Bear Question

[xring]

I will probably be moving to the Pacific Northwest (Seattle area) and will camp in the Cascades occasionally. The "heaviest hitting" caliber I own currently is a .357 N frame model 28 with 6" barrel. Right now I can purchase a .44 of some sort, but what I really want is a friend's new in presentation case 27-2. So that would leave me possibly undergunned.
So how big can the bears be in that area, and would a 180 gr. solid lead bullet be sufficient? I already know that bigger is better, but if the most likely scenerio would be an angry black bear, I could live with that. I would never be looking for trouble and would avoid a confrontation to the best of my ability. Any opinions?
2nd question I just thought of... Is a long arm legal in the forest for protection if you are not hunting? Again, I have a 30-30 and a Vepr 7.62x39. A 30 round magazine would be comforting in that scenerio. I have no Rambo delusions here. Just trying to utilize what I have. Thanks for any opinions,
Randy

 

[steveno]

shot placement is more important than caliber. to stop any bear you will have to hit the spinal cord and/or brain. any shot with any caliber in any other part of the bear and you can expect to get chewed on a little

 

[Wedge]

I would say the .357 would be fine and I would load it with something that works against gobblins not bears. When I go camping I fear running into evil people not bears.

 

[mete]

Black bears are rarely a problem, I've met a number of them face to face without any problem at all. ..Brown bears are volatile, they see you as a threat when you go into their territory, approach a food source , or approach cubs.They want to destroy or neutralize the threat....Polar bears , they see you as lunch.....Goblins are far more a threat than black bears .

 

[crashresidue]

Cheers Randy,

A .22 short - in the ear - will stop ANY bear ever made!

If you're attacked - don't try a "one shot" kill! Break it(the bear) down - shoulder shots - until you can get close enough to do an "ear" shot or a "back - head" shot.

Bears are NOT nice animals - either to be around or to have to kill!

I've been around a lot of: blacks, browns, Kodiacs, and polars - there is no easy way to kill them! But most of all - DON"T trust them! You're FOOD - that's it to them! Yogie and Bobo are cartoons! It ain't REAL!

We were walking out from a stalk in MT and found bear tracks that cross-cut our tracks - this bear WAS stalking us. I figure it was because I wasn't alone was the reason we weren't attacked.

If you confront a bear that doesn't run away immediately - then kill it! Screw the hunting laws - this bear is a danger somewhere down the line! Take it out NOW!

Just my $.02 worth.

Gentle winds,
cr

 

[SamlautRanger]

For Bear protection, a long gun choice would be 45-70 Marlin with 18.5" barrel or a pump 12 guage with slugs. For a handgun I would use a .41 or .44 magnum. But, again, the best step is avoidance. If a bear charges you, the time it takes you to deploy your firearm and get a stopping shot off will be next to impossible.

There have also been some incidents of Rangers using Pepper spray successfully to stop Bear attacks.

Bears are very nasty, and the one animal my Rangers (which are equipped with AK47s) are afraid of encountering.

 

[280PLUS]

Somewhwere around here there was a story of a guy stopping/killing a bear with one shot from a .410 ga. Hit it in the nose IIRC.

 

[shooter1]

Learn all you can about bear behavior, and try to avoid all the pitfalls. NEVER surprise a bear or get between a sow and her cubs. NEVER, turn and run if you come face to face with one. The 357 should be adequate if an attack is imminent. You can prevent a painfull mauling and slow death by drawing your 357 and making a quick head shot----------on yourself. Take this advice for what it's worth. I, like most of the people giving advice on this board, have never had a bear encounter in the wild. Sounded like I knew what I was talking about for a minute though, didn't it?
str1

 

[montyh]

when i was a kid i had a scuffle with a 450# blackie at spitting distance. my gun (the only one i owned at the time) was a .243, and i have to say that it wasn't nearly enough. now i have a Remington Marine 870 for this work.
the best thing to do is follow all of the guidelines like keep food out of reach and away from your tent, bring a dog with you, ect... common sense stuff will usually prevent any problems. but a sow defending cubs or the rare preditory attack on humans makes it manditory to be prepared. my vote is the 12GA pump for camp, and the biggest revolver you are willing to carry when hiking. my hiking gun is a S&W 329 Airlite PD.

monty

 

[BluesBear]

Based on the few bears I've actually seen up here...

They're BIG and they are NOT afraid of humans.

But personally I'd worry more about mountain lion than bear. They're very stealthy. At least the bear usually make noise.

But then a gunshot will frighten away the big cats. A loud boom and a bear will just think you're flirting.


Go ahead and get that 27-2. You can always find a nice used big bore after you get here.

 

[xring]

All good responses. Thanks.
BluesBear: Since you are a local, I need to ask you this (if you know), The handgun part is for the ability to be low key in case others are around. Is it legal to carry a long arm, or do local ordinances vary? If legal that would solve all the problems. A light weight 9 shot 12 ga. pump would be on order.
Crashresidue: I will look for a .22 short as my back up survival weapon!

Thanks, Randy

 

[TimH]

I have come upon alot of black bear camping in the Adirondacks ( upstate NY ). They are generally scared of people. I wouldn't mess with one ....intentionally. We have had them rip into tents while we were sleeping ( no there was no food or clothes worn cooking,m in the tent), met them on trails. I'm sure in different regions of the country the bears are more dangerous.

 

[xring]

Rip into you tents? Good God! I think that counts as self defense. I think I'd give one good yell (deliberate or not)...and boom!

 

[Old Dog]

I spend a great deal of time in the Cascades every year (when I'm not on "business trips" for Uncle Sam) ... I've seen bear only twice -- and both times they were in state park campgrounds! Neither were as large as any bear I've seen in Alaska, the Rockies or even Upper Michigan (so I can't speak to the size of the big ones here) ... I get out a lot and have done much hiking and horseback riding in the mountains as well as regular river rafting trips and a lot of fishing trips ... Mostly, I see deer, elk, raccoons, squirrels, osprey and eagles ... I've caught one brief glimpse of a cougar in the past ten years, and as BluesBear says, I'd worry more about them than bear.

I used to carry a Glock 23 with heavy JHPs, now I carry one 1911 or another (usually a full-size or a Commander-length) stoked with 230 ball alternated with 230 Golden Sabers (for wilderness trips only). Since hunting is not permitted in state or national parks (no guns of any kind permitted in nat'l parks), I suspect a long gun is not a good idea for carrying with you ... Washington is enlightened in that, if you have a CPL, you can carry in state parks. National forest is not a problem, just make sure you know the difference between national forest land and the boundaries of the national parks ...

 

[xring]

OldDog, That's excellent info. I presume a CPL is a concealed weapons permit. Washington does recognize Ohio's license I believe, so that's good. So it is legal to carry a long arm as long as it is national forest land. What a cool state! I will definitely have to do the geographical research when I get there.
Thanks, Randy