Posted on 09/28/2023 5:41:19 AM PDT by marktwain
On the morning of September 12, 2023, a bird hunter was after upland game in a shelter belt in Montana, about 15 miles south of Choteau. Suddenly, a large grizzly bear burst out of the brush and weeds, charging directly at the hunter full tilt.
Bird hunters tend to be on full alert when expecting to jump-shoot birds out of cover. Your senses and reflexes are on a razor’s edge. You have an appendage (finger or thumb) on the safety. You stay alert to any movement or noise, anticipating a bird might rocket out. The shotgun has a round chambered and ready to go. You expect to acquire the target, mount the gun, and make last near instantaneous corrections before you slap the trigger, all in a fraction of a second. Most bird hunters have practiced and/or hunted enough that second and third follow-up shots are available before reaching a full second. A Grizzly bear moves slower than most birds but is coming directly at you and is a much larger target. From Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks:
GREAT FALLS – A hunter shot and wounded a grizzly bear on Tuesday near Freezout Lake Wildlife Management Area near Fairfield.
The surprise encounter happened on the morning of Sept. 12. The hunter was walking along a shelter belt hunting for upland birds on private land when he was charged by the bear, which based on evidence of the animal found at the scene is believed to be an adult male. The hunter fired twice with his shotgun at less than 15 feet, hitting the bear at least once and causing it to run off. The hunter was not injured in the encounter, which is still under investigation.
(Excerpt) Read more at ammoland.com ...
Saw that you posted this on Ammoland.
Yes, close range, it is, essentially, like a single, fluid pellet, capable of very serious damage.
“ Birdshot creates devastating wounds at close range.”
“Pistols put holes in things. Rifles put holes through things. Shotguns, at the right range with the right load, blow chunks off things and put that **** on the walls.” Clint from Thunder Ranch.
L
When I was in Funeral Service, I saw a contact shotgun wound. Almost took the arm off.
When I was in high school an acquaintance tried to commit suicide with a shotgun. It was pointed at his chest but he apparently flinched when he pulled the trigger with his toe.
The load of birdshot almost completely removed his bicep.
L
Birdshot at 15 ft would get his attention.
I have an issue with a wounded Grizzley running amuck after the fact. Any experienced hunter would know this isn’t a good thing.
This is a long held opinion. There may be truth in it, but it is very hard to test.
How many bears, when hurt, will avoid the thing which hurt them? We know this happens in some cases. The bear was willing to attack a human at the beginning. Is it more or less likely to attack a human after being severely hurt by a human?
We know when wounded bears attack. We don't know when they avoid. So there is considerable selection bias.
Even at a bit longer ranges, it can blind a charging animal, and certainly leave nasty wounds on other parts of the face which likely would stop a charge.
We had a fella in our town try to commit suicide with a shotgun too (though I don’t know what he used for ammo)- he blew his entire face off but lived. We used to pass him when going to,school when he was on a walk being led along by his helper as he recouperated. He had a white plastic or whatever it was “faceplate” that looked nothing like a face really.
Black bears and polar bears appear to be less aggressive than grizzly bears.
You hit that on the nose.
I read once though that if you spray a black bear with pepper spray, it will deter them for a short while, but that they might come back more aggressively. I dunno if that is the case, and don’t want to test it lol.
Depending on the shot size I think you could get vastly different results. #4 would definitely do damage at close range, but a pheasant or dove load unless shot directly in the bears face probably would sting a bit. I’ve shot 8 1/2 at a plastic milk jug at 20-30’ and had it not come out the back side.
Predatory black bears are less likely to be deterred by spray.
True, ive heard that too- but I have seen videos of them retreating. A fella was testing the spray by running up a tree, getting the bear to follow, and he blasted it as it started to climb. It could have been just a shock to the bear to see something like an orange cloud coming at it though, or even the sound mighta deterred it.
So...what are the alternatives? Let the grizzly kill you to save others? Or perhaps hunt it down and kill it, thereby risking your life again?
Neither is good. I'll opt for saving my arse as this hunter did.
Result is better than a wounded bird hunter. The incident was properly reported to wildlife officials. Hopefully, they responded properly by having a professional hunter more appropriately armed go after the wounded bear soon after the incident. If the bear can't be found pretty quickly, it probably wasn't that injured but has a renewed respect for the capabilities of human beings after being frightened or wounded enough to break off its attack.
Yep. I’ve had to explain to people who don’t know anything about guns that “just birdshot” will blow a huge hole in you up close.
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