Do you carry a pistol for bear when elk hunting???

[BuzzH]

I'm not saying close shots aren't possible with a rifle, but what are you more likely to have ready if you're walking through the brush and bump into a bear? The pistol on your chest, or the rifle slung over your shoulder?

The rifle in my hands...with a round in the chamber.

If only obviously.

 

[ashersdad]

I carry bear spray and rifle while hunting. Bear spray in Alaska when fishing. I've been on 4 grizzly/brown bear hunts in Alaska and all the guides had bear spray and rifles with fixed power scopes. Not one carried a pistol.

 

[sclancy27]

Exactly.

Then there's just the physics involved in rifle bullets, wound channels, etc. etc. and the same with pistol bullets. Rifle will out penetrate, hit harder, do more damage than a pistol bullet. Pure physics.

I take the rifle, every single time, and twice on Sunday over both a shotgun or pistol in a bear charge situation. If you don't have time to use the rifle, you aren't going to have time to use the pistol either.

The absolute best tool that we have, is that 11 lb melon that sits atop one's shoulders. Making good decisions in bear country is going to save a person from finding out if their pistol skills are as bad ass as their typing skills on a computer.

Certainly yours must weigh more than 11 lbs?

 

[BuzzH]

I carry bear spray and rifle while hunting. Bear spray in Alaska when fishing. I've been on 4 grizzly/brown bear hunts in Alaska and all the guides had bear spray and rifles with fixed power scopes. Not one carried a pistol.

Oh come on, as if you and those guides would know anything.

 

[BuzzH]

Certainly yours must weigh more than 11 lbs?

Maybe, I'm smart enough to carry a rifle and know how to use one.

 

[rjthehunter]

Faster means nothing when you can't hit anything...and if anyone is boasting of over-confidence from lack of experience in bear country, that would be you.

Pack your hog leg all you want, I've somehow survived hunting and working in bear country longer than you've been alive without your vast experience and knowledge.

Its a miracle, I should be dead by now since I've never packed a pistol.

Laffin'...

You're impossible. I guarantee I can draw and shoot my pistol faster and more accurately than you can shoulder and shoot a scoped hunting rifle.

Was your black bear charging you in the woods? Or did you use a hunting rifle for it's intended purpose?

If you're dumb enough to think you can shoot faster with a scoped bolt action rifle, then that's the end of this conversation because you're delusional and I'm not offering free therapy online.

Read the whole sentence.

Come back when your "centuries" of experience have put you in a scenario where there's a surprised bear and you had only a few seconds to draw a weapon and shoot at something that wanted to kill you. Until then, I'll let my personal experiences dictate my actions. You can play the what-ifs in your head. Obviously I have spent a lot more time shooting handguns in stressful situations than you have.

I don't think your scoped rifle would work real well at midnight when I came face to face with the bear.

 

[rjthehunter]

Certainly yours must weigh more than 11 lbs?

His has to be all of 40lbs with all that imagination!

 

[BuzzH]

Read the whole sentence.

Come back when your "centuries" of experience have put you in a scenario where there's a surprised bear and you had only a few seconds to draw a weapon and shoot at something that wanted to kill you. Until then, I'll let my personal experiences dictate my actions. You can play the what-ifs in your head. Obviously I have spent a lot more time shooting handguns in stressful situations than you have.

I don't think your scoped rifle would work real well at midnight when I came face to face with the bear.

One time, on a half dead bear several hours after it was hit with a rifle, is "a lot more shooting handguns in stressful situations"?

Face to face, why even bother looking through a scope? FFS.

Legend in your own mind.

 

[rjthehunter]

I carry bear spray and rifle while hunting. Bear spray in Alaska when fishing. I've been on 4 grizzly/brown bear hunts in Alaska and all the guides had bear spray and rifles with fixed power scopes. Not one carried a pistol.

Open country hunts? Little different than elk hunts.

 

[BuzzH]

Open country hunts? Little different than elk hunts.

Tell us all about your vast elk hunting experience.

I saw an elk one time.

 

[PRO MO]

i dual wield - 10mm and bear spray during archery season. I've also been bluff charged multiple times and my muscle memory always goes one hand for each, but the spray is the focus. But there's going to be situations where the pistol will need to be the option so best to have both. with that being said, I've had to shoot a wounded charging black bear before with my pistol and all it did was stop the bear momentarily enough for my buddy to put a last round in with his rifle.
If i'm hunting with a rifle, that's my primary defense, but still carry spray, and maybe the 10 for backup. If i'm going for game retreival, it's 45-70 for defense.

 

[rjthehunter]

One time, on a half dead bear several hours after it was hit with a rifle, is "a lot more shooting handguns in stressful situations"?

Face to face, why even bother looking through a scope? FFS.

Legend in your own mind.

I was going to say more experience shooting handguns, but I figured you'd have some story about shooting a million rounds and being the most proficient handgun connoisseur on the planet.

A wounded bear is 10x more dangerous than a healthy bear. Logic doesn't work out for you there. I figured you'd know that with knowing everything else!

 

[PRO MO]

oh, and to the OP's second question - yes it is possible to shoot bears off an elk carcass.

 

[OntarioHunter]

You're impossible. I guarantee I can draw and shoot my pistol faster and more accurately than you can shoulder and shoot a scoped hunting rifle.

Was your black bear charging you in the woods? Or did you use a hunting rifle for it's intended purpose?

If you're dumb enough to think you can shoot faster with a scoped bolt action rifle, then that's the end of this conversation because you're delusional and I'm not offering free therapy online.

Pfft! I guarantee I can shoulder and fire a long gun MUCH more accurately and just as quickly as a handgun ... and I'll tell you right now I shoot lights out with a handgun. Handguns are whippy and the sighting plane is so short it's almost useless. When my 06 Springfield or my A5 Browning shotgun go to my shoulder the sighting plane/picture is perfect ... because the fit to my shoulder and eye has been made perfect. Handguns are the most imperfectly fitting firearm. It's the nature of the beast. And the faster one needs to shoot them, the potential for sloppy fit increases exponentially. You really are demonstrating your inexperience. Listen to those who have more than you ... and a reasonable knowledge of basic laws of physics.

 

[DouglasR]

I do believe it’s time for a dual...

 

[WapitiBob]

 

[rjthehunter]

Pfft! I guarantee I can shoulder and fire a long gun MUCH more accurately and just as quickly as a handgun ... and I'll tell you right now I shoot lights out with a handgun. Handguns are whippy and the sighting plane is so short it's almost useless. When my 06 Springfield or my A5 Browning shotgun go to my shoulder the sighting plane/picture is perfect ... because the fit to my shoulder and eye has been made perfect. Handguns are the most imperfectly fitting firearm. It's the nature of the beast. And the faster one needs to shoot them, the potential for sloppy fit increases exponentially. You really are demonstrating your inexperience. Listen to those who have more than you ... and a reasonable knowledge of basic laws of physics.

Please tell me more about the effectiveness of the 06 Springfield. I haven't heard much about that one before.

Does your shooting not get sloppier the faster you have to shoot the ole springfield?

Is everyone carrying a round in the chamber of their rifles and walking around like Elmer Fudd?

 

[Gus Chiggins]

I do believe it’s time for a dual...
View attachment 286109

 

[BuzzH]

I was going to say more experience shooting handguns, but I figured you'd have some story about shooting a million rounds and being the most proficient handgun connoisseur on the planet.

I know my way around a pistol, but don't shoot them often. I would say, barely proficient, maybe up to proficient when I shot them more.

Used to pop the heads off grouse with a .22 magnum single six all the time. Was pretty good with a double action stainless 4" Smith .22 which I used on my trap line. Shot that pistol a lot. Killed a lion with it, a coyote further than anyone would believe, and a bunch of furbearers in traps.

Shot the .41 fair, but never have killed anything but a handful of prairie dogs and rabbits with it, a long time ago. Molded a few thousand Keith Grade hard cast for it, they shoot really well with 2400.

 

[ashersdad]

Open country hunts? Little different than elk hunts.

Kodiak is not what I would consider open country and I've hunted there 4 times in addition to the bear hunts and none of those guides carried pistols either. Just sharing what has been my experiences in bear country.