Bears in my back yard..or I need a bigger gun!

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TonyB

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Yesterday,my neighbor callen and said she had seen 2 baby black bears and their mother in our yard.....The biggest caliber I have is a 357,but it's a snubby......I loaded it with the 125gr magtechs.....am I folling myself,of course it's better than a sharp stick.Obviously I'll stay clear of them if I can,but if I'm cornered what are my chances with 357?
 
If you only have a .357 Mag revolver (a snub at that) maybe I would try to dig up someones 180 grn SP loads instead of 125grn Magtechs. And try not to be in a situation to have :uhoh: use them.
 
From what I hear, bear mace seems to be the preferred defense. If I had to take one on, I suppose I'd choose a 12-gauge pump gun over a pistol. But I guess a .357MAG would do the job. I'd probably load it with something a little "stouter" (i.e., heavy, solid projectile). You don't really want rapid expansion in this setting.
 
Black bears are more of a nuisance than a danger. Don't leave garbage or anything edible around -- lest they get the idea your place is a lunch counter. Phil Shoemaker, who is a bear guide in Alaska and knows as much about bears and how to deal with them as any man, recommends a .357 with a hot loaded 180-grain flat-nosed cast bullet for grizzlies.

Ermie Pagette, a friend of mine and an NRA Director, once wounded a blackie in Virginia. The bear went into a laurel thicket and Ernie crawled in after him with a .357 loaded with 158-grain hollowpoints and finished him off.

I'd keep my .357 loaded with 158-grain bullets, either wide flatnose cast bullets or commercial hollowpoints.
 
Noise is your best friend with black bears, I know your trying to be prepared but you are 60 times more likely to be killed by your neighbors or some other dog, blackies are chickens and even moms will run once their cubs have a place to hide. If you are surprised by one just make your self big and make a lot of noise. They may bluff you once but it's almost a guarantee that they won't attack. A 357 will work on a black but let them bluff once before you shoot, they always seem to run after that first fake charge and if you do shoot them they tend to get a little mad and will lash out.


This reminds me of my first bear story. I moved out of the mountains down to an altitude where bears could actually exist. One night I heard what I thought was a dog digging through my trash so I walked quietly around the fence because I was going to scare it. I jumped around the corner and let out a huge roar with my arms over my head. This is where things go into "slow motion" in the movies....The trash can came strait up still attached to the black bears head, and the poor guy actually dropped some scat on the spot. He finally flung the can off his head did one weak attempt at rearing on his back legs and then bolted faster then any dog I've ever seen. By some miracle I didn't "drop scat" but I still don't know who was more frightened.
 
I had a bear knock over my bee hive (which was in my back yard). We moved the hive to my neighbor's -- his son and I are "partners" -- and he has Great Pyranees dogs with his goats. The hive is now next to the goat pen.

But my favorite bear story dates back to when I was a boy on the ranch. They were just restocking bears in Arkansas, and the state providing them (Michigan, I think) asked if we could take some "a little bigger than cubs." The next shipment averaged over 400 lbs apiece.

In those days there were plenty of people living back in the Ozarks with no electricity, no car, no nothin' modern. There was a couple who lived behind our ranch who were in their 80s (at least).

One morning the old man turned up at the house, very upset but unable to tell us anything we could understand -- but we gathered the old woman was in trouble. We loaded our .30-30s and headed out. Their cabin was empty, the door ajar, and the old woman no where around.

Then we noticed a trail through the brush near the creek. We followed it and found the old woman up a tree -- she had climbed as high as she could, and her feet were about six inches off the ground. It took two of us to break her hold on the trunk.

We got her back to our place and fed them breakfast, and eventually the story came out. They had a dog that slept in the bed with them, and they were very proud of it. Early in the morning, the dog had jumped out of bed and began barking at the door. They let it out, and it ran around the side of the cabin and began barking at something underneath the cabin.

"So I sicced him on, and he went under an' come back out with this BBBIIIGGG Black thang right after him. I thought it was the Devil!!"
 
Yesterday,my neighbor callen and said she had seen 2 baby black bears and their mother in our yard.....
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That is, potentially BIG TROUBLE! Normally, black bears will run from you before you run from them. But, mother bears can be really dangerous and you don't even have to mess with their cubs - mama just has to feel the least bit uncomfortable about her cubs and all - - - -:fire: can break loose. If you can't get them to leave then be sure you are well armed (357 just won't to that) - a shotgun with slugs will be nice. Just be prepared because the mama can be highlly unpredictable. I have truly been there and done that and it is just scary.
 
.357 works on most small black bear...

...IMO....but a 6-inch barrel or greater is preferred with at least a 180 grain bullet. You're snubby is not a good choice. I'd recommend picking up a GP 100 with a 6-inch tube, or better yet maybe a .30-30 lever-gun.

I agree with the other posters that its best to try to avoid the black bears. They usually will retreat from people. There are three exceptions that I know about: 1. a struggling male young black bear that is hungry and not successful at killing its normal prey. 2. An elderly male black bear that is hungry and not having success at killing its normal prey, 3. black bears that are fed by people and have lost their fear of humans. In these rare cases, even black bear can become dangerous, although it is not common.

I think it is a good idea to have a weapon capable of bringing a black bear down if they roam through your neighborhood. Having said this, it is up to you to show restraint--only pull the trigger if absolutely necessary IMO.
 
.357 bear gun, huh? Well, you're lots braver than I am. 12 ga slug gun is the answer, as pointed out before. Or a certifiable hand cannon. I have a 5" barrel .460 S&W that fits that job description. A 300 gr XTP moving at something over 1,500 fps would get his attention pretty well. Which is only fair because it will also get yours when you light it off. If nothing else, the muzzle blast will knock him down long enough for you to get back in the house. It will also take him a while to put out the fire in his fur caused by the fireball.
 
.357 will work, but not with 125's in it. Those are barely enough against a person, let alone a bear. Load with 180 JSP's for smaller sows. They'll work.

Is someone leaving suet out for the birds or something? The back yard is not a place for bears.
 
I'd keep my .357 loaded with 158-grain bullets, either wide flatnose cast bullets or commercial hollowpoints.
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Ditto. Normally, .357 is plenty for a black bear, but out of a snubbie, I don't know. Better'n nothin', but I'd sure prefer a 6" tube. I'd prefer a 158 grain hard cast SWC bullet, no hollowpoint, and place it well. I'd sure hate to make a couple of cubs orphans, but hey, if it's me or her, ya know?
 
They are far less dangerous than you think !! Yell at them ,give them a blast with a compressed air foghorn .Most I've met very close [ 10' ] ignored me .One knocked on my door so I yelled at him and he ran. The only problem is people feeding them. The 1 1/2 year olds at this time of year are on their own for the first time and look for new territory and can get into mischief. Mostly grab your camera !!
 
Black bear sows, esp. smaller ones are not terribly dangerous. They will generally not challenge you even if you take their cubs away. It's the reverse of the situation with brown bears, where the sows are the ones to worry most about. Larger black bear boars ARE something to worry about, and kill people every year in predatory attacks.
 
The only US statistics I can locate claim that there were 28 recorded deaths from black bears in North America from 1900 to 1999. I do realize that any wildlife is dangerous but the risk of death from a black bear is minimal at best. I fear moose far more then Black Bears but that is due to personal experience. Black bears, even with cubs, even when semi-domesticated (when they are most dangerous) rarely attack. This does not mean that you shouldn't take a bit of time to consider and prepare your self for the risk but it should be in perspective.
 
Sure, carry a GP100 with a longer barrel since those magnum rounds need a little more running room to get up to full velocity.
And, take it easy.

I see bears, black bears, routinely when I'm hunting. We don't sit down and swap stories about fishing and stuff, but we don't bother each other either.
Black bears mostly don't want to bother you. Grab your camera while they're around, make sure you haven't left any suet out for them, and carry a gun you feel confident with in the yard if you're worried they may maul you. And, learn as much as you can about them.
The mother with cubs thing is a real concern for you.

Some native oral traditions say that they were made to help us remember that we aren't the biggest dog in the yard. Maybe it's true, and maybe it ain't. But, there's a good lesson in there. Taking a good look at a bear for the first time can certainly make your gun feel like it's not all that.
 
Normally, .357 is plenty for a black bear, but out of a snubbie, I don't know. Better'n nothin', but I'd sure prefer a 6" tube. I'd prefer a 158 grain hard cast SWC bullet, no hollowpoint, and place it well. I'd sure hate to make a couple of cubs orphans, but hey, if it's me or her, ya know?
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I really don't worry about black bear -- just keep the place clean so they don't think of it as a food source, and you'll rarely see them.

But I like Phil Shoemaker's point -- the best way to deal with a bear is to give him the impression you're not a threat, but you can defend yourself. And the way to do that is to have a gun -- the psychological confidence it gives you is communicated to the bear through your body language.
 
Get some good picture and consider yourself lucky you got to see them. We have bears visit every summer and the are beutiful. Don't leave out bird feeders and keep your trash locked up.
 
There's some good advice here from people that have experience with Bears. I'm not a fan of the pepper sprays. Having the 12ga with slugs sitting there at the ready is good piece of mind. If you have children about, keep them away from the Bears. Be sure to keep the shotgun in a safe, but accessible place. Train the wife/GF to use it. -You're obviosly not a hunter if you need to ask... So, there are sources on the net, 'where to shoot a Bear' for a one shot kill that allows the Bear to die a humane death. Sill, that is the absolute last resort. Avoiding them is better than shooting one in your back yard. Although it's been said that Blackbear sows aren't a big danger even with cubs, I for one don't trust any Bear that does not fear man. For any Bear to come to the domicile of a human is crossing that line. Searching for food or not. So the advice to keep bird feeders, waste foods and garbage picked up is good advice. Encourage your neighbors to do the same. Yes, call animal control if you're in the city. Else call the State Game Department if you live rural. Even if there isn't an incident, it's good to let them know where there's a potential nuisance Bear with cubs.

Buy a hunting license and rifle. Bear chops and roasts and jerky and burger are really good. Sounds more and more like a good reason to purchase another gun! :D

-Steve
 
I gave up riding horses about 3 years ago but for 15 years prior, I rode extensively. One of my favorite places to ride was the Smokey Mountains National Park. Over the years, I have seen many bears but one comes to mind as special.

One day it was starting to blow up a rain storm. One of those summer wind storms where the leaves all turn backwards with the wind and giant drops of rain are begining every where you look. As I moved along slowly, I saw a large Black Bear almost paralleling my path. The wind was howlling and the creek between us was quite noisey. Suddenly, he/she/it took a turn, crossed the creek and came out of the brush onto the path right in front of me and my old horse....We came to a complete and sudden stop. We just sat there motionless and without a sound. The huge black bear did the same. For what seemed like a lot more but probably was a full 60 seconds, the three of us stared each other down as we stood motionless and silent.

Then, to my great relief, the bear completed his crossing of the path and began running up the mountain away from us. We just sat there and watched him climb the mountain side up the hill and out of sight.

As we watched him run away, I was grateful that he did not run toward us instead. I was in a remote section of the park where Rangers are known to release bears who have been a nuisance in more populus areas where they had to be removed.

Seems to me, bears just find people to be a nuisance. So long as you ignore them, do not get near the cubs or threaten them or their food, they just ignore you.

PigPen
 
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