One piece of advice that I have heard from multiple first nations guides and hunters i the bear attack situation is to drop to your knee before shooting. Most misses are above the bear and this puts you at the same level as your target so that shooting above the bear is less likely. Bill in Toronto.
In all discussions (on-line) about self-defense shootings, the discussions center around caliber and model. But hitting the target gets assumed away and that part is easily the most difficult and most critical part of a shooting.
Ignore the pasty white neck flex guy who thinks he knows. First nations hunters knowledge is from hundreds of years of know. I too have heard from Indians. Knee drop and shoot straight on. Steve Rinella from How to hunt also recommends getting down and eye to eye with that charging SOB. 🇨🇦👍
I have survived two full on bear charges in Wyoming. I can tell you that if you don't keep your head about you and stay relatively cool you will be in trouble. REHEARSE THE SCENARIO IN YOUR HEAD....assume that it will happen.....smooth is fast.....and as hard as it sounds WAIT as long as you can to take the shot. Your odds of a hit that counts increases exponentially as the bear closes the distance. I also agree with taking a knee to align yourself with the animal to avoid deflection and shooting over the animal. I can always tell how someone will handle a bear charge by how they respond to a bee flying around their head or trying to land on them....the guy who makes a calculated swat at the bee or wasp with a cool head and doesn't turn, run and start flailing his arms wildly does pretty well. Which one are you????
Sorry, but you lost me at not keeping a round in the chamber. In a stress situation, especially if injured, that could be the difference between life and death. If your firearm is secured in a holster, there is no disadvantage to chambering a round if you are a competent shooter. Having the gun in a pack, I would agree with empty chamber.
There is a simple reason not to chamber a round, not possible to have an accidental discharge. A few years back, a police officer carrying his side arm chambered had an accidental discharge and hit his femoral artery. He had just enough time to call his wife to tell her what happened and he loved her. Carrying a gun and gun safety was part of his profession, an accident still took his life. Had there been no round in the chamber, he most likely would still be alive today.
@@macnudd this is completely wrong. Police officers have a high incidence of accidental discharges because they often do not handle weapons safely. The only way an accidental discharge occurs is negligence, which includes poor equipment maintenance. Certain poorly maintained leather holsters can cause a discharge if the trigger is obstructed. In 99.999% of cases a modern pistol does not discharge unless the trigger is pulled. If we used your logic, you would need to carry a revolver minus two rounds. No round in the pipe incase the firing pin hits the primer, and no round in the next chamber incase the trigger is pulled by accident. Imagine walking around with 3 rounds in your .38 special for safety. All that said 100s of thousands of police officers carry weapons all day long every day with no problem. People tend to focus on on “oh but look what can happen” incident instead of understanding the extremely low probability. If you are too nervous to carry a chambered weapon, you should not carry at all. Just the fact of the matter.
Depends a lot on the gun. I've had pistols that were very difficult to chamber a round under the best of conditions. Ironically, the easiest pistol I've ever owned to chamber a round with, was a Glock. Yet a Glock is probably the easiest pistol to accidentally fire. Of course, that's my own opinion. You may think it's impossible. Either way, you've probably had plenty of practice chambering a round anyway and you don't realize it. It's a gross motor skill. Also, for most .38 revolvers, perhaps not yours, six minus two equals four, not three. In any event, the old US Army NCO manual instructs soldiers to carry a revolver with only five rounds (not three and not four) because the revolvers in use at the time, which were Colts, did not have a positive safety. But it also instructed to carry the .45 auto with a chambered round. The way to do things with handguns is subject to the whims of fashion. At one time, the suggested way was to always thumb cock your revolver. So revolvers began sporting target hammers, target triggers, heavy barrels, etc., etc., etc. After all, automatics were likely to jam, especially with "trick bullets." (hollow points). Then came what's his name and you had to carry a cocked and locked single action .45 auto, which had been introduced over fifty years earlier. He also liked rifles with magazine cutoffs. Perhaps walk and draw competitions have influenced the thinking here. If you see a bear, if you're too stressed to chamber a round, you're probably going to be too stressed to actually hit the bear in the first place. Bears don't lie in ambush. But mountain lions do. I have seen bears in the woods, although not in my back yard. But there have bears spotted in the county, so I figure it's only a matter of time.
I lived in Alaska for 51 years and did some hunting, and a large amount of back country fishing, in brown bear country. During that time I carried a S&W Model 629 chambered in .44 Remington Magnum. Based on my research I considered that to be the absolute minimum caliber handgun suitable for bear protection. Some things I learned: -There is no comparison, size and power-wise, between a black bear, and a brown/grizzly bear. -Even the best semi-automatics can occasionally jam. Good revolvers virtually never jam. -If you have the money, and are able to shoot it/control it, you can’t go wrong with a revolver in .460 S&W, .480 Ruger, or .500 S&W. -If you can keep it handy, a short-barreled pump shotgun like a Remington 870 or a Mossberg 500, loaded with slugs or sabot rounds, is hard to beat. -If you’re going to be hunting deer, caribou, or moose, etc. in brown bear country, and will thus be carrying a rifle anyway, carry a rifle sufficient to kill a brownie instead of just the minimum caliber necessary for your game animal. If you like lever actions, the Marlin 1895 in 45/70 is ideal. If you like pump actions, the Remington 760 (reborn as the 7600), chambered in .30-06, and loaded with a good 220 grain bullet, will kill any bear ever born. If you like bolt actions there are many great rifles available; anything chambered in a caliber of .30-06 or larger is sufficient. I carried a Winchester Model 70 in .375 H&H, but only because I thought I might go hunting in Africa one day and wanted to be ready. -Try to avoid potential confrontations by making lots of noise when in bear country.
I've been led to believe that these days, a .300 magnum is considered the minimum for whitetail deer. A .44-40 used to be considered adequate for black bear but men used to be more manly or something and maybe the bear were smaller.
There are experuenced people out there who say it never happens the way you think...and by the time you are done soiling your drawers it could be all over...never be to cocky or think carrying bear spray and a gun is going to save you...its a calm cool mind, preparedness and a boatload of luck that is maybe going to prevail...
My range buddies and I did a test to see how well the empty chamber method works. We tried shooting rapidly from a "draw and rack slide" and found that the gun/round failed to go into battery several times. And this was just at a shooting range and not under the duress and adrenaline rush of having a charging bear coming at you. Bottom line: have a round chambered.
Yeah it's good to have a round in the chamber when you're in the zone. I should have clarified that more, if I'm in tight cover or a thick creek bottom, or any situation where I feel vulnerable I chamber up. I carry it empty when I'm on horseback, bicycle or dirt bike. And I always am locked and loaded before I go to sleep at night! -Dan
*Sounds like deficient skills, ammo, firearm, or all the above, who could tell.(?)* *Training is key to proficiency, opinions are bullshit.* *Do whatever works for you.*
Regarding bear spray, understand that if a bear is in full charge, it is covering 35 to 40 mph. That is about 55 to 60 feet per second. If even under optimal conditions, you can't engage until that bear is 30 feet away, he is 1/2 a second from being on top of you. That means even if the spray is instantly effective, the bear still probably isn't going to have time to stop and turn around. Rather, he is just going to bowl you over, plow through you, and keep going. This is my primary complaint with bear spray--you can't even begin to defend yourself until that bear is too close to avoid contact with it. With a firearm, you can at least begin defending yourself while you still have time and distance for it to do you some good. A lot of things still have to go right for you, but at least you don't have to stand there until the bear is half a second away from mauling your face off and throwing you like a rag doll.
My exact point. I don't understand people that believe Bear Spray is an actual solution regarding a charging bear! 500lb-1000lb Grizzly Bear ripping towards you at 35+ mph Bear Spray is Not going to save you! You my fellow TH-cam commenter are 100% Correct. They will most definitely bowl you over Or grab you anyway! They're going to be all jacked up with adrenaline & not much but a high powered firearm will stop them, if even that. It may or may not stop. People need to be prepared to fight when using Bear Spray. It's a false sense of security! I'm never going into Grizzly Country ever again. The last time I was in Colorado at Turquoise Lake & I didn't even realized there were Grizzlies in the area but there was & I didn't even have a knife! Foolish. Never will happen to me. I bet it will never happen to you either.
@@nicholas389 Your best bet is to keep your head on a swivel and be aware of your surroundings. This is true of life in general but especially in bear country. You should carry at least a knife everywhere, but especially in the woods. I have a fixed bladed knife, a multi tool, and a flashlight on me any time I am wearing pants. Bears are powerful, fast, and deserve our respect. But grizzlies are rare. An encounter with a grizzly in the wild is awesome, truly something special. More common is the black bear, still pretty big and fast, still capable of being dangerous, mostly because they are curious, and such opprotunists. And cougars. Cougars scare me more than bears. They are the only thing in the woods that will hunt humans, they are so stealthy they make ninjas look like clowns in bells. Hiking back to your vehicle and seeing cougar tracks inside your own is a terrifying experience, and has happened to me on multiple occassions. And people scare me more than cougars. Humans are apex predators and are the least predictable thing in the woods. Most are just enjoying themselves, but there are a few at any given time looking to use the seclussion nature offers for nefarious purposes. Keep your head on a swivel, be prepared, respect nature and those around you, but trust no one. Montana is my home. Flathead Valley is my home. Grizzly country is my home. I love this place; Clark Fork, Flathead, Kootenai, they flow through my veins. I've been a lot of places, but I get withdrawals and stop functioning if I get too far away for too long. I couldn't leave if I had to. I need this place. It is part of me and I am part of it. Learning to live with bears is a small price to pay. Good luck to you wherever you call home. But I belong here.
@@nicholas389 people say bear spray is an actual solution to a charging bear, because it has been used numerous times on... charging bears. It may not be perfect (which is why I carry bear spray and a powerful handgun in bear country), but it's a LOT easier to hit a charging bear with a huge cloud of spray, than a tiny bullet that has to be fired while under life-or-death pressure. As for not going into grizzly country again - that's sad. Take the tools you need to be safe, keep your head up and pay attention, and enjoy this amazing world we live in first hand!
Genius. Why don't they prepare people for fact that you will get rolled, but the bear might quit in 10-30 seconds due to the spray. So, like Mr. Orr, duck and cover and play dead. They do not teach that stuff?
handguns are more effective. the data is clear. bear spray is promoted because it doesn't kill the bear. and morons who lecture me about bear spray havent spent any time in Montana where the wind howls 12 months a year. enjoy being spicy taco for a bear for all those who trust the spray!
I've always been under the impression that the 44mag with bullets that go deep is the minimum. Clearly most rifles carry more energy. One more thing: In a 12 Guage shot gun I'd go with hard slugs rather than lead or buck shot. Bears can take a pounding. Sometimes they have a lot of fat on them that absorbs the energy of the bullet. Even if you can get past the fat and into the vitals, the bear can rip your face off before it dies. A head shot works but the head is a small target esp when the target is moving at warp speed towards you.
This is what I'm talking about.. the skull of a big bear is thick. You can Stun them with your first shot which is the ONLY opportunity you have to run up to it and unload a clip on its head. Trying to kill a grown bear is like trying to gun down someone driving a Silverado at you.
I remember Jim Shockey with a M-loader put one in the heart on a grizzly in a stream. It ran into the brush and came back out like it was looking to kill, like nothing happened. They left it alone awhile, and ended up coming back to finish with a 375 H&H. It was still alive wollering around in the stream when they came back, if I remember right. They tough. Jim made the comment, he didn't think he would be doing that anymore. It was spooky. Vid might be on YT.
My deceased wife had a 357 mag 6 inch barrel! It was big enough for her. I tried letting her shoot my 44 magnum but it was way to much gun for her! I thought about a 45 for her but she fell in love with the 357!!!
I live in Kodiak Alaska. Kodiak Bears are everywhere, especially during Summer where it’s peak of Salmon fishing. I’ve encountered a Kodiak Bear while fishing. I wasn’t carrying, but the Coast Guard angler next to me had a firearm. We walked away slowly and calmly. There was no way that firearm could of stopped that Massive KODIAK Bear. (It’s like stopping a large pickup truck). I learn my lesson & Now I carry my Benelli Tactical Supernova.
I find Kodiaks to be amazing. Their Extreme Brute Power which are obvious in their Giant Fore legs. I often think of Timathy Treadwell. The poor choices he made and how he tried to fend off a 1000lbs. Male with a Frying pan!
For my 18th birthday my dad took me deer hunting as my birthday present. He gave me a Smith & Wesson model 57 in 41 magnum to wear on my hip. Dad told me if anything bigger than deer comes to the bushes drop my 30-30 and go right to the pistol, and go to town. A hunter on a horseback tore through some deep thick briar patches I couldn't see him, but he sounded like a bear. No, I did not shoot him, because my father ALSO, had taught me to always identify my target before I put even put my sights on it. This bit of Simple Wisdom saved the idiot that thought it was necessary to ride around on horse back through deep thickets, sounding just like a large bear. A friend of mine from high school, was saved from a bear, by his Dad, well hunting deer. My late father gets smarter with every passing day. Dad taught me Safety and an important principle, Don't depend on anyone else for your own personal safety, push come to shove you are your own rescue team.
@@semtech30 A friend of mines father guiding moose hunters in Canada was killed by a trigger happy fool city guy he was guiding while going thru a willow thicket to push a moose out...! That was 50+yrs ago = its best to spot +/or call'em in...!
Of ALL the vids ive seen on this topic THIS is absolutly the BEST ever. As an Alaskan bushman living in remote Alaska in bear mecca whos been attacked 5 times in the last 37 years your advise is Spot ON! I dont even go out the door w/o my S&W MP40 tucked into my belly holster. Its my " suicide" gun. My main handgun thou is a full sized Ruger redhawk 454 Casull. Modified a side leg holster to carry sideways behind my hips putting its weight on both hips. But my MAIN rifle is the ever faithful 45/70 lever action w NO stupid scope. Just a ladder sight for long shots which a rare & far between in my densly brushed in environment. We have fern walls taller than a mans head & a bear can be 3 feet away hiding on the side of the trail & youd never see it. SMELL it but still not see it. Spooky stuff! My ammo of choice is the hot/ heavy buffalo bore WFNHC. That WFN causes lots of pressure wall damage & still smashes through the bones quite well. HAVE switched to alternating to the Extream penetrators.in all my guns but truth be told have as yet to actually shoot a bear with one. DO run 1 in the bore. Impressive tests. Have stopped a small Black bear by shoving the 44 square into her chest & pushing her back as her teeth were in my face after she shot up the bearstand ladder almost into my lap where the 44 was. Barely had time to grab & fire it happened so quick. Did blow her heart out through her spine & flip her backwards out of the stand dead before she hit the ground. Small bear too, only a 5 footer whose teeth were worn down almost flat. Old & desperate. Hate the sneaky Black bears. Stealth hunters who hide & hit from behind to bite the skull or spine to paralize you & then eat you alive. Rather face a head on grizzly head on any day rather than the silent back attack. Only had 2 long range attacks. Grizzly came 150 yards UPHILL after letting out the death roar & i barely had time to shoulder the 375H&H mag & fire at 10 feet. Hadnt learned the croutch down and be level trick yet & missed its head but the 300 grain Barnes X hit the spine just behind the head compleatly severing it & blowing a hole clean through where it exited just above his male part & later i dug it out of the tundra a foot deep perfectly expanded. The bear WAS flipped over backwards & STILL ran 150 yards back down the big hill into the pond & swam halfway across before finally dying. Only an 8 footer. My friends at AK F&G said the sheer muscle memory & adrenalin kept it going even thou its entire gutpack was blown to jello & the spinal cord completely severed. My mentor said i made 2 mistakes. Scope on the rifle ( true, took forever to FIND it) and wrong type of bullet. SHOULD have been a heaviy soft roundnose that would expand fast dumping ALL of its energy INTO the bear. Sound advise. Sold that useless bolt action 375 & got the Marlin 1895 lever job for much faster cycling rates. Following summer was walking up through the same swamp & a 10 foot blackie stood up, roared the death roar & charged. Knew i couldnt outrun it so dropped to 1 knee & fireddirectly into its chest. Hit it at 100 yards & it just DROPPED & slid to a stop on its face. The slug had gone under its head, through the sternam & full length THROUGH him. Found it just under the rear flank fur. TOTAL energy transfer! Dropped him like a brick. Same load has instantly dropped many bears since. 420 grain WFNHC @ 2100 FPS usually leaves the slug inside at head on shots but blows through both shoulders on side shots. Dumps moose hard too no matter how theyre hit. But then most of my shots are 200 yards or less. You BOW hunters a freikin nuts. I keep.looking for the wheelbarrow you must pull around to carry your giant brass balls. I run my baits 110 yards out away from the stand because a griz sow with cubs needs that distance to feel safe. THEY ALL know your up there in that stand & any closer & they get nervous. At that range i shoot Black bears with a 90 grain FMJ in 243. But theres a huge difference between a calm feeding bear & an in your face pissed off one. In that case theres never enough thump. Kudos to your channel. Subbed. Thanks for the common sence info!! 😁
@@mrmiked6577 , I wish! Everybody tells us we should write a book about our life out here. It is one big unending adventure. Just have to sacrafice all the comforts of living in the citys with all of its artifical support mechanisms & learn to trust God & go for the gusto. We only get 1 life. Make the most of it. Life out here is mostly months of routine, lots of hard work & moments of sheer terror when you least expect it. When that adrenalin dumps bud, the RUSH is incredable. Every cell in your body is screaming " DONT KILL ME." One is never more truly ALIVE & appreciating life more than the moment you think your gonna die. 😁
Nelson, 2 advantages. Fast lock time ( in case of a multiple bear attack, sow w 2-3 full grown cubs who will all attack at once.) and 2. The sheer knockdown power especially up close where ones getting maximum power. Granted, they are heavy, especially with full magazines but you get used to the weight when you know your survival is on the line. Bears are always maximally armed, people in their territory should be too. And ALWAYS have a backup pistol ON you at all times. Rifles get laid down & one just out of reach might as well be on the moon. Rifles get bear slapped out of folks hands too. And sometimes the ambush is so close the rifles length is just too long to bring it into play. You'd be amazed at how many bears are shot point blank it all happens so fast. Out of 5 attacks, 3 of mine were point blank. In thick brush country ones response time is 1-3 seconds if you're lucky. In those situations an Act of God determines if one lives or not. I could write a book where Divine intervention saved my butt. Alaska bush is a dangerous place. Not only bears, but moose, weather snaps. Falling through thin ice, a simple fall that breaks a leg. HORNETS! ( YA, we have a zillion of those nasties too.) Even mosquito swarms or worse yet No see um clouds. W/O my guardian angels this state would have killed me many times. Great life thou. IF one likes the challenges. Us old Bushmen got old by learning from other old timers & following suit to their teachings. Besides, God loves the bold & the stupid so I'm covered on both counts. 😁
I had a very large black bear, probably the largest black bear I will ever see come up from a thicket on my right 70 yards away and walked up a steep hill and crossed to a patch in front of me still about 70 yards away. I turned towards my tree and winded me, reared up and was sniffing and breathing heavily while slobbering. It got down and began rocking back and forth while grunting. I had a crossbow which I’m very confident with and I had a Taurus .44 magnum with a 6.5” barrel on a chest holster. My crossbow was in my hands and was my first line of defense. The bear decided to turn left and went down the knoll from me instead of continuing up the steep hill. I got nervous because I figured he was circling around behind me. Bad part was it was right at last shooting light and would be dark in minutes. I debated weather to stay in my tree and wait till dark or get down now and get my gear and climber loaded up while light remained. I got down immediately while light remained and quietly did my thing while listening and looking for him. After I took three steps I stopped and I heard some heavy footsteps from below me in the thick stuff. Luckily there were a lot of small rocks strewn around the area so I threw a few in that direction to spook him and it seemed to work. I heard him bolt like mad further down the hill until the noise faded. Bad part is he ran towards my exit trail so I ended up walking about 1.5 miles out the opposite trail and called my hunting partner to come pick me up as he was hunting another spot a few miles away. Thankfully I did not have a close encounter with that bear. People ask why Didn’t I shoot it with my crossbow at 70 yards when it reared up. I reply that I’m not super confident at 70 yards as most of my shots are under 40 yards with the majority of them being under 20 yards plus dragging 650# bear out of the woods takes six men and a boy plus I really have no desire to shoot a bear….I’m a deer hunter and it’s enough work dragging those things out of the woods plus I don’t know six reliable guys that would help me these days andI don’t feel like quartering and packing out meat….not prepared for that.
For the police report, you could easily claim self defense and the evidence proves it! The bear came at you with his compound bow pointed right at you!
The bear could conceivably try to flank... The tire rolled where it rolled. Physics. Still better test than nothing. Now that I think on it, you're right. A charging bear flanking sounds dumb. Low probability. Forget I said that. (Just ro preempt all the " that-darn-fool" my statement earned.)
Sadly here in Canada we are not allowed to carry handguns for wildlife protection or really for any reason. The way things are going we will be lucky to keep any firearms.
Cunningly enough, most of gun owners who are naxii maga end up shooting no bear but rather an unarmed neighbour or stranger. Luckily Canada has foreseen this and designed some control.
Glock 29 10mm is my woods gun. It's lightweight, compact, and I carry 10 rounds with 200 gr. 10 mm hardcas. I carry 15 rnds in a Glock 20 mag for backup.
@@semajniffirg230 because the g29 is much easier to conceal carry. There are TH-cam videos showing the velocity difference. It's like 20 fps difference. That's nothing.
That was awesome! You just addressed do many things and questions that go through my mind every time im wondering around in the mountains. Great video!
One word on bear spray. If you ever use it to test make sure you clean the nozzle. I didn’t and one time I had to actually use it and the nozzle was crusted over and it just bubbled.
I killed a black bear last year. She came out of nowhere and charged my elderly father and I. I used a 10mm with hard cast ammunition, it took 4 shots to Put her down. The last shot struck her in the head, She fell roughly 10 feet in front of us, it was the scariest moment of my life!
While shooting the .44 Magnum revolver you were cocking the hammer each time with your shooting hand thumb. Each time you cocked it you had to reacquire your grip. That takes time you don’t have in a bear rush. It’s a double action pistol, you do not have to cock it each time. Just pull the trigger! Your grip never changes. Or carry a semiautomatic… Great drill with the tire! Be safe!🎯
Trust me (personal experience) most of the time if a bear is in full on charge mode bear spray is useless. They run right through it and launch right on you! Luckily I had a 44 mag as backup.
Damn that sounds scary as hell. If I lived in grizzly country I'll carry a shotgun in hand and a 500 caliber on my side. Oh yeah I'm just using common sense when I say I'll won't put my life at risk depending on some damn spray.
@@ramakrishnashalom9004I’m going to have to call BS. North Carolina isn’t close to having the largest black bear population. That would be Alaska followed by Maine.
I’m a hunter. I’ve had a few experiences with 🐻. I learned to follow my guide. One experience- we were just outside Yellowstone. At 12,000 ft in a blizzard. We were on a trail. The right was a 1000 ft drop. The left a 500 ft drop. The Grisly was about 3 probably never had seen a human. My guide started screening, pulled his 45 and started shooting . He looked at me and said “whatever you do don’t get off your horse get out of here” He walked toward the bear firing and screaming to maybe 30 ft and that bear went flying down that cliff. Brave man.
Buffalo bore, Dangerous Game round. 10 mm, heavy mono metal, 1200 ft per second, 607 ft lb of energy shot with a Striker Fired Glock 10 mm 15+1 rounds.
I bought a 10mm in 1911 with the 6 inch barrel, 17 shot double stack, for deer hunting, and home defense, but I cut my teeth on a colt 1911, 45 government. I brought back 3 , 7.62x 25 , but one of my buddies had to had 1 , but I handle the 1911 more accurate, my 45 is a 8 shot , the rest are all high capacity magazines. My glocks dont fit my hands somehow , I notice now , I want fiber optic sights put on my 45 after getting use to the newer 1911s, but I'm a okie , our bears here are small and few and far between
@@kurtismotif I'm not to familiar with that rifle but I'm sure a rifle being chambered in .44 mag would be quite powerful considering how powerful it is in a revolver.
I remember watching the Animal Channel about bear attacks and watching this seasoned bear hunter telling a true story about his mentor. His mentor went to hunt bears one night. He was never seen again. What they DID find was his campsite, his smoldering campfire, his gear, his rifle, his unfinished dinner, and they found out that he did fired two shots (the casings and they could tell his gun was recently fired). They could also see bear tracks and see evidence that the hunter's body was drug off. From what I remember, they never did find the bear, but he WAS indeed very big from what they saw from his tracks.
I really appreciate what this video is attempting to do. Unfortunately there are some issues that arise that need addressing. First, its a 16 minute video that simply cannot cover all the pros/cons/variables etc. I believe a lot of topics were simplified or left out in order to make a shorter length video. I think they would have done this much better justice if they have gone ahead and made a longer video. Points that really need addressing: 1. Type of bear. The difference between black bear and grizzly is night and day. You can shoot a black bear with about anything and achieve good results. They are small and do not tend to want to fight after being injured. Grizzly on the other hand is a whole different ball of wax. They will take a pounding and may keep coming anyway and since they are now wounded they go from being real bastards to really pissed off bastards. This is where the quantity vs power argument lies. Shooting a black bear with a few rounds of 9mm will likely work. Doing so with a grizzly is iffy at best. 2. There is a reason the 44mag is considered king. It may be limited to a few rounds but that is all you typically have in a practical sense. There are two reasons for this: First, as stated in this video, bear encounters are often very sudden with nearly no time to react. Second, for grizzlies anyway, since they are considered endangered, the fish and wildlife people tend to approach shooting them as a situation where if the bear does not have you on a platter with an apple in your mouth and it has knife in paw ready to carve you up for a feast, then they may want to fine you 10,000 dollars and put you in jail for up to a year. That translates into having to wait for the bear to be an imminent threat and when that happens you are again down to that very small amount of time to shoot. It's fine to have an autoloader with a gazillion rounds in the mag so you think you can go all Rambo with it, but in reality, if you are truly in imminent danger, you won't be emptying that mag or even getting close. 3. The accuracy demo was a great idea, but massively poor implementation. Bears that are attacking you tend to run at you, not past you 20 feet to your side. So, the type of shot being made in the demo was nothing like reality. He needed to be directly in front of that tire coming right at him at 30 mph. One can argue that the tire is then too narrow but let's go with it anyway as it can represent the head and vitals area just fine. If it's still too narrow in your mind then they could tie two tire together. What this means is you have a target that is a frontal profile, its movement is toward you so its not a changing profile for the most part. As a shooter in a bear situation you will be more effective dropping to a knee and shooting straight on instead of shooting downward where you will more easily shoot in front or behind the bear. 4. Ammunition. Penetration vs energy. Why not have both? That's why you shoot a big gun. You can have both. A 44 with Buffalo Bore 340gr is big enough to do damage and will also penetrate significantly. More than you need for a black bear but a 10mm or 357 is fine. Even a 9mm or 38+p will do well for blackies with the right ammo. I really don't like the videos implications that the guns they were showing were good for grizzlies. Blackies, fine, go with it. But I wouldn't carry even 45 acp in grizzly country. Assuming you want to use a handgun for bear defense. Again, I really do appreciate what they were trying to do in this video, but I think it is misleading and deserved better development.
45 super or 10mm with the right load will absolutely do the trick!!! both have been used successfully enough to quantify their effectiveness with a heavy for caliber hardcast!!!
The bad part of the revolver is you're hearing will be blown out after 1st shot. 44 mag, i couldn't imagine shooting it without ear plugs. Everything else was spot on. The movie The Revenent was as real as it gets.
Head to head, yes. It's about the most powerful handgun that can be reasonably handled. Report, recoil etc. The real trick, though, is to make the bear go away in the first place. My choice is "Whole Lotta Love" by Led Zeppelin. And it helps if you're tone-deaf and sing real loud.
Ok, I'm no expert but, Why practice shooting a crossing target? Even in the beginning of the video the bowhunter has to shoot the bear face on. It seems to me, if you're going to do all reality test, the tire should be ruled directly at the shooter. It's been my experience that if an animal is charging directly at you, usually its head is down. If it's moving fast enough, it will cover a lot of ground quickly. My advice would be to aim directly at the nose of the predator. If the attack is linear, by the time you get the shot off aiming at the nose, the bullet will either strike the head, the neck, or the spine in some area. If it's left or right and you miss the head, you will impact the shoulder either left or right. Think of your target as the letter T coming at you. I'm at the bottom of the T, which should be the tip of the nose, and if your first shot is linear, you will put it somewhere in an area that the animal will either be stopped, or at least put Its Behavior in check. Just my two cents
@@fixingstupidsince Well, there is always ways to set things up to where there is nobody on the other end of the shooting. Building a ramp at the top of the berm to hold the tire, with a pull rope Etc where there's a will there's a way without putting someone In Harm's Way
I am by no means an expert, but most defensive training teaches you to side step a threat heading towards you. I agree that the threat will be headed directly towards you, but those threats do not require leading. You can pretty much aim at those just like a stationary target. I would like to see the tire rolled toward the person and that person side step while shooting at the target. A moving target is not always the target moving. Sometimes it's the shooter moving out of the way of the threat/target.
From a background of experience with self defense I will tell you always carry with a round chambered. The time it takes to chamber a round is sufficient for a reasonably healthy human to charge you and stab or bludgeon you. Animals are faster then humans.
My wood gun for the Rockies : Glock 20 Gen4 with Underwood 10mm loaded with Lehigh Defense Xtreme Penetrator monolithic projectile. Sometimes I put a 6" barrel from Storm Lake.
When I embarked on a 10 month hiking tour of Washington, Idaho, Montana & Wyoming in 2020, I did carry a #357, but also 2 cans of bear spray in holsters strapped on the front of my backpack... I Never encountered any bears or violent Dems & Libs, so I had a great experience.
yeah its those dems and libs lately that you gotta watch out for - they'll cap you with a black market 9 and then blame it on inherent racism then burn your business. Wildlife officers will cage them but the president and vice-presidential staff will bail them out of the pound. Dangerous wildlife for sure . . .
Let me guess the gun for the demons and libernasty's and the bear spray to get that awful taste out of your mouth after talking with them, got to wash that covid mist out of your mouth with some bear spray. LOL
Rara Neagra obviously the gun matters a lot, but what really matters the most is hitting your shots, ideally shooting the bear in the head. Every case is different, some cases where people body shot a bear once or twice and it goes down striking a vital organ.
Rara Neagra you’re right, i have no experience in this, I’m literally quoting my sources that I’m getting my information from www.ammoland.com/2018/02/defense-against-bears-with-pistols-97-success-rate-37-incidents-by-caliber/#axzz6PTZ7kS3K that article lists cases in which sidearms were successful and weren’t successful. I wouldn’t use a pistol as my primary defense against a bear personally but stuff happens, if my rifle or shotgun was not accessible its important to have a reliable sidearm on you.
Great shot, your video showed how lucky you were to make a perfect shot that day. From what I learned practice shooting in full gear, with the firearm setup you would use. Be familiar be accurate, shoot until it's Dead. Any delay could mean getting no shot off in time!
Lived, hunted and guided in grizzy county (Canada) 70s-90s. Your shot on the black bear was a good one but, fortunate speaking on the angle, which was not dead on "nose up" but had to be with its head/ nose down, the practice on moving targets is key, they just don't stand and let you shoot them between the eyes! A grizzly skull is much thicker than a black bear and in a charge they have their head up (angle and deflection), we can't carry sidearms in Canada, so the tried and true 12 gauge with slugs was the go to , some use the 45-70, both extreamly lethal. I carried a 18.5 in. double SxS with slugs, two fast shots is all your going to get in most cases, the SxS is like having two guns in one with individual triggers and hammers, it's light and handy with 18in barrels and reliable , I only had to use it once on 35 years on a wounded bear, it was sick from its wound so not as fast as it could have been , first shot under the point of the chin and the second after it collapsed in the head! Best first defense is situational awareness, second defence.... is knowing how to handle the firearm your carring even if it a 22LR, third is practise! I don't hunt in the same areas today or with bad knees play silly bugger in the mountain's as much, but now carry a 45-70 or 454 Casull carbine with heavy hard cast bullets and never feel under gunned.
Pretty dumb not carrying one in the chamber when you could get a DA/SA and carry one in the chamber no issues. With a DA/SA it is no different than carrying a revolver as far as safety is concerned. I understand your concerns carrying chambered on a gun with a light trigger, but when you have an option that eliminates that concern I don't get it.
Siiigh people throwing around the BS term “knockdown power” also the fact that this other yayhoo survived a bear attack with his micro compact and not carrying one chambered is pure luck. Not carrying one chambered is piss poor planning.
he did kinda look like john wayne though the way he pulled that slide back in a critical moment hoping one chambered- oh wait, john wayne shot revolvers :)
Pretty poor and dangerous revolver handling i witnessed here. Hand over cylinder with finger on trigger. Dang, not good and also use the 44 with double action
Same with that XD and "suicide pistol" draw or small frame revolver that everybody else would call it. Training, training, training til´ you got it and train some more. Just as much you would with your bow. This is just too fidgety and wrong in any sense. When that bear attacks you will be surprised and the fine motoric skills will go out the window. Drop the gun and you´re out!
Great Video. So true many of us think we are ready for a charging bear but the truth is it happens so fast. I had a brown bear woof at me and I thought it was behind me in the alders I turned around and as soon as I did that bear charged from in front of me. I had a 338 in my hand chamberd and a locking tag in my bag and the bear stopped about 10 feet away then ran off before my brain could comprehend what was even happening. I carry a 10 mill Springfield even with giant brown bears running I figure worst case scenario and I go to the ground I dump all 16 rounds
A gun trainer I had told me of a protection gig he did in 'protected' Alaska territory. Surveyors were mapping out a mineral claim. There was bear scat everywhere. He told me semi auto pistols could jam in the bear's coarse hair if contact shot was required. He advocated a revolver. The company required him to carry ONLY a shotgun [no rifle]. He said it was the scariest assignment he ever had and he had experience in N Africa areas with Blackwater. No, he would not do it again!!
Sleeping in your tent and a bear attacks bear spray inside your tent will do nothing to a bear, but it will make for some spicy treat with your tender body for him! Carry a firearm!
When I used to fish upstate where there were black bear, I used to carry a Ruger GP100 .357 Magnum, but switched to a Glock 20 10mm. Twice saw some bear, but they were both at a long distance across river with enough space/time for me to get back, and no cubs.
Most of the Bear survival story's I've heard reported that once the bear had the victim in their jaws they would shake so violently hand and leg control just weren't possible . Work hard on your keep them off your ass skills ! Good luck happy hunting
No doubt! The best practice is to do what we can to avoid an encounter in the first place. Here's a video on that topic: th-cam.com/video/Ze_WeOyPG5E/w-d-xo.html
I have heard from a lot of sports men to get a *well* trained dog. Bears are silent but a dog can smell or hear it long before a human can. A dog that barks a lot or runs off is useless, so they always say to train the dog well.
CONGRADULATIONS ALL THE WAY AROUND! Good video! You have exemplified perfectly the correct way to defend yourself against a bear while hunting! WELL DONE! I prefer to carry a .45 long colt revolver in a cross draw position. The cross draw position works best for me in any type of situation. I prefer to carry a revolver because a revolver won't jam. A semi-automatic may carry many more rounds than a revolver, but I don't have time to clear it when it jams.I carry bear spray on one side of my holster and a bear gun on the other side of my holster.
Not to be critical, but on your 1911 you didn't have it in the manner that it was designed to be carried. Always one in the chamber, with the hammer cocked, and the thumb safety engaged. It WILL NOT go off by itself even if dropped. Your primary safety is finger off the trigger, second is that you have to engage the grip safety, third is dropping the thumb safety. To have to rack one in is time consuming, you're off target, and you loose an extra round in the process which could be a life saver. Tests have proven that in the cocked locked ready position you can literally beat the hammer (finger off the trigger, and grip safety not engaged) till it breaks off. The weapon will not fire. This is the way Mr Browning designed it.
Black bear is a lot different than Grizzly.... I'd recommend a higher caliber for Grizzly or even bigger Polar. Also If you're going to carry a gun put a round in the chamber it doesn't do anyone any good to try to rack a gun when your already behind the curve in taking the shot.
I find it amusing that you bring a gun expert in and the majority of the time he is just standing in the background. While the bow hunter is just rambling on.
Hmmm...a grizzly doesn't attack by running broadside (like the tire), s/he comes straight at you. In most cases, a grizzly does not give you a warning. Like an acquaintance of mine who was attacked by a grizzly while elk hunting once told me, "Unlike the movies, they don't make a sound." What is that shotgun technique? Unless you have bear that you have seen out of the corner of your eye, less than 20' feet away coming at you, put that shotgun up to your eye for a good shot. I used to carry a .44 mag. as a sidearm, but as I got to be an old man, I can't control it with one hand (like one may have to do in a bear attack). I now use a .357 mag with Buffalo Bore loads. However, let me add that I am also usually carrying a .30-06 while hunting elk or a 12 ga. with slugs if accompanying a hunter.
@@jackyou7598, I've used it for elk for the past 54 years and have not been disappointed. My son has used it for elk for the past 19 years and has no plans to change. Both of us use 180-grain bullets. Mind you, there are other great calibers for elk, however, the .30-06 is what we have and it gets the job done. My wife, a smaller individual, uses the Ruger American Compact in .308 for elk. It too functions quite well within 250 yards.
@@jackyou7598 There are many opinions on this. My wife uses a 165 grain Nosler Partition. For elk, any quality ammo between 150-168 grain will work with the .308.
Instead of the 12ga, I bring a old school “real” Marlin (Pre-Remington owned/built) .45-70 guide gun with 405gr SJSP loads. I’ve taken two black bears with it with one shot each. Love it.
Forget it! A 12 gauge shotgun with hard slugs is the most reliable for self protection from a charging bear, even if it is a bit heavy, if it's life or death you don't have time nor the nerves to be on point. You need stopping power.
When i was stationed in Alaska, the fish and game, as well as some of the hunters and guides said the biggest handgun caliber that u can shoot EFFECTIVELY period! Some of those guys could shoot .454, .460 and .500 damn near better than i could with a 45 or 10mm! For the most part they carried 10mm, and .454, with hard-cast bullets!! We had a guide that carried .500 Smith, and a 45.70!!!
There is not a semiautomatic made that I would carry into bear country. I’m a Glock enthusiast (SF-21, G36, P21), but for me no less than a .44 magnum with wad cutters. I have that and a S&W .500 magnum. Weight and comfort are important, but so is coming home with flesh on your femurs.
I have an uncle in Alaska. He has been charged several times by grizzlies. He carries a shotgun with self defense rounds. He has had to use it twice and it was very effective.
Psychologically, you're not going to be able to think on time, unless you can see him coming from a distance, maybe. But bears won't give you time, and you'll probably miss. The only way is to train for this to put it into reflex memory, but I have no idea how. That tire is as good an idea as I have seen but you can't do that in thick brush. My best advice is to EXPECT to be attacked at any moment and have your weapon ready to fire. You will not be able to draw. The weapon has to be out and pointed.
Good video. Really guys it comes down to 1. Firearm, you need to have accurate Shot placement 2. Caliber & ammo, practical controllability and adequate stopping power. Which also depends on season spring/summer. Inches of fat on animal. I love 45acp but carry a Glock 29, 10mm because of bear
I carry a Springfield XDM 10mm here in Alaska and my wife carries a .357 Mag 4 inch barrel. If we're in thick brush we just keep them in our hands (finger off the trigger and pointed at the ground of course) to make sure our response time is as fast as possible. If we're going far off the trails I generally opt to carry a Marlin 45-70 lever action. I'm pretty good with it up to 100 yards. Some people say I'm paranoid but I've never felt "outgunned" when coming close to bear or moose out here so I don't mind the extra weight
if I went out today, I would take a shottie and my 40sw as a back up. If I had a choice , I'd rather have a henry or marlin 45-70 and a Glock 20 as well as the bear maze. Also, I would definetely not go in bear country alone
You left out the most important part... drop to your knees and then fire... as most people shoot over the target due to the speed of a charging bear.. drop to your knees first thing, then repeating fire...
My how times have changed, back in the day when I did a lot of gold prospecting in the Western US, the serious guys out there who knew what they were doing would recommend nothing less than revolvers chambered in .44 magnum or .45LC hot loads. All the park service guys in the areas of the Sierra Nevada foothills I frequented carried .44 Magnum revolvers.
I have a beretta 92A1 with 17 rounds in the mag, loaded with Speer Gold Dot 124gr +P JHPs. 410ft/lb of force going at 1220FPS. I know it’s probably underpowered for bears, but it’s still way better than nothing.
I am not an experienced outdoorsman on any level but I have a serious question. With an angry bear charging at full tilt how many rounds do you think you are going to be able to get off before it's lights out? Off the top of my head it seems like a hard cast in a gun that you can quickly and accurately get two or three rounds off in a few seconds. would be the right ticket.
From 50 feet, you should be able to clear atleast half a magazine before it gets within 10 foot. If that's a 15 round pistol, then atleast 8. But really it depends on the weapon, not all weapons shoot that fast, and even if you can put down 20 rounds, realistically only 14 would hit a moving target (average, im aware there's people with 90%+ accuracy rating on moving targets, we are talking about normal untrained people).
I carry a 10mm auto with grizzly rounds (240 grain cast bullets) I prefer this as you have twice the rounds of a 44 magnum so you can easily put more lead down range easier
460 S&W with heavy bullets as minimum, an 870 or a Mossberg 500 with slugs, you need to hit hard , a 5.5 " 460 with heavy bullets , one hit is devastating , but it most likely will need 1or 2 more when its a big Grizzly Hunters have shot a non charging Grizzly with an Xframe S&W , dropped with 1 shot , but bear was not running or charging so a good hard hit just right , in a panick when a bear is attacking , thats difficult shots
Myself as protection against black bear a powerful handgun I'm comfortable with but have never been to Alaska, but if I were there with those huge coastal browns an grizzly bear inland give me a powerful rifle .338 magnum or heavier, in fact I'd suspect no rifle would be too powerful for these huge dangerous carnivores. Shotgun with slugs like the Brenneke of powerful lever gun .405, .45-70, .450 Marlin, .450 Alaskan or .50 Alaskan. I would feel a good deal of practice, quality bullet and reliable weapon will help keep your problems down. Hunted various buffalo and feel the same standards would apply to these largest carnivores on earth
You get 4 off if you don't have to rack the slide before aiming and firing. why would you not have one in the chamber when every second counts? Also, If I'm in bear country, I'm going 10mm with a 5in barrel minimum if I'm going semi-auto. 45acp is too slow and will just piss it off. I'm a fan of 12 ga 3.5 in magnum slugs. That would do some damage.
One thing I did not see mentioned is that almost all bear charges will be straight on and that most men stand significantly taller than a bear on all fours,even grizzle. This means that at the extremely fast speed the bear is approaching most guys will shoot over the bear. If you are going to practice. You should practice taking a knee and shooting from that position. This will take out the need to lead the bear which most shooter do not excel at and because you now appear smaller increase the probability of a bluff charge. Hope this helps everyone stay safe out there.
I was told that if a grizz is getting at you the best thing you can do is to play dead but if a black bear is attacking, fight it with everything you got because it’s attacking to kill and eat you
The good thing is the closer the bear gets the more accurate your shots will get. Plus if the bear overtakes you and you have high capacity in your pistol just keep pumping lead and protect your shooting hand at all cost. I used to be the kill guy when I was a kid working for a guide, and when the clients were too fat to make it to the tree I was deployed. I once killed a big black bear with a shot to the head with a .22 rifle.
12ga is the answer. Even #4 & #5 shot will kill a bear when he is "up close and personal" if you shoot him in the Head. 12ga is very forgiving when you have a 1 1/8 oz slug heading down range. Other wise use 7 pellet Buckshot. At the ranges you are going to be using it, there will be very little pattern and no real advantage in using shot - better rely on the big slug. As for shotgun - pump action and full stock, it should come up to the shoulder surprisingly quickly and the advantage of a "partially aimed shot" outweighs any perceived quick-fire advantage of shooting from the hip.
Finally another fan of the .357 Sig! Elated that there is another shooter carrying a SIGPRO 2022 I love mine. Carried it as my primary, it’s dead nuts accurate, reliable as Honest Abe. And deadly in trained hands. Hats off compadre. I didn’t catch his bullet choice, but Hornaday Critical Defense or Winchesters are for town carry, while I’m open to suggestions for pissed off Yogis.
Interesting info. When I moved to Alaska as a young man in '69 I read bear statistics compiled by one of the Murie brothers, either Olaus or Adolf. Here is what I learned: Out of 10 charges, only one made physical contact with the human involved. Out 10 that did make contact, only one turned out to be fatal. I thought that was pretty comforting information, but did not prevent me from experiencing that scary feeling you get traveling through bear habitat when visibility is limited. In spite of that I stopped carrying an arm ( initially a sawed-off shotgun), realizing that, unless you travel combat style with such an arm at the ready, you can't react quickly enough. I've experienced multiple Black Bear encounters, but was never charged, while working for the NPS and places in places where I lived. It took 49 years before experiencing a Grizzly charge, a sow protecting her cubs. It confirmed this: Had I been armed or even carried bear spray, I would not have been able to reach for it in time to defend myself. The terrain was partly wooded, partly open with intermittent alder brush. I had no clue the bears were there when I stepped into the open. She was AS surprised as I was, but reacted in a split-second while all I could do is stand there, clamping my sphincter and feeling the urge to run. Within 2 seconds she was within 50' and 2 more she would have had me. All I could do is yell Hold it! Hold it!. Having just passed her (first year) cubs, shen then stopped on a dime, stood up, waved back and forth a couple times, dropped on all fours and began pushing the cubs away and disappeared in the brush, while I stood there, convinced she would return to finish me off. She never returned. I decided not to complete that 9-mile hike and returned to my car. Finally last summer did I feel up to trying that same hike again, this time with bear spray in my hand, ready to act, most the way. What I found is, that to be SO ready that any second I could activate the spray, got my nerves so ragged, that I felt wasted at the end of the hike. To relieve me from this burden I repeated the hike a couple of weeks later with the conviction that IF shit is supposed to happen, it will. If not, all the better. That hike turned out to uneventful and relaxing. Here is another clue the Muries pointed out in their findings: Of those who experienced the worst encounters, the majority turned out to be armed, ready to kill. The assumption, correct or not, was that those who pose a more serious threat to bears, exude a feeling/attitude of danger the bear picks up and therefore becomes more determined to eliminate that danger, while those unarmed exude feelings of fear/respect and are perceived as less of a threat. This kind of information seems to have served at least me quite well. To hunters it may be useful as well and make them extra diligent, especially when hunting bear.
Everyone has a choice mine is the Bear Spray. Here in Florida we have a good Black Bear population. In the woods and on the trails I prefer the Bear Spray since it does not go over a mile and covers a wider area. Less chance of collateral damage with the Bear Spray. Plus it can be used on all sorts of critters , even the two legged ones without being fatal. With the Bear Spray keep track of the expiration Date and switch out the old one for a new one.( NORMALLY the date is for the propellant and not the chemicals. ) Retired after 27 years in Law Enforcement including shooting on the Combat Pistol team. Yes , I have a concealed weapon permit , got it before retiring.
7 years deep in Alaska, best thing is to practice, practice, practice. If you ever have to shoot a grizzly from attacking you, you will not be the same person agin. trust me. so practice on a moving target a lot safely. The tire is a good idea. but it should to roll to you as fast as it can. And work as much as you can to clam yourself. very, very hard to. Good video.
One piece of advice that I have heard from multiple first nations guides and hunters i the bear attack situation is to drop to your knee before shooting. Most misses are above the bear and this puts you at the same level as your target so that shooting above the bear is less likely. Bill in Toronto.
In all discussions (on-line) about self-defense shootings, the discussions center around caliber and model. But hitting the target gets assumed away and that part is easily the most difficult and most critical part of a shooting.
I agree, an atleast it will put you out your misery faster.
@@enhancedphysique6452 lol
Ignore the pasty white neck flex guy who thinks he knows.
First nations hunters knowledge is from hundreds of years of know.
I too have heard from Indians. Knee drop and shoot straight on.
Steve Rinella from How to hunt also recommends getting down and eye to eye with that charging SOB.
🇨🇦👍
I have survived two full on bear charges in Wyoming. I can tell you that if you don't keep your head about you and stay relatively cool you will be in trouble. REHEARSE THE SCENARIO IN YOUR HEAD....assume that it will happen.....smooth is fast.....and as hard as it sounds WAIT as long as you can to take the shot. Your odds of a hit that counts increases exponentially as the bear closes the distance. I also agree with taking a knee to align yourself with the animal to avoid deflection and shooting over the animal. I can always tell how someone will handle a bear charge by how they respond to a bee flying around their head or trying to land on them....the guy who makes a calculated swat at the bee or wasp with a cool head and doesn't turn, run and start flailing his arms wildly does pretty well. Which one are you????
Sorry, but you lost me at not keeping a round in the chamber. In a stress situation, especially if injured, that could be the difference between life and death. If your firearm is secured in a holster, there is no disadvantage to chambering a round if you are a competent shooter. Having the gun in a pack, I would agree with empty chamber.
Amen 🙏 , got to have one chamberd
10-4 to that comment. I've never understood people that Carry a gun and don't have one in the chamber.
There is a simple reason not to chamber a round, not possible to have an accidental discharge.
A few years back, a police officer carrying his side arm chambered had an accidental discharge and hit his femoral artery. He had just enough time to call his wife to tell her what happened and he loved her. Carrying a gun and gun safety was part of his profession, an accident still took his life. Had there been no round in the chamber, he most likely would still be alive today.
@@macnudd this is completely wrong. Police officers have a high incidence of accidental discharges because they often do not handle weapons safely. The only way an accidental discharge occurs is negligence, which includes poor equipment maintenance. Certain poorly maintained leather holsters can cause a discharge if the trigger is obstructed. In 99.999% of cases a modern pistol does not discharge unless the trigger is pulled. If we used your logic, you would need to carry a revolver minus two rounds. No round in the pipe incase the firing pin hits the primer, and no round in the next chamber incase the trigger is pulled by accident. Imagine walking around with 3 rounds in your .38 special for safety. All that said 100s of thousands of police officers carry weapons all day long every day with no problem. People tend to focus on on “oh but look what can happen” incident instead of understanding the extremely low probability. If you are too nervous to carry a chambered weapon, you should not carry at all. Just the fact of the matter.
Depends a lot on the gun. I've had pistols that were very difficult to chamber a round under the best of conditions. Ironically, the easiest pistol I've ever owned to chamber a round with, was a Glock. Yet a Glock is probably the easiest pistol to accidentally fire. Of course, that's my own opinion. You may think it's impossible. Either way, you've probably had plenty of practice chambering a round anyway and you don't realize it. It's a gross motor skill.
Also, for most .38 revolvers, perhaps not yours, six minus two equals four, not three. In any event, the old US Army NCO manual instructs soldiers to carry a revolver with only five rounds (not three and not four) because the revolvers in use at the time, which were Colts, did not have a positive safety. But it also instructed to carry the .45 auto with a chambered round. The way to do things with handguns is subject to the whims of fashion. At one time, the suggested way was to always thumb cock your revolver. So revolvers began sporting target hammers, target triggers, heavy barrels, etc., etc., etc. After all, automatics were likely to jam, especially with "trick bullets." (hollow points). Then came what's his name and you had to carry a cocked and locked single action .45 auto, which had been introduced over fifty years earlier. He also liked rifles with magazine cutoffs.
Perhaps walk and draw competitions have influenced the thinking here. If you see a bear, if you're too stressed to chamber a round, you're probably going to be too stressed to actually hit the bear in the first place. Bears don't lie in ambush. But mountain lions do. I have seen bears in the woods, although not in my back yard. But there have bears spotted in the county, so I figure it's only a matter of time.
I lived in Alaska for 51 years and did some hunting, and a large amount of back country fishing, in brown bear country. During that time I carried a S&W Model 629 chambered in .44 Remington Magnum. Based on my research I considered that to be the absolute minimum caliber handgun suitable for bear protection. Some things I learned:
-There is no comparison, size and power-wise, between a black bear, and a brown/grizzly bear.
-Even the best semi-automatics can occasionally jam. Good revolvers virtually never jam.
-If you have the money, and are able to shoot it/control it, you can’t go wrong with a revolver in .460 S&W, .480 Ruger, or .500 S&W.
-If you can keep it handy, a short-barreled pump shotgun like a Remington 870 or a Mossberg 500, loaded with slugs or sabot rounds, is hard to beat.
-If you’re going to be hunting deer, caribou, or moose, etc. in brown bear country, and will thus be carrying a rifle anyway, carry a rifle sufficient to kill a brownie instead of just the minimum caliber necessary for your game animal. If you like lever actions, the Marlin 1895 in 45/70 is ideal. If you like pump actions, the Remington 760 (reborn as the 7600), chambered in .30-06, and loaded with a good 220 grain bullet, will kill any bear ever born. If you like bolt actions there are many great rifles available; anything chambered in a caliber of .30-06 or larger is sufficient. I carried a Winchester Model 70 in .375 H&H, but only because I thought I might go hunting in Africa one day and wanted to be ready.
-Try to avoid potential confrontations by making lots of noise when in bear country.
Thank you sir
Would Shotgun be good enough to kill a bear
Very wise advice.
I've been led to believe that these days, a .300 magnum is considered the minimum for whitetail deer. A .44-40 used to be considered adequate for black bear but men used to be more manly or something and maybe the bear were smaller.
Revolvers don't jam but I've seen colts and others mis fire due to faulty firing pin.Thats why you never dry fire them.
There are experuenced people out there who say it never happens the way you think...and by the time you are done soiling your drawers it could be all over...never be to cocky or think carrying bear spray and a gun is going to save you...its a calm cool mind, preparedness and a boatload of luck that is maybe going to prevail...
My range buddies and I did a test to see how well the empty chamber method works. We tried shooting rapidly from a "draw and rack slide" and found that the gun/round failed to go into battery several times. And this was just at a shooting range and not under the duress and adrenaline rush of having a charging bear coming at you. Bottom line: have a round chambered.
Yeah it's good to have a round in the chamber when you're in the zone. I should have clarified that more, if I'm in tight cover or a thick creek bottom, or any situation where I feel vulnerable I chamber up. I carry it empty when I'm on horseback, bicycle or dirt bike. And I always am locked and loaded before I go to sleep at night! -Dan
A BIG round.
That’s why I love double action revolvers. Easy to maintain. Always ready to go but not truly “cocked” so I feel safe with one in the chamber.
*Sounds like deficient skills, ammo, firearm, or all the above, who could tell.(?)*
*Training is key to proficiency, opinions are bullshit.*
*Do whatever works for you.*
@@tropocal2343 Yeah, my first thought was to ask what model the weapon was.
Regarding bear spray, understand that if a bear is in full charge, it is covering 35 to 40 mph. That is about 55 to 60 feet per second. If even under optimal conditions, you can't engage until that bear is 30 feet away, he is 1/2 a second from being on top of you. That means even if the spray is instantly effective, the bear still probably isn't going to have time to stop and turn around. Rather, he is just going to bowl you over, plow through you, and keep going. This is my primary complaint with bear spray--you can't even begin to defend yourself until that bear is too close to avoid contact with it. With a firearm, you can at least begin defending yourself while you still have time and distance for it to do you some good. A lot of things still have to go right for you, but at least you don't have to stand there until the bear is half a second away from mauling your face off and throwing you like a rag doll.
My exact point.
I don't understand people that believe Bear Spray is an actual solution regarding a charging bear!
500lb-1000lb Grizzly Bear ripping towards you at 35+ mph Bear Spray is Not going to save you!
You my fellow TH-cam commenter are 100% Correct. They will most definitely bowl you over Or grab you anyway! They're going to be all jacked up with adrenaline & not much but a high powered firearm will stop them, if even that. It may or may not stop.
People need to be prepared to fight when using Bear Spray. It's a false sense of security!
I'm never going into Grizzly Country ever again. The last time I was in Colorado at Turquoise Lake & I didn't even realized there were Grizzlies in the area but there was & I didn't even have a knife! Foolish. Never will happen to me. I bet it will never happen to you either.
@@nicholas389 Your best bet is to keep your head on a swivel and be aware of your surroundings. This is true of life in general but especially in bear country. You should carry at least a knife everywhere, but especially in the woods. I have a fixed bladed knife, a multi tool, and a flashlight on me any time I am wearing pants.
Bears are powerful, fast, and deserve our respect. But grizzlies are rare. An encounter with a grizzly in the wild is awesome, truly something special. More common is the black bear, still pretty big and fast, still capable of being dangerous, mostly because they are curious, and such opprotunists. And cougars. Cougars scare me more than bears. They are the only thing in the woods that will hunt humans, they are so stealthy they make ninjas look like clowns in bells. Hiking back to your vehicle and seeing cougar tracks inside your own is a terrifying experience, and has happened to me on multiple occassions. And people scare me more than cougars. Humans are apex predators and are the least predictable thing in the woods. Most are just enjoying themselves, but there are a few at any given time looking to use the seclussion nature offers for nefarious purposes.
Keep your head on a swivel, be prepared, respect nature and those around you, but trust no one.
Montana is my home. Flathead Valley is my home. Grizzly country is my home. I love this place; Clark Fork, Flathead, Kootenai, they flow through my veins. I've been a lot of places, but I get withdrawals and stop functioning if I get too far away for too long. I couldn't leave if I had to. I need this place. It is part of me and I am part of it. Learning to live with bears is a small price to pay. Good luck to you wherever you call home. But I belong here.
@@nicholas389 people say bear spray is an actual solution to a charging bear, because it has been used numerous times on... charging bears. It may not be perfect (which is why I carry bear spray and a powerful handgun in bear country), but it's a LOT easier to hit a charging bear with a huge cloud of spray, than a tiny bullet that has to be fired while under life-or-death pressure.
As for not going into grizzly country again - that's sad. Take the tools you need to be safe, keep your head up and pay attention, and enjoy this amazing world we live in first hand!
Genius. Why don't they prepare people for fact that you will get rolled, but the bear might quit in 10-30 seconds due to the spray. So, like Mr. Orr, duck and cover and play dead. They do not teach that stuff?
handguns are more effective. the data is clear. bear spray is promoted because it doesn't kill the bear. and morons who lecture me about bear spray havent spent any time in Montana where the wind howls 12 months a year. enjoy being spicy taco for a bear for all those who trust the spray!
I've always been under the impression that the 44mag with bullets that go deep is the minimum. Clearly most rifles carry more energy. One more thing: In a 12 Guage shot gun I'd go with hard slugs rather than lead or buck shot.
Bears can take a pounding. Sometimes they have a lot of fat on them that absorbs the energy of the bullet. Even if you can get past the fat and into the vitals, the bear can rip your face off before it dies. A head shot works but the head is a small target esp when the target is moving at warp speed towards you.
This is what I'm talking about.. the skull of a big bear is thick. You can Stun them with your first shot which is the ONLY opportunity you have to run up to it and unload a clip on its head. Trying to kill a grown bear is like trying to gun down someone driving a Silverado at you.
@@michaelsotomayor5001 I'll dang sure second that a bear or razorback can jack u up quick ! No time for day dreaming 😂
Black Magic Deer Slugs Are NASTY / DEADLY On Anything !!!
You got that right period, a good 12 guage pump shotgun with a 18 inch barrel double OO buck shot will do the trick.
I remember Jim Shockey with a M-loader put one in the heart on a grizzly in a stream. It ran into the brush and came back out like it was looking to kill, like nothing happened. They left it alone awhile, and ended up coming back to finish with a 375 H&H. It was still alive wollering around in the stream when they came back, if I remember right. They tough. Jim made the comment, he didn't think he would be doing that anymore. It was spooky. Vid might be on YT.
The “rolling tire” is an awesome idea to practice for a charging bear! Brilliant idea!!!!
Might be more realistic if it were a rolling 18-wheeler.
I used to do that with a bow & arrow! My brother would launch a motorcycle tire with a cardboard center for me. Great minds thi k alike.
My wife carry’s glock 10mm I carry my 44mag it’s all about what you can shoot well and fast
Real fast and accurate.
That's me also I love my 44 magnum! And btw I practice every chance I get!
My wife carries this!
th-cam.com/video/P4veQxu-NWM/w-d-xo.html
My deceased wife had a 357 mag 6 inch barrel! It was big enough for her. I tried letting her shoot my 44 magnum but it was way to much gun for her! I thought about a 45 for her but she fell in love with the 357!!!
@@williamoleschoolarendt7016 357 is a ok gun
I live in Kodiak Alaska. Kodiak Bears are everywhere, especially during Summer where it’s peak of Salmon fishing. I’ve encountered a Kodiak Bear while fishing. I wasn’t carrying, but the Coast Guard angler next to me had a firearm. We walked away slowly and calmly. There was no way that firearm could of stopped that Massive KODIAK Bear. (It’s like stopping a large pickup truck). I learn my lesson & Now I carry my Benelli Tactical Supernova.
You are absolutely right! Glad it was a black bear down here, wouldn't stand a chance against a kodiak. Bust out the shotgun!
I find Kodiaks to be amazing. Their Extreme Brute Power which are obvious in their Giant Fore legs. I often think of Timathy Treadwell. The poor choices he made and how he tried to fend off a 1000lbs. Male with a Frying pan!
That firearm is better then no firearm.
Kodiaks don't have a bad reputation like grizzlys,, and black.
If u can kill a polar bear with gun no problem with smaller kodiak.!
They should let bow hunters carry a sidearm in Canada, considering all the large predators we have.
They don't? Is it not allowed for all, or just Bowhunters?
@@ratsface2814 You can get a carry permit (ATC) if you're a trapper or pipe lines worker. They don't issue them to hunters.
Why in the world would that be a law?
Just come to the states, its encouraged to have them here.
I bowhunt here in California and we have lots of bears and mountain lions and we can't have any firearms during bow season.
For my 18th birthday my dad took me deer hunting as my birthday present. He gave me a Smith & Wesson model 57 in 41 magnum to wear on my hip. Dad told me if anything bigger than deer comes to the bushes drop my 30-30 and go right to the pistol, and go to town. A hunter on a horseback tore through some deep thick briar patches I couldn't see him, but he sounded like a bear. No, I did not shoot him, because my father ALSO, had taught me to always identify my target before I put even put my sights on it. This bit of Simple Wisdom saved the idiot that thought it was necessary to ride around on horse back through deep thickets, sounding just like a large bear. A friend of mine from high school, was saved from a bear, by his Dad, well hunting deer. My late father gets smarter with every passing day. Dad taught me Safety and an important principle, Don't depend on anyone else for your own personal safety, push come to shove you are your own rescue team.
Like you buddy, a person on a horse can go anywhere you can. Your correct, Identify before you aim. No sound shot's allowed or you may regret.
What???? Drop your 30-30 and pull out your 41 mag??? Why, when the 30-30 has a lot more energy than the .41 mag.
@@semtech30
A friend of mines father guiding moose hunters in Canada was killed by a trigger happy fool city guy he was guiding while going thru a willow thicket to push a moose out...!
That was 50+yrs ago = its best to spot +/or call'em in...!
Of ALL the vids ive seen on this topic THIS is absolutly the BEST ever. As an Alaskan bushman living in remote Alaska in bear mecca whos been attacked 5 times in the last 37 years your advise is Spot ON! I dont even go out the door w/o my S&W MP40 tucked into my belly holster. Its my " suicide" gun. My main handgun thou is a full sized Ruger redhawk 454 Casull. Modified a side leg holster to carry sideways behind my hips putting its weight on both hips. But my MAIN rifle is the ever faithful 45/70 lever action w NO stupid scope. Just a ladder sight for long shots which a rare & far between in my densly brushed in environment. We have fern walls taller than a mans head & a bear can be 3 feet away hiding on the side of the trail & youd never see it. SMELL it but still not see it. Spooky stuff! My ammo of choice is the hot/ heavy buffalo bore WFNHC. That WFN causes lots of pressure wall damage & still smashes through the bones quite well. HAVE switched to alternating to the Extream penetrators.in all my guns but truth be told have as yet to actually shoot a bear with one. DO run 1 in the bore. Impressive tests. Have stopped a small Black bear by shoving the 44 square into her chest & pushing her back as her teeth were in my face after she shot up the bearstand ladder almost into my lap where the 44 was. Barely had time to grab & fire it happened so quick. Did blow her heart out through her spine & flip her backwards out of the stand dead before she hit the ground. Small bear too, only a 5 footer whose teeth were worn down almost flat. Old & desperate. Hate the sneaky Black bears. Stealth hunters who hide & hit from behind to bite the skull or spine to paralize you & then eat you alive. Rather face a head on grizzly head on any day rather than the silent back attack. Only had 2 long range attacks. Grizzly came 150 yards UPHILL after letting out the death roar & i barely had time to shoulder the 375H&H mag & fire at 10 feet. Hadnt learned the croutch down and be level trick yet & missed its head but the 300 grain Barnes X hit the spine just behind the head compleatly severing it & blowing a hole clean through where it exited just above his male part & later i dug it out of the tundra a foot deep perfectly expanded. The bear WAS flipped over backwards & STILL ran 150 yards back down the big hill into the pond & swam halfway across before finally dying. Only an 8 footer. My friends at AK F&G said the sheer muscle memory & adrenalin kept it going even thou its entire gutpack was blown to jello & the spinal cord completely severed. My mentor said i made 2 mistakes. Scope on the rifle ( true, took forever to FIND it) and wrong type of bullet. SHOULD have been a heaviy soft roundnose that would expand fast dumping ALL of its energy INTO the bear. Sound advise. Sold that useless bolt action 375 & got the Marlin 1895 lever job for much faster cycling rates. Following summer was walking up through the same swamp & a 10 foot blackie stood up, roared the death roar & charged. Knew i couldnt outrun it so dropped to 1 knee & fireddirectly into its chest. Hit it at 100 yards & it just DROPPED & slid to a stop on its face. The slug had gone under its head, through the sternam & full length THROUGH him. Found it just under the rear flank fur. TOTAL energy transfer! Dropped him like a brick. Same load has instantly dropped many bears since. 420 grain WFNHC @ 2100 FPS usually leaves the slug inside at head on shots but blows through both shoulders on side shots. Dumps moose hard too no matter how theyre hit. But then most of my shots are 200 yards or less. You BOW hunters a freikin nuts. I keep.looking for the wheelbarrow you must pull around to carry your giant brass balls. I run my baits 110 yards out away from the stand because a griz sow with cubs needs that distance to feel safe. THEY ALL know your up there in that stand & any closer & they get nervous. At that range i shoot Black bears with a 90 grain FMJ in 243. But theres a huge difference between a calm feeding bear & an in your face pissed off one. In that case theres never enough thump. Kudos to your channel. Subbed. Thanks for the common sence info!! 😁
Where can I purchase the rest of your book?
@@mrmiked6577 , I wish! Everybody tells us we should write a book about our life out here. It is one big unending adventure. Just have to sacrafice all the comforts of living in the citys with all of its artifical support mechanisms & learn to trust God & go for the gusto. We only get 1 life. Make the most of it. Life out here is mostly months of routine, lots of hard work & moments of sheer terror when you least expect it. When that adrenalin dumps bud, the RUSH is incredable. Every cell in your body is screaming " DONT KILL ME." One is never more truly ALIVE & appreciating life more than the moment you think your gonna die. 😁
Great info!!! The old 45-70 with those Buffalo Bore upgrades turn it into a near 458 Win Mag! No wonder so many carry it in Alaska!
Nelson, 2 advantages. Fast lock time ( in case of a multiple bear attack, sow w 2-3 full grown cubs who will all attack at once.) and 2. The sheer knockdown power especially up close where ones getting maximum power. Granted, they are heavy, especially with full magazines but you get used to the weight when you know your survival is on the line. Bears are always maximally armed, people in their territory should be too. And ALWAYS have a backup pistol ON you at all times. Rifles get laid down & one just out of reach might as well be on the moon. Rifles get bear slapped out of folks hands too. And sometimes the ambush is so close the rifles length is just too long to bring it into play. You'd be amazed at how many bears are shot point blank it all happens so fast. Out of 5 attacks, 3 of mine were point blank. In thick brush country ones response time is 1-3 seconds if you're lucky. In those situations an Act of God determines if one lives or not. I could write a book where Divine intervention saved my butt. Alaska bush is a dangerous place. Not only bears, but moose, weather snaps. Falling through thin ice, a simple fall that breaks a leg. HORNETS! ( YA, we have a zillion of those nasties too.) Even mosquito swarms or worse yet No see um clouds. W/O my guardian angels this state would have killed me many times. Great life thou. IF one likes the challenges. Us old Bushmen got old by learning from other old timers & following suit to their teachings. Besides, God loves the bold & the stupid so I'm covered on both counts. 😁
I had a very large black bear, probably the largest black bear I will ever see come up from a thicket on my right 70 yards away and walked up a steep hill and crossed to a patch in front of me still about 70 yards away.
I turned towards my tree and winded me, reared up and was sniffing and breathing heavily while slobbering.
It got down and began rocking back and forth while grunting.
I had a crossbow which I’m very confident with and I had a Taurus .44 magnum with a 6.5” barrel on a chest holster.
My crossbow was in my hands and was my first line of defense.
The bear decided to turn left and went down the knoll from me instead of continuing up the steep hill.
I got nervous because I figured he was circling around behind me.
Bad part was it was right at last shooting light and would be dark in minutes.
I debated weather to stay in my tree and wait till dark or get down now and get my gear and climber loaded up while light remained.
I got down immediately while light remained and quietly did my thing while listening and looking for him.
After I took three steps I stopped and I heard some heavy footsteps from below me in the thick stuff.
Luckily there were a lot of small rocks strewn around the area so I threw a few in that direction to spook him and it seemed to work.
I heard him bolt like mad further down the hill until the noise faded.
Bad part is he ran towards my exit trail so I ended up walking about 1.5 miles out the opposite trail and called my hunting partner to come pick me up as he was hunting another spot a few miles away.
Thankfully I did not have a close encounter with that bear.
People ask why Didn’t I shoot it with my crossbow at 70 yards when it reared up.
I reply that I’m not super confident at 70 yards as most of my shots are under 40 yards with the majority of them being under 20 yards plus dragging 650# bear out of the woods takes six men and a boy plus I really have no desire to shoot a bear….I’m a deer hunter and it’s enough work dragging those things out of the woods plus I don’t know six reliable guys that would help me these days andI don’t feel like quartering and packing out meat….not prepared for that.
Yu are so lucky
Plus, a wounded bear at dusk... good call not shooting even if for no other reason.
Its the wolves that scare me. To the ones that walk thru those thick woods, yall are harder than a coffin nail, much respect.
Ive hunt alone for grouse and it scary idk if il get used to it. But when you hear a noise or your imagination even with a gun it frightening
Wolves are friendly 😊
For the police report, you could easily claim self defense and the evidence proves it! The bear came at you with his compound bow pointed right at you!
That rolling tire training not only looks fun but its damn good training.
I agree
Should be shooting at the tire as it's rolling at you, not sideways.....
The bear could conceivably try to flank...
The tire rolled where it rolled. Physics. Still better test than nothing.
Now that I think on it, you're right. A charging bear flanking sounds dumb. Low probability. Forget I said that.
(Just ro preempt all the " that-darn-fool" my statement earned.)
Sadly here in Canada we are not allowed to carry handguns for wildlife protection or really for any reason. The way things are going we will be lucky to keep any firearms.
Join the fight with CCFR.
America welcomes you
Git rid of trudeau if possible.
Come to the USA
Cunningly enough, most of gun owners who are naxii maga end up shooting no bear but rather an unarmed neighbour or stranger. Luckily Canada has foreseen this and designed some control.
Glock 29 10mm is my woods gun. It's lightweight, compact, and I carry 10 rounds with 200 gr. 10 mm hardcas. I carry 15 rnds in a Glock 20 mag for backup.
why not just carry a glock 20 and be done with if. the short barrel of the 29 takes some velocity off of it
@@semajniffirg230 because the g29 is much easier to conceal carry. There are TH-cam videos showing the velocity difference. It's like 20 fps difference. That's nothing.
@@dallanc.3368 Yah but when you install a 6.5" barrel along with extended slide like I have the difference is greater.
That was awesome! You just addressed do many things and questions that go through my mind every time im wondering around in the mountains. Great video!
Thanks for your feedback. Glad you found this helpful! 👍
One word on bear spray. If you ever use it to test make sure you clean the nozzle. I didn’t and one time I had to actually use it and the nozzle was crusted over and it just bubbled.
What happened after it failed? Did the bear attack?
@@liamgreer8019 it was a person I was going to use it in. Got out of their car and was coming up to my car after trying to block me in.
I killed a black bear last year. She came out of nowhere and charged my elderly father and I. I used a 10mm with hard cast ammunition, it took 4 shots to Put her down. The last shot struck her in the head, She fell roughly 10 feet in front of us, it was the scariest moment of my life!
While shooting the .44 Magnum revolver you were cocking the hammer each time with your shooting hand thumb. Each time you cocked it you had to reacquire your grip. That takes time you don’t have in a bear rush. It’s a double action pistol, you do not have to cock it each time. Just pull the trigger! Your grip never changes. Or carry a semiautomatic… Great drill with the tire! Be safe!🎯
Or just carry a drum magazine fully automatic 22LR rifle lol.
10mm
Trust me (personal experience) most of the time if a bear is in full on charge mode bear spray is useless. They run right through it and launch right on you! Luckily I had a 44 mag as backup.
Damn that sounds scary as hell. If I lived in grizzly country I'll carry a shotgun in hand and a 500 caliber on my side. Oh yeah I'm just using common sense when I say I'll won't put my life at risk depending on some damn spray.
By the way live in NC and we have more black bears than any other state but they are not as crazy as grizzlies so they don't attack as much.
@@ramakrishnashalom9004I’m going to have to call BS. North Carolina isn’t close to having the largest black bear population. That would be Alaska followed by Maine.
I’m a hunter. I’ve had a few experiences with 🐻.
I learned to follow my guide.
One experience- we were just outside Yellowstone. At 12,000 ft in a blizzard. We were on a trail. The right was a 1000 ft drop. The left a 500 ft drop.
The Grisly was about 3 probably never had seen a human. My guide started screening, pulled his 45 and started shooting . He looked at me and said “whatever you do don’t get off your horse get out of here”
He walked toward the bear firing and screaming to maybe 30 ft and that bear went flying down that cliff.
Brave man.
Sounds like a bad ass guide.
Sound like a illegal kill. Not until your being chewed on, are you legal to shoot.
@@raylaux8295 that’s not true. You can open fire on a bear as soon as they start their charge.
@@raylaux8295 misconception, of course most stories about successful defense against a bear with a gun stories are suppressed!!!
Sounds like he just wanted to kill a bear
Buffalo bore, Dangerous Game round. 10 mm, heavy mono metal, 1200 ft per second, 607 ft lb of energy shot with a Striker Fired Glock 10 mm 15+1 rounds.
I bought a 10mm in 1911 with the 6 inch barrel, 17 shot double stack, for deer hunting, and home defense, but I cut my teeth on a colt 1911, 45 government. I brought back 3 , 7.62x 25 , but one of my buddies had to had 1 , but I handle the 1911 more accurate, my 45 is a 8 shot , the rest are all high capacity magazines. My glocks dont fit my hands somehow , I notice now , I want fiber optic sights put on my 45 after getting use to the newer 1911s, but I'm a okie , our bears here are small and few and far between
I live in Alaska and my edc is the XDm 10mm loaded with 200 grain hardcast from Underwood..
I dont think this guy has ever heard of underwood if hes still using regular fmj lmao
@@chrisgodfrey2846 Lol
@@kurtismotif I'm not to familiar with that rifle but I'm sure a rifle being chambered in .44 mag would be quite powerful considering how powerful it is in a revolver.
Go with a rugar 1044. I think they stopped making them but can still find the. It's a carbine and semiautomatic. You can dump some lead in a hurry.
Alaska is Oregon and Washington on steroids.
I've seen what a standing grizzley looks like up close. They are ENORMOUS and a lot of muscle and amazing claws. Holy 💩.
I remember watching the Animal Channel about bear attacks and watching this seasoned bear hunter telling a true story about his mentor. His mentor went to hunt bears one night. He was never seen again. What they DID find was his campsite, his smoldering campfire, his gear, his rifle, his unfinished dinner, and they found out that he did fired two shots (the casings and they could tell his gun was recently fired). They could also see bear tracks and see evidence that the hunter's body was drug off. From what I remember, they never did find the bear, but he WAS indeed very big from what they saw from his tracks.
I really appreciate what this video is attempting to do. Unfortunately there are some issues that arise that need addressing. First, its a 16 minute video that simply cannot cover all the pros/cons/variables etc. I believe a lot of topics were simplified or left out in order to make a shorter length video. I think they would have done this much better justice if they have gone ahead and made a longer video.
Points that really need addressing:
1. Type of bear. The difference between black bear and grizzly is night and day. You can shoot a black bear with about anything and achieve good results. They are small and do not tend to want to fight after being injured. Grizzly on the other hand is a whole different ball of wax. They will take a pounding and may keep coming anyway and since they are now wounded they go from being real bastards to really pissed off bastards. This is where the quantity vs power argument lies. Shooting a black bear with a few rounds of 9mm will likely work. Doing so with a grizzly is iffy at best.
2. There is a reason the 44mag is considered king. It may be limited to a few rounds but that is all you typically have in a practical sense. There are two reasons for this: First, as stated in this video, bear encounters are often very sudden with nearly no time to react. Second, for grizzlies anyway, since they are considered endangered, the fish and wildlife people tend to approach shooting them as a situation where if the bear does not have you on a platter with an apple in your mouth and it has knife in paw ready to carve you up for a feast, then they may want to fine you 10,000 dollars and put you in jail for up to a year. That translates into having to wait for the bear to be an imminent threat and when that happens you are again down to that very small amount of time to shoot. It's fine to have an autoloader with a gazillion rounds in the mag so you think you can go all Rambo with it, but in reality, if you are truly in imminent danger, you won't be emptying that mag or even getting close.
3. The accuracy demo was a great idea, but massively poor implementation. Bears that are attacking you tend to run at you, not past you 20 feet to your side. So, the type of shot being made in the demo was nothing like reality. He needed to be directly in front of that tire coming right at him at 30 mph. One can argue that the tire is then too narrow but let's go with it anyway as it can represent the head and vitals area just fine. If it's still too narrow in your mind then they could tie two tire together. What this means is you have a target that is a frontal profile, its movement is toward you so its not a changing profile for the most part. As a shooter in a bear situation you will be more effective dropping to a knee and shooting straight on instead of shooting downward where you will more easily shoot in front or behind the bear.
4. Ammunition. Penetration vs energy. Why not have both? That's why you shoot a big gun. You can have both. A 44 with Buffalo Bore 340gr is big enough to do damage and will also penetrate significantly. More than you need for a black bear but a 10mm or 357 is fine. Even a 9mm or 38+p will do well for blackies with the right ammo. I really don't like the videos implications that the guns they were showing were good for grizzlies. Blackies, fine, go with it. But I wouldn't carry even 45 acp in grizzly country. Assuming you want to use a handgun for bear defense.
Again, I really do appreciate what they were trying to do in this video, but I think it is misleading and deserved better development.
Thanks for your thoughtful comment. Feedback is always valued here. 👍
I Do not see Russians guides going to forest with pistols. SKS or AKA 47 more often.
@@redbear1935 try getting a pistol in Russia
45 super or 10mm with the right load will absolutely do the trick!!! both have been used successfully enough to quantify their effectiveness with a heavy for caliber hardcast!!!
The bad part of the revolver is you're hearing will be blown out after 1st shot. 44 mag, i couldn't imagine shooting it without ear plugs. Everything else was spot on. The movie The Revenent was as real as it gets.
One of the few persons that I have herd that seems realistic and sensible.
Head to head, yes. It's about the most powerful handgun that can be reasonably handled. Report, recoil etc. The real trick, though, is to make the bear go away in the first place. My choice is "Whole Lotta Love" by Led Zeppelin. And it helps if you're tone-deaf and sing real loud.
"...way down inside.."
Ok, I'm no expert but,
Why practice shooting a crossing target?
Even in the beginning of the video the bowhunter has to shoot the bear face on.
It seems to me, if you're going to do all reality test, the tire should be ruled directly at the shooter.
It's been my experience that if an animal is charging directly at you, usually its head is down.
If it's moving fast enough, it will cover a lot of ground quickly.
My advice would be to aim directly at the nose of the predator.
If the attack is linear, by the time you get the shot off aiming at the nose, the bullet will either strike the head, the neck, or the spine in some area. If it's left or right and you miss the head, you will impact the shoulder either left or right. Think of your target as the letter T coming at you. I'm at the bottom of the T, which should be the tip of the nose, and if your first shot is linear, you will put it somewhere in an area that the animal will either be stopped, or at least put Its Behavior in check. Just my two cents
Sounds dangerous considering someone has to let the tire go for it to start rolling. Lol.
@@fixingstupidsince
Well, there is always ways to set things up to where there is nobody on the other end of the shooting. Building a ramp at the top of the berm to hold the tire, with a pull rope Etc where there's a will there's a way without putting someone In Harm's Way
I am by no means an expert, but most defensive training teaches you to side step a threat heading towards you. I agree that the threat will be headed directly towards you, but those threats do not require leading. You can pretty much aim at those just like a stationary target.
I would like to see the tire rolled toward the person and that person side step while shooting at the target. A moving target is not always the target moving. Sometimes it's the shooter moving out of the way of the threat/target.
@@paladin556 the charge will be linear. You move, the bear will move.
But, you have to train for what you think will happen. That's it
Take a knee to put yourself on same level. Most miss due to standing up.
No mention of bluff charges.
From a background of experience with self defense I will tell you always carry with a round chambered. The time it takes to chamber a round is sufficient for a reasonably healthy human to charge you and stab or bludgeon you. Animals are faster then humans.
Logic. But he has an irrational fear of his own gun.
My wood gun for the Rockies : Glock 20 Gen4 with Underwood 10mm loaded with Lehigh Defense Xtreme Penetrator monolithic projectile. Sometimes I put a 6" barrel from Storm Lake.
When I embarked on a 10 month hiking tour of Washington, Idaho, Montana & Wyoming in 2020, I did carry a #357, but also 2 cans of bear spray in holsters strapped on the front of my backpack...
I Never encountered any bears or violent Dems & Libs, so I had a great experience.
yeah its those dems and libs lately that you gotta watch out for - they'll cap you with a black market 9 and then blame it on inherent racism then burn your business. Wildlife officers will cage them but the president and vice-presidential staff will bail them out of the pound. Dangerous wildlife for sure . . .
@@dougdoesit3013 - WTF 🤬
Dems and Libs are the same, all Libs with the same boss on the same payroll
0
Let me guess the gun for the demons and libernasty's and the bear spray to get that awful taste out of your mouth after talking with them, got to wash that covid mist out of your mouth with some bear spray. LOL
.45 acp would not be my first choice on bear - slow velocity bullet great for defense against people and coyotes/cougars but glad it worked for you.
Glock 20 with 220 grain hard cast ammo is best, majority of hunters in Alaska carry them too
Thanks for your comment!
Rara Neagra www.range365.com/best-bear-defense-handgun/ Of course a Glock wouldn’t be a primary but as a sidearm choice against a bear
Rara Neagra obviously the gun matters a lot, but what really matters the most is hitting your shots, ideally shooting the bear in the head. Every case is different, some cases where people body shot a bear once or twice and it goes down striking a vital organ.
Rara Neagra you’re right, i have no experience in this, I’m literally quoting my sources that I’m getting my information from www.ammoland.com/2018/02/defense-against-bears-with-pistols-97-success-rate-37-incidents-by-caliber/#axzz6PTZ7kS3K that article lists cases in which sidearms were successful and weren’t successful. I wouldn’t use a pistol as my primary defense against a bear personally but stuff happens, if my rifle or shotgun was not accessible its important to have a reliable sidearm on you.
A bow hunter doesn’t have the luxury of packing a rifle! That being said, I always take my 338 when retrieving game in grizzly country.
Great shot, your video showed how lucky you were to make a perfect shot that day. From what I learned practice shooting in full gear, with the firearm setup you would use. Be familiar be accurate, shoot until it's Dead. Any delay could mean getting no shot off in time!
Lived, hunted and guided in grizzy county (Canada) 70s-90s. Your shot on the black bear was a good one but, fortunate speaking on the angle, which was not dead on "nose up" but had to be with its head/ nose down, the practice on moving targets is key, they just don't stand and let you shoot them between the eyes! A grizzly skull is much thicker than a black bear and in a charge they have their head up (angle and deflection), we can't carry sidearms in Canada, so the tried and true 12 gauge with slugs was the go to , some use the 45-70, both extreamly lethal. I carried a 18.5 in. double SxS with slugs, two fast shots is all your going to get in most cases, the SxS is like having two guns in one with individual triggers and hammers, it's light and handy with 18in barrels and reliable , I only had to use it once on 35 years on a wounded bear, it was sick from its wound so not as fast as it could have been , first shot under the point of the chin and the second after it collapsed in the head! Best first defense is situational awareness, second defence.... is knowing how to handle the firearm your carring even if it a 22LR, third is practise!
I don't hunt in the same areas today or with bad knees play silly bugger in the mountain's as much, but now carry a 45-70 or 454 Casull carbine with heavy hard cast bullets and never feel under gunned.
Canada is a mess sooner than latter they will take all your guns.
22 is enough to shoot your friend in the leg and walk away sorry terrible joke
@@NeverGiveup-go7ogto much scotch maybe
@@Peter-od7op did you get yours taken away?
@@llkj7944 i have concealed carry
Pretty dumb not carrying one in the chamber when you could get a DA/SA and carry one in the chamber no issues. With a DA/SA it is no different than carrying a revolver as far as safety is concerned. I understand your concerns carrying chambered on a gun with a light trigger, but when you have an option that eliminates that concern I don't get it.
When seconds matter and it's life or death, you better have a chambered round.
Always Carry a cartridge in the chamber.
Carrying on an empty chamber especially in the woods is folly
Even a striker fired pistol should be carried 1 in the chamber.
Siiigh people throwing around the BS term “knockdown power” also the fact that this other yayhoo survived a bear attack with his micro compact and not carrying one chambered is pure luck. Not carrying one chambered is piss poor planning.
Show us the bears you’ve hunted big man? You’re an internet hunter.
he did kinda look like john wayne though the way he pulled that slide back in a critical moment hoping one chambered- oh wait, john wayne shot revolvers :)
Pretty poor and dangerous revolver handling i witnessed here. Hand over cylinder with finger on trigger. Dang, not good and also use the 44 with double action
Glad I'm not the only one to see that.
Same with that XD and "suicide pistol" draw or small frame revolver that everybody else would call it. Training, training, training til´ you got it and train some more. Just as much you would with your bow. This is just too fidgety and wrong in any sense. When that bear attacks you will be surprised and the fine motoric skills will go out the window.
Drop the gun and you´re out!
Great Video. So true many of us think we are ready for a charging bear but the truth is it happens so fast. I had a brown bear woof at me and I thought it was behind me in the alders I turned around and as soon as I did that bear charged from in front of me. I had a 338 in my hand chamberd and a locking tag in my bag and the bear stopped about 10 feet away then ran off before my brain could comprehend what was even happening. I carry a 10 mill Springfield even with giant brown bears running I figure worst case scenario and I go to the ground I dump all 16 rounds
A gun trainer I had told me of a protection gig he did in 'protected' Alaska territory. Surveyors were mapping out a mineral claim. There was bear scat everywhere. He told me semi auto pistols could jam in the bear's coarse hair if contact shot was required. He advocated a revolver. The company required him to carry ONLY a shotgun [no rifle]. He said it was the scariest assignment he ever had and he had experience in N Africa areas with Blackwater. No, he would not do it again!!
I always carry a .177 caliber single shot Crossman pellet pistol, I ain't fkn around, Nvr had a issue!
Sleeping in your tent and a bear attacks bear spray inside your tent will do nothing to a bear, but it will make for some spicy treat with your tender body for him! Carry a firearm!
When I used to fish upstate where there were black bear, I used to carry a Ruger GP100 .357 Magnum, but switched to a Glock 20 10mm. Twice saw some bear, but they were both at a long distance across river with enough space/time for me to get back, and no cubs.
Baby
I enjoyed the video, but I noticed that you're sweeping your left hand with the handguns when you pull them out from behind your front pack. 3:09
Most of the Bear survival story's I've heard reported that once the bear had the victim in their jaws they would shake so violently hand and leg control just weren't possible . Work hard on your keep them off your ass skills ! Good luck happy hunting
No doubt! The best practice is to do what we can to avoid an encounter in the first place. Here's a video on that topic: th-cam.com/video/Ze_WeOyPG5E/w-d-xo.html
I'm not a hunter, and I don't like hurting animals, but it is good to know and be ready for situations like this
This is one of the better videos on this subject. Thank you guys.
Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for watching 👍
I have heard from a lot of sports men to get a *well* trained dog. Bears are silent but a dog can smell or hear it long before a human can. A dog that barks a lot or runs off is useless, so they always say to train the dog well.
Bear spray + flare = Bearspray flarethrower! 👍
Lol nothing like have a ball of fire mauling you
CONGRADULATIONS ALL THE WAY AROUND! Good video! You have exemplified perfectly the correct way to defend yourself against a bear while hunting! WELL DONE! I prefer to carry a .45 long colt revolver in a cross draw position. The cross draw position works best for me in any type of situation. I prefer to carry a revolver because a revolver won't jam. A semi-automatic may carry many more rounds than a revolver, but I don't have time to clear it when it jams.I carry bear spray on one side of my holster and a bear gun on the other side of my holster.
10mm? Hot load equals 41 mag if such a round.
It’s true, I load hot 10mm hot and they are beasts
How do you identify grizz scat??? It has little bells in it and smells like pepper spray!!!!!!!!!!
🙌👊🤣
Lololololol. 👍
Be with a buddy/buddies (someone you actually trust) and have a good rifle for each person. You are weakest when you are alone.
Great advice!
@@EastmansHuntingJournals I will go at least 3 deep myself. I thought of this too,
Not to be critical, but on your 1911 you didn't have it in the manner that it was designed to be carried. Always one in the chamber, with the hammer cocked, and the thumb safety engaged. It WILL NOT go off by itself even if dropped. Your primary safety is finger off the trigger, second is that you have to engage the grip safety, third is dropping the thumb safety. To have to rack one in is time consuming, you're off target, and you loose an extra round in the process which could be a life saver. Tests have proven that in the cocked locked ready position you can literally beat the hammer (finger off the trigger, and grip safety not engaged) till it breaks off. The weapon will not fire. This is the way Mr Browning designed it.
Black bear is a lot different than Grizzly.... I'd recommend a higher caliber for Grizzly or even bigger Polar. Also If you're going to carry a gun put a round in the chamber it doesn't do anyone any good to try to rack a gun when your already behind the curve in taking the shot.
Carry a powerful handgun that you shoot a lot and often, be smart, make noise you don’t want to walk up on a sleeping or mother with cubs.
I find it amusing that you bring a gun expert in and the majority of the time he is just standing in the background. While the bow hunter is just rambling on.
😂🤣‼️
I was thinking same thing lol
Hmmm...a grizzly doesn't attack by running broadside (like the tire), s/he comes straight at you. In most cases, a grizzly does not give you a warning. Like an acquaintance of mine who was attacked by a grizzly while elk hunting once told me, "Unlike the movies, they don't make a sound." What is that shotgun technique? Unless you have bear that you have seen out of the corner of your eye, less than 20' feet away coming at you, put that shotgun up to your eye for a good shot. I used to carry a .44 mag. as a sidearm, but as I got to be an old man, I can't control it with one hand (like one may have to do in a bear attack). I now use a .357 mag with Buffalo Bore loads. However, let me add that I am also usually carrying a .30-06 while hunting elk or a 12 ga. with slugs if accompanying a hunter.
Is 3006 great for elk?
@@jackyou7598, I've used it for elk for the past 54 years and have not been disappointed. My son has used it for elk for the past 19 years and has no plans to change. Both of us use 180-grain bullets. Mind you, there are other great calibers for elk, however, the .30-06 is what we have and it gets the job done. My wife, a smaller individual, uses the Ruger American Compact in .308 for elk. It too functions quite well within 250 yards.
@@michaelquillen2679 what bullet weight would you recommend for 308? I have a few 308 rifles but was planning to buy a 3006 for elk.
@@jackyou7598 There are many opinions on this. My wife uses a 165 grain Nosler Partition. For elk, any quality ammo between 150-168 grain will work with the .308.
@@michaelquillen2679 thank you for sharing.
Instead of the 12ga, I bring a old school “real” Marlin (Pre-Remington owned/built) .45-70 guide gun with 405gr SJSP loads. I’ve taken two black bears with it with one shot each. Love it.
Everyone needs a good holster. Never just put it in your pocket. Very risky for several reasons.
I have lived in bear country most of my life. When iam in the bush I always bring my "friend" who is in a wheel chair.
I bring my mother-in-law .lol
I bring my ex
🤣 this is messed up but funny af. Especially the mother in law
I'll bring a biden supporter!!
I bring my over weight best friend
Forget it! A 12 gauge shotgun with hard slugs is the most reliable for self protection from a charging bear, even if it is a bit heavy, if it's life or death you don't have time nor the nerves to be on point. You need stopping power.
When i was stationed in Alaska, the fish and game, as well as some of the hunters and guides said the biggest handgun caliber that u can shoot EFFECTIVELY period! Some of those guys could shoot .454, .460 and .500 damn near better than i could with a 45 or 10mm! For the most part they carried 10mm, and .454, with hard-cast bullets!! We had a guide that carried .500 Smith, and a 45.70!!!
There is not a semiautomatic made that I would carry into bear country. I’m a Glock enthusiast (SF-21, G36, P21), but for me no less than a .44 magnum with wad cutters. I have that and a S&W .500 magnum. Weight and comfort are important, but so is coming home with flesh on your femurs.
I have an uncle in Alaska. He has been charged several times by grizzlies. He carries a shotgun with self defense rounds. He has had to use it twice and it was very effective.
Did he use buckshots or slugs? Did it kill them or chased them away?
Psychologically, you're not going to be able to think on time, unless you can see him coming from a distance, maybe. But bears won't give you time, and you'll probably miss. The only way is to train for this to put it into reflex memory, but I have no idea how. That tire is as good an idea as I have seen but you can't do that in thick brush. My best advice is to EXPECT to be attacked at any moment and have your weapon ready to fire. You will not be able to draw. The weapon has to be out and pointed.
Good video. Really guys it comes down to 1. Firearm, you need to have accurate Shot placement 2. Caliber & ammo, practical controllability and adequate stopping power. Which also depends on season spring/summer. Inches of fat on animal. I love 45acp but carry a Glock 29, 10mm because of bear
I carry the Springfield XDM Elite 3.8 10mm and feel very confident with it. But the 44 mag is a stud thumper
Great choices. -Dan
Why are you shooting at a bear running by you? That’s quite a draw technique as well, pulling out a gun with two fingers by the butt of the gun…
Not perfect scenario training is better than no training.
I carry a Springfield XDM 10mm here in Alaska and my wife carries a .357 Mag 4 inch barrel. If we're in thick brush we just keep them in our hands (finger off the trigger and pointed at the ground of course) to make sure our response time is as fast as possible. If we're going far off the trails I generally opt to carry a Marlin 45-70 lever action. I'm pretty good with it up to 100 yards. Some people say I'm paranoid but I've never felt "outgunned" when coming close to bear or moose out here so I don't mind the extra weight
Good advice. I do the same in a hot zone. Loaded gun in hand while walking. -Dan
if I went out today, I would take a shottie and my 40sw as a back up. If I had a choice , I'd rather have a henry or marlin 45-70 and a Glock 20 as well as the bear maze. Also, I would definetely not go in bear country alone
Never considered owning a pistol before, never taken one hunting. Made me think again. Well done! Would consider 1911 1st to train with.
Glad this video was helpful! Thanks for watching
Dude that was a SMALL- BABY bear what are you going to do with a mature GRIZZLY or a COSTAL BROWN? JUST CURIOUS
Sure are a lot of experts who have been attacked by a bear watching this video.
If your really that afraid james just carry a shotgun
@@derrickc.2694 nah I carry a 460. It's easier to pack around, gives me a hand for the fishing pole on the way to the river. [LOL]
That 1006 Smith and wesson 10mm will stop a bear
You left out the most important part... drop to your knees and then fire... as most people shoot over the target due to the speed of a charging bear.. drop to your knees first thing, then repeating fire...
Great comment, that’s probably wise to put more shots on target.
My how times have changed, back in the day when I did a lot of gold prospecting in the Western US, the serious guys out there who knew what they were doing would recommend nothing less than revolvers chambered in .44 magnum or .45LC hot loads. All the park service guys in the areas of the Sierra Nevada foothills I frequented carried .44 Magnum revolvers.
I have a beretta 92A1 with 17 rounds in the mag, loaded with Speer Gold Dot 124gr +P JHPs. 410ft/lb of force going at 1220FPS. I know it’s probably underpowered for bears, but it’s still way better than nothing.
mag dump.
I am not an experienced outdoorsman on any level but I have a serious question. With an angry bear charging at full tilt how many rounds do you think you are going to be able to get off before it's lights out? Off the top of my head it seems like a hard cast in a gun that you can quickly and accurately get two or three rounds off in a few seconds. would be the right ticket.
From 50 feet, you should be able to clear atleast half a magazine before it gets within 10 foot.
If that's a 15 round pistol, then atleast 8.
But really it depends on the weapon, not all weapons shoot that fast, and even if you can put down 20 rounds, realistically only 14 would hit a moving target (average, im aware there's people with 90%+ accuracy rating on moving targets, we are talking about normal untrained people).
I carry a 10mm auto with grizzly rounds (240 grain cast bullets) I prefer this as you have twice the rounds of a 44 magnum so you can easily put more lead down range easier
That is that is if you're semi-auto does not jam! .. and you keep a round in the chamber
it is, and that's the right recipe in any gun you carry in bear country!!!
@@Elite02k welll most police officers average about a 17% hit rate.
long story short you are either very skilled or very lucky to survive a bear attack
460 S&W with heavy bullets as minimum, an 870 or a Mossberg 500 with slugs, you need to hit hard ,
a 5.5 " 460 with heavy bullets , one hit is devastating , but it most likely will need 1or 2 more when its a big Grizzly
Hunters have shot a non charging Grizzly with an Xframe S&W , dropped with 1 shot , but bear was not running or charging
so a good hard hit just right , in a panick when a bear is attacking , thats difficult shots
Myself as protection against black bear a powerful handgun I'm comfortable with but have never been to Alaska, but if I were there with those huge coastal browns an grizzly bear inland give me a powerful rifle .338 magnum or heavier, in fact I'd suspect no rifle would be too powerful for these huge dangerous carnivores. Shotgun with slugs like the Brenneke of powerful lever gun .405, .45-70, .450 Marlin, .450 Alaskan or .50 Alaskan. I would feel a good deal of practice, quality bullet and reliable weapon will help keep your problems down. Hunted various buffalo and feel the same standards would apply to these largest carnivores on earth
You get 4 off if you don't have to rack the slide before aiming and firing. why would you not have one in the chamber when every second counts? Also, If I'm in bear country, I'm going 10mm with a 5in barrel minimum if I'm going semi-auto. 45acp is too slow and will just piss it off. I'm a fan of 12 ga 3.5 in magnum slugs. That would do some damage.
500 s&w with a 8 3/8” barrel says go away bear.
One thing I did not see mentioned is that almost all bear charges will be straight on and that most men stand significantly taller than a bear on all fours,even grizzle. This means that at the extremely fast speed the bear is approaching most guys will shoot over the bear. If you are going to practice. You should practice taking a knee and shooting from that position. This will take out the need to lead the bear which most shooter do not excel at and because you now appear smaller increase the probability of a bluff charge. Hope this helps everyone stay safe out there.
DAMN - glad to hear your encounter ended on good terms. Good shooting ACE
This story definitely could have had a different ending... we hope this video helps others be prepared for the unknowns of bear country!
I was told that if a grizz is getting at you the best thing you can do is to play dead but if a black bear is attacking, fight it with everything you got because it’s attacking to kill and eat you
The good thing is the closer the bear gets the more accurate your shots will get. Plus if the bear overtakes you and you have high capacity in your pistol just keep pumping lead and protect your shooting hand at all cost.
I used to be the kill guy when I was a kid working for a guide, and when the clients were too fat to make it to the tree I was deployed. I once killed a big black bear with a shot to the head with a .22 rifle.
12ga is the answer. Even #4 & #5 shot will kill a bear when he is "up close and personal" if you shoot him in the Head. 12ga is very forgiving when you have a 1 1/8 oz slug heading down range. Other wise use 7 pellet Buckshot. At the ranges you are going to be using it, there will be very little pattern and no real advantage in using shot - better rely on the big slug. As for shotgun - pump action and full stock, it should come up to the shoulder surprisingly quickly and the advantage of a "partially aimed shot" outweighs any perceived quick-fire advantage of shooting from the hip.
THE OLD 45 LC IS ALL AROUND WITH A 255 GR LEAD BULLET
Finally another fan of the .357 Sig! Elated that there is another shooter carrying a SIGPRO 2022 I love mine. Carried it as my primary, it’s dead nuts accurate, reliable as Honest Abe. And deadly in trained hands. Hats off compadre.
I didn’t catch his bullet choice, but Hornaday Critical Defense or Winchesters are for town carry, while I’m open to suggestions for pissed off Yogis.
12 gauge with 00 buck or slugs would be choice. Nice 15 inch halfway barrel
I believe lawful minimum barrel length is 18 inches.
Lookup "Ruby Ridge".
Interesting info.
When I moved to Alaska as a young man in '69 I read bear statistics compiled by one of the Murie brothers, either Olaus or Adolf.
Here is what I learned:
Out of 10 charges, only one made physical contact with the human involved.
Out 10 that did make contact, only one turned out to be fatal.
I thought that was pretty comforting information, but did not prevent me from experiencing that scary feeling you get traveling through bear habitat when visibility is limited.
In spite of that I stopped carrying an arm ( initially a sawed-off shotgun), realizing that, unless you travel combat style with such an arm at the ready, you can't react quickly enough.
I've experienced multiple Black Bear encounters, but was never charged, while working for the NPS and places in places where I lived.
It took 49 years before experiencing a Grizzly charge, a sow protecting her cubs.
It confirmed this: Had I been armed or even carried bear spray, I would not have been able to reach for it in time to defend myself. The terrain was partly wooded, partly open with intermittent alder brush. I had no clue the bears were there when I stepped into the open. She was AS surprised as I was, but reacted in a split-second while all I could do is stand there, clamping my sphincter and feeling the urge to run. Within 2 seconds she was within 50' and 2 more she would have had me. All I could do is yell Hold it! Hold it!.
Having just passed her (first year) cubs, shen then stopped on a dime, stood up, waved back and forth a couple times, dropped on all fours and began pushing the cubs away and disappeared in the brush, while I stood there, convinced she would return to finish me off. She never returned.
I decided not to complete that 9-mile hike and returned to my car.
Finally last summer did I feel up to trying that same hike again, this time with bear spray in my hand, ready to act, most the way. What I found is, that to be SO ready that any second I could activate the spray, got my nerves so ragged, that I felt wasted at the end of the hike.
To relieve me from this burden I repeated the hike a couple of weeks later with the conviction that IF shit is supposed to happen, it will. If not, all the better. That hike turned out to uneventful and relaxing.
Here is another clue the Muries pointed out in their findings: Of those who experienced the worst encounters, the majority turned out to be armed, ready to kill. The assumption, correct or not, was that those who pose a more serious threat to bears, exude a feeling/attitude of danger the bear picks up and therefore becomes more determined to eliminate that danger, while those unarmed exude feelings of fear/respect and are perceived as less of a threat.
This kind of information seems to have served at least me quite well. To hunters it may be useful as well and make them extra diligent, especially when hunting bear.
Always better to be prepared than not. Your luck will catch up to you. Ever seen Grizzly Man? He thought just like you...
Everyone has a choice mine is the Bear Spray. Here in Florida we have a good Black Bear population.
In the woods and on the trails I prefer the Bear Spray since it does not go over a mile and covers a wider area. Less chance of collateral damage with the Bear Spray. Plus it can be used on all sorts of critters , even the two legged ones without being fatal. With the Bear Spray keep track of the expiration Date and switch out the old one for a new one.( NORMALLY the date is for the propellant and not the chemicals. )
Retired after 27 years in Law Enforcement including shooting on the Combat Pistol team. Yes , I have a concealed weapon permit , got it before retiring.
7 years deep in Alaska, best thing is to practice, practice, practice. If you ever have to shoot a grizzly from attacking you, you will not be the same person agin. trust me. so practice on a moving target a lot safely. The tire is a good idea. but it should to roll to you as fast as it can. And work as much as you can to clam yourself. very, very hard to. Good video.