Gut Shot
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Outfitted hunt in Colorado, for elk? Extra bear protection wouldn't even be on my list.
Bear Sidearm
- Thread starter Lrhxr9
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This.
rideold
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I carry spray and a 357 with 180 gr. hard casts. The spray is for first line of defense. The 357 is for if it's really windy or the can of spray is empty. That's only when I'm bow hunting. Rifle hunting I only carry spray. Do I need the revolver? Nope. Do I like to have it with me? Yes.
D
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Same.
AvidIndoorsman
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Honestly, if I was going to carry any sidearm in CO it would be a pellet gun for grouse. Suppressed 22lr would be awesome as well.
at this point, seems you gotta be more worried about lion attacks in colorado than bear attacks, and neither are yet to be statistically concerning to me
i've never carried any form of bear protection in colorado, ever
i've never carried any form of bear protection in colorado, ever
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sbhooper
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SMDH. LMAO! How many times is this stupid subject going to come up? Oh, and I really like my Creedmoors.
Straight Arrow
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Hundreds ... as hunt planning starts to ramp up. "Bear beware" gets little attention. It's all about bear scare what's your favorite big bore for the big boar? Does anyone remember why we file those front sights down smoothly?
kwyeewyk
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I've had the same experience with all but 2 (out of close to 50 random encounters), but the 2 that didn't run were very large black bears, and had little fear. They didn't seem like they were thinking about eating me though, they just didn't think they should have to move for me. That said, agree with many here that on a guided hunt in CO, wouldn't be worried about extra protection.
I only carry in grizzly country or if I am worried about two legged critters. The former I bring G20 and later G43.
That said i been shooting some BB 149 grain hardcast out of my 9mms and i most likely going to ditch then10mm
That said i been shooting some BB 149 grain hardcast out of my 9mms and i most likely going to ditch then10mm
AggieHunter
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Know a bear guide that carries a .357 mag revolver while hunting and working bait sites.
azelkhntr
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I carry every time I’m in the field. You never know what’s going to happen. As noted above keep the sidearm on your person not the pack. I carry a Taurus in .41 Rem Mag loaded with 241 gr. Win platinum tips that I modified into devastators. I’m comfortable using that in griz country. I have my eye on the Ruger LCRx in .357 mag. More than adequate for everywhere else and very light. After the death of Mark Uptain by a sow griz I’m not using BS as a first line of defense ever.
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Wildabeest
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A grizzly can cover 50 yds in 3 seconds. So if you are going to rely on a side arm, make sure you can draw it, accurately aim it (shoulder shot is your best bet for stopping it or slowing it down) and fire it under severe stress and panic. In 2.5 seconds or less.
I carry bear spray mounted from the lower strap of my bino harness where I can spray it directly from there very quickly. It’s not ideal since there’s a better chance of getting it on yourself, but in an emergency where I’ve got less that a couple of seconds to react, I have that option. If I have more time then I would take it out of the holster first. As mentioned my side arm is a backup plan only if bear spray fails for whatever reason.
I'm not saying this is the best option for everyone. I’ve just never been in the military or law enforcement (or taken any tactical defense training), so I don’t trust my ability to be fast and accurate with a sidearm under that kind of stress. Bear spray provides the benefit of requiring less accuracy and still be effective.
I carry bear spray mounted from the lower strap of my bino harness where I can spray it directly from there very quickly. It’s not ideal since there’s a better chance of getting it on yourself, but in an emergency where I’ve got less that a couple of seconds to react, I have that option. If I have more time then I would take it out of the holster first. As mentioned my side arm is a backup plan only if bear spray fails for whatever reason.
I'm not saying this is the best option for everyone. I’ve just never been in the military or law enforcement (or taken any tactical defense training), so I don’t trust my ability to be fast and accurate with a sidearm under that kind of stress. Bear spray provides the benefit of requiring less accuracy and still be effective.
buffybr
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Except for 3 years in the US Army, I've lived, worked, and hunted in NW Colorado, NW and SW Montana since 1966. Like rwc101 posted just about all of the black bears that I encountered ran away as soon as they saw me, including one that was trying to steal some elk meat out of the back of my truck one night.
The only black bear that ever charged me was one that our Forest Service trail crew had unknowingly got between her and her cubs and she had chased one of the crew members up a tree and had bit his boots and lower leg. A call for help went out over their radio, and an hour later our FS LEO, a Sheriff's deputy, and I were the first people on the scene. When we got there we didn't know that she was a sow with cubs, and as soon as she saw us, she charged. We were all armed, and we all fired simultaneously and killed her.
The injured crew member then climbed down out of the tree and told us that every time he yelled for help, the bear climbed up the tree and bit him. She did that 3 times. Other people showed up to give assistance, and a helicopter was dispatched from Yellowstone NP to evac the injured crewman.
I then saw a small black cub run through the grass and up a tree. Although in previous years I had hunted and killed two black bears, I immediately felt terrible for killing that sow. I was afraid that someone would think that the cub was too young to survive and would shoot it, so I climbed up the tree and caught the cub. His little teeth felt like nails in the jaws of a vice, and he tried to scratch me with all four feet. When I got out of the tree, I had to tightly hold the back of his neck in my left hand, and his hind feet in my right hand. If I let go with either hand his other end would bite or scratch me. I held him for about an hour until the FWP bear biologist brought a 5-gallon plastic bucket up that we could put him in.
The next day, FWP brought dogs up there and captured another cub. They said they took the cubs to a wildlife rehab facility near Helena, and released them in the forest two years later.
The only grizzly bear that I have ever encountered while hunting, was one year my two hunting partners and I were camped at the end of a road near West Yellowstone, MT. We had two elk and a moose in the back of my truck. Before going to bed one night, I went out to check my horses, and grizzly woofed and clicked his teeth at me from the top of the cutbank on the side of the road by our tent. I fired two shots with my Ruger .44 mag over his head to scare him, but didn't. So I picked up a tennis ball size rock and threw and hit him, and he ran off.
He wore a radio collar and an ear tag, and when we reported the incident to FWP, they said he had been a problem bear near Cooke City that had been trapped and released near our camp.
In the Unlimited Sheep thread, I posted an encounter that I had when I was sent into grizzly country to blow up a dead horse near a backcountry trail. A grizzly was eating the horse when I got there, and as soon as he saw me, he ran off.
A few years ago one of my co-workers was walking down a Forest Service trail and unknowingly got between a sow grizzly and her cubs. He was carrying his pistol and I can't remember if he also had bear spray, but he was attacked and mauled, then she ran off, he then started down the trail, and she attacked again, then luckily ran off again. He was then able to walk back to his truck and drive himself to the hospital. (Google Todd Orr)
Short version of my long story is that in my 50+ years of living, working, and hunting in bear country, most of the bears that I have encountered, black or grizzly, will usually run off when they see you...unless you get between a sow and her cub. I am as much a hunter as anyone, but I felt terrible when we shot that black bear sow that had cubs.
When I do carry a pistol in bear country, I've carried either a .44 magnum Ruger or S&W, or a 1911 .45 acp. I've also made one shot kills on black bears with both a .44 mag and a .45 acp, with my hard cast lead bullets.
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Tradewind
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So, In that 3 seconds you will draw your BS, take the safety catch off, discharge a massive plum of offending spray and stop the charging Grizz cold as it ingests the spray which will register immediately
to the bears senses, make it stop in it's tracks as opposed to running you over and ripping some portion of your anatomy apart. All with the wind at your back.....
AggieHunter
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As some other people have mentioned in Colorado I wouldn't worry about bears too much. The few I have had within 50 yards as long as you wave your arms and yell at them the runoff, and lions typically stay clear of humans. Can't be too safe though.
Straight Arrow
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'Sounds ideal and optimum use of bear spray. The wind is a factor, but even those who have ingested or been burned by an accidental discharge (as my wife will attest) will tell you it's preferable to being severely attacked by a bear or whatever predator.
But one bear aware principle is to hike / hunt with at least one partner in griz country. The reality is that most attacks are sudden as both you and the bear are alarmed and stressed, reacting instinctively. The most effective use of bear spray is by your partner or others who recognize your peril and approach to spray the bear and diffuse the situation. If your sinuses or skin suffers collateral damage ... I'm pretty confident you'll still thank them. It's certainly a scenario for which you should be prepared, but most attacks don't really allow for effective deployment of bear spray or a pistol by the victim. 'Don't know about your hunting partners, but I want mine to have bear spray as well as a pistol, if that makes them feel more secure. I will tell them to keep the pistol as backup because I don't want them firing toward me and the bear, as those I've hunted with would have at least a 50/50 chance of shooting me!
Tradewind
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If my partner sprays me down w/ BS, I may shoot him instead of the bear
Wildabeest
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Not saying that will work. Just saying the odds of it working (for me) are far better than the odds of me drawing my .45 and making a clean shoulder shot in less than 3 seconds.
And as I said, if needed I can discharge it without “drawing” it from its holster. That saves me two seconds right there. I actually practice pulling the safety clip off to improve my reaction time and ensure that I can quickly aim and fire it.
Each person needs to decide for themselves what they are most comfortable with. I just wanted to respond to the OP on my experience and thoughts.
Wildabeest
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That’s actually a strategy similar to the “I don’t have to outrun the bear, I just have to outrun you” strategy. Add a little a little hot sauce seasoning to your hunting partner to make him more tasty...
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