Posted on 12/03/2007 3:09:30 PM PST by george76
Long ago, grizzly bears thrived in Montana as did tales - some tall, some true - told by frontiersmen of a man-eater even more fearsome than the other two bogeymen of the forest, wolves and mountain lions.
Today, the reputation of Ursus arctos horribilis - along with other major predators ...
Also changed is how people can handle encounters with grizzlies, using a chemical spray rather than guns to improve the odds that both humans and bears will escape the encounters unharmed.
But Workman believes that if a bullet was good enough for his great-grandfather more than a century ago, then it's good enough for him when confronted by a charging grizzly, especially since he's wielding a modern, high-powered rifle.
It's an opinion held by many hunters, but Workman also is a member of Montana's Fish, Wildlife and Parks Commission, the citizen board that oversees the state Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks.
And that agency, along with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, devotes considerable resources each year on bear awareness programs that emphasize chemical spray, not bullets, as the way to keep both people and bears safe in the woods.
Last week, Workman drew widespread criticism from bear biologists, wildlife officials and some hunters when he shot a charging grizzly - and later said bullets are far more effective than bear spray in fending off such an attack.
These people who think that they're safe with bear spray, I'm here to tell them it's a false sense of security, he said.
The spray is better than nothing, but I'll choose a firearm every time.
Workman...also drew fire for saying grizzlies have become so populous in Montana that they should be taken off the endangered species list and hunted to make them afraid of people.
(Excerpt) Read more at missoulian.com ...
Thanks for sharing that.
Experience is often different than whats on paper.
I appreciate the story...angels were looking out for him.
She normally carries one of these.
I took the rifle, racked a round in the chamber and told her to go back the way we came, I would watch our back.
I don’t think there’s enough difference in power to justify the vastly smaller ammo world of the 450 Marlin, particularly when there’s pretty much nothing which walks the Earth which the 45/70 won’t stop. They say that heavy Garrett 45/70 ammo will go through a cape buffalo or rhino from end to end.
Hey, did I miss anything? I had to step out for a cup of joe. All this pistol talk got me curious about a few things so I asked my husband (an expert and avid hunter) about the best ammo to take out a bear. He said “RULE #1” is a hunter needs to make sure their weapon is loaded correctly because if it isn’t there is a definite possibility of the weapon backfiring and that can get really messy! Then the bear really gets the best of you. Thought Id’e pass on the tip.
That outa give everyone the willies, even the most expert hunter.
Well, I'm sure the lefties would hate it if they realized it, but many of the USGS staff are already trained and armed.
As for the GSA, it's composed of people from many different affiliations, so it's up to the individual members. But I believe a committee has been set up to develop guidelines and recommendations that members can use to help them in dealing with their employers (usually academic institutions)...providing some "official weight" to those who need to convincing that people operating alone need to be able to protect themselves.
Anybody who would choose pepper spray over a gun has to have a death wish.
The cartrige is still an antique black-powder cartrige. Modern smokeless powder can be loaded in this cartrige, but the pressures may not exceed the maximum SAMMI pressure.
Even though the pressure is generally lower than in some other more modern cartriges, the .45-70 govt. still packs a punch.
If I were choosing a new purchase, I would probably go with a .450 Marlin.
I used to work in Alaska, had a fish and game guy tell me that the best bear deterrent was a flare gun, he said spray will work if you get it in their nose and eyes, and a gun may or may not work, but a 3000 degree flare burning their fur will defintely make them run away.
My Montana/Alaska buddy recommends filing off the sights of your pistol before using it on grizzly.
It hurts less when the bear shoves it up your
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