“Only takes a second to lose your life....”
Do you think a bear is actually that fast? Is it that easy for a bear to sneak up that close to you without you knowing? You don’t think you will have more than one second to recognize a bear as a possible threat? Is everything that moves fast and can reach you within one second a bear? One second isn’t even long enough to know it is a bear for sure. How many years in a row are you going to carry a chambered firearm before you actually encounter a bear if ever...?
“Do you think a bear is actually that fast?”
Yes. They can move at up to 35mph.
“Is it that easy for a bear to sneak up that close to you without you knowing?”
Yes, it is. This case amply shows that.
“You don’t think you will have more than one second to recognize a bear as a possible threat?”
Maybe. But the maybe not carries a significant risk of death or gruesome injury. I’ll save myself that one second every time.
“How many years in a row are you going to carry a chambered firearm before you actually encounter a bear if ever?”
Better to have it at the ready and not need it…
L
1. Yes, bears are very fast. Most of the time, when people are mauled by bears, it is because the attack was a surprise at close range.
2. You have to recognize the threat, decide to act, and then have time to engage the threat and neutralize it. For a person who is alert, with a loaded firearm in their hands, this can be done in under a second. For a person with a holstered handgun, it can be done in about a second and a half (some people can do it faster, but most can easily be trained to the second and a half standard).
3. If you do not consider the potential noise, whatever, to be a threat, why would you chamber a round?
4. Many years in a row. Most people carry for many years before needing to draw a loaded firearm. Of course, there are many more threats than bears. Moose and humans come to mind. Much depends on the situation. Some people in Alaska have had to shoot many bears in defense because they live on salmon streams (while running a cattle ranch!). Nearly everyone who lives in Manhattan has never been threatened by a bear.
In some situations, bears are a clear and present danger much of the time. In others, human predators are a real and present danger. In some blessed locals/situations, the danger of attack is very, very low. If you are carrying a firearm to defend against bears, the assumption is you are where the potential danger from bears is much greater than in Manhattan.
Well, you let me know EXACTLY when I'll have that bear encounter, and I'll leave my weapon unchambered until then. Better yet, I'll leave my weapon at home until the exact date and time you've provided me.
What if you're walking down a trail and don't see a bear sleeping in the bush?