Bear protection of choice

elkhuntn247

elkhuntn247

Active Member
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692
What do you guys use for bear protection?? Right now i just carry a can of UDAP bear spray when hunting bear country. i have had several incounters in MT WY and AK, one was not so fun with a sough and two cubs.

Im looking to go to a pistol. Cause the more i think about it the time pepper spray starts to hurt the bear he probbably has my head lol

i would like a .454 cassul, but they are a little spendy. Lookin at a .44 or a .45
does anyone pack a .357??

I have an archery elk tag in the shoshone national forest this year and the bears are on the thicker side here.
 
Having seen a bear charge, you will not have time to get a gun up and shoot, so my advice is take something that you can use lying flat on your back, I pack an XD .40, and I just bought a hammerless .357 for conceal carry, but I will pack it on hunts cause it weighs next to nothing. I laugh when I hear guys say they'd put 2 rounds in the bears head, or you gotta break their chest down with big rounds....etc...etc....believe me, if you don't already have your gun on the bear when it starts it's charge, you won't even know what has happened till it's chewing on you. At that point, I don't think you'll care what caliber gun you have as long as you have one. Bears are scary fast, they will cover 20 yards from a dead stop in the blink of an eye. I've seen it happen. I was sitting in a tree stand, had a small bear at the bait, just eating the rolled oats, out of the corner of my eye I see another bear stalking in, this bear got 20 yards out and charged the other bear, missed it, spun 180 degrees and sprinted 15 feet up a quakie tree after the other bear. It did all of that, literally, in the time it took me to draw my bow. The bear went down the tree, ran out to where it started the charge and I killed it. But the speed with which it covered that much ground was unbelievable. Anyhow, I've rambled on. Take whatever protection you feel comfortable with.
 
I prefer distance, when I am bowhunting. I like areas that are more open and stay away from thick timber. Don't pack the bear spray very often, but do carry my S&W Model 63 for grouse. Look for a better area with none of them brown wooly buggers! Hunt with a friend and plan on retrieving everything in one day if you can. When I am in grizz country I usually prefer a rifle!
 
The .454 would be the best choice except for the fact you will be carrying a bow too- it will be too much weight to carry around.

Next best choice is an all steel 4" barrel .44 mag-Smith 629 or ruger redhawk. Load with 300-320 grain WFN hard cast from buffalo bore,doubletap,corbon,garrett.

300 grain hardcast wide flat nose at around 1300 fps will do the trick.
 
I use a Bowen Ruger SP-101 w/3 inch barrel with the fixed sights set for 180 grain Buffalo Bore bullets in the lower 48. I'd carry that, a shotgun, and pepper spray in Alaska.
 
Thanks guys you have already gave me alot of info. I have never been a big hand gun buff. I dont have a problem hunting bear areas belive me... Keeps you on your toes ;)

And they are like lightning its crazy. Thats why if i had a bear on me i dont want spray for my sake
 
Last year was my first year hunting in grizzly bear country. I carried pepper spray and my .338 ultra rifle. I was also wanting to start packing a pistol but the only pistol I own is a 40s&w. I've long thought that this isn't enough gun and was considering selling or trading it for a .44 or .41 what do you guys think. Smitty seems to be ok but I was just looking at ballistics and the 40s&w has over 50% less energy at the muzzle compared to the .44.
I might just stick with the 338 I'm just a little worried about close encounters in the tent and when archery hunting.
On the same topic who has used electric fence to repel bears. I had great success with this on a elk hunt in Utah (black bears) and was wondering if anyone personally has used it successfully with grizzlies.
 
I prefer large chunks of flying lead rather than pepper...

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You need to carry whatever you can shoot well. A .454 isn't going to do you any good if the bullets spray all over. I carry a .357 loaded with a heavy cast bullet because I can shoot it well. mtmuley
 
I have been writing this post on the mountain scouting for my elk hunt. Crazy i get service, let alone internet. I had a decent sized grizz roll through camp just after daylight this morning. Think ill be hittin the gun shop soon as i get home
 
.357 would be a great choice. many load options. I enjoy carrying mine. great for hiking. throw some buck shot in there for the snakes. (if they bother you) or a quick .38 special round or a heavy .357 round. many options. Weight is another great plus.
 
I was "stalked" (at least followed for a couple hundred yards) and then charged by a bear. At the time, I was armed only with a muzzle loader. I'm fortunate that I have a double-barrel, because the first shot made him stumble, spin twice and then he came again; the second barrel (two triggers) put him down. He wasn't quite dead and it was a lousy feeling....standing there with my hunting knife in my hand (fortunately he died quickly)....about 10 to 12 feet away.

I NOW carry my .357, which is loaded very hot. I carry it, because I've been shooting it long enough that I can actually hit things.

While bears move fast, you can get a gun up (at least some times)....the gun comes up and around just as quickly as bear spray can be accessed and pointed.

It IS much easier to miss with a gun than with a can of spray.


Within the shadows, go quietly.
 
>I was "stalked" (at least followed
>for a couple hundred yards)
>and then charged by a
>bear. At the time,
>I was armed only with
>a muzzle loader. I'm
>fortunate that I have a
>double-barrel, because the first shot
>made him stumble, spin twice
>and then he came again;
>the second barrel (two triggers)
>put him down. He
>wasn't quite dead and it
>was a lousy feeling....standing there
>with my hunting knife in
>my hand (fortunately he died
>quickly)....about 10 to 12 feet
>away.
>
>I NOW carry my .357, which
>is loaded very hot.
>I carry it, because I've
>been shooting it long enough
>that I can actually hit
>things.
>
>While bears move fast, you can
>get a gun up (at
>least some times)....the gun comes
>up and around just as
>quickly as bear spray can
>be accessed and pointed.
>
>It IS much easier to miss
>with a gun than with
>a can of spray.
>
>
>Within the shadows, go quietly.


I had a large Grizzly track me for several hundred yards in MT. thank god he tracked me backwards. He followed my boot tracks track for track all the way back to my four wheeler. ire feeling
 
I love the Ruger SP101, great little gun. I have only hunted once in grizzly country on a rifle hunt.I know I will catch heck but .22 magnum pistol. JB
 
>I love the Ruger SP101, great
>little gun. I have only
>hunted once in grizzly country
>on a rifle hunt.I know
>I will catch heck but
>.22 magnum pistol. JB


is that so you can shoot yourself before he gets you?

it damn sure isn't a bear stopper
 
Ruger .454 with the 2 1/2 inch barrel....

Perfect for under 15 yards if it charges and doesn't false charge like 90% of the bears I have pulled it on have done...

Robb
 
Hey 1911,
That Treadwell comment was rich! He was the freak who "lived" with the bears and said there was no reason to fear the big bears, right?. He and his GF ended up as bear poop. At least he was entertaining even though I diagreed with everything he said and everything he stood for.

On a sheep hunt in NWT, we woke to find a grizzly bear between our tents! I unzipped the fly and looked at the bear...then looked at my rifle leaning against the tree....then back at the bear. Needless to say, I slept with my rifle after that!

Zeke
 
LAST EDITED ON Jun-20-11 AT 12:02PM (MST)[p]Well all I know is when I went on a fishing trip to Alaska our guide had a .44 and the bush pilot - a lifetime AK native - just laughed at him and said "What is that for - to piss them off?" Meanwhile, he had a sawed off double barrel .10 guage loaded with .00 buckshot. He said that if the first barrel didn't work on the bear the second barrel was for himself.


UTROY
Proverbs 21:19 (why I hunt!)
 
Roy,
Our pilot in AK said we should file the front sight off our .44 mags. When I asked him why he said "so it won't hurt as much when the bear jams it up ur azz!"

I never had to find out if he was right. We had no bear trouble on that caribou bowhunt. Good thing for us we only had wolverine trouble. They're not as large as a brown bear.

I'd still rather have something than nothing!

Zeke
 
Hunt with a really slow partner!!!


Government doesn't fix anything and has spent trillions proving it!!!
Let's face it...After Monday and Tuesday, even the calender says WTF!
 
A few years ago, I went up to hunt black bears in Idaho. I got up early one morning, and took a long hike with just my camera and low and behold I ran into a bear, but by the time I saw him he was very close. He wasn't very big, but he wasn't scared of me either, even after I yelled at him.

Pretty soon he starts circling me and the circle just kept getting tighter and tighter. Since cameras don't make very good protection weapons, I picked up a decent size stick. It was not quite as good as a baseball bat, but as the bear kept closing the distance, I decided I needed to hit him if he got close enough.

When get got just several yards away from me, I yelled at him and when he turned his head to look I swung the stick and hit him (not solid) on the nose. He jumped on a nearby tree and we were eye to eye. I yelled again and moved to the tree and scooted up the tree.

It was early morning, just as the sun was rising and although I tried to document the event with my camera, its hard to get decent photos with a stick in one hand, poor light in the forest, and with a bear moving in on you.


But here are a few of the series of photos I took that morning as this event unfolded.

This is when I very first saw him.
10-3.jpg


Then he started to walk so I took another photo, thinking he would walk by and just keep going.
11-3.jpg


But he started to circle instead.
12-3.jpg


Finally he got too close and by now I had my stick for protection.

13-3.jpg


By now I had quit taking photos and just watched the bear as he came near and near to me.

When he got too close for comfort (ha ha) I stepped forward and yelled at the same time. He turned his head towards me and I swung the stick just barely clipping him on the nose. He immediately jumped on a near by tree and that's when I took this photo. Notice we are eye for eye!
14-3.jpg


He then turned and started to climb back to the ground, so I ran at the tree swinging the stick and yelling at him and he climbed up the tree a ways.
15-3.jpg


But every time I would start to walk away, he started back down the tree, so I finally stood at the bottom yelling and hitting the tree hard with the stick. He finally climbed quite high in the tree, and I took a few photos and then left.
16-2.jpg


17-2.jpg

18-2.jpg

19-1.jpg

20-2.jpg


I have hunted bears for many years and I am not afraid of them, but to say I wasn't happy and some relieved when I hit a big opening would be an understatement.

Anyway I would say a stick is good protection in bear country.

Have a good one. BB


Don't forget your camera to record your demise!
 
Bill,
Wow and WOW! Great story.
It seems like when I hunt them they run the other way at the slightest provocation. But when I'm with my son (when he was young) the bears were ALWAYS too close and too curious for comfort.
Black bears might not be as large as the BIG bears but they maul more people!
I watch an episode of "I survived" last night and the guy was almost killed be a "smallish" black bear.
He would have been glad to have ANY form of protection!
Zeke
 
Hey BB I sure like the picture where he is sticking his tongue out at ya. Ya sure you scared him or was he playing with ya?

"Courage is being scared to death but saddling
up anyway."
 
I got charged by a grizzly about 4 years ago while deer hunting in Canada. We always see tracks and we always ignored them. That year my friend asked what would happen if you had to shoot in self defense. We told him to stop worrying about it, your worrying for nothing. Last day of the hunt was perfect, wind in my face, 12" fresh snow and I'm sneeking along having a great time and thinking what a great day I was having. I came out of a little draw, walked around a big pine and was 50' from the biggest bear I have ever seen(I have seen more than my share).Turns out he was on a mule deer buck he had killed. In the split second it took to realize what I was looking at he was coming full speed.My rifle was on my shoulder, I grabbed it and fired one shot and missed.All the time I was yelling "Yo bear" or something like that. He covered that 50' in no time. I remember trying to pull the trigger again but I had not jacked another round in. That bear passed me at 6'. I don't know what made him veer off but there is not a day goes by that I don't realize how lucky I am to be here.

For what it is worth I spoke to someone who really knows grizzlies and their response was that I was extremly lucky and not to let anyone ever tell me it was a bluff charge. My point is my gun was on my shoulder and I barely had time to get off a single shot much less draw a pistol and get off multipule shots.I do believe if I had turned my back and tried to run the outcome would have been completely differnt. Your wits are your best protection. And a little luck never hurts either!
 
BB,
GREAT PHOTOS !!!!
I've had 2 bear encounters in my life.One of them I had my camera in my hand.
Not only did I not get any photos of the bear I lost my camera in the proses.I'm sure it was somewhere between shitin my self and reaching for my pistol.
Maybe he charged me quicker then yours did or maybe I'm more of a pansy then you are.Nun the less that's a lot of photos in what I'm sure was a short few seconds
 
Well I will say that I loved reading all the stories and am also a brown bear hunter who has killed bears and has hunted and fished in the same areas of some of the biggest brown bears in the world. I killed a Kodiak bear in the spring of 2009. Just last fall I got charged by 2 different bears and both times all I had was pepper spray and I am here today because it works. We had a 9 foot Kodiak brown bear chase us out of our fishing hole and steal our fish so we left. As we were walking down the middle of the Buskin river to get to our car when the bear ran up on the river bank about 100 yards away from me and my buddy. We ran out of the river and up the bank throwing our fishing stuff on the river bank. He was on us within 10 seconds and popping his jaw and circling us. I had pepper spray and my buddy had a 44 Mag. I said I am going to let him have some pepper and at this point he was only about 20 feet from us. I sprayed for about 2 seconds and that bear was crazy pissed. Shacking his head and growling... He started to back away and then shagged ass to the river breaking trees as he ran... We back tracked and got our stuff and walked vary fast to the car not seeing him at all after that. The one bad thing about pepper spray though is if the wind is blowing at you you will be the one that is pissed and will taste of pepper. In a close space with little time I think pepper spray is the way to go. If you wound a bear you will have more trouble then if you only piss him off with pepper to the face... Good luck I hope this helps out some.
 
I was hunting Black Bear in Washington, sitting on a big black berry patch.I was waiting for a big boar I had seen the day before, to show up. It was so thick that I could only see about 25' feet. I heard a bear circling behind me and turned to see a 200 lb bear at about 15' to 18' feet. It took a look at me and came in quick, I already had the gun up and the first shot hit her after her 3rd or 4th stride and she went straight down.I pulled the bolt back and jacked another shell in. She heard me chamber the round and was coming straight at me again. The 2nd shot went through the left eye and put her down for good. I remember looking through my scope and I was shaking so bad it was like I was on a pogo stick trying to center the cross hair on the bear.
This all happened in about 20 seconds.
 
Well those photos, especially the first ones, when he was on the ground, are so bad quality wise that I am embarrassed to post them. Even the ones I took once he went up the tree are not very good photos as far as photos are concerned.

But I have had a lot of guys who viewed those photos say I was crazy for taking them. But it is hard to hold a camera still with one hand, while fighting off a bear with a stick. Ha Ha Really the light was so poor and my camera needed some settings adjusted, but when you have a bear circling you, with each circle getting smaller and smaller, I just snapped a few photos as best I could. But once he jumped on the tree and I got him higher in the tree, I then made some quick camera adjustments and those photos are a bit better.

Before Utah went to a limited entry bear hunt, I used to bait bear in the Bookcliffs every year. My very favorite bait used to be in Segundo canyon. That's the canyon just off the parking lot by 10 mile knoll. In those days it was a steep wooded canyon running down to East Willow.

My bait was about 500 yards down the hill and I am hear to tell you it was steep and walking out it was about a three or four blow hill if you were in condition.

One night early in the spring I hunted that bait and just as it got dark I could hear a bear coming so I stayed in the tree until everything got quite and now it was pitch black and I have extreme night blindness.

It was so cold sitting those early nights in the spring, that I carried a big winter coat that I put over my snowmobile suit, so I could sit warm. But even then you body got chilled.

The hill where I placed my bait was so steep it made a black trail (dark, wet, soil) on the hillside. But even in the pitch black, that trail was the only visible thing I could see. So I would climb down the tree and hike up the trail about 100 yards to a small 10 yard flat area and then take off my heavy clothes, pull my flashlight out of my pocket and stuff them in my backpack, take a small breather and then hike out pretty warm as I was moving again and one really got heated up pretty good in that first 100 yards.

So this night I am talking about, I climbed down the tree and made the hike up to the small flat area where I planned to take my winter stuff off, and then hike out. But when I stopped on the flat, I just had this funny feeling like something big was really close. I never remember hearing anything, just that feeling I am sure a few of you have had a few time in you life.

So to just make sure, I reached in my pocket and pulled out the flash light and turned it on. And there in front of me, no more than 5 yards, stands this big black bear, facing me straight on. My heart went to shoes, and I lowered my voice and gave a kid of grunt. He grunted right back at me and I got my adrenalin rush squared.

With the light on I could see nothing but where the light was shown. So I turned the light up hill quickly to make sure I wasn?t going to walk into a tree and then put right back on the bear. I headed in the direction of where I knew there was no tree. I kept doing that until I got past two or three trees and then I could no longer see the bear. I hiked that hill without ever thinking of taking a break. I finally broke out on the top and into the opening and went right for my truck that was parked there. The instance I got to my truck, I must have felt safe, as it felt like someone had dumped gas on me and lit me on fire. I have never been so hot in my life as I was that night, but I never felt a thing and never got tired hiking that hill until I had reached my truck. It's very weird what your old body will do when you are adrenalized.

I think that night was the most geared up I have ever been in my life. When that bear grunted back it shook me to the bone!~

A year or two later a good friend of mine, who loves to play practical jokes, put a pair of those shinning thumb tacks in a tree that my trial passed and got a great laugh when I came out that night and could see those shining eyes!

Have a good one. BB
 

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