Posted on 12/03/2010 5:42:12 AM PST by marktwain
TAHOE CITY Wildlife officials confirmed this week that a Lake Tahoe man was legally acting in self defense when he used a shotgun to kill a 500-pound bear after the bruin allegedly attacked him 10 days ago inside his Lake Forest restaurant.
On the morning of Friday, Nov. 20, at 8 a.m., William Hunter, co-owner of Bacchi's Inn Restaurant, encountered the large bruin sleeping on the floor of the dining room.
H.H. Hunter, William's wife and restaurant co-owner, said the bear had repeatedly broken into the restaurant, causing more than $800 damage in broken windows over the course of the previous week.
H.H. Hunter said it was lucky her husband had a loaded shotgun he kept at the store due to the recent break-ins. When her husband shouted at the bear to ward him off the premises, the bear allegedly became aggressive and charged William, who was forced to discharge his weapon, killing the bruin.
He so hated to kill the bear, said H.H. Hunter. It was a case of either him or the bear.
Jason Holley, wildlife biologist supervisor for the North Central Region for the California Department of Fish and Game, confirmed the Hunters were well within their legal rights when shooting the bear.
The business owner was defending himself, said Holley. I'm sure seeing an angry 500-pound wild animal was an intimidating sight.
(Excerpt) Read more at theunion.com ...
You forgot to mention that he was working on his GED!
I do hope he kept the skin, claws, skull, and the prime cuts.
Ping.
For clarity, it should read "the restaraunteurs were well within their legal rights..."
Had the Hunters (big H) been hunters (little H), they'd probably be prosecuted
(or persecuted) for unlawful shooting.
How much do wish to wager that the tests you mention were at distances far greater than 20 feet?
At distances under that, bird shot acts like a prefragmented bullet. The individual shot pellets reinforce each other and create a devasting wound.
Try your own tests. Buy a heavy coat and pair of Jeans at the local thrift store, drape them over a 1/2 inch plywood board at 20 feet or less, then shoot them with a 12 gauge load of bird shot. You will be amazed.
How much do wish to wager that the tests you mention were at distances far greater than 20 feet?
At distances under that, bird shot acts like a prefragmented bullet. The individual shot pellets reinforce each other and create a devastating wound.
Try your own tests. Buy a heavy coat and pair of Jeans at the local thrift store, drape them over a 1/2 inch plywood board at 20 feet or less, then shoot them with a 12 gauge load of bird shot. You will be amazed. Here is a link from someone who did similar tests:
Ballistic tests done by FBI for example have led to conclusion one needs 12 inches of penetration to ensure fracture of the Central Nervous System. I am not questioning fact bird shot, probably 4s, produce a severe wound and are lethal at very close range, but I prefer to stop the perpetrator from functioning as quick as possible. Going beyond that, in the instant news item, the perp was a 500 lb bear. Seems to me faced with such a critter, I would want to ensure a kill.
There is a site, Box of Truth, or some such where the guy did many penetration tests and his conclusion was bird shot is not effective for defensive purposes. Not sure how distant he was shooting but it was not long range.
Chuck Hawks agrees with you about the use of bird shot, 4’s, at very close range inside a home yet he backs up his first few 4’s with buckshot 00 for his personal situation.
FWIW for my personal use, I have a double 20 gauge with 3 buck and I would not wish to face a bear with it albeit I am confident it is extremely effective for home defense. The only bear we have seen around here was 350lb black bear five years ago which found its way onto the island and found its way off without getting shot or apprehended!
The problem with bird shot for defense is that if you have to fire at any significant distance, it looses effectiveness very quickly. At very short ranges (20 feet or less), the size of the shot makes little difference.
If I had to use bird shot for defense against a bear, I would aim for the head. At close range, a bird shot load from a 12 gauge will turn even a big bear's head to mush. The chances of bird shot, at close range, being deflected by the skull, are effectively nil.
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