Bigeclipse
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That's true. Yeah it is crazy and pray I never come face to face with a bear.
Tragic bear attack in Wyoming
- Thread starter Rick Richard
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I've had about a dozen too close for comfort grizzly encounters. In 2 of them the bears made physical contact with me. None of them were "life threatening".
Attacks and maulings are the exception, not the norm.
General question to all:
When you are hunting in bear country with a rifle do you still carry a sidearm? Or spray?
On fly in hunts how do you carry spray, the few I've been on the pilot asks if there is bear spray in any baggage and asks to leave it at base camp.
When you are hunting in bear country with a rifle do you still carry a sidearm? Or spray?
On fly in hunts how do you carry spray, the few I've been on the pilot asks if there is bear spray in any baggage and asks to leave it at base camp.
I carry both
VLD Pilot
Well-Known Member
I agree with the hot load comment but the 40 is nothing compared to the 10mm even with medium weight 10mm loads. Yes, yes, yes buy heavy bonded or hard cast bullets for the 10mm in 180 grain plus weight. My 10mm always carries Buffalo Bore or Underwood 220 hard cast loads. I carry this combo in all bear country. If all you have is a 40, it will work also with hard cast loads. You just may need to load them yourself.
Both my son and I hunt black bear in Maine woods. We both carry Glock 20 (10mm in a belt holster) while we hunt. We both hunt with 35 Whelens, although plenty of rifle to black bear, my biggest concern is that I will encounter a sow with cubs on the way out in the dark! When something is up close and intimate with you, a rifle pretty much is useless. We have heard comments about carrying a pistol while we are hunting, it doesn't matter and we carry them anyway. We find the pistol to be our "seat belts" for hunting, no one ever thinks that they are going to need their seat belt until they need it. Although I consider the 10mm to be a minimal caliber for bear, it is the pistol that we are familiar with, shoot the most and find carrying the most comfortable. As HATRICK wrote in a previous post, "Carry the pistol!", don't leave it in a pack. This is a truly tragic hunting incident and our hearts to out to the family and also to the people who had to conduct the search and recovery of the guide's body.
VLD Pilot
Well-Known Member
There's only one loaded round that the 10mm surpasses in power over the 41 mag. That's the Winchester 175 silver tip. The 10mm barely exceeds it in energy and velocity but I call that one of the lower power 41 mag loads. Corbon or buffalo bore 41 mag ammo exceed the 10mm by a long ways. I ONLY Carry a 10mm so I'm not minimizing that round. It, in my opinion is the "GO TOO" bear country cartridge in the Glock 20/40. Both offer the most firepower than all other dangerous game stoppers that fit in a humans hand. 16 rounds of 1350 fps/ 800 ft lbs(6" bbl) is just unbeatable. Yes there are more powerful cartridges BUT not offering 16 shots with very fast reload mag options. Let's face it, most or nobody will manage 16 rounds on a charging bear inside critical close quarters. Shot placement and several rounds on contact with be needed for a charging bear. God help most in that scenario but as said earlier, it Trump's no defense in bear country.
Lasiter
Well-Known Member
Many years ago I had an instructor at a Gunsite shotgun course who had spent time in Alaska as a surveyor. His bear tool was a 12GA shotgun with slugs. I don't remember his distance numbers, but he said that if a bear got as close as X yards, he felt he had to shoot. At that close distance the slug was very effective. Beyond that distance the slug was iffy, but he didn't need to do more than watch the bear. Today's ammunition would be an improvement. Carrying any long gun, even with a good sling, is a sort of burden. But it's important to know you have something that will work.
As a handgunner, I like the idea of carrying a large caliber handgun in a good holster, but I would prefer the shotgun with slugs over buck shot or pistol bullets.
VLD Pilot
Well-Known Member
I had a canister of bear spray some years ago on a bear hunt ( call it a lapse in judgement). Unfortunately I encountered a Sow and Cubs while i was In a treestand with archery equipment. All was fine until the Sow detected my scent and huffed sending those Cubs up my tree. When they reached my height in the tree, I of course kicked my stand to turn them around. Bad move. The Sow then headed up my tree in defense of her Cubs. I deployed the canister and fired down the tree at her. Instantly she retreated with Cubs in tow. That was quite intense even without contact. I had about half the canister still as I walked out shortly after the encounter. No further incident occurred other than the reflection on what could have happened with no deterrent. I guess the take back from this incident is, bear spray can be a deterent. No gaurantees regardless.
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I live and hunt in Wyoming, the last time I was in that country with a buddy packing an elk out we were charged by a bear. With pepper spray in my left have and a 44mag in my right. The bore bear was in the trail thirty yards in front of us ckacking his teeth and stomping the ground. Then here he came, as fast as lightning he was there as I sprayed the pepper spray into his face. He took off, the wind blew spray into my face. Needless to say the pepper spray saved my life and the handgun was worthless as I was shaking so bad if fright I couldn't have hit him proper. Got my eyes cleaned out changed my shorts and continued home to never return.
nmbarta
Well-Known Member
Some are better than others, none of them are great, any one of them is better than nothing.
I carry a glock 22 in 10mm at all times when I'm archery hunting here in MT. It is in a holster that is fixed to my pack. When we stop for a call set and I remove my pack, I set with the pistol up right next to me.
The fact is, without a hit to the central nervous system, your not going drop even a small black bear with any pistol.
Obviously most of this is based on opinion, but I don't think that there are too many situations where a 41-500 of you choice is going to make a huge difference. Just like long range hunting, it's all about shot placement.
The 10mm came before the 40 s&w and was designed for law enforcement, but they had too many problems getting the officers to qualify on target due to recoil, so they neutered the 10mm and came up with the 40 s&w. More power is only good if you can actually shoot it, and the fact is, most can't. For those of you that can quickly draw a four pound revolver that kicks like a mule and fire it accurately, your lucky, I wish a could.
The 10mm is no slouch, and is a good option for those that can't handle the recoil of a big revolver and want to carry a sidearm that doesn't weigh four pounds.
I carry a glock 22 in 10mm at all times when I'm archery hunting here in MT. It is in a holster that is fixed to my pack. When we stop for a call set and I remove my pack, I set with the pistol up right next to me.
The fact is, without a hit to the central nervous system, your not going drop even a small black bear with any pistol.
Obviously most of this is based on opinion, but I don't think that there are too many situations where a 41-500 of you choice is going to make a huge difference. Just like long range hunting, it's all about shot placement.
The 10mm came before the 40 s&w and was designed for law enforcement, but they had too many problems getting the officers to qualify on target due to recoil, so they neutered the 10mm and came up with the 40 s&w. More power is only good if you can actually shoot it, and the fact is, most can't. For those of you that can quickly draw a four pound revolver that kicks like a mule and fire it accurately, your lucky, I wish a could.
The 10mm is no slouch, and is a good option for those that can't handle the recoil of a big revolver and want to carry a sidearm that doesn't weigh four pounds.
VLD Pilot
Well-Known Member
I own a Glock 22 but it is a 40 cal. It is a 10mm caliber but not the 10mm cartridge. The Glock 20/29/40 are all 10mm cartridge auto loaders. Either you had a typo or you own the 40 cal Glock. Still no slouch with the right loads.
nmbarta
Well-Known Member
my bad, I have both.
I carry the the glock 20 10mm in bear country.
I carry the the glock 20 10mm in bear country.
Radhimself
Well-Known Member
If its a choice between ending a charging bears life, or my life ending slowly and painfully as i listen to my bones being broken and feeling the claws and jaws close on me... Im taking a life, plain and simple. Sorry, but your granola fueled ideals are something this world does NOT need
