another bear story

[B2Tall]

Wild boar are far more aggressive than black bears and about the top of the list for what I've encountered in the mountains I would have rather not. Having come within a dozen feet of an adult black bear on more than one occasion on the trail I've simply given them the right of way and they've been interested in getting out of my vicinity.

OTOH, I've wished for something capable of dropping a boar on more than one occasion (but never actually had a problem in my encounters with them). Perhaps I needant be as concerned about them as I was.

The boar that we encountered (again, on the other side of a fence) was the only aggressive animal I've some across. The bear I crossed paths with simply stopped, looked at me, and then casually wandered off. The pig was in a very high state of agitation with its hair standing up on its back (i.e. "razorback") and running along the fence line as we rode down the trail. There's no doubt in my mind that had the fence not been there it would have charged us.

A few years ago in one of the major firearm magazines I read an article by one of the contributors who felt a .357 was ideal for self-defense in pig country. I've been carrying it out in the sticks because it offers the best power in a small, easy-to-carry package.

 

[taliv]

wild boar aren't really aggressive either. perhaps relative to bear in that there's a .01% chance a bear might attack and a .02% chance a pig isn't going to run away as fast as he can.

if either of them see you wearing multicam, they will know you are tactical and 100% run. they might not know which way to run, but they will flee.

 

[Malamute]

I'd suggest a couple things. First, find out exactly what your state laws are about shooting bears in defensive situations. Just saying "I was scared" or something similar may end up with some pretty expensive legal fees and legal consequences. There are often some pretty narrow conditions regarding when its appropriate to shoot. This isnt just the .gov being overbearing, it comes from people shooting animals they didnt need to. Fear biters basically. I have little regard for people that shoot things like bears that didnt need shooting.

I'd keep pepper spray handy at all times, maybe several cans so they are handy, like in the house, in the garage/shop/whatever besides what you may carry when out and about.

You 44 is fine. The 40 probably is with good, well constructed fmj loads. I'd go with flat points if possible rather than round nose. The instances youd be likely to truly need to shoot a bear is going to be very close. Head shots or shoulder shots are going to be most effective. For some reason people think shooting a bear in the eye makes a brain shot. The eye sockets are outside the brain pan from the front. The nose is soft tissue into the brain pan. Between the eyes works often enough if it isnt too shallow of an angle.

 

[Cee Zee]

Your posts on them are frequent enough and consistently alarmist that most readers would assume otherwise.

How about sticking to what I actually say instead of assuming otherwise. I've started two whole threads on bears. If you want to know the truth I like talking about them. It's more of the wild world moving back to where I live. And if you look at where I live you should be able to assume that I like that. I moved out of town a very long time ago and there were plenty of other things to worry about. I grew up in a place called "Wildcat Holler" and it was named that for a reason. We killed a bunch of them (not bobcats) when I was young. And they were very dangerous. One attacked a friend of mine on the road I lived on and he needed 140 stitches to fix him up. I've never been scared of bears. I have a photo around somewhere where I played daredevil with a bear in the Smokeys. People were feeding it along the road like they did in those days. I got out of the truck to get a better look. It wasn't more than 10 feet from me but it was otherwise occupied getting free food. It did follow me back to the truck and stick it's nose through my partially rolled down window. I have a photo of that too.

That doesn't mean I'm not cautious around them. And my posts are mostly about making people aware to watch out for them and learn how to deal with them. So don't go assuming too much friend. I know when I'm in a bad situation and I know when to laugh about it. I laugh myself silly at those bears chomping their teeth at the smell of my steaks on the grill.

Again look at where I live and tell me you really think I'm the type to be scared of wild animals. Never in my life friend. I head out into the wildest country around alone, at night riding an ATV. I get way out there too. That's not something scared people do.

Here's one of the photos of the bear in the Smokeys. I was outside the truck when I took this. The bear was about 10 feet away. Again, I like bears.

BTW we have wild boar in the area too. We also have bobcats, mountain lions, coyotes, and some say wolves. I grew up coon hunting which is done at night (info for people that don't know - I know most people know that). I was riding wild horses before I went to school. I once rode a 400 pound hog. And the worst thing I ever encountered in the woods was a pack of feral dogs. A mother doberman and 5 full grown, half starved pups some joker probably turned loose and fed once a month as a deterrent to his neighbor crossing his property. I knew that particular nut most likely. It was his brother that bought the bear cub. There are all sorts of dangerous animals where I live with the worst problem being a rabid fox at my front door. Well there was the time my dogs chased a huge buck right at me in a berry patch. The briars were too high to see more than a couple of feet. It missed me about a foot and it was going at least 30 mph. I've never had a problem being afraid of animals.

 

[silicosys4]

My parents have a big, and i mean 400lb+ black bear that spends about a month every spring mowing their field, spending a few hours a day eating grass.
He has come near the house a few times, but every time he does he's gotten his butt peppered with birdshot and leaves in a hurry.
12 years running now.
Black bears are very rarely aggressive, and VERY rarely attack humans.

 

[Robert]

The bear was about 10 feet away.

Getting that close to any wild animal is sort of asking for trouble.

 

[B2Tall]

wild boar aren't really aggressive either.

Tell that to the people who've been gored. That particular one I encountered certainly was....

The vast, vast, vast majority of people we encounter aren't aggressive either. And yet we still carry for protection. It's not about odds or probability....it's about reality. You don't wait to be attacked by a bear or a boar or a person before you start carrying for protection.

 

[X-Rap]

Bears will often communicate their intentions so watch for erect ears, clicking teeth/ chomping and bluff attacks.
Her is an example of a bluff attack, I wonder if this woman is still alive, these Dr. Doolittles are the scariest things in the woods.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bkwy0scRXBU
Another point that I think is important and it is differentiating between our territory and theirs. If you acclimate a wild bear to humans and their environment you probably have signed its death warrant and it may cost some unsuspecting soul as well.

 

[Cee Zee]

You won't need the firearm 99.99% of the time you encounter a black bear. However when you need it, you will need it. Then, you will need something where you can get good shots. Misses may be loud and scare the bear but I wouldn't count on it.

I think you're exactly right about how often I might need a gun. Very, very rare but it has happened and it's just my luck but I've essentially been cornered by 2 bears. I wasn't all that worried either time but I was concerned. I just figured out the right thing to do and did it. No problems. I'm not looking to put a bear skin rug on my floor even if it would be cool.

The thing about shooting a bear that is a threat, the chances are you will only get one shot. And the .44 is every bit as accurate as any of my handguns. It won't do double taps as fast of course but again you will likely only get the one shot. You might get a second shot off if the bear doesn't have you by the arm if one should happen to grab you. With a revolver you don't have to worry about the slide working while the gun is pushed up against a bear's side with full contact. That can stop a semi-auto from being able to fire that third shot. So I prefer a revolver for bear protection.

I know people are thinking that a person really doesn't need any protection but they haven't seen what I've seen where 10 bears are bedding down right next to the graveyard on the farm. When I go to cut the grass there I don't want any close encounters from a surprised bear. I've seen bear there too. It isn't just a matter of seeing the signs but there are a ton of signs there.

It really is a matter of bears growing in numbers by leaps and bounds. Again I'm not expecting anything to ever happen but now I do think it's a good idea to be ready. I've pretty much always carried a gun in the woods for as long as I can remember anyway. I just switched to a bigger gun.

 

[Cee Zee]

Getting that close to any wild animal is sort of asking for trouble.

Yeah like I said I was pretty foolhardy. I was young and quick at the time and I was standing very close to the truck door. I wasn't totally vulnerable unless the bear took at direct lunge just at me. There were a lot of other people there at the time. I know the photo doesn't show that. But yeah it was a stupid thing to do. I admit that. I used to be an adrenaline junkie I guess. I did a lot of dangerous things.

Here's a view of the situation. There were probably more cars the other direction. It will also give you an idea how long ago this was taken. I believe it was 1982.

 

[Zaydok Allen]

She hit the ceiling over that.

But jeeze, trying to tempt the coyotes closer and closer to your door?

I love animals, but I'm not totally whacko over them.

Feeding wild animals is never a good idea....ever. Even if they are harmless animals, feeding them teaches them that people mean easy food, and that will eventually put the animal in a dangerous circumstance.

Feeding wild animals intentionally is doing a disservice to the individual, and if widely practiced enough, to the species. So I applaud your informing her it was a bad idea.

I've been charged by a coyote. It quickly realized it had bit off more than it could chew.

 

[Cee Zee]

Feeding wild animals intentionally is doing a disservice to the individual, and if widely practiced enough, to the species.

One of the two times a black bear had me cornered (or tried to at least) was due to people feeding bears at a park. I was hiking a trail maybe a mile from the asphalt. I heard a bear shadowing us behind some thick brush. It followed us to a place where we would have to take a narrow path down from one ledge to another. When we got close to that choke point I could smell the bear it was so close. I turned around and walked slowly back the way I came along with my wife. I wasn't too worried. I can outrun my wife. Or I could in those days.

But that bear expected food from us. I seriously doubt it meant to attack us. It was just going to see if we had any food for it - forcefully most likely. It wasn't a good situation. i didn't have a gun because it was a park. To heck with that. I'll stay out of the parks if I can't be protected.

Again I don't really fear bears but I know their behavior well enough to know what to watch out for.

 

[old lady new shooter]

Or small ones. We had a lady in this building who used to put out a food dish for the coyotes. She was trying to coax them in closer and closer to her back door by moving it a little bit closer every couple of days or so. I gently mentioned to her that I didn't think that was such a good idea. "Aw, but they're so cute," she said.

One day I guess she forgot to move it out of the way and I ran over her food dish by accident, flattening it. I swearta gawd. Honestly, I didn't see it there. I was backing into my spot and the way things are set up, it was on the right side of my car. I've got to pull straight in a couple of spots over, then back up past a those couple of spots to park the way I like to, front facing out.

She hit the ceiling over that.

But jeeze, trying to tempt the coyores closer and closer to your door?

I love animals, but I'm not totally whacko over them.

In my old house coyotes used to come into my back yard and at the height of their population almost up to my back door. This was in an otherwise very nice suburban neighborhood. I think after I moved away animal control did something to reduce the population.

 

[Zaydok Allen]

Bears will often communicate their intentions so watch for erect ears, clicking teeth/ chomping and bluff attacks.
Her is an example of a bluff attack, I wonder if this woman is still alive, these Dr. Doolittles are the scariest things in the woods.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bkwy0scRXBU
Another point that I think is important and it is differentiating between our territory and theirs. If you acclimate a wild bear to humans and their environment you probably have signed its death warrant and it may cost some unsuspecting soul as well.

The woman in this video is a fool. She had no business being that close to the animal.

She makes a good point though. Most black bears are timid and if you show them you mean business, they will very likely run. But all it takes is one bear in a bad mood. It's like any defense situation. Will you need a gun? I highly doubt it. There is nothing wrong with asking the question though. These threads are getting pretty redundant though.

Any animal can be dangerous on the wrong day. ANY animal. I've been charged by a coyote, chased by domestic bulls twice, charged by white tail deer twice, chased by goshawks and coopers hawks, nearly ran over by elk, bit by a border collie in the leg for no apparent reason, and pecked by a chicken. None of those animals are what I would typically be worried about. But there you go.

On the other hand, I've been entirely too close to a black bear, a grizzly bear, rattle snakes, buffalo, and never had a problem. All those were by accident though, and I got lucky I wasn't hurt.

So just let the black bears know you mean business, and you'll very very likely be just fine. But be ready regardless. Give them some room. And if there's one in your yard you don't want their, chasing him with a stick and yelling will probably get it out of your hair.

 

[Vern Humphrey]

Gauging by the number of threads we see on this topic it is pretty clear that a lot of people are terrified of bears.

I live in black bear country -- I've had them in my back yard. The normal reaction of a black bear to a human is to turn and walk away.

There has never been a human killed by a black bear in Arkansas (which used to be called the Bear State.) There was one instance on the Ozark Highlands Trail, where a bear foraging in a campsite grabbed and dragged away the hiker's tent -- with the hiker inside. I'm at a loss to figure out how either a gun or pepper spray would have helped them -- but all the yelling and struggling drove the bear off.

The moral is, don't leave food or food scents around your camp.

 

[Jeff White]

Cee Zee,
In post 34 you stated you know a place where 10 bears bed down at once. I didn't know that bears were that social.

According to this site they have a much larger range with a male's range being 8-60 square miles and a female's range being 1-15 square miles.

http://www.americanbear.org/Habitat - Home Range.htm

If that's right, you should call someone because 10 bears bedding down together should be documented and studied.

 

[Cee Zee]

According to this site they have a much larger range with a male's range being 8-60 square miles and a female's range being 1-15 square miles

Interesting that you bring that up because not more than two miles from my house is a cave where a large group of bears gather and hibernate for the winter. Up until about 10 years ago the so called experts didn't believe the locals who said they had seen that behavior for years. When some experts did come down to check out the story that wouldn't go away they discovered that they had been totally wrong. There was a large number of bears hibernating there.

Not everything you read from so called experts is correct. I can probably find some information on the bear den in the area but it might take a while. It's new information and hasn't been disseminated completely.

 

[X-Rap]

They made a movie about it
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Clan_of_the_Cave_Bear_(film)

 

[taliv]

what i don't get is if you know you have to shoot ten bears at once, why are you only carrying a gun with 6 shots?

you could do like Hammer and get them to stand in single file. this instructional video could save your life http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xx7pec_sledge-hammer-dori-day-afternoon_fun

 

[splattergun]

A .44 magnum is plenty of gun for an eastern black bear, as far as guns go. Heck, I've even seen a western bear killed with a .357 magnum. But a gun is not your best choice.

I have to echo bear spray comments, as well as keeping your home area clean. Also learn to be "bear aware". Your behavior has as much to do with the likelihood of a bear encounter as the bear's behavior, if not more. Those critters are just looking for easy food. You're the one with the intelligence to avoid encounters and to get out of one peacefully.

Don't make it easy for bears to find food in your home area. Keep it clean. When moving in the woods, keep a sharp eye out and make noise. They will avoid you. Last, study and practice what to do in the event of an encounter.

In 5 decades of camping, hunting and hiking in bear country, the only bears I've ever seen were leaving because people were there. That includes grizzlies.

 

[another pake]

I have spent a lot of time around bears, in their habitat.

Blacks... generally will avoid you if they can, but become very excitable, even vicious when conditions are right... or wrong. They are opportunists and go where the food is. Bears that are habituated to food by humans, like those being fed from cars in State Parks or dog food dishes or bird feeders in back yards can be very unpredictable. And a hungry bear has no problem challenging you for what he believes is an easy meal. Can you tell which is which? Don't let their size fool you. They could rip your face off with a swat and your machismo doesn't mean much to him either.

Browns... similarly will avoid you if they can, or ignore you if they want to, or challenge you just because. But once again, when conditions are right... or wrong they can go either way. Of course they are bigger so even young ones pose a threat. Sows with cubs are worrisome. Solitary boars are mad at everyone. But they're all just looking for food. If you make it easy they'll take it. If they believe you're taking theirs, you've got a fight on your hands. Browns aren't nearly as habituated to humans as blacks, so IMO in some ways Browns are more predictable, but that does NOT mean safe.

Whites... Nanook, is a hunter and always moving, always hunting, always checking the air. He is right at home hunting you.

All Bears Are Dangerous All The Time.
Some People Don't Believe This To Their Peril.

 

[BLB68]

"...you aren't on the bear's menu..." You aren't and never will be.

Unless you are. Black bears have been known to chow on people. This is why you don't play dead with them. This is why the sidebar of the article in the OP describes stalking behavior and tells you to do something entirely different than if the bear's just being territorial.

From this article, for example:

Though black bears rarely kill or seriously injure people, when they do, it's most often the result of predatory behavior by males inside their wilderness home ranges and not by females protecting cubs or animals defending a carcass, said Dr. Stephen Herrero, professor emeritus at the University of Calgary and author of the classic Bear Attacks: Their Causes and Avoidance.

Not a huge concern, no. But black bears have been known to hunt humans.

 

[Cee Zee]

what i don't get is if you know you have to shoot ten bears at once, why are you only carrying a gun with 6 shots?

I use people to round them up into pens then get them into a chute and nail them one at a time.

Just FYI black bears have as many as 3 cubs during hibernation. So you have 3 sows and a male and before you know it there's easily 10 bears together. And that movie was about brown bears. But you guys feel free to act like you want. I know what happened in my back yard. I'll find the proof when I get a chance. Marty Southers, who did the tv series "Wild America" before he got caught fudging his results was responsible for finding that brown bear cave. It was still thought that black bears did not den together until it was proven to happen and very close to my house. Any more cheesy questions will be dealt with appropriately. They're so funny anyway. I have to remember to laugh at some point. And by all means feel free to count on information that still insists that bears have disappeared from almost their entire range in N. America. That's valuable information right there. Or at least it was in 1950.

 

[Frank Ettin]

Posts have been deleted, and there doesn't seem to be any reason to keep this open.