The Bears are AWAKE! Need strategy advice.

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Cosmoline

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I live on a semi-remote parcel near the Big Su in SC Alaska. The snow is starting to melt there in earnest and the temp. has shot up into the 40's and even '50's after a long, very cold witner. This is the first spring the kennel has been in operation on the site.

So anyway, last night the kennel exploded with barking. It was about three AM and every german shepherd was going nuts, from the big guys to the wee pups. My roommate and I promptly did our best to impersonante Larry and Moe as I tried to find my shoes and she tried to find her headlamp. By the time we got it together we stumbled out into the misty night and whatever had been through there was gone. I'll do a search for prints this weekend, but I strongly suspect we had a black bear do a recon to see if any food was left out (it wasn't). The neighbors say the blacks are the first ones up and tend to be skittish. But they also say there are at least four brownies who frequent the area. Usually they stay out of trouble but you never know.

Anyway my go-to arsenal looks like this.

CZ 550 in .375
Savage 99 in .308 loaded with 180 grainers
Sar-1 AK clone with 30 round mags and 150 grain bullets.

All iron sighted.

Two tactical lights
No flood lights, since we're off grid.

I'm looking for portable btty-powered flood lights for one thing. But more importantly I'm wondering about approaches to future three AM calls. Right now we're in a trailer but we will be in a cabin soon. Visibility in both cases is minimal until you get outside with plenty of artificial light.

What firearms should we take? Last night I grabbed my Savage and she took the CZ. Would a CZ/AK combo work better? Perhaps with me on the CZ and her on the AK ready to spray as I go for kill shots?
 
I would figure that you're well armed for blackies. We have them here in WI, but they're rarely agressive, the last "attack" was a few years ago when a blackie pulled a boy scout right out through the side of his tent by his head. He dragged the boy about 50 feet before he took off.

Best guess is that the boy smelled of chocolate or smores etc. and the bear didn't know what he had until the boy and the other campers started screaming, and then he ran off. IIRC DNR officers located the bear and shot it as a precaution.

As to the kodiak/brown bears, I dunno. :eek: from my perspective in WI, it's kind of like asking me about dinosaur defense...

I'm admitting I'm totaly in armchair commando mode on this issue, but this would be my best guess for brown bear defense:

- Short range. Just like CCW, unless the bear is close, you ought not be shooting at it, unless it's those screaming bird bomb type 12ga firecrackers to try and scare it off.

- Fast. Bears can move awfully fast when attacking, something that takes two hands for a follow up shot like a pump, lever, or bolt action might not be practical. So perhaps a semi-auto is a good idea.

- Penetration. Penetration to the brain, vitals or spine might be required for a quick stop to prevent a mauling. I'm sure there's instances of "dead" bears who'd been shot still having suficient time to seriously maul someone up there in AK...

To fit all three, short range, fast, and penetration, and at a good price point with established reliability, how about one of those AK based Saiga shotguns, perhaps loaded with those Remington copper solid slugs? A mounted light, and a fiber optic/day tritium/night (Batteries in a SHTF gun's optics, or having to remember to "turn it on" might be bad...) Trijicon red-dot sight could flush out the package nicely.
 
Suggestion: You may not necessarily wanna kill or greviously wound EVERY bear that wanders by. That could cause ammuniton prices to increase across the board, and could affect the war on terror.

Try some aversion therapy - Some motion detectors with loud horns, a paintball gun loaded with pepperballs (from a safe location, okay?), etc...
 
I've met a number of black bears up close including one that knocked on my door last year. The best defense since they rarely attack is noise. Shouting, firing into the air , compressed air horns, extra loud whistles all are good. Of course the big problem is food ,or anything that smells of food. Keep that away from your camp.
 
Buy a hunting license and check your regs, if you shoot some bear just becasue its makin the doggies upset Im sure Fish and Game wont be feeling real amenable to a DLP..

WildbigfinesAlaska
 
Cos,

I'm assuming since you are working at a kennel, these are sled dogs and you are cooking some nasty smelling fish gruel dog food in the open. Unfortunately bears are going to show up for a free hand out. It's just a fact of life here in the bush.

Here's my Rx for dealing discouragement to bears and seems to work here. Get yourself a short barreled shotgun in the 870, 1300 Defender, Moss 500/590 family with a 5 round or greater mag capacity. Get some #6 lead or #4 steel shot, Brenneke slugs, and 00 Buck.
My method is to get a load of #4 steel in their butts at a range between 25 and 35 yards. This usually does the trick and I've only had one in 2 1/2 years return for a repeat engagement (he sucked on a Brenneke for his troubles). If you do this, have your next round a 00 or 000 Buck to break up a charge and the rest should be Brennekes.
If you want more info PM me.
 
Floodlights, off-grid? Solar panel(s), car or even a good-used golfcart battery, motion detector switch.

You could even find a couple of old car horns in a junkyard and wire them into a "scare-off" system...

:), Art
 
May not be exactly what you're looking for in a battery-powered light but with 10 million candlepower who cares?! You could always have your wife stand on the porch and aim it around while you stand ready to shoot.

10 million candlepower rechargeable light

98247large.jpg


brad cook
 
Great idea on the recharg. light! That's just what I've been looking for.

stevelyn, I have some discouragement loads handy with a mossberg 500, but I don't think I'm going to be shooting buck shot at one of the monsters. I'll use the .375 for any brownie killing if at all possible. The problem in this case is the bear is already facing the discouragement of a kennel full of german shepherds and there are always at least two doing guard duty. So if it's close enough to shoot I'm thinking I may need to be lethal. A bear that will wade through dogs to get at food isn't likely to be concerned about bruising from rubber shot.

Wild: good idea re. claiming it as hunted. I've heard of this being done before and I haven't touched my limits for blacks or browns yet.
 
Feed the bears! Lightly cooked hamburger, with a deep layer of habernero powder in the middle. I doubt that bear will come back for seconds.
 
Cosmoline,

Why do you need to take any action against the bears? Brown and black bears are a fact of life in rural Alaska, and one prowling around your yard isn't really a reason to shoot it...is it?

Neither a brown or a black is likely to mess with a kennel full of german shepherds, and unless there is something for it to eat the bear will likely just pass through.

Now, if you're wanting to kill one...that .375 will be the perfect choice for either type of bear.

It sounds like you're planning to hit the lights and open fire the next time the dogs bark...which probably won't be all that uncommon given where you live.

No criticism...just wondering...if one is making a pest around the house, that's one thing. Simply passing through at night while you're sleeping in the trailer and the dogs are in a kennel doesn't seem to be a problem.

dave
 
If it's close enough for me to see the bear and get a shot off, then I will take it. Hopefully it will be in legal conditions so I can claim it as a harvest. A bear that close that isn't running away when it sees and smells me knows *exactly* where it is and isn't concerned enough about either me or the dogs. OTOH, if I don't see it, or the bear runs off, then it isn't a problem. These are animals that can smell what's inside your stomach, let alone smell humans and dogs. So if it's 25 yards from the kennel and isn't running away, it's decided that it doesn't care whether there are dogs or humans around. And that's a big, big problem. Pretty much any bear that's standing there looking at you that doesn't run off is a problem bear. (And yes, this means most of the brownies on NPS land are problem bear-essentially trained for the touristas)

It's like these idiots who think a black bear that looks into your tent is "curious" about what's inside. That bear not only knows what's inside, it could likely smell what's inside the tent a mile away. These are not stupid animals.
 
the bears cosmo encounters are not the fuzzy cuddly ones that only want to get into your pick-a-nicka basket when you are at a campground.

right boo-boo?
 
I'd trade all 3 for a BAR in .300 win mag

with luminous night sights, BOSS comp and a couple of spare mags, and I'd aim at the head of any bear within 200 yds who didn't flee at the sight of me. As they used to say about wolves here in the West, shoot, shovel, shut up.
 
Nuke them from orbit...


nah, seriously.. I don't know anything about bears other than they can really screw you up. I'd say use the largest caliber you can get. Got the cash for an M82 ?? :D


James
 
cosmo, I happen to disagree with you somewhat.


Just because its nearby and isnt trying to avoid you doens't make it a problem bear...

on the flip side it doesnt make it a good bear either ;)


I wouldn't shoot one just because it was within range and on my property. However if it was taking an extra interest in the dogs and or me, it might be a different story.

For example, if you're fishing and a brownie happens to be down the river fishing, no reason to blast it. However, if it started walking or charging towards you, then thats a different story.


I for one like having animals in Alaska, and see no reason to shoot them just because
 
with luminous night sights, BOSS comp and a couple of spare mags, and I'd aim at the head of any bear within 200 yds who didn't flee at the sight of me. As they used to say about wolves here in the West, shoot, shovel, shut up.
Click to expand...

Nice attitude. Every time ya see an animal kill it right? Without regard to laws or seasons or circumastnaces. Nice. :barf: :barf:

Thank the lord most normal people dont share those views.

WilditsadiscredittohuntersAlasak
 
^^^

I agree wild, which was what I was trying to say in my post.


I remember some guy blasted away a brownie which was walking along the property line of his yard *away* from him and killed it.


Why? It hadn't caused any problems, it was just passing through.


If you shoot a bear, in my mind, it needs to be the same reason if you shot a human. Make sure, that any reasonable person in the same case, felt that their life and or property was in immediate danger.


Plus, all bears arn't supposed to stay away from human encroachment. They were here first, and unless they are possessing a risk to us, leave them be IMO.
 
So... You decided to build a dog kennel out in the outskirts of a remote, forested area and are surprised that the wild animals are investigating?

I just love hearing about people gunning up to kill all the wild animals, after they move into the wild and start building. If you don't like wildlife, stay out of the forest. Human encroachment isn't a valid reason to kill off the animals that have been living there for thousands of years. Put some high-voltage electric fencing up and leave the things alone. At most, buy some "bird-bombs" (the projectile flash/bang things to scare birds) and fire one over their heads when they come by. Be a respectable human being and don't kill off the animals for simply acting according to the laws of nature...
 
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