When Bear Go Bad

[ADMIN]

Black bear can look oh so cute and cuddly to some. But when you come across a “bad” one, you’d better be prepared. Two years ago my son Cody, who was then 15 years old, came across one such bear. We were up hunting one of our favorite spots near beautiful Priest Lake Idaho. We were elk hunting and were seeing quite a few bear. Now bear was not our top priority so we were only going to shoot a bear if it was a really nice boar. We loaded up our quads and headed up to look over a couple of our spots. We are always prepared for encounters with bear, but hope we never have to test our shooting skills in self-defense.
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This is a thread for discussion of the article, When Bear Go Bad , By Bryce Wells. Here you can ask questions or make comments about the article.

[winmag]

Great story. Glad it all worked out well.
I agree that if I were "hunting" bear with a handgun the .44mag or bigger would be among my first chioces. But I rifle hunt, & call Elk for my bow huntin buddies, so my sidearm is much smaller.
I have a Passion for Bear hunting, & have anchored my share. (tho not from 10 yds on a charge). I've had bears at 6 feet, & they were so lightening quick it scared me. I've killed bear from 27 yds on out to a few hundred yards. I Always have a side arm, but mine is in .40 S&W, & ya it goes right thru a bear skull at close range with Win PDX1 bonded hollowpoints, REM Golden Sabre hollow points, & American Eagle FMJ. It's a proven performer for me, but id much prefer a bigger gun in a full on charge. That must've been one Incredible experience as a hunter facing the charge, as well as for the father watching his son!!
My hat is off to you both. Your raising him right, & it looks like he's gonna be a contender in years to come. Definitely has "sand", & at times that's what it takes. I can only hope my sons turn out the same. Either way hindsight for both of you would be quite an experience, & a great father, son bonding memory.
You must be one proud dad.
(& ya, with that much sand he'd be a good choice in any kind of fight).

[Eaglet]

Really enjoyed reading that!

I'm glad you both are doing well. Thanks for sharing it!

[Timber338]

Amazing story. Cody sure is a good shot, especially under some serious pressure!

And the 44 mag seems to be great bear medicine. I always carry mine when I'm packing elk quarters.

[HARPERC]

Good story! I think the point of having gun in hand regardless of caliber when bears get close can't be overstated. It's so easy to get complacent about how close to let a bear get, and more folks are finding that out these days. It looks like a decent bear how big? Did the other bullets, or muzzle blast have any effect? Post mortem did the bullets penetrate as you hoped? You gotta love a happy ending. Hopefully Timothy Treadwell is watching from somewhere thinking so that's how you do that.

[Bullet bumper]

There is no bad bears . People hunt bears and they reserve the same rights to hunt us. If you don't accept that and be prepared for it then you are a potential meal .

[canoetipper]

Check cochranepolarbear awarenessweek to see how some people view bears.