.357 vs black bear

Status
Not open for further replies.
You mentioned your dog. I think a dog would be an excellent defence against a bear. Even a small dog. Dogs have senses that we can appreciate and a warning "alarm" is a wonderful advantage in the woods.

There is a funny video above of a common house cat chasing off a black bear. Animals react differently than we would imagine in most cases.
 
in the late 80s in nor-cal coastal mountain range(its 3hrs to pavement)my hunting partners and i have a cabin we hunt hogs and deer from.after dressing and gearing up for hogs with a full lug 629 s&w 44 mag.in a bandoleer holster in the early am barely light i was relieving myself on to the edge of a black berry patch just off the porch and looking at the view over the canyon,mostly dark too early,when i heard something directly in front of me,when it stood up it looked bigger then a dinosaur,it turned out to be a sow with 1 cub both of them about 8-10 ft.out in the berries,as i backed away she came toward me like a roto-tiller i'm pulling the gun walking rapidly backwards when i tripped and fell right on my butt,thinking all the time i'm bear breakfast,as i got the gun out,for some unknown reason the sow slowed,for what appeared,to sniff the the urine puddle,then she charged i hit the animal 4 out of 6 pulls1 rd went through her eye 2 through the neck 1 breaking the spine,1 in the shoulder 2 others who knows,of course in the chaos i hadn't noticed one of my partners had come on to the porch with his coffee,and better yet his .45-70 lever gun,and had also hit it twice of course,heart and lung also disintegrating 4 in. of spine.we both claimed success in our shooting skills after i had replaced my weapons.1 behind my fly and zipper,the other i re-holstered,and since i had pissed all over my leg i changed my levis,but our skinning and bear autopsy,confirmed the hits by each of us.the animal weighed north of 385lbs. i m o when it comes to bears bigger is better
 
Enough to establish that you can step in death's way anywhere, any how. I would hope these articles tell you that when meeting a black bear, simply backing up slowly may not work. Stay in condition yellow and carry your chosen protection. 'nuff said.
 
Red Cent said:
Danite, you da man. I would hope I would have a similar reaction to that kind of danger. Always makes me wonder.
Don't know if it was black or brown, but I bet that was a moment in time that is eternal. Holy..........
Click to expand...
"i'd rather be lucky than good"i can't remember who said that(one of napoleon's staff officers i believe)but i think it applies.it was a black sow probably heavy from eating for it's winter-prep that explains the size.i still don't know why it stopped to smell the urine puddle,factor in no flap on my holster,including that i was sitting from falling back,and was shooting straight on,also my friends say i was screaming bear,bear, like a 9 yr old girl that may have weirded the bear out somewhat,and the luck that my friend was holding his "big-pig"(his name for the.45-70 lever-gun)when he came out with his coffee cup,and he always seems to hit stuff.i think our 2 spinal shots slowed her roll+the cranial-ocular,and heart shots proved fatal,the damn animal almost got me,expiring about 1 ft away .the fact a 40yr old guy can scoot on his butt at high speed defies logic,and after 20 odd yrs the point that's always made with my bozo friends is screaming bear,and standing there with my tender business out like some flasher and that i pissed down my leg the bear is hardly mentioned.go figure!we looked but never saw the cub again and that was the first actual bear we had ever seen hunting that claim for yrs,seen sign that's all.
 
Last edited:
Mr. T said:
I'm not sure the OP was saying that they were going to be shooting everything they see; they were wondering if the .357 Mag they had would be adequate defense against a black bear. Oh, and black bears do kill more people than any other type of bear in the typical year.

My wife and I were charged by one last fall as we were walking a dirt road on our property. She was a sow that we had seen earlier in the year with a single cub. The cub was not with her as we could see, but was maybe near by...of course it was the one time I left my Ruger in the truck...never again. She charged us with in 20 -25 yards and snapped and popped her teeth. We continually faced her, but maneuvered ourselves under a barbed wire fence that was seriously over grown. When we were safely on the other side of the fence she took off in the other direction. Had we stood our ground she would have ripped us to shreds; you could tell just by her demeanor. I've seen black bears plenty of times in the woods, and they don't typically act like that....8 to 9 times out of ten they just run off....it's that one time when they don't. Most of the time they are good natured...but just like a bull in the barn yard...you don't ever trust them and you don't ever turn your back on them. The last thing I would do is down play them to someone who may not have any experience with them; definitely don't make a boogey man out of them, but don't PETA/cartoonize them either. That's my only concern.
Click to expand...

You dont know that she would have attacked....as I've said...blacks, even sows with cubs, almost always bluff charge. That is their defense.

No, dont trust them, but also dont assume that they are some deadly threat. Of course they require our respect, as you say, they arent cartoons. The real danger is being between them and a food source. And then they're very like dogs....possessive and very possibly dangerous. That's why it's a death sentence to feed bears...for the bears especially, but occasionally for people. :(
 
Red Cent said:
Close.

"Why are you worried about black bears? Act appropriately, dont leave your garbage or food around, and you'll be fine. They dont attack people.

If you have to use a firearm on a black bear....the fault is almost certainly yours. Just back or walk away."
Click to expand...

Red, no way would I say dont go armed. I would, I just wouldnt be carrying it because of bears. Or cougars.

Humans and sadly, feral dogs do come to mind tho.

Like I said...unless they're ripping down your kitchen door (which they've done in the 'burbs)....you are in their house. And everyone on this forum, that I've read, has said they'll defend their homes.......so we certainly, IMO, should be the ones making room for them....retreating, being responsible with food, going the long way around, etc.
 
I'm not waiting to see if it's a false charge or not... Just like if I see a guy drawing a gun on me, I am not gonna wait to see if he's gonna shoot me with it first before I shoot. The whole reasoning that anyone would protect his home, somehow equates to a bear being given the benefit of the doubt while in the woods doesn't hold water with me. My family's and my life and limb are far more important to me than being concerned with a bear's "feelings". I couldn't care less about the bear if I feel it is threatening me.

My number one protection in black bear woods is OC spray, but I do have a firearm as well and will use it if I feel I need to. I am aware of bear behavior and have used restraint in the past. Past experience was with me. Should it be my family involved, I can tell you I won't be so restrained. I will take no risks when it comes to protecting my wife or children.

Double Tap Ammo in 200gr WFNGC Hardcast load is what my Security Six in 6" barrel will be loaded with when I am in black bear woods. If I run across 2 legged vermin, I am sure it'll put a hurting on them too... Plain and simple though, if you don't hit your target it doesn't matter whether it's a .357 mag or a bazooka! I can shoot my .357 mag much more accurately and confidently than the bigger loads. I don't trek into brown/grizzly bear country or I'd feel the need to become more efficient with something bigger. However, I am very confident with my .357 mag and my ability to put well placed shots on a bear charging.
 
In Alberta they average 2 bear attacks being reported a year. Probably 10 times that number are never reported. I think a .357 is a little light for bears. Pump 12 gauge with slugs is best.
 
cjbs2003 said:
I'm not waiting to see if it's a false charge or not... Just like if I see a guy drawing a gun on me, I am not gonna wait to see if he's gonna shoot me with it first before I shoot. The whole reasoning that anyone would protect his home, somehow equates to a bear being given the benefit of the doubt while in the woods doesn't hold water with me. My family's and my life and limb are far more important to me than being concerned with a bear's "feelings". I couldn't care less about the bear if I feel it is threatening me.
Click to expand...

Well you are in luck! Bears dont have lawyers and cant do much against those that invade their homes if the invaders have guns. At least us humans have rights and when *we assume invaders are dangerous* we have some legal safety nets.

Dem poor bears are just plum outta luck.
 
I have a black bear hide hanging on the cabin wall. It was shot with a .357 Ruger Blackhawk (4 5/8" bbl). The load was 180 gr. hardcast Federal IIRC. Bear was shot twice. Since then I have decided to carry a .44 mag Super Blackhawk with the same barrel length. I do not know what velocity/power differences there would be with a 3" gun, but if you needed it up close and personal I think it would be adequate. I have also started carrying true bear spray. Make sure you have the most powerful because some are not very strong. I use Sabre products.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

E
  • Locked
Defense against black bear
2 3
Replies
57
Views
2K
Robert
Robert
84B20
  • Locked
Bear protection
2
Replies
37
Views
2K
57Coastie
5
J
  • Locked
Bears at my campsite
2
Replies
30
Views
2K
themic
T
M
  • Locked
What's the best Bear Ammo to use in a .357 Mag
Replies
21
Views
5K
Antihero
A
CodeSection
  • Locked
Thankful For My Ruger Alaskan .44 Mag / Black Bear Protection
Replies
22
Views
1K
CodeSection
CodeSection
Back
Top