aren't a minus.
I encountered a black bear staring at me from 20 feet, not armed and putting up a target to shoot at.
The 308 was 150 yds away, on the truck tailgate at 4:00 in the afternoon in late July about 98°.
I turned to face it, big head, eyes locked on, staring at each other.
No way to win, if it comes at me.
With a stapler in my hand I decided to get big, raise my hands over my head and yell as loud as I could at it,...like scaring a dog away.
It worked ...the sight of a crazed man armed with a paper stapler, scared it off.
It whirled and ran up a very long steep bank rolling down heavy rocks onto the logging road.
So a paper stapler can work... or was it the freaky screaming human.
I do not recommend either and carried a 45 Auto for quite some time after, when posting targets, and leaving the rifle back at the truck.
The 308 was 150 yds away, on the truck tailgate at 4:00 in the afternoon in late July about 98°.
I turned to face it, big head, eyes locked on, staring at each other.
No way to win, if it comes at me.
With a stapler in my hand I decided to get big, raise my hands over my head and yell as loud as I could at it,...like scaring a dog away.
It worked ...the sight of a crazed man armed with a paper stapler, scared it off.
It whirled and ran up a very long steep bank rolling down heavy rocks onto the logging road.
So a paper stapler can work... or was it the freaky screaming human.
I do not recommend either and carried a 45 Auto for quite some time after, when posting targets, and leaving the rifle back at the truck.
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