Living in "bear" country

[Bad Ass Wallace]

This little guy was found in a tree not 20m from my gunroom this morning!

[Outpost75]

This fellow hangs out around our place and has a little buddy too.

Attachment 233832Attachment 233833

[Markopolo]

This first guy is no big deal....
but this next guy, was Buff and bigger then a VW.

[Winger Ed.]

Don't look them in the eye. They hate that.

[John Van Gelder]

I have many interactions with bears every summer here in the mountains of E Oregon, all black bears, last summer I had 12 different bears through, mostly females with cubs, one old very large male killed one of the range cows, and got himself put on the "hit list" with the local federal game agent.

Bears are very interesting and intelligent. A couple of summers ago I had a young female with one cub, that frequented my pond, one of the only water sources in the immediate area in the summer, she got used to seeing me, I talk to animals, I would talk to her and she would sit down like a big dog and listen to every word.

I have lots of bear stories. I lived in Alaska for 22 years, but I have had more encounters with bears here in the last ten years than the entire time I lived in Alaska. Then there are the mt. lions and wolves..

[RED BEAR]

The first is cute as a button. The rest they leave me alone i will leave them alone they mess with me they get to meet mr magnum.

[John Van Gelder]

I enjoy seeing them, as long as they stay out of my horse pasture.

[Der Gebirgsjager]

[Markopolo]

I think they are Magnificent... I have never had to shoot a Brown Bear. I always take a young black or 2 in the spring. Here on Prince of Wales island, because there are no brownies, the blacks are very numerous, and grow large. It is nothing to see 5 or 6 on the way to town or the north end of the island.., and in the spring, they have love on their minds... love for a casual fling, or for watching over the product of their love.. I am especially careful then. No salmon around yet, and they are hungry.

[John Van Gelder]

Markopolo

When I was stationed in Glennallen, the trooper at Craig went on leave so I was sent TDY to fill in, while I was there an out of state hunter came in with a bear hide to be sealed for transport, The head of that block bear filled the top of a big corrugated steel garbage can, some big black bears there. They have a good long "growing" season, access lots of fish and no Browns to prey on them.

[Markopolo]

Yep... big ones.. but they are still black bears... I have found that blacks are just different then brownies... as much as I don’t like making blanket statements.. soon as you do, one will surely prove you wrong.. but a giant black bear is still different then a giant brownie.. those copper river delta bears got real real big.. but I still pack lead with the blacks here. I dont trust ANY bear. And I don’t trust Bear Spray either.....

Marko

[SvenLindquist]

In WYO we have real bears that are 100% unafraid of Hoomins. (protected forever) Were to have season in 2018 but Obama judge killed it.

Dozens ARE killed every year by WG&F, Federal hunters and ranchers (shoot shovel & shut up).

Guide was killed by one last fall as moron hunter could not get "safety" off on 10mm Glock. (Yes "safety" is what the official report actually says).

Experts says Blacks are more dangerous as they will kill and eat you on the spot whereas Griz like "ripe" meat and will whack you around and bury you for later. My 329 is stoked with 310 gr hardcasts and max load of H110, w/CT laser sight. 12 bore 870 with Brenneke 3" Black Magics rides in saddle scabbard outside of hunting season when the 300 WinMag R1 goes in.

Have yet to confront one which is fine w/me !

[Markopolo]

329 with 310’s and max 110??? Aren’t those the titanium ultra light guns???

[John Van Gelder]

The odds of having an unfavourable encounter with a bear, are fairly remote, if you do it will probably be a black bear, just because there are more of them. There was a study done by one of the Alberta game biologists, and their findings were that a lot of bear attacks were by solitary males, that actually stalked humans as an "easy" food source. As a rule all bears tend to like their meat seasoned, if they are really hungry, that is not the case.

I like the story about the safety on the Glock...one of their selling points is the absence of a manual safety.

I like bears, and really enjoy seeing them, but I always have my side arm in hand anytime I get close. I had an encounter last summer, a bear went after one of my dogs, I had the sights all settled up and taking up the slack in the trigger when my German Shepard made a run at the bear and distracted it. It was a female with a cub and I really did not want to shoot her. A couple of weeks later my dogs ran a female with three cubs up a tree just outside of one of my horse pastures.

[Markopolo]

I have pulled my pistol several times, but thankfully, never had to shoot. A couple times, like you, I was taking up slack in the trigger.. I like my wheel gun for that sort of thing.. been using the same every day carry 44 for over 15 years. I shoot the 310 lee. Always have, and it’s what I Pratice with. I know the recoil, I know the trigger, and most of all, I know where it hits.. thing is, most folks don’t pratice enough with a bear gun. That gun HAS to be second nature.. no variables. Of course that is just me.. I use a chest holster that keeps my weapon out of the water for the most part unless I do a nose dive. But it is super comfy there, do t fall out of the holster when I bend down to unhook a fish, and I have been using the holster and weapon so long now, it is always available and ready..




I don’t even notice it, but know it’s there...

Marko

[SvenLindquist]

329 with 310’s and max 110??? Aren’t those the titanium ultra light guns???

Yes it is. Kick the snot outa me. But if Mr Griz were trying to get in the saddle w/me, recoil would be the least of my problems.

El Paso Tanker holster is the way to go !

[John Van Gelder]

I found a very interesting article about handguns and bears, I will add the link. For a lot of years in Alaska I carried a Blackhawk .45Colt loaded with sized down .45 70 bullets the 340 gr. Loaded over a generous amount of H 110. As it ended up the only bears I killed while I was there were taken with either a .357 or a .45ACP. Probably the hands down most popular carry gun for bear country is the .44 Magnum. You can't go wrong with the old standard Keith load a 250 grn bullet over 22 gr. of 2400. There are newer powders that will give better velocity with lower pressure.

The best way to carry your trail gun is in either a cross draw belt holster or a rig like SvenLindquist's, in inclement weather with layers of clothing a strong side hip holster is pretty nearly useless.

Sven.. I am a lifelong horseman, but have no illusion about shooting a heavy hand gun off the back of a horse, there is an old saying, everyone shoots off the back of a horse "once".. A close friend of mine used to take a bunch of young folks horse packing off in the Chugatch Mountains of Alaska, on one of the trips, they had just broken camp got the horses loaded and were about to set out for the day when a grizzly came charging in with the thought he was going to get a horse, my friend unlimbered his mod 29 S&W, killed the bear, but then it took them about three days to find all of the horses.

Here is the link to article I mentioned.. https://www.ammoland.com/2018/02/def...#axzz5UftzpLc2

[Tripplebeards]

Yes it is. Kick the snot outa me. But if Mr Griz were trying to get in the saddle w/me, recoil would be the least of my problems.

El Paso Tanker holster is the way to go !

I’m not the only one with a wrist breaker. Bought my 329 NG for $450 a year old used. I can hit little 8oz water bottles at 30 yards consistently but after one cyclinder full with the 2 3/4” barrel I’m all done shooting as my knuckle is torn up open. My buddies call it the blood gun. The shop I bought it from said it had blood on it. I fugured from someone’s knuckles. It’s light enough I can fit it in from front pocket and it’s not that noticeable for weight walking around. Good luck finding one of the shorties like mine for sale anymore. Saw one on GB the other day. I’ve been watching them fetch some big premiums last couple years.

[Markopolo]

Neither one of those holsters would work for me... gotta have nylon.. I am sure that they make them in your style in nylon... the leather is not water friendly... and I like mine... works for me for a long time.

[Tripplebeards]

I keep mine in my pocket when predator calling in AZ just in case a lion sneaks up on me.