Who's actually killed a charging bear?

[hartigjosh]

I got charged in Wyoming while bowhunting three yrs ago and had a .44 mag on my hip. The bear came out at 10 yards and ultimately I just simply got lucky. I yelled BEAR for help from the guy behind me as I was hoping he would save me bc I was SOL. I tried to draw and honestly only got as far as getting it out of the holster by the time it was 10 feet from me. Luckily the bear paused and ultimately turned and left slowly.
My takeaway, I couldn't draw fast enough and I practiced with my gun but was it my best setup? It was a model 69 s&w in a leather holster with a strap over the top. I opted for the strap as I wanted extra protection keeping it in holster when riding and beating brush.
In the offseason i decided to do some testing. I bought the Springfield xdm in 10mm with a kydex hip holster.

My take, I was faster to draw, more accurate, and more comfortable with the 10mm. As far as lethal? yeah the 10mm isnt as lethal as a .44 mag but with the setup i felt more confident more accurate and ultimately more lethal with the 10mm.

I hunted last year with the 10mm and kydek and luckily it stayed in the holster the whole trip.

 

[Sourdough]

I've had to kill a lot of "so called" charging bears. Often with the muzzle against the bear on the first shot. But never with a handgun.

I did just purchase a Freedom Arms 4 3/4" .475 Linebaugh, figure I have over pushed my luck for more then five decades. After thousands of bear encounters, most no big deal, I have to admit that my friend and neighbor being mauled to death in our backyard, last fall by a Brown Bear, finally has but me in deep respect for those animals.

I just ordered and they have started arriving, six "retractable Lanyards" for handguns. I have posted on this forum the time a huge Alaska Coastal Brown Bear, got on top of me, and I had no firearm in my possession, when that happened. When "not" guiding I carry many different handguns, yes including 10mm and often 9mm and different hand cannons.

I've been bear bit, but it was not a mauling, just a bite. People assume they will have a fair chance if they have a firearm in a bad bear encounter, but many assume they will see the bear "Before" the bear is on them. I have been very luck, given hundreds of ugly encounters, but at 75 y/o and over five decades living alone in Alaska wilderness, this summer I am going to be more careful, especially with bears in the yard.

 

[highstepper]

I should have been more specific, because you make a good point. More specifically, I wanted a sort of do it all one and done rifle purchase for Idaho, and with a 375 from my research, that limits my yardage on shot distance. I do feel it would absolutely smoke a charging grizz, which is why I first looked into them.

For the most part I kill all my animals with a 30-06, but I am looking to finally pony up and move on from that.

The bear in my avatar was laid up on a kill. He never got to get unruly defending it because I put a 270 gr TSX from a .375 through his shoulder that then traveled through his cervical spine. Didn't move an inch. Clearly different than a charging bear, but the point is that if you want something that will put the lights out on a brown/grizzly, a 375 is a great tool for the job.
As for limited range, the .375 will shoot a lot farther than people think with the right bullets. It's used for longish shots at plains game in Africa with regularity. For example, take that same 270 gr TSX - it will have about as much drop as your 30-06 with 180' gr TSXs out to close to 500 yds. You can load 235 gr TTSXs to north of 3000 fps in the .375 and there will be no material difference in performance from .338 mag loaded with 225 gr TTSX- other than larger frontal area hitting home. See for yourself: https://bisonballistics.com/calculators/bullet_comparison
338's can generally be had in a lighter rifle that will kick the dogshit out of you but be better to carry up the mountains in Idaho. But don't dismiss the 375 unless you are wanting to shoot into a different area code.

 

[ScottR_EHJ]

I know a guy who got charged by a wounded black bear. He got lucky, by his own admiral and shot the bear in stride in the forehead.

 

[Deadfall]

I've shot 5. 2 with pepper spray while guiding. 2 with a shotgun in camp at night. The 5th with a shotgun while retrieving a hunters kill the bear thought was his. Zero kills. Zero wounded. Shotgun was loaded with buckshot first, then slugs. Never got passed the buckshot. Not even sure I hit the bears with shotgun, but sure turned inside out immediately; on all 5 occasions. Have had several other encounters when fetching a hunters harvest. Luckily bears prefer the gut pile. Did try leaving clothes at kill once. Came back with stock and Beloo had stomped all my trash into a pile on the ground and peed on it. Ate two ribs off one quarter, then covered the gut pile and laid on hill bout 100 yards away. Which would've been a couple hundred or so from the carcass. Getting mules to carcass was toughest part of that deal. Loading the mules by yourself while you are watching the bear watch you is also an experience. Seems so long as the carcass is far enough away from gut pile the bear will tolerate us picking up the carcass. There have been a few occasions when the bear drags the carcass back to the gut pile, which will get your heart started. So far we seem to have a pretty fair working relationship with the bears. They've learned that if we get the carcass they get the guts. Everyone wins. Most of issues are with new bears to the areas we hunt. After a couple of educational classes we seem to get along fine with them as well.

In one area there's an old resident bear that causes zero problems. Usually he is sitting close by when we return with stock to fetch the harvest. Always know he's there. 1. The stock gets pretty jumpy. 2. He is almost always sitting beside a tree or bush close by and you can see his eyes reflect off the headlamp. He has yet to disturb a carcass until we get back. As soon as we leave then he's on it. Kind of a cool ol bear. Terrifies the new guides which are usually kinda young and know everything, until they experience something like that. Might be the whole reason I like that bear so much. At least I will until he becomes a gummer and tries to maul me to death.

I will say that we are hearing more and more bear fights early fall and in the dark. Really sucks the wind out of your hunters sails......lmao

3 maybe 4 years ago boss was riding a colt. One of them double tough suckers that's a little jumpy and thick headed by nature. One morning he was down helping a new guide retrieve a kill, came across 3 bears traveling together. Boss was videoing the bears with his phone when one charged. That poor horse ain't never gonna be right. Now thinks everything is a bear. He does settle into work mode now, after a solid month or so of heavy use. Still jumpy just stops running away....haahhaaahaa...

When you start seeing bears traveling in packs...there are too many bears...

 

[Deadfall]

A year or 3 ago we had a down week, so I took my wife to camp for a week of hunting and wood cutting. Walking back to camp one night hour or so after dark, no moon, completely calm out. We are headed down this grassy open ridge/park. Just bee bopping along shooting the breeze as we walk. All of a sudden my wife jumps all over me (literally), starts screaming about a bear. About 3 seconds later while I'm telling her to get off me a skunk comes running by. Wife was still convinced even when I showed her the skunk through our headlamps. Still my favorite bear story.

 

[thinhorn_AK]

The bear in my avatar was laid up on a kill. He never got to get unruly defending it because I put a 270 gr TSX from a .375 through his shoulder that then traveled through his cervical spine. Didn't move an inch. Clearly different than a charging bear, but the point is that if you want something that will put the lights out on a brown/grizzly, a 375 is a great tool for the job.
As for limited range, the .375 will shoot a lot farther than people think with the right bullets. It's used for longish shots at plains game in Africa with regularity. For example, take that same 270 gr TSX - it will have about as much drop as your 30-06 with 180' gr TSXs out to close to 500 yds. You can load 235 gr TTSXs to north of 3000 fps in the .375 and there will be no material difference in performance from .338 mag loaded with 225 gr TTSX- other than larger frontal area hitting home. See for yourself: https://bisonballistics.com/calculators/bullet_comparison
338's can generally be had in a lighter rifle that will kick the dogshit out of you but be better to carry up the mountains in Idaho. But don't dismiss the 375 unless you are wanting to shoot into a different area code.

I’m a big fan of the 375HH, I have several of them. With a 260g accubond or partition or a 250g Barnes ttsx it’s bad medicine for any animal.

 

[Beendare]

Delete

 

[Idaho4x4Bronco]

I’m a big fan of the 375HH, I have several of them. With a 260g accubond or partition or a 250g Barnes ttsx it’s bad medicine for any animal.

I need to spend some time researching those, I'm admittedly not a rifle junkie as far as familiarity with every round and caliber out there. I'd feel real confident carrying one but I'd also like to be able to reach out to 600 yards for muleys with a little more practice. Ironically, the two areas I hunt muleys is where I keep running into grizz tracks and spotted a few of them.

That Kimber Talkeetna is a beauty

Some crazy stories out there fellas, stay safe!

 

[kid44]

First off, I don't want to start a pissing match between 10mm lovers and wheel gunners, but welcome opinions from those who have been present during a charge.

Im curious, for those who have, what caliber was used to stop the bear and how fast did it stop? In their tracks with a single shot? Multiple handgun rounds? Shot placement?

Just doing some research on my next rifle and sidearm purchases before November this year as I have seen 7 grizzly in 3 years and now have become uncomfortable and feel undergunned.

I'm open to this going off track and becoming a story telling thread, I just didn't want another 10mm vs revolver pissing match from people who have never shot a large revolver or seen a bear up close.

In their tracks with a single shot?? You're funny.

 

[Idaho4x4Bronco]

In their tracks with a single shot?? You're funny.

Interested, curious, and paranoid are all better words

 

[waterrat]

Ive been guideing 40+ yrs and have lived in a bear saturated area for 30+ years. Yes I've been way to close to a pile of brown and grizzly bears. Guideing is pretty straightforward and usually in the daylight,, 'almost all the follow-ups the advantage is is with me because I made sure there was a bullets through the boiler works,, not always dead but sure sicker than a hole in the hump or kneecap would have made them.
The dirtyest deeds have happened here on our homestead in the pitch black as bears prefer,, I've literly had the flames from my muzzle touch the bear in their chickenhouse and smokehouse activities. I used a 425 Express for years but have switched to a Big Horn Armory 500 S&W w/500gr Hornady's for close work.

 

[Idaho4x4Bronco]

Ive been guideing 40+ yrs and have lived in a bear saturated area for 30+ years. Yes I've been way to close to a pile of brown and grizzly bears. Guideing is pretty straightforward and usually in the daylight,, 'almost all the follow-ups the advantage is is with me because I made sure there was a bullets through the boiler works,, not always dead but sure sicker than a hole in the hump or kneecap would have made them.
The dirtyest deeds have happened here on our homestead in the pitch black as bears prefer,, I've literly had the flames from my muzzle touch the bear in their chickenhouse and smokehouse activities. I used a 425 Express for years but have switched to a Big Horn Armory 500 S&W w/500gr Hornady's for close work.

That's a beautiful rifle and looks like a perfect guide gun. What do you carry for a handgun as a guide if you don't mind? Assuming you carry a sidearm.

 

[Idaho4x4Bronco]

For those reading along who have Kifaru packs, how quickly can you pull a rifle from a gun bearer? I was looking at that type of rifle carrier and it seems like it would be quite a bit quicker to pull your rifle.

 

[roosiebull]

For those reading along who have Kifaru packs, how quickly can you pull a rifle from a gun bearer? I was looking at that type of rifle carrier and it seems like it would be quite a bit quicker to pull your rifle.

It’s faster than a sling. It’s quick to get ready to shoot

 

[waterrat]

That's a beautiful rifle and looks like a perfect guide gun. What do you carry for a handgun as a guide if you don't mind? Assuming you carry a sidearm.

4X4 I don't carry a handgun when guideing hunters except for sheep & goats. Then I carry a S&W mod 25 45 Colt.

 

[journeyman713]

Sounds like things got a little... Dicey, in this - Brown Bear hunting encounter.

Sure makes you think.

 

[eddielasvegas]

Sounds like things got a little... Dicey, in this - Brown Bear hunting encounter.

Sure makes you think.

I saw this story over the weekend., but remember it's Yahoo. Take nothing in the story for truth.

A 1,000 pound black bear?

I know nothing of bear hunting but maybe those that do can comment on a bear charging from 500 yards away?

That just seems preposterous to me. And three well placed shots from a .338, yet the bear keeps on coming?

I'd like to hear from those that have hunted and killed large bears if any of this story makes sense.


Eddie

 

[Cyril]

Question, if you guys were choosing between a Ruger super Blackhawk in 44 mag versus a Glock 21 45 ACP for defense in bear woods, which would you go with?

 

[AK Troutbum]

I saw this story over the weekend., but remember it's Yahoo. Take nothing in the story for truth.

A 1,000 pound black bear?

I know nothing of bear hunting but maybe those that do can comment on a bear charging from 500 yards away?

That just seems preposterous to me. And three well placed shots from a .338, yet the bear keeps on coming?

I'd like to hear from those that have hunted and killed large bears if any of this story makes sense.


Eddie

In the beginning of the article it says black bear hunting, but that was a typo, they were actually brown bear hunting and from the sounds of it, he killed a book animal (10’4” and over 28” skull), so 1,000 lbs. sounds pretty realistic to me. I’ve hunted and killed brown bears, but none were close to that size, and none were that difficult to kill, but I have seen other animals do some pretty incredible things after they were shot with a high powered rifle. The story may have been a little sensationalized, but not at all unbelievable IMO.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk