Posted on 02/01/2025 7:38:53 AM PST by marktwain
In the summer of 1991, Alan Yates was working in the forested mountains near Bozeman, Montana. Two black bears charged him at the same time. He successfully defended himself against the bears with two shots fired from his .357 magnum Smith & Wesson 65 revolver. He was 21 years old.
Here are Alan’s words, lightly edited for space and clarity:
In the summer of 1991 I worked on a logging operation in the mountains of Montana.
There was a large bear that lived in the hills and mountains around our community. He was very aggressive. His favorite mode of attack was to charge riders on their horses. Invariably, the rider would get thrown from the spooked horse, the horse would run off, and the bear would stand around for a minute or two thumping up and down on his front paws as if gloating. Then he’d run off.
There was no love for this bear. There was, quietly, a bounty on him. Because of his sheer size, and seeming youthful bad attitude, it was widely hypothesized that he was a Black Bear/Grizzly mix.
Seeing bears was a regular occurance and didn’t bother me.
One morning in the early fall, I was trimming branches off the tops of cut down trees with a large knife that I had made. It was quiet work, and I was further up the mountain side than the other workers. Suddenly I heard an all-to-familiar sound … “woof, woof, woof … ” quickly getting louder and closer. I knew what it meant. I dropped the knife, grabbed my 357 magnum, while spinning towards the sound.
Up the mountain ridge came a rolling ball of massive muscle and fur. He was medium brown in color, with a dark chocolate face and neck. I immediately recognized him from the descriptions I’d heard.
(Excerpt) Read more at ammoland.com ...
Which, while not 100% effective, certainly increases one’s chance of surviving a charge. Bot sure what the % increase would be, but definately much better than not having a gun, and “hoping thst the charge is a bluff”
Great to read this thirty four years later. Keeping it relevant, guys.
But this is what provides the views for Mr. Weingarten - it’s the great outdoorsman fantasy, to defend themselves successfully from a powerful animal predator. It’s kinda weird, but I guess better than being a ‘furrie’.
In actual history - while researching some genealogy, found a 2nd great-uncle of my spouse that went grizzly bear hunting in Montana with two others gents just before WW1. Final score was one dead bear, one wounded bear, two dead hunters and one severely mauled great-uncle.
In actual history - while researching some genealogy, found a 2nd great-uncle of my spouse that went grizzly bear hunting in Montana with two others gents just before WW1.
Final score was:
- one dead bear,
- one wounded bear,
- two dead hunters, and
- one severely mauled great-uncle.
I'm not sure how close bears typically get when they are bluff-charging but given how close this guy let both of them get before firing suggests that these might have been real charges.
Don’t bring a bluff to a gun fight!
Okay. Did the .357 magnum kill the bears, or did I miss something? Will one kill large bears?
“There was no love for this bear. There was, quietly, a bounty on him. Because of his sheer size, and seeming youthful bad attitude”
ALL bears have a crappy attitude, that’s why they need to be eliminated...unless they agree to reform.
Normally, when I’m bear hunting here in central KS, I like to carry a .500 S&W Magnum.
“She was a beautiful black phase with a large white “V” on her chest.”
Not sure what the “V” means, but if it had been a “Z”, then it would be a Russian Black Bear.
Getting double teamed by a bear blitz and the guy didn’t flinch!
One of the bears was found, later, dead.
The other bear was never seen again. It probably died from the wound as well.
If I ever went hunting Bear it would be with a 12 gauge shot gun with slugs.
Some Bluff charges can get pretty close with bears veering off at the last second, according to videos of charges I’ve seen, but once they cross a certain distance, it should be a case of them forfeiting their right to live as one can’t be sure it is a bluff charge. Course liberals will scream that other bear charge b,uffs were very close, and the person “should have waited longer to make sure it was a real chsrge or not” but that is not an option- once that bear crosses a line, the person has every right to think its a real charge. Personally I’d be firing the moment it started in my direction in what looked like an aggressive manner, and just not say anything other than “the bear was charging and too close to me when i decided to shoot” if questioned. There are no do-overs if a person gets it wrong. It isn’t a game- liberals think so, but then again they are ignorant. A bear coming at a person must be considered dangerous, as that is not their usual tendencies. Those that do come at a person might be b,uffing this time, but they are ,earning to get closer and c,over until one day they do work up the courage to actuslly attack a person, and that is a dangerous bear in the making- 99% won’t want anything to do with people, but that 1%, or so, need to be dealt with
How is the kick on that monster?
Significant. First time I ever shot it I just about ended up on my backside. Sure didn’t need one, but wanted one.
How is the kick on that monster?
Model 65. K-frame. Probably not terrible. And I'm betting the shooter didn't notice.
You need a backup smaller caliber. One shot with that thing wouldn’t allow you to fire another shot as fast as you might need. Lol
I’ll bet you don’t spend much time alone in the woods.
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