Posted on 10/18/2023 5:52:13 AM PDT by marktwain
Firearms are not the only tool available to defend against bear attacks. Blades and blunt objects have been effective in a number of recorded cases. Unlike bear spray or firearms, when someone defends against a bear with a blade or a blunt object, it tends to make the news.
Traditionally, bears were hunted with spears and dogs. Humans with spears, partnered with dogs, are very difficult for a bear to successfully overcome. Some human and dog casualties result, with dog casualties much more common than humans. Spears give humans a necessary stand-off distance to keep them away from a bear’s teeth and claws. Dangerous prey spears usually have a cross piece to keep the prey from reaching the human at the other end.
Two or more humans with spears are nearly as effective as a human and dog pack team.
There have been several cases of humans using hatchets/axes to successfully defend against bears.
Several people have successfully defended against attacking bears by using knives. Even relatively small knives are better than bare hands. In Bear Attacks, the Deadly Truth, page 129, Bob Nickols killed a grizzly bear with a knife, as it badly mauled him. He survived. The bear died. Larger knives are better. Tom Tilley gained fame for killing an aggressive black bear with a six-inch Buck knife. It seems likely sharp swords could work well.
(Excerpt) Read more at ammoland.com ...
I don’t know if they do it anymore but the rangers up at Black Rock Mountain state park in The N Georgia mountains used to carry baseball bats to whack unruly black bears on the snout. Of course the average black bear in GA is only about 125 lbs.
Tim Wells
You wack a 125lb bear with a bat hard enough.
There is a good chance it is going to be a dead bear.
A boar spear would be a good weapon to have during the apocaplyse when bullets start running out.
I don’t know if he’s still around but years back a Freeper actually killed a grizzly bear with a knife. I believe his handle is, or was, Katana. I’ve pinged him. The story is in the archives somewhere.
L
Dogs are good at getting behind bears and dividing their attention.
The ranger told me they just use them to dissuade aggression. I don’t think they hit them that hard.
Kanawa is the screen name Tom uses on the conservative discussion website, freerepublic. His fight with the bear is discussed and detailed there. The night before the fight with the bear, in his trip journal, Tom wrote: “Finding it quite easy to wear the knife on belt”
Yep that’s him. His duck hunting videos are really something to watch (all his videos are really)
Thanks for the correction.
L
My brother-in-law was a new police officer in 1982 and his training officer carried a .41 magnum as his sidearm. They got a call from a guy to come and put down a cow that was acting crazy in his back yard. They arrived and found the property fenced in but grow up with little paths the livestock had made. The homeowner had his other animals out of the area except for a cow that was acting mad and crazy and he asked them to put it down.
The FTO told my BIL you go up there and push the cow towards me and I’ll shot it when it comes out. My BIL said you just make sure you shoot the cow and not me! He went into the thicket and drove the cow towards his FTO and the FTO put a round right between the eyes of the cow with his .41 magnum JHP, don’t know the grain of the round. The cow reared up with a loud roar and instead of hitting the ground charged the FTO and nearly ran him over, bursting through the gate and out into the neighborhood. As it passed the FTO noted a large bloody gash between the eyes where the round hit.
They gathered themselves and went looking for the cow but didn’t find it. Finally a few hours later the owner of the cow found it near a cemetery an dispatched it with .12 gauge 00 buck.
Sounds like a case of mad cow dis-ease.
Nope, it sure wasn’t me. The only bears I’ve ever encountered close up were on the other side of a fence and across a ditch in a zoo. I tend to avoid anything that would consider me food. Or large wild animals of any sort. People who get close to bison or moose in a park for their little FB selfies are Darwin Award material, IMHO. Total disrespect for wonderful and creatures in their home. Kill a brown bear with a knife? Doubtful.
Just about any bullet will glance off very thick and tough bone when it hits at a slight angle.
A few bullets have been designed to overcome this problem. Jim Cirillo advicated revolver bullets similar to the "pin grabber" design. Some bullets have been made with a fairly sharp edge designed to dig into bone.
Understand
Understand
Note to self: when traveling in woods, carry a spear.
A spear can be a pretty good walking staff...
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