[686S&W]

I plan on relocating to Alaska in the next couple of months and am an avid hiker who loves to go into the wild with a scoped .308 bolt gun to try to find new places to shoot. Since I'm going to be going to from MI to AK I know the wildlife is a bit bigger, the bears or so I hear.

Wondering if anyone has a recommendation for a backup gun in case I run across something mean, say a grizzly. Being bear chow would kind of ruin my weekend. I've been reading that hardened slugs would be the way to go. What about staggering 3.5" Magnum Buck and slugs in the magazine?

I'm thinking of slinging my 870 with the 18" deer barrel and rifle sights. or eventually investing in a Saiga 12, or perhaps an 11-87. Weight is not much of an issue, I'm young and I march with a 60# ruck often.

[TehK1w1]

If you go with a shottie, use slugs in it. buckshot will just piss it off if it is really after you. If it was "fake" charging, buckshot to the face would almost certainly make it attack you for real. Personally, I would go with a levergun in .45-70 or 450 marlin, maybe one of the Marlin "Guide guns" with an 18 1/2" barrel.

[grizz]

There are lots of good choices.

Rifles: 45/70 or .450 Marlin lever gun, 30-06 or larger bolt or lever gun.

Shotguns: 12 ga 3" slugs. Not buck, not even 00 buck. slugs and only slugs.

Handguns: No autos. Revolver .44 magnum or larger. *only use premium hard cast lead bullets!

I've packed all over Alaska with shotguns, rifles, and pistols. Packing a full sized shotgun or rifle gets old when you're doing serious elevation gain and mileage AND have a 60 lb pack on your back.

My personal preference is a Marlin 45/70 Guide Gun when I'm traveling via a vehicle. When I'm on foot, I carry a Ruger Super Redhawk .44 mag with the most powerful Buffalo Bore hard cast ammo. When I'm hunting, I don't carry extra protection besides whatever hunting rifle I'm packing (unless I'm small game or bird hunting, then I pack the .44 mag too).

Good luck up here in the frozen north!

[glockman19]

Revolver .44 magnum or larger. *only use premium hard cast lead bullets!

+1

[Bula]

I'd say .44 mag or bigger. I really like the Rugers. One of the newer 4" Redhawks loaded with some 255 grain cast Keiths loaded heavy would surely keep me a as comfortable as any pistol could. But I'd feel a lot better with a big bore rifle over my shoulder. 45/70, 450 or the 444 in a carbine lengthed lever in stainless would be great.

[mbt2001]

I suggest using the Bear Pepper Spray, it is more effective the a gun in stopping a bear.

That frees you up to carry something a little lighter than a .454 or something similar. If you are hunting bear, the obviously you want a good sidearm, if you are not on a budget, I would suggest getting the .480 ruger. Great round, has a relatively mild recoil.

The real problem comes in if a bear actually does do something and you shoot him, you might have to explain something to the rangers. Using the pepper spray is just as effective, but you don't have to explain anything.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=pusOWYGombA

The guy in the video that is advising how to use the spray has used it 5 times to turn charges... He is still here.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=_pLsM2ijRao&mode=related&search=

Pardon the langauge. This is a Black Bear getting sprayed, you can see how effective it is. It doesn't make a difference how "tough" the bear is when it comes to the spray. So it is applicable to grizzlies.

[AntiqueCollector]

I'd rather explain to the rangers why I shot a bear than be killed if a can of spray fails to work effectively or at all. Self-defense cases against bears aren't all that rare up there, I doubt you'd have much trouble explaining it.

[Bartkowski]

.475 linebaugh would be a good choice in a revolver, not good for much else though.

[jeffsig220]

.500 S&W Mag ;)

[huntinstuff]

Get a griz or a black bear up close and you will wish you had a gun rather than a can of pepper.......

[Kingcreek]

I've hunted and hiked in bear country with no close encounters of the bruin kind. so, no first hand experience but...
I would use the pepper spray AFTER I used the gun- empty the can, then explain to the ranger how I tried to deter him, but I was left with no choice but to use lethal force.
If it is close enough to spray with OC, then I would rather have that gun in my hand...

[T.R.]

I like to hike to remote alpine lakes in the Bighorn Mts of Wyoming. The fishing is outstanding! But bears are quite common.

I carry an older single barrel break open 16 gauge with a slip on shell holder that fits snugly to the buttstock. Loads include 3 slugs and a couple of #4's. Its light and easy to carry. Our Airdale Terrier nearly always accompanies me on these long hikes.

Don't mis-understand me. I'm NOT stating that my Airdale can whip a big bear. But this dog is fear-less and aggressive; it can sure keep the bear busy while I figure out my next move.

TR

[Rufus Pisanus]

If you haven't seen it before look at the paragraph "The Bear Alert" in the link below:

http://www.clevermag.com/humor/bears.htm :D

[mbt2001]

It ain't likely that the spray will "fail". The most sensitive part of a bear is his nose... That crap gets in his nose and eyes and he is stopping.

[Cosmoline]

There are about 100+ threads on this. To sum up:

--A long gun is better than a short one
--Whatever you have, it must be within easy reach and able to deploy and fire in a matter of seconds. I use a backpack scabbard for most long arms and a belly holster for handguns.
--Use hardcast slugs/bullest in both handguns and the shotguns. Brenneke or Buf. Bore ideally.
--For rifles, hardcast slugs are ideal for bigger caliber rounds, but a deep penetrating bonded core bullet is probably better for high velocity rounds in the .30 caliber range.

Up here, you have to remember bruins are a pretty well accepted fact of life. You're not allowed to start blasting when you see one. Context matters a great deal. A bear salmon fishing is not a viable target unless it's in a clear charge at close range. That's because everyone knows the fishing brown bear are interested in being left alone. A fluffy griz stalking you over barren tundra is a very different animal.

When hunting, you're generally not allowed to shoot bear that come near your kill site. That's when spray is the best method.

If you hunt here, read and learn the regs well.

I would use the pepper spray AFTER I used the gun- empty the can, then explain to the ranger how I tried to deter him, but I was left with no choice but to use lethal force.

You're about as likely to sell that story to a trooper up here as the Brooklyn Bridge. My advice is if you're in Alaska learn the rules of engagement and play by those rules. The bear here are legally very different from the bear in the lower 48. They're not under the ESA. Rather, they're a valuable resource that form the rice bowl for a lot of people. If you have to shoot one in defense of person or property, do it right and by the book or you'll get raked over the coals as a poacher. DO NOT try to make up stories.

[Ghost Tracker]

Would y'all suggest a 12 gauge slug gun (maybe an 870 tweaked for "social encounters") OR a big bore lever-action (like a Marlin .444 Guide Rifle) to be more ideal for DEFENSE against a big (Brown, Grizzly) bear attack? We're not talking about Bear Hunting here...more anti-human hunting from the bear's point of view. Which, in y'all's opinion, is the more definitive STOPPER? I've always wondered.

[Cougfan2]

I would use the pepper spray AFTER I used the gun- empty the can, then explain to the ranger how I tried to deter him, but I was left with no choice but to use lethal force.

I like the way you think!:D

[Ghost Tracker]

I tried that excuse once in East St. Louis. But it wasn't a bear. Worked like a charm.

(okay...I made that up.)

[Cosmoline]

Would y'all suggest a 12 gauge slug gun (maybe an 870 tweaked for "social encounters") OR a big bore lever-action (like a Marlin .444 Guide Rifle) to be more ideal for DEFENSE against a big (Brown, Grizzly) bear attack?

The levergun will give you more range, the slug gun a little more diameter. Ballistically there's little difference between a Buf Bore .45-70 and a Brenneke hardcast magnum at close range. The rifle has better sectional density and might penetrate more though. They're both going to recoil enough to hurt. Both have been used to take very large brown bear. The .45-70 has been used to take the big 5 in Africa as well. I guess it comes down to preference.

[22-rimfire]

The new Ruger 375 rifle, which is a moderately light big bore rifle is capable of killing anything in North America, might be a good choice if you are willing to lug around a rifle. If not, I'd would be packing a 480 Ruger revolver with heavy solids. The Ruger Alaskan in 480 would be close to perfect (in a factory caliber) for this purpose. Maybe Ruger will start making them again??

[Pigspitter]

I heard a story(not sure if its true) about a guy who would carry and full auto FN FAL when he went into the wilderness. I imagine that could be pretty devastating to a small bear at close range.

[Dave from Alberta]

Aw Heck... Up here in Alberta we just take a hunting knife with us :D

Man fought bear
CP


An Alberta man who fought off and mortally wounded an angry grizzly said he had no chance to run and was forced to defend himself....he dropped the camera and pulled out the 12-inch knife.

"I put my knife above my head and waited for her to hit me," he said. "She just mowed into me like a football player doing the old shoulder check."

The bear barreled into his stomach and bit down on his left arm. As the two went down, McLellan plunged his knife into the bear's back.

http://www.hfxnews.ca/index.cfm?sid=57212&sc=89

[Cosmoline]

We got that beat. We got Gene Moe, who fought off a Kodiak sow with his hunting knife before killing her and walking to help. I believe he also skinned her and prepared her hide after stopping his own bleeding wounds.

A badly mauled Moe told Silver Salmon Lodge owner Peter Guttchen that when he sank his knife into the animal's neck, blood "spurted'' out. Moe told Guttchen that he stabbed the bear twice more before it climbed off him.

TX: Fish and Wildlife Protection trooper Allan Jones of Kodiak said the Anchorage hunter then recovered his rifle and shot the attacking bear three times. The shots, Jones said, apparently killed the bear.

Moe, despite being badly injured and alone, climbed to his feet and started hiking for the beach of the wilderness island east of Kodiak.

"He's one tough old buzzard,'' said nephew Doug Moe of Homer. "He's an old-timer, but he's got the heart of a 20-year-old.''

http://www.adn.com/news/alaska/wildlife/bears/attacks/story/8803539p-7532515c.html

[Dave from Alberta]

I think anyone killing ANY species of North American bear with a hunting knife has earned a lifetime of bragging rights and a night at the bar on his friends!

...on the more serious side, when I take the kids fishing out in the bush, I like to pack my 12 gauge with the short barrel and the pistol grip. Easy to carry, light weight, but there if you need it. I usually load one #8 target shot for scaring the bear, follow by slugs for taking it down.

[Cosmoline]

Have you done much practice shooting with that cruiser and magnum brenneke slugs? It would seem like recoil would be intolerable.

I stopped with the whole "warning load" business after hearing first-hand accounts of attacks and seeing how fast the buggers move in real life. Getting one shot off isn't certain.

[Ghost Tracker]

Sounds like a job for the Knoxx Compstock. Even their Pistol Grip model has a recoil-reducing device.

[BlindJustice]

FYI

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6978161.stm

[Cosmoline]

The photos in that article are pretty telling. I first started realizing the scale of these guys when I ran across patches of ground in the woods that look earthmoving equipment had been busy. It was just a bear trying to nab some squirrels that had gone into holes! Like a thousand pound terrier's back yard, the earth was wadded up and tossed behind him.

[black bear]

Hi guys,
My dream is my long postponed trip to Alaska to camp and fly-fish.
My nightmare is Grizzlies entering my tent.

A few years ago I made a kit consisting of the Ruger Redhawk .44 magnum, my BOREALIS 1050 lumens flashlight, and some kind of short spear that I can raise if the bear is coming on top of me,
(A couple of sketches are shown; of course they are not finished)
The screaming siren is a perimeter alarm with trip cord (the eye bolts are for the wire) the little LED light is about 5 lumens, it will be going the whole night providing illumination, I don't want to be groping in the dark for my gun and Borealis light.

I added to the kit, a driveway patrol infrared sensor, to have two "early warning systems".

I probably will buy as new gun, now that they are in the market, I think a Smith & Wesson .500

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/blackbear11784/grizzlybearkit.jpg

Here is the driveway patrol infrared alarm system.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/blackbear11784/drivewaypatrol.jpg

Like to hear if somebody has other ideas for protection at night in a tent.

All the best
Black Bear