Grizzly charge = lessons learned

[brymoore]

I have a buddy who was charged at less than 100 yards. He said it doesn't matter what you carry unless it's in your hand pointed at the bear when the charge starts. Grizz are fast. His bear luckily stopped short. He was carrying a fly rod.

My understanding is bear spray is the best deterrent unless the bear has been previously sprayed. Bears figure out bear spray after a shot or two.

 

[307]

One can shoot bear spray ten times more quickly than unsnapping, unholstering, and firing a pistol (likely with not the optimum of accuracy ... and who wants a wounded bear running around?) Bear spray weighs twenty times less than even a small handgun and holster.

These statements are absurd.

My spray weighs slightly less than half of my firearm (glock 20) and if you get the right holster, the firearm is (at least relatively) on target well before you can get the rather awkward safety off the bear spray canister, even if shooting the spray from the hip with the holster attached.

 

[Tradewind]

I have a buddy who was charged at less than 100 yards. He said it doesn't matter what you carry unless it's in your hand pointed at the bear when the charge starts. Grizz are fast. His bear luckily stopped short. He was carrying a fly rod.

My understanding is bear spray is the best deterrent unless the bear has been previously sprayed. Bears figure out bear spray after a shot or two.

Was the fly rod pointed at the bear?

 

[Power54]

I worked for the Forest Service in Alaska and carried bear spray and typically a .375 H&H. Now that I live in Wyoming's griz country, I usually carry a .44 and bear spray while bow hunting. I always have and always will reach for the bear spray first but I like having the backup, especially if I down an animal.

 

[Gary]

Its always fun to read the arguments on guns vs spray for bear protection. This past spring 2 women were attacked by a black bear outside Fairbanks, AK. One was killed. They were doing mine surveys and were issued bear spray by the company they worked for. The one that was killed had emptied her spray can on the bear, the other's was found unused in her pack. Tell them how well bear spray works.
The surveys continued but not until a company of "bear guards" were employed. The bear guards carry 870's, loaded with slugs. They do NOT carry bear spray. Some companies that do survey work in the bush are required to have bear guards or the surveyors do not go into the field.
Bear spray is promoted in the media because of a media prejudice against firearms (hand guns especially). A gun can be a pain to carry (while fishing), but if needed you don't have to worry about which way the wind is blowing.

 

[tjones]

Bear spray is promoted in the media because of a media prejudice against firearms (hand guns especially). A.

Or the fact most novices with hand guns can't hit anything.

 

[uster19]

Your reaction should be based on the type of bear, grizzly or black. For black bear you make noise but for grizzly you back out. If you make noise when you see the bear all you are going to do is startle the grizzly. IMO the charges were self inflicted.

 

[onpoint]

The bear encounter expertise quotient is on the rise....................
but, please - do carry on.

 

[Straight Arrow]

My spray weighs slightly less than half of my firearm (glock 20) and if you get the right holster, the firearm is (at least relatively) on target well before you can get the rather awkward safety off the bear spray canister, even if shooting the spray from the hip with the holster attached.

I stand absurdly corrected ... acknowledging that a lightweight Glock 20 unsnap, unholster quick-draw shot between the eyes may be a deterrent superior to one-thumb popping off the safety and shooting a spray from the hip belt ... but only in the hands of a highly competent and practiced gunslinger.

 

[tjones]

The bear encounter expertise quotient is on the rise....................
but, please - do carry on.

Not just this forum either.

Here is a post from 24 hour on the same topic. They never disappoint.

"I know a guy who hunted bear with a bow, and I told him to his face , he was nuts. But I learned a couple off facts. The arrows used for deer and the arrows used for bear must have different tips. Deer razorheads have a minimum cutting width of @1&1/2" and are intended for max blood letting. Not so with bear, a s they have a razorheads just larger than the shaft of the arrow. About the size of the tip of your little finger. They are designed for max penetration, so they can reach something vital. Deer tipped arrows would more than likely not penetrate enough to kill anytime soon. Then you have a wounded and verdy pissed bear on hand. Not good, not good at all.
He also told me, on any guided hunt, he is back-stopped by the guide with a rifle. "

 

[1_pointer]

Not just this forum either.

Here is a post from 24 hour on the same topic. They never disappoint.

"I know a guy who hunted bear with a bow, and I told him to his face , he was nuts. But I learned a couple off facts. The arrows used for deer and the arrows used for bear must have different tips. Deer razorheads have a minimum cutting width of @1&1/2" and are intended for max blood letting. Not so with bear, a s they have a razorheads just larger than the shaft of the arrow. About the size of the tip of your little finger. They are designed for max penetration, so they can reach something vital. Deer tipped arrows would more than likely not penetrate enough to kill anytime soon. Then you have a wounded and verdy pissed bear on hand. Not good, not good at all.
He also told me, on any guided hunt, he is back-stopped by the guide with a rifle. "

I saw that there. Pure gold!!

Previous gold was the guy from BC that said to shoot them under the chin as they charge!!!

 

[LopeHunter]

Thanks for sharing! Had a grizzly sow at 75 yards as the sun rose in late October inside the Shoshone NF. Fortunately, the bear was focused on rolling deadfall to eat grubs, I guess, and ignored the 30 mule deer on the same ridge as well as me and the guide. Some of the deer grazed within 10 yards of her. Never charged them, either.

 

[2ski]

These statements are absurd.

My spray weighs slightly less than half of my firearm (glock 20) and if you get the right holster, the firearm is (at least relatively) on target well before you can get the rather awkward safety off the bear spray canister, even if shooting the spray from the hip with the holster attached.

I don't know how that works. My G20 loaded up with a full mag of 230gr Double Taps weights a lot more than my spray. I haven't weighed it so I don't know how much more, but it's not slightly less than half. Maybe unloaded...


As with anything in life, you have to practice. That goes whether you want to use a gun or spray.

It greatly behooves people to get an inert can of spray and practice pulling off the safety and shooting from the hand and from the hip. When we teach Hunter Education, we have kids practice the motion of pulling the safety off with empty inert cans before they get full ones to actually spray with. When you watch people try to spray, at the bear charging demos, most of the time, the bear is on them before they can get it sprayed because of that. They panic when they struggle to get the safety off and then the spray is way off the mark.

You should do the same with a gun. Go out in the woods and roll something down a hill to practice something moving fast towards you. Make it so a partner can pull a rope or something standing off to the side of you(if he physically releases it and rolls it towards you, you would be shooting towards him, so DON'T do that) and then practice drawing and firing your weapon.

 

[npaden]

Thanks for sharing your first hand experience.

I've been 100 yards or so from a couple different grizzly bears and didn't feel uncomfortable in either situation. They pretty much minded their own business and I minded mine. It helped that I had a rifle with me on both occasions and it was during daylight hours.

I generally carry bear spray in grizzly country when I'm hiking and hunting and I don't bow hunt so when I'm hunting I have my rifle with me as well.

One thing that I haven't seen mentioned so far is that the spray does have an expiration date. It's not like it immediately loses all potency on that day but it is going to be less effective the longer you go past that date. I'm sure a few months or even a year past the expiration date isn't going to mean success or failure during an encounter, but I tend to cycle my spray out when it gets more than a year past the expiration date.

I've always used the expired spray to practice with. It really helps you get a good feel for how far it will go and how large of an area that it will cover. On a calm day it reaches out a lot farther than you would expect. I don't practice with it on windy days!

 

[belly-deep]

hmmm ... I wonder if the role of the biologist in the forest is the same as the role of the hunter / recreationist.

When you're staring down a pissed of bear, what's the difference?

 

[307]

I don't know how that works. My G20 loaded up with a full mag of 230gr Double Taps weights a lot more than my spray. I haven't weighed it so I don't know how much more, but it's not slightly less than half. Maybe unloaded...


As with anything in life, you have to practice. That goes whether you want to use a gun or spray.

It greatly behooves people to get an inert can of spray and practice pulling off the safety and shooting from the hand and from the hip. When we teach Hunter Education, we have kids practice the motion of pulling the safety off with empty inert cans before they get full ones to actually spray with. When you watch people try to spray, at the bear charging demos, most of the time, the bear is on them before they can get it sprayed because of that. They panic when they struggle to get the safety off and then the spray is way off the mark.

You should do the same with a gun. Go out in the woods and roll something down a hill to practice something moving fast towards you. Make it so a partner can pull a rope or something standing off to the side of you(if he physically releases it and rolls it towards you, you would be shooting towards him, so DON'T do that) and then practice drawing and firing your weapon.

I have weighed them. 16 ounces for the spray, 41 for the loaded G20 (doesn't include the holster). Hardly a difference of 20x...

 

[Straight Arrow]

When you're staring down a pissed of bear, what's the difference?

The difference is that usually the biologist expects to see the pissed off bear and maybe even knows why he's pissed off. The recreationist / hunter is totally surprised.

 

[belly-deep]

The difference is that usually the biologist expects to see the pissed off bear and maybe even knows why he's pissed off. The recreationist / hunter is totally surprised.

Says who?

Given the number of threads asking about bears, I'd say that many hunters expect bear trouble. The reason is irrelevant when you've got a charging bear to deal with.