Posted on 07/04/2013 7:51:29 AM PDT by rktman
In an effort to highlight the effects of global warming, an Irish-Canadian team plans to cross the arctic’s Northwest Passage in a rowboat while armed with rubber bullets to ward off polar bears.
The team will also carry shotguns to kill the animals if necessary.
“They are the only animal out there that will actively hunt down a human being,” said seasoned adventurer Kevin Vallely, who is part of the rowing expedition which will take about 80 days and traverse the distance between Inuvik in Canada’s Northwest Territories and Pond Inlet, Nunavut.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailycaller.com ...
To my knowledge, lions and tigers don’t live in the arctic. They probably aren’t packing a snake-bite kit, either...
This is at the north end of Baffin Island - there aren’t any grizzlies, wolves, or black bears way up there...
I carry a winchester defender with slugs for bear defense when I’m out and about in the woods, and that will stop anything.
The guy said, “They are the only animal out there that will actively hunt down a human being". While not in the arctic, lions and tigers are certainly "out there".
Many of you are making fun of the use of shotguns on polar bear. I’ve worked four years in Prudhoe Bay, Alaska. The shotgun is the weapon of choice for bear control by the security force and Sherriff’s Office in Prudhoe.
Rubber ball rounds are quite effective in driving off overly curious bears. I’ve seen the effect on a young male grizzly. He moved rapidly away!
On the few occasions a bear had to be put down up there, slugs in a 12 gauge was effective.
While I would agree for hunters a heavier rifle 45-70, 444 Marlin, 375 H&H would make good sense...
Also, 25 mph is slow for a bear. On level ground a full grown bear can do more like 40 mph and can keep that speed for a surprisingly long time. They can and will run caribou to ground... You will not outrun a bear.
I guess you’ve interpreted his statement differently than I.
Starts at 33:40 in the video. This guy has nads the size of grapefruits. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iq0rZn8HFmQ
It helps waterproof the polar bears. (Yeah, I know there aren’t any in Antarctica but the enviro wack jobs probably don’t. Heheheh!)
He should have stuck a "routinely" in there.
Lion, tiger and wolves that hunt humans are the exception, not the rule, for their species.
Polar bears, OTOH, have apparently mostly never seen a human and hunt them like any other food source.
Actually, the preferred method of hunting polar bears is to get upwind of the trophy you’re after and let him hunt you down, whereupon you shoot him.
375 H&H muzzle energy ~4500 ft/lbs. 12 gauge slugs up to 3000, somewhat lower but probably enough to knock a bear on his ass. If you hit him.
When my brother and his family went rafting in AK, they took a 10 gauge with magnum slugs. He figured that was about as powerful as most rifles at close range, and he wasn’t going to be shooting at any bears across the valley.
Like I said. A little Tony Chacere’s and some tobasco sauce in their back packs would do just fine. They are about as brilliant as the mares against ill-eagle guns and the gabby and mark travelin’ circus. Maybe we should suggest they take some .22lr with them.
I was referring to his statement “polar bears are the ONLY predator that actively hunt humans”.
He’s an overeducated idiot.
Fair enough, now that I consider it, his statement could be interpreted either way.
He probably knows what he’s doing. From his bio: “Kevin Vallely was named one of Canada’s leading adventurers by the Globe and Mail. His adventuring resume is stacked with compelling expeditions to all parts of the world including skiing Alaska’s 1,860 kilometre Iditarod Trail; scampering over Vancouver Island’s West Coast Trail in record time (10 hours, 13 minutes); attempting to bike and climb the island of Java’s 13 -10,000-foot volcanoes (a trip cut short when post-9/11 Indonesia became too dangerous); competing on the only Canadian team to finish the last and most difficult Eco-Challenge adventure race held in Fiji in 2002; retracing a 2,000 kilometre Klondike-era ice-bike route through the dead of an Alaskan winter, and most recently, with teammates Ray Zahab and Richard Weber, breaking the world record for the fastest unsupported trek from Hercules Inlet to the South Pole.”
Thanks rktman.
10 gauge is the largest smooth bore allowed these days I think. I hear that fishing guides carry 12 gauges with slugs and stand behind their fishing party guarding against a bear ambush. Sounds like a good choice too. I am reasonably good with the big bore rifles so I’d opt for the 375 but even something as lower powered like a 30-06 with a 220 gr load should be effective. You tangentially mention the best round is the one you can hit the target with at close range. I agree, while a 460 Weatherby would take him out, few can fire that gun proficiently enough to be comfortable in the knowledge they could hit the bear at close range!
As the joke goes, you only need a .25 cal to survive a bear attack. When the bear attacks, shoot the guy standing next to you in the knee then run. The bear will eat him and not you.
I hope these guys film the expedition. I have a feeling it might turnout a lot like that guy that filmed the grizzlies.
I think we’ve found a valid use of the 50 caliber Desert Eagle. A Springfield M1A would also seem appropriate. Semiautomatic with a 10 rounds of .308.
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