charg'n Grizzly wait...wait?

[dprice3844444]

i would just hope my ex couldn't run faster than i could

 

[brnmuenchow]

Bears do not maliciously go around looking for people to eat or maul, if ever attacked by one I seriously doubt anyone that is honest with themselves could really know what exactly they would do or when it's appropriate to react/ shoot. It's all relative to the moment, situation and distance from the initial "charge". Bears can move very quickly, faster than I think some people think so does that give you time to fire a warning shot in the air or a shot off to save your life. The best thing is to not surprise them and try your best to always be aware of your surroundings, first and foremost be prepared whether that's carrying a .12 ga. with slugs or a .45 ACP at the least as a defense of your own choosing.

 

[SimplyChad]

Would you care to elaborate?

With my guide gun and Garret loads I can fire cycle and fire and hit a grape fruit in less then 2 seconds. That was at 15-20 yards. Im fairly certain I could hit a griz head. I might still have to change my tighty whiteys but I think I would get him down.

 

[DM~]

Bears do not maliciously go around looking for people to eat or maul, if ever attacked by one I seriously doubt anyone that is honest with themselves could really know what exactly they would do or when it's appropriate to react/ shoot. It's all relative to the moment, situation and distance from the initial "charge".

EXACTLY, and that's why i posted what i did in post #14.

And yes i have had a big bear charge me.

DM

 

[sig45elite]

EXACTLY, and that's why i posted what i did in post #14.

And yes i have had a big bear charge me.

DM

Given the same shot placement, Do you think there would be a HUGE difference between hitting with a .375H&H vs. a .458 Lott, when charged at close range, and not hunting?

 

[sirsloop]

Ever shoot a deer and see it run for 6 miles before dropping dead? What makes you think a bear can't do it too

 

[Dthunter]

I have hunted and had the opportunity to shoot many bears. In general, if the bullet/arrow is placed through the heart/lung area of a relaxed, unaware bear, they die fairly easy. But, I witnessed two years ago. A black bear shot three times in the chest (all three perfect placements). And the bear hobbled for at least 90 yards, and took a suprisingly long time to expire!
The bear was totally unaware of our presence before the first shot.
We used a 30-06, 200 grain Sierra boattail spire points loaded to around 2600fps. I dont have my records in front of me to give an exact velocity.

My point is that a hunter NEVER knows an animals resilience/constituion/disposition.
So, as much power that a hunter can manage is good insurance.
I would not let any bear get too close to me if he is showing attitude.
Go simply by instinct, and shoot where you feel you need to.
I will never worry about the bears well being if I am being charged.

In all the years of hunting, I have only had to shoot one bear that got too close, and showed no sign of fear what so ever.

Grizzlies are another kettle of fish!
Only had a few encounters with them, and all ended good for both of us.

 

[Nwflycaster]

While I've never yet been charged, I have been in a few situations that were a little too close for comfort. The most uncomfortable being while on an elk hunting trip and leading the horses down the mountain my friend in front and me following. His horse started to act up and he knew what was going on, he told me to quickly and very quietly mount up. As soon as we were back on horseback we could see over the little ridge we were going down next to and could see the back of a grizzly not even 30 feet away. We immediately started back up the mountain and got about 80 yards back up when what turned out to be a momma griz and her two cubs came over the lip to our side. We instantly had her full attention, she treed her cubs and started walking our direction but only about 10 yards. She just stood there staring at us, after a few minutes of this we kept retreating up the mountain but keeping a very watchful eye behind us.

If she would have charged I would have been shooting to kill with my Tikka .338 as soon as she got within 50 yards. I would deal with the rangers later after saving my own azz first, I don't care what the laws are dead isn't an option.

 

[DM~]

Given the same shot placement, Do you think there would be a HUGE difference between hitting with a .375H&H vs. a .458 Lott, when charged at close range, and not hunting?

It all depends on which bullets are used in each.

What i've found works best is, a good expanding bullet at a decent velocity that expands fast, BUT will drive in DEEP, through bone and muscle. (read NP's)

So, if the 375 is loaded with 300NP's, and the 458 is loaded with a good 500 grain bullet, my vote is that one is as good as the other.

Load the 375 with a 270 grain std. bullet, i say NO.

DM

 

[coloradokevin]

Too many people worry about this stuff. The odds of a Brown Bear attacking someone is VERY high against it. The fact is, 99.9% of Bear attacks are caused from people surprising the Bear and not using simple common sense when in THEIR territory. Use a bit of common sense when walking in their territory and avoid walking through the thick stuff. Keep your eyes and nose open (yes you can easily smell a Bear) and make noise.

^^ This. First and foremost please remember what this poster said in his reply!

16n69, you seem awfully concerned about this issue. I'd highly recommend that you spend some time studying bear behavior in addition to planning for an attack. An ounce of prevention is surely worth more than a pound of cure when it comes to bears. I used to worry about these animals quite a bit, but these days I'm not nearly as concerned about them. I know more about bears now, I'm confident in my ability to travel in bear country, and if I do have an encounter with a bear I know of a number of things that I can consider doing before I'd have to shoot the animal in defense.

I spend virtually all of my free time in the mountains. I've been hiking, backpacking, hunting, camping, and shooting in bear country since I was a child. Here in Colorado we no longer have grizzly bears, though we do have a healthy population of black bears. Nevertheless, I've spent some time out in grizzly country, too.

The thing is, I think a lot of people get too obsessed with the idea that an attack is likely (when I was a kid I thought that way myself). It isn't. As such, while it may be possible to carry the biggest and baddest gun on the planet with you at all time, it usually isn't practical. There are certainly some places out there in the wilds where I'd feel a lot more comfortable with a long gun (or even a massive revolver), but those areas are few and far between in most of the United States. The Alaskans among us have the most exposure to those really heavily BIG bear-infested areas.

If I'm heading out for a backpacking trip where I might be intending to cover 25-50 miles with a fully loaded overnight pack, you can be darn sure that the weight of my gun becomes an important consideration.

Anyway, as for the issue of bluff charges vs real charges, I do agree with someone else in saying that an experienced and confident outdoorsy person can probably recognize the difference between the two in a lot of cases. In other cases the bear may push it beyond your imaginary line in the sand. There have certainly been numerous reports I've read in the past about bears bluff charging to within a couple of feet of the humans; I'm not waiting until the darn brute is licking me to make my move.

Regardless, like most "tactical" situations that are discussed here on THR, the issue of bear encounters should also be addressed first through avoidance, then through defensive tactics. How you carry yourself in the wilds, when and where you travel, and how you cook, eat, and make camp can all play a significant role in determining whether or not you'll have a bad bear encounter.

I once had a friend ask me what kind of gun I'd carry if I knew I was going to be attacked by a bear. I told them it would probably be a howitzer. They laughed and gave me the "no, really?" question. Reality is, we'd all carry the biggest and baddest thing we could get our hands on if we knew we were going to be attacked. But, we don't know if that will happen, and the odds are in our favor that it won't.

As for the video link you provided, that incident shows what I consider to be a true charge... not a bluff charge. That bear turned back only for the sake of self preservation, but that charge had every indication of a full-on defensive attack. The bear felt that her cubs were threatened and she went at that boat at full speed. Clearly the hunters on that boat didn't hesitate. The whole thing unfolded in probably less than two seconds in real time, and the guy drew his gun and fired it in that "oh poop" moment. Despite what the commentator said, I doubt his intention was to miss the bear. I imagine he missed the bear because he was trying to draw and fire in a moment when his adrenaline was hitting the ceiling as a giant enraged animal went toward him at full speed.