Handgun for back country Archery Elk?

[willidru]

Interesting topic, I wasn't sure at first why handgun was needed hunting, apparently bear encounters are something I haven't put enough thought into. In Northern California we just have to carry a handgun for illegal dope grows on public land.

 

[406]

Never had a black bear charge.

Bluff charged by the biggest black bear I ever saw when I was a ranger in CO.
He was a "problem" bear though. Took months to run him off.

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[Bar]

Bluff charged by the biggest black bear I ever saw when I was a ranger in CO.
He was a "problem" bear though. Took months to run him off.

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk

My only encounters with black bears is when I hunt for them. Those bears never get a chance to charge me.

 

[406]

My only encounters with black bears is when I hunt for them. Those bears never get a chance to charge me.

So..... Here's the "short" version of the story-
I had been dealing with a problem bear for the last few months at Sylvan Lake state park. And losing. We didn't want to put it down, but he was becoming bolder and a real pain in the ass.

I was living in a trailer near the old ranger station, which I believe is now the maintenance building, his was about 16 years ago and pretty much every thing was different there as opposed to now.
I had an extension cord for power but no water, had to walk over to the garage to do use the toilet/shower/do my dishes.

Started getting pretty cold in fall so developed a habit of just pissing out the door so I didn't have to gear up and hike to do my business.

I drop my pants and kick open the door.... And am met with hot bear breath on my junk. Literally caught with my dick in my hand. He's right there looking at me, my 140lb dog is sound asleep a few feet away in the trailer. Useless!
After a brief WTF moment I try to close the door and he's got his head far enough in now it hits the bears nose. I tell, bear backs up, dog wakes up, and I get the door closed just as said dog slams into it. He is now fully committed to trying to fight the bear.

I pull my pants up, put my 40 in my back pocket (all I had in the trailer), and grab this pizza pan I had been using to bang on the trailer to make noise previously to chase this guy off. Dog by the collar in one hand, bent up pizza pan in the other, I kick open the door and step out. Dog, giant Malamute, is going absolutely nuts now.

About 15 yards away the bear steps out of the shadows and slowly moseys towards as I beat dents into the side of the trailer, yell at the top of my lungs, and try to hold on to my dog.

The bear stops and turns away, slowly walking back into the dark. "Perfect", I think, "exactly what's supposed to happen".

Then he slowly turns back and just states for what seemed like a long time. Then he just explodes towards us. Covered what must have been ten yards and lands with a very loud "wumph" close enough that dirt and rocks hit me in the chest. Dog goes silent mid bark, I may have peed a little. He's less than 5 yards in front of me and he's massive.

I drop the pan & pull my g22 from my back pocket. I'd like to say I had a solid sight picture but that would be a lie. As I'm deciding whether to unload my gun in his general direction he turned and disappeared back into the dark.

That's my "biggest black bear I ever saw" story.

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[Bar]

You were more patient than I would have been. I would have shot it. What happen to the bear? Did it ever hurt anybody?

 

[Tim in Wa.]

406, That is a great story

 

[406]

You were more patient than I would have been. I would have shot it. What happen to the bear? Did it ever hurt anybody?

I don't know about patient.... I like to call it freezing up, personally. It was just a moment that I didn't know what the right play was.

Well, after that it was game on. Sort of.
I had committed to doing what had to be done but I hadn't committed to hunting that bastard down yet. No problem with bear hunting or bear hunters but it's not my thing. So it wouldn't have felt like hunting.

Two things "fixed" the problem
First thing was that he did come back to the trailer two night later. This time the dog did his job and let me know shenanigans were afoot. I had eyed out a safe direction to shoot (hill side with a lone tree in front that I could pick out in the dark). When I stepped out he was standing in the same spot. I fired 5 off at the tree and he ran like he was on fire.

Second thing was that I talked to a DOW friend of mine (sister agency) about what else I could do besides go vendetta on this bear. He told me the magic that has worked 100% of the time ever since.
Bag of cheap socks
Bag of mothballs
Bottle of pinesol
Bucket
String

Handful of mothballs in a sock, tie off, soak in a bucket of pinesol, tie around the area you wish bears to vacate with the string.

Bears live in an olafactory world, their sense of smell being roughly 100 times better than ours. When making this devils concoction do it outside and stand up wind because it will about take you down. It doesn't smell bad, it's just intense. And it's a hundred times worse for them. They just can't stand it.

I tied the socks of doom to trees around the campground, to dumpsters, anywhere he had been causing a ruckus.

Never saw him again. On the greener pastures. I have used this trick in a few places since, and passed it on to anyone that is having bear problems not resolved by cleaning up their property and doing things right. Has worked 100% of the time, every time.

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[Bar]

Yes, but it will always be a problem bear and just find another area.

A bear has the best nose of all game we hunt. I've heard as high as 2000 times better than us and 100 times better than a bloodhound. You'll never beat a bears nose other than playing the wind.

 

[Beendare]

So..... Here's the "short" version of the story-
I had been dealing with a problem bear for the last few months at Sylvan Lake state park. And losing. We didn't want to put it down, but he was becoming bolder and a real pain in the ass.

406,
You just made my point. One that I have been stating for years.

The gov folks just don't want those bears shot.........even in a case like yours.

We all need to factor that in when reading all of the recommendations by these 'experts' to use bear spray instead of a firearm.
[great story BTW]

 

[gelton]

I 2nd Beendare and others. Will never trust my life to a can. Even these cityslickers know better...posting link instead of embedding due to language - Bear Attack Reaction @Hodgetwins - YouTube