Have you ever shot a bear?

[John E. Law]

We own a cabin in North Carolina so we are there about every 4 months. Every time we have gone I have had to pick up bags and bags of garbage from the bears tearing the garbage apart. I have installed locks and eyebolts with heavy bungee cords and more to try to stop this, but that hasn't worked. 3 weeks ago while we were there I heard a noise outside in the middle of the night and went to investigate. Here was this bear in my garbage right outside my kitchen door. I started yelling Hey, what are you doing? Get on out of here" or something similar that wasn't so polite. It just looked up at me with a look like he was saying "What? You mean this isn't the take out joint?" I banged on the door several times and he finally took off for other quieter prospects. The next morning I went an bought a $230 "bear proof" trashcan. A couple of nights later it was knocked over, but not opened. Hopefully it holds up until he gets the hint that this restaurant is now closed.

 

To add, we have seen plenty of bear while were up there. On hikes, while tubing, fishing, etc. I carry a PMR 30 with an extra mag. I'd hate to ever have to shoot a bear, and a large caliber rifle/pistol isn't practical when doing these activities, so I figure with the noise and 60+ rounds of 22 mag I should (hope) to be able to scare it off if it came to that. 

 

JEL

[Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984]

The guy from NH F&G told us a few stories. One time they put GPS trackers on some bears.  One bear was frequenting a house where the lady was putting a pie on the window sill specifically for the bear.  Another bear was visiting a house where the homeowner smeared BBQ sauce on his deck.

 

 

[Forty Rod SASS 3935]

5 hours ago, sassnetguy50 said:

Momma bear can climb twice as fast if she sees you in a stand up that same tree.

Don't let anyone tell you an adult black bear or grizzly can't climb a tree.  Grizz  doesn't very often but I saw a couple up in Yellowstone who didn't know that they couldn't.....so they did.

[Father Kit Cool Gun Garth]

15 hours ago, Sedalia Dave said:

 

 

FYI, while Grizzly bears are quite large the photo you posted was shot using a forced perspective to make the bear appear MUCH larger that it actually is.

 

The Camera is very close to the nose while the man is 7 or 8 feet away.

Other ways to impress:

[Texas Joker]

5 hours ago, John E. Law said:

We own a cabin in North Carolina so we are there about every 4 months. Every time we have gone I have had to pick up bags and bags of garbage from the bears tearing the garbage apart. I have installed locks and eyebolts with heavy bungee cords and more to try to stop this, but that hasn't worked. 3 weeks ago while we were there I heard a noise outside in the middle of the night and went to investigate. Here was this bear in my garbage right outside my kitchen door. I started yelling Hey, what are you doing? Get on out of here" or something similar that wasn't so polite. It just looked up at me with a look like he was saying "What? You mean this isn't the take out joint?" I banged on the door several times and he finally took off for other quieter prospects. The next morning I went an bought a $230 "bear proof" trashcan. A couple of nights later it was knocked over, but not opened. Hopefully it holds up until he gets the hint that this restaurant is now closed.

 

To add, we have seen plenty of bear while were up there. On hikes, while tubing, fishing, etc. I carry a PMR 30 with an extra mag. I'd hate to ever have to shoot a bear, and a large caliber rifle/pistol isn't practical when doing these activities, so I figure with the noise and 60+ rounds of 22 mag I should (hope) to be able to scare it off if it came to that. 

 

JEL

Hoss .45 acp is ALMOST enough bear gun for black bear. .22WMR is just likely to tick em off.

 

Carry a cavalry/cross draw short barrelled .45 colt or .44 mag

[John E. Law]

59 minutes ago, Texas Joker said:

Hoss .45 acp is ALMOST enough bear gun for black bear. .22WMR is just likely to tick em off.

 

I completely understand the ballistics, but I'm specifically not looking to kill it. Tick one off with a single round? Sure. With 60+ rounds (and that's just 2 mags) from the obnoxiously loud 22mag that stays exactly on target through an entire mage dump and holds 100 yard accuracy on an 8 inch plate all day? I think he's gonna get tired of getting hit and go the other way. Carrying my 500 mag just isn't practical.  

 

And FYI The Speer Gold Dot 40gn Short Barrel is getting 13.7 inches of penetration on ballistic gel. That's the equivalent to a 38 Spl. 

 

JEL

[Wallaby Jack, SASS #44062]

Have you ever shot a bear?

---

By Buckshot Bear,

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

        ................................................. been thinkin' 'bout it 

 

 

[Buckshot Bear]

15 minutes ago, Wallaby Jack, SASS #44062 said:

Have you ever shot a bear?

---

By Buckshot Bear,

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

        ................................................. been thinkin' 'bout it 

 

 

 

 

[Wallaby Jack, SASS #44062]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Texas Joker]

1 hour ago, John E. Law said:

I completely understand the ballistics, but I'm specifically not looking to kill it. Tick one off with a single round? Sure. With 60+ rounds (and that's just 2 mags) from the obnoxiously loud 22mag that stays exactly on target through an entire mage dump and holds 100 yard accuracy on an 8 inch plate all day? I think he's gonna get tired of getting hit and go the other way. Carrying my 500 mag just isn't practical.  

 

And FYI The Speer Gold Dot 40gn Short Barrel is getting 13.7 inches of penetration on ballistic gel. That's the equivalent to a 38 Spl. 

 

JEL

If your going to shoot a thing you should aim to kill it. Bring enough gun.

 

If you don't want to kill it carry bear spray.

 

You plan on getting in to what could be a life and death encounter with wildlife and being under gunned on purpose. At least that's what I gather from that statement.

 

I am familiar with the ballistic on .22WMR. And dropping rounds on a steel plate all day is different from being charged by any animal.

 

To each his own and I wish you the best.

[Birdgun Quail, SASS #63663]

I wish someone would shoot this bear market.

[Rip Snorter]

My rules for bears are no different than my rules for criminal attackers.  Only differences, I'd feel bad about the bear and the lowlife would cost a fortune in legal fees but no lost sleep.

[Dusty Devil Dale]

4 hours ago, John E. Law said:

I completely understand the ballistics, but I'm specifically not looking to kill it. Tick one off with a single round? Sure. With 60+ rounds (and that's just 2 mags) from the obnoxiously loud 22mag that stays exactly on target through an entire mage dump and holds 100 yard accuracy on an 8 inch plate all day? I think he's gonna get tired of getting hit and go the other way. Carrying my 500 mag just isn't practical.  

 

And FYI The Speer Gold Dot 40gn Short Barrel is getting 13.7 inches of penetration on ballistic gel. That's the equivalent to a 38 Spl. 

 

JEL

Usually, a rock thrown, or a loud banging noise, or a round of any caliber shot into the ground in front of a bear will help them decide to leave. 

 

 Thrown objects seriously confuse most animals, including big predators.   But it is good to have something more formidable in back-up. 

[Rip Snorter]

Just now, Dusty Devil Dale said:

Usually, a rock thrown, or a loud banging noise, or a round of any caliber shot into the ground in front of a bear will help them decide to leave. 

 

 Thrown objects seriously confuse most animals, including big predators.   But it is good to have something more formidable in back-up. 

You pays your penny and takes your chances.  I require something considerably better than rocks, though the left did propose a bucket of rocks in school classrooms to reduce shootings. Must work. 

[Utah Bob #35998]

Shot thisn in my back yard.

With my canon. 

[Utah Bob #35998]

To get back to the OP, hunting is very regulated. Not all states allow bear hunting but the ones that do generally require certain calibers and possibly Hunter education courses. Due to habitat destruction and lack of natural forage along with development in former bear supporting areas it is necessary to keep the population of bears healthy and at a manageable number. Regulated Hunting is the best way to do that.
 

New Jersey in some areas is up to it’s butt in Black Bears cruising through the yards in town and feasting on garbage and pets. Not their fault, completely a human created situation.Bear hunting is a controversial subject in NJ. It was outlawed from the 70s until 2003? If I recall, it was outlawed again in 2021.

Once you screw with Mother Nature you have a hell of a time fixing things

I have hunted feral hogs but never anything else.

[Utah Bob #35998]

6 hours ago, Texas Joker said:

Hoss .45 acp is ALMOST enough bear gun for black bear. .22WMR is just likely to tick em off.

 

Carry a cavalry/cross draw short barrelled .45 colt or .44 mag

Shortly after the NPS approved firearms in parks several years ago, a guy killed a Griz up in Glacier with a 1911.

[Rip Snorter]

Someone actually did it with a 9mm semi - The link is 404, but I recall it from former years.

[Utah Bob #35998]

6 minutes ago, Rip Snorter said:

Someone actually did it with a 9mm semi - The link is 404, but I recall it from former years.

https://www.wideopenspaces.com/alaska-man-kills-charging-brown-bear-with-a-9mm-pistol/

[Buckshot Bear]

40 minutes ago, Utah Bob #35998 said:

To get back to the OP, hunting is very regulated. Not all states allow bear hunting but the ones that do generally require certain calibers and possibly Hunter education courses. Due to habitat destruction and lack of natural forage along with development in former bear supporting areas it is necessary to keep the population of bears healthy and at a manageable number. Regulated Hunting is the best way to do that.
 

New Jersey in some areas is up to it’s butt in Black Bears cruising through the yards in town and feasting on garbage and pets. Not their fault, completely a human created situation.Bear hunting is a controversial subject in NJ. It was outlawed from the 70s until 2003? If I recall, it was outlawed again in 2021.

Once you screw with Mother Nature you have a hell of a time fixing things

I have hunted feral hogs but never anything else.

 

Thanks for that info. Very interesting reading about New Jersey, that's 'fairly' close to New York isn't it? Is it a rural area? My only knowledge of New Jersey is sadly from a garbage TV show called 'Jersey Shore'  

[Alpo]

Kipling

 

 https://www.poetry.com/poem/33590/the-truce-of-the-bear

[Buckshot Bear]

One thing this Aussie learnt that I had no idea of is that bear meat is eaten.

[sassnetguy50]

4 hours ago, Buckshot Bear said:

One thing this Aussie learnt that I had no idea of is that bear meat is eaten.

Only by some people.  I'll never eat another bear burger, nasty thing.

[Pat Riot]

On 6/26/2022 at 9:50 PM, Buckshot Bear said:

Duck shooting is a bit on the nose down here with so much bad press with the Lefty Greenies doing there best to stop it and cause problems by interfering on wetlands and stopping duck hunters legally hunting ducks.

 

Maybe a new hunting season is needed? 

Better idea.

Back in the 80’s in California the Sierra  Club and other assorted idiots decided to show up in force and disrupt hunters in the field. They would create a line of people walking the fields and forest making noise to scare animals away from hunters. 
At this same time they proposed and usher legislation that banned the disturbing of animals  in the hopes that it would essentially ban hunting. 
The idea backfired on the morons. Hunting continued, but leftist douchebags showing up to bang pans and yell to scare animals were arrested for “disturbing the wildlife”.  
Their idea backfired with nary a peep in the media. 
 

[John E. Law]

15 hours ago, Texas Joker said:

Not that I have any reason to explain myself I will go ahead anyway.

If your going to shoot a thing you should aim to kill it. Bring enough gun.

Thanks for the lesson. 99% of the time I completely agree. Have you ever skinned a bear? I have over a half dozen times. My neighbor is a taxidermist and I have helped him with some of his larger projects such as bears. He's done rugs, head mounts, and even a full mount. Shooting a bear with a small caliber isn't going to severally injure it. On every single one of those bears, 2 larger brown and 4 smaller black, that he preserved we found bullets embedded into the skin, including larger calibers, and they did not fully penetrate. Their hide can take a solid hit so even with a 44 mag you're not guaranteed a severe wound let alone a kill shot. 

If you don't want to kill it carry bear spray.

Pass, I have seen OC backfire so many times or completely not work at all that I wouldn't trust it. Plus, carrying a small fire extinguisher sized unit around while tubing and hiking basic trails is not practical, especially when if has a working radius of only a few feet 

You plan on getting in to what could be a life and death encounter with wildlife and being under gunned on purpose. At least that's what I gather from that statement.

Where did I ever, in the slightest way, state anything near that? My quote exactly, "we have seen plenty of bear while were up there. On hikes, while tubing, fishing, etc." I never said we go out planning to put ourselves into a "life and death" bear encounters. I then added  "I'd hate to ever have to shoot a bear", followed by "I figure with the noise and 60+ rounds of 22 mag I should (hope) to be able to scare it off if it came to that." How you came to the conclusion that I was looking for an encounter baffles me as much as your entire post.  Even IF I had to shoot directly at a bear to accomplish warding it of it is still not with lethal intent and it would be way more accurate and reliable than a can of spray. Banging sticks and making noise is a very effective way of shooing bears away. I even said "Here was this bear in my garbage right outside my kitchen door"....That I scared off by yelling and banging on the door. I believe maybe one or two let alone 60-90 rounds of a very loud PMR shots would do that. You can believe whatever you'd like. 

I am familiar with the ballistic on .22WMR. And dropping rounds on a steel plate all day is different from being charged by any animal.

Different maybe, but I've been there and done that. I have and still train on moving actively aggressive targets all the time and for a long time. That particular firearm is capable of putting rounds exactly where needed, whether it be around, near, or directly on the target and from a lot longer distance than any bear spray. It's extremely light even with 2 extra mags giving it a 90 round capacity. It is very concealable and with my waterproof cover I can carry it while we're tubing, rafting, fishing, etc. I have taken 3 moving boar hogs with it so I know I can hit moving targets. it could also be lethal if the round is placed right as i have found with the boar hogs. 

To each his own 

EXACTLY!!! You do you, I'll do me and I'll pass on the lecture.

I wish you the best

To you also

 

JEL

 

[Sedalia Dave]

14 hours ago, Buckshot Bear said:

 

Thanks for that info. Very interesting reading about New Jersey, that's 'fairly' close to New York isn't it? Is it a rural area? My only knowledge of New Jersey is sadly from a garbage TV show called 'Jersey Shore'  

 

Both New Jersey and New York have large cities in the southern part of the state. In contrast, the they have plenty of rural area and remote wilderness in their northern parts. 

 

Unfortunately it is the loud mouths in the cities that the media pays attention to.

 

See if you can find a series on the internet called "Aerial America". Each episode showcases a different state from the air. Very educational series.

 

Australia hasn't been done yet , but New Zealand, Ireland, Brittan, and Africa have been showcased.

[Steel-eye Steve SASS #40674]

20 hours ago, John E. Law said:

I completely understand the ballistics, but I'm specifically not looking to kill it. Tick one off with a single round? Sure. With 60+ rounds (and that's just 2 mags) from the obnoxiously loud 22mag that stays exactly on target through an entire mage dump and holds 100 yard accuracy on an 8 inch plate all day? I think he's gonna get tired of getting hit and go the other way. Carrying my 500 mag just isn't practical.  

 

And FYI The Speer Gold Dot 40gn Short Barrel is getting 13.7 inches of penetration on ballistic gel. That's the equivalent to a 38 Spl. 

 

JEL

Don't underestimate how fast a bear run, you'll most likely only get a couple of shots off.

[Eyesa Horg]

I've put many 22's over the top of bears here, they run like hell and come back later. I would never shoot one with a 22. Likely just pizz him off and then give it a nasty infection from the lead. Kinda cruel in my book. If ya need to kill it, then kill it. Don't wound it and make it suffer.

And they do taste great if properly prepared. 

[Utah Bob #35998]

Well, there are bears and then there are Grizzer Bears. 
Just like there are Toyota Corollas and there are Ford F250s.

Black bear attacks are pretty rare and people have even fought them off bare handed. 
Now I know of one guy who kilt a Grix with a Buck 110 by generally, I would recommend something large and lethal. 
And bear spray is actually very effective. More so than oc on druggies. Mostly because the bear’s olfactory mechanism is s sensitive. Much more than humans.

[Birdgun Quail, SASS #63663]

Bear Joke

 

A guide was to lead a group of tourist hikers into bear country. 

He explained that most bear attacks occur by the bears being surprised or startled by humans. 

To avoid startling the bears, he issued each hiker a whistle.

 

Once into the back country where bears were present, the guide was explaining how you could tell black bear scat from grizzly scat.

Guide: "You can identify black bear scat because of the little bits of berry seeds in the scat."  There he stopped.

Hiker:  "Well how can we tell grizzly scat?"

Guide: "Grizzly scat has whistles in it."

 

[Injun Ryder, SASS #36201L]

2 hours ago, Birdgun Quail, SASS #63663 said:

Bear Joke

 

A guide was to lead a group of tourist hikers into bear country. 

He explained that most bear attacks occur by the bears being surprised or startled by humans. 

To avoid startling the bears, he issued each hiker a whistle.

 

Once into the back country where bears were present, the guide was explaining how you could tell black bear scat from grizzly scat.

Guide: "You can identify black bear scat because of the little bits of berry seeds in the scat."  There he stopped.

Hiker:  "Well how can we tell grizzly scat?"

Guide: "Grizzly scat has whistles in it."

 

 

Or it has bells in it and smells like pepper!

[Red Gauntlet , SASS 60619]

23 hours ago, Buckshot Bear said:

 

Thanks for that info. Very interesting reading about New Jersey, that's 'fairly' close to New York isn't it? Is it a rural area? My only knowledge of New Jersey is sadly from a garbage TV show called 'Jersey Shore'  

 

Lot's of NJ is very rural.

[Cold Lake Kid, SASS # 51474]

I've had to pop a couple around our tent/bivouac when we were moose hunting up North. 

Didn't want to, but they kept coming around and we couldn't drive them off.

They were far enough out in the boonies that we knew they weren't Dump Bears and butchered they tasted just fine.

I don't go after them specifically but I always have a license to keep myself legal - Just In Case.

[Finagler 6853 Life]

I'm a little afeared of hunting things that can hunt back.  I'd take one if I needed to protect my home and family but I don't think I'd make a point to chase one down.  I have relatives that do hunt bears in northern Wisconsin.  There is a healthy population of them there.  They brought back 20 pounds of fat that my wife rendered and made soap out of.  She says it was the best soap she has ever made.

[Big Sage, SASS #49891 Life]

I have shot one bear while deer hunting. I did have a bear tag. We skinned it and took it home and ate it. It was just ok, kinda like pork. I have friends in Alaska who shoot 3 or 4 black bears every year and eat them. The last time we were in Alaska, they fixed a bear roast that was really good. They only take them in the spring & early summer when they are feeding on berries and grass. Once they start eating salmon, they are not too good for eating. The picture is from Kodiak Island and a huge brown bear. A friend up there sent it to me.