Posted on 03/01/2019 3:54:59 AM PST by marktwain
One of the issues in determining the efficacy of guns and bear spray in stopping bear attacks is how to decide if an incident should be included in the database.
One of my selection criteria is: an incident should only be included if the bear spray was actually sprayed or if a shot were actually fired. Here are two examples of incidents that should not be included in the statistics for the efficacy of either bear spray or firearms. The first is an example of when the bear spray was available, but not used.
On 23 July 2011, a group of seven young men were attacked by a grizzly bear. They carried bear spray, but in the speed and chaos of the attack, no one used it. Three of the young men, two aged 17, one 16, were seriously injured. One was injured but was released from the hospital the same day. That was Victor Martin, who kicked the bear in the face when it grabbed his leg. From aspentimes.com:
The attack Saturday night in the Talkeetna Mountains north of Anchorage came as the group was nearing the end of a 30-day course to learn how to survive in the backcountry. The teens were at the stage of the course where they could try out their skills without adults around.
Authorities believe the bear was aggressive because it was with its cub. Gottsegen said no one ever saw a cub.
(Excerpt) Read more at ammoland.com ...
Sorry, not seeing a fish or a holster.
L
So last year I'm on a day train trip in Alaska, one where folks that live in the bush can flag it down. There were some who were riding back from town with supplies including a couple in their 80’s who had been living on their homestead since shortly after the big Easter earthquake in the 60’s.
They were great to talk with, (he was born in a small town about 15 miles from where I grew up in Missouri) and a guy with very little country living experience asked the woman about how to deal with bears. He had heard that, like a shark, you could punch one in nose and it would stop the attack. She was being nice but her response was classic, “I think he'd have your arm chewed off before you could hit him.”
He then asked, “Well, what do you do?” “You make a lot of noise and if he won't leave, you shoot him, more than once.” The city guy recoiled back, I guess in shock that this sweet great grandmother was so cavalier about shooting a bear.
Welcome to Alaska!
Exit wound on bear in my pic; I can’t recall what cal my son used on him; I can ask when he gets home from work, for ya.
https://images44.fotki.com/v802/photos/9/127099/14534698/exitwound-vi.jpg
Better yet, stay out of bears’ kitchens.
What’s the efficacy of flame throwers?
The area envisioned to be designated as "wildlands" is most of the U.S.
Solution: Bearspray holsters.
They exist. If Bearspray is your primary defense, a good quickdraw holster is a good idea. Dave Smith, and others recommend keeping the bear spray in your hand.
The probably would work. Be interesting if someone would make a small, portable one you could carry in a holster.
But other effects make it problematical.
A hot loaded .357 or .44, or.460 or .500 magnum puts out a pretty good flame, when fired.
I’m just thinking, bears don’t understand bullets, they probably don’t understand pepper spray, but if they live in a forest they surely understand fire... makes the threat plain as day to them.
.357 or bigger yes, but you need a hunting round, hard cast round that will penetrate more than a regular jacket hollow point round for two legged critters. I recommend Buffalo Bore ammo for .357, .44 mag, etc...
At 70 pounds fueled and pressure loaded with a 9 to 11 second time of fuel expenditure, not too good.
However, if you have a 12-gauge shotgun, loading the first round with a magnesium flake *dragon's breath* load can be effective and a whole lot lighter. It can be twice as effective in a double-barreled gun, particularly at night when bears often hunt by sense of smell, nearly as good as that of a dog.
The recoil of such loads is surprisingly mild, even in short-barreled *shockwave* guns, 12 gauge pistols and AOW weapons, and allows for a quick followup shot with slug or buckshot wait a repeater- and even a single or double-barreled gun can be recharged pretty quickly.
Just so. Likewise, if the tool used proved terribly ineffectual, that is not the fault of the tool, but that of the person who chose the wrong tool for the wrong job.
As an example: the Federal Park Ranger killed in Montana in 2016 by a bear when he hit it with his bicycle.
It is not entirely clear if he was otherwise armed as well. Sometimes, you get the bear. Sometimes, the bear gets you.
Terrible weapon for bears.
If the bear is close enough to be a known threat, it is too close to use a grenade...
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