The logic behind "What caliber for bear defense?" threads.

[Alaska444]

Hilarious yet terrifying series of pics. I'm sure he wasn't laughing when that trap went over.

Logic in bear threads? Not going to happen.

I suspect MOST 'bear' threads are about pushing/testing the limits of 'power' in hand held arms, rather than 'how to avoid bears.' Nevermind that most people will never see a bear up close in a defensive situation, it's just one of those 'favorite internet discussions.'

The likelihood of a bear encounter, charge or attack is mainly dependent on how much time a person spends in bear country.

Most folks agree that a handgun is not at all an ideal bear defense, but who wouldn't want at least a .44 magnum in such a situation?

I am hopeful that bear defense will remain only an internet discussion for me and all here on THR, but logically, penetration and shot placement are the factors involved as well as avoidance as noted.

However, most bear attacks take place with the person aware of the bear at 15 meters or less giving almost no real reaction time to most situations. Given that, pepper spray and firearms are not easily deployed in time to be effective for folks that are solo.

Lastly, most bear attack victims have no bear defense whatsoever at the time of their attack. The man in Alaska that killed a juvenile griz in Denali National Park assuredly was better off with his .45 acp than the photographer that only had a camera for protection. Simply being aware of the dangers and types of encounters does indeed enhance avoidance behaviors. Understanding the deficiencies of firearms and pepper spray for bear defense likewise should foster better bear avoidance skills as well. Those are indeed all logical conclusions gleaned from internet bear defense threads.

In addition, bear defense threads are by far the most entertaining firearm threads ever created.

 

[gandog56]

Where are all these people that seemed so worried about bears? Don't think I've EVER seen one in the wild except in National Parks.

And I think my 454 Casull will do If I was worried enough about it.

 

[Alaska444]

Where are all these people that seemed so worried about bears? Don't think I've EVER seen one in the wild except in National Parks.

And I think my 454 Casull will do If I was worried enough about it.

Depends on where you live. Here in northern Idaho, there are a lot of black bears and a few griz. Running into black bears is fairly common if you spend time in the woods. For that, most of my friends carry a .357 and feel comfortable for black bears with that. I prefer the .44 magnum myself.

 

[pintler]

Where are all these people that seemed so worried about bears? Don't think I've EVER seen one in the wild except in National Parks.


I've never seen on IN a national park . I have seen a couple of dozen blackies and two grizzlies in the national forest - WA and WY. One of the Grizz stood unexpectedly up maybe 30 feet away from me. His (her?) shoulder was over my head. They are magnificent animals.

Worried? No, I camped for decades in Grizzly country before bear spray or lightweight firearms were available. Keep a clean camp, whistle or talk in close terrain, and have a fun trip.

When bear spray came out, we bought some. When the S&W 329 came out, I bought one. No worry, just being prudent.

 

[MattShlock]

Where are all these people that seemed so worried about bears? Don't think I've EVER seen one in the wild except in National Parks.

And I think my 454 Casull will do If I was worried enough about it.

Sometimes they just see YOU. I took my Dad and two sisters camping and canoeing once. Hiked up a stiff little mountain to see the sunrise from the peak. As we were leaving I stopped short before stepping into the mud from the rocks.

There were bear tracks. Big ones and little ones. They came, saw us from really close by, turned and left. Otherwise...

I've seen scores of black and brown and after finally getting off the tundra was told by a rescuing Park Ranger in Denali we were being stalked by one. I assured him we weren't but prepared if we were in any case (bear spray in a holster on my pack belt was what he could SEE). Ranger mistook us for a couple a few miles away on another ridge I pointed out. Boy did he take off like a bat outta hell towards them!

 

[BLB68]

Where are all these people that seemed so worried about bears? Don't think I've EVER seen one in the wild except in National Parks.

Maybe they're hanging out in national parks?

I saw a black bear on the opposite side of a blackberry patch from me when I was a kid. It seemed content to chow down after standing up and giving me the once over. (It was a good distance away, the blackberry brambles up here can get huge.)

These days, I don't hang out in the same places as the cool bears, though, so I don't worry about 'em.

 

[22-rimfire]

I see them in parks more than anywhere else simply because I spend a lot of time in parks hiking and taking pictures. I don't have to worry about trespassing by accident this way.

 

[HKGuns]

Personally, I prefer a knife for bear defense, that way I can look into his eyes and see his fear as he slips beneath the dark veil of death.

 

[481]

And bears? Y'all can have 'em. I don't want nothing to do with no bears.

I wonder if they follow a different procedure (like opening the cage via some sort of remote control) after that went so well.

 

[tgzzzz]

Well the bear release ended well. But did ya notice the camera guy kept taking pics and the guy in the red truck didn't jump right out tho he must have been armed.
That's government workers for you.

 

[Robert]

That's enough for this go around.