Side Arm for Grizzly Country

[sea2summit]

It doesn't quite work that way....... At least on humans. high powered guns placed in the mouth and pull the trigger completely explodes the skull. tiny bone fragments cover the room. The bullet is immaterial. The massive muzzle blast in a contained area goes off like a bomb. Suicides have to be investigated by homicide detectives. I was appalled the first time I went to one.... well probably every time. I believe that your hand would be gone!

True. Worked one guy that put a .338 in his mouth. Part of the lower right jaw was the only remaining piece identifiable as part of his head.

 

[CTK]

I spent every day of 2 summers surrounded by coastal brown bears as a fly fishing guide in the Bristol Bay area. I never thought that my 44 Rem Mag. would have stopped one of the bears. Only time I drew the gun was during a cow moose and baby moose incident with my dumb clients.Was scary but ended peacefully.

 

[budlight]

I was involved in black bear and mountain lion guided service. The owner shot the biggest black bear that I had ever seen at 15 feet away because it was tearing up one of the tracking dogs. One shot to the front of the head with a Ruger 10 inch 45 long colt 300 grain shut down an angry bear. another time shot one out of a tree with a back chest shot that was DRT. That is basically the same as a 44 magnum. The big black bear was at least 2/3rds the size of the 9.6 griz that we brought home from Alaska

 

[CTK]

Please know that in my 2 years of guiding streams littered with dying salmon and happy bears I thought a lot about what it would take to defend yourself from a Coastal Brown Bear. If you had warning you certainly could be positioned to make a good shot and might stop the bear. The scary stuff was the walking up on bears in the alder bushes. Typically they were asleep or busily eating a salmon that they had chosen to eat in solitude. In the second case you would have little chance to get your gun out and make a well placed shot.

 

[memtb]

CTK, I've stated similar! Most of those advocating getting off multiple rounds are clueless as to how quiet a bear can be and how fast an attack can materialize! It seems as though many think that they are a Jerry Miculek clone! memtb

 

[Straightshot069]

CTK, I've stated similar! Most of those advocating getting off multiple rounds are clueless as to how quiet a bear can be and how fast an attack can materialize! It seems as though many think that they are a Jerry Miculek clone! memtb

I wouldn't say clueless. The sow that charged me was about 60 yds. out when she busted from cover. But I also knew she was coming, just didn't know from which direction.
I could have got 4 rounds off. If I'd have had a backup, which I didnt..
The above comment was pretty much talking about the worst case scenario.
Coastal brownie in a thick alder patch.
That's a real bad deal. If you didn't have a sidearm out you probably wouldn't get a shot off.
I guess my point is each encounter is vastly different.
All anyone can do is plan, practice, and stay alert.

 

[CTK]

The good news is that an attack from a coastal brown bear is an incredibly rare event. I believe that Timothy Treadwell and his girlfriend were the first known bear deaths in Katmai National Park. He basically begged the bears to eat him. The tragedy was the loss of his girlfriend.

 

[Straightshot069]

The good news is that an attack from a coastal brown bear is an incredibly rare event. I believe that Timothy Treadwell and his girlfriend were the first known bear deaths in Katmai National Park. He basically begged the bears to eat him. The tragedy was the loss of his girlfriend.

That's sad. I might have to research that incident.

 

[sea2summit]

The good news is that an attack from a coastal brown bear is an incredibly rare event. I believe that Timothy Treadwell and his girlfriend were the first known bear deaths in Katmai National Park. He basically begged the bears to eat him. The tragedy was the loss of his girlfriend.

Those bears have been interacting daily with humans for seven or eight generations now though. Not what I'd consider anything like what you'd run into outside of the park.

 

[CTK]

I wouldn't say clueless. The sow that charged me was about 60 yds. out when she busted from cover. But I also knew she was coming, just didn't know from which direction.
I could have got 4 rounds off. If I'd have had a backup, which I didnt..
The above comment was pretty much talking about the worst case scenario.
Coastal brownie in a thick alder patch.
That's a real bad deal. If you didn't have a sidearm out you probably wouldn't get a shot off.
I guess my point is each encounter is vastly different.
All anyone can do is plan, practice, and stay alert.

Agree that every scenario is different. The one time that I would have had a gun in hand I did not have it. Was wearing a backpack full of silver salmon filets and we encountered what plainly was a starving scraggly bear. It had no good reason to be where it was. I think it had been raiding hunting leftovers. There was a Caribou leg on the beach where we were fishing. The encounter was bizarre and lasted 10 or so minutes. Once we were able to get me downwind of the bear it ran off.

 

[CTK]

That's sad. I might have to research that incident.

There is a documentary about it called Grizzly Man. It is a great film but very disturbing. The guy was a nut job.

 

[CTK]

Those bears have been interacting daily with humans for seven or eight generations now though. Not what I'd consider anything like what you'd run into outside of the park.

I never saw much difference outside of Katmai. Becharoff and other area bears acted about the same. Brooks river bears were absolutely oblivious to humans other than occasionally stealing a hooked fish. Never fished many coastal streams. Those bears had bad reputation.

 

[Straightshot069]

There is a documentary about it called Grizzly Man. It is a great film but very disturbing. The guy was a nut job.

I just google'd it after reading you're post.
I don't mean to speak ill of the deceased but yes, this guy was special. WOW..
Going to have to find this movie.

 

[CTK]

I just google'd it after reading you're post.
I don't mean to speak ill of the deceased but yes, this guy was special. WOW..
Going to have to find this movie.

Great film. Very disturbing.