Posted on 09/24/2022 6:18:52 AM PDT by marktwain
Realistic bear defense drills can help prepare gun owners for actual situations.
The success of Eli Dicken in stopping a mass murder in the early stages, with excellent marksmanship at a claimed 40 yards, has engendered a plethora of people creating and executing some form of a “Dicken Drill” of ten shots at 40 yards.
There have been a number of “bear defense” exercises, usually arranged to simulate a worst-case scenario. I know of one such scenario, as it was related to me, by the inventor/trainer who ran it for a major agency.
The “bear” ran on a cart, as I recall, starting 10 yards away. Speed was determined by the person who ran away from the shooting line, pulling the bear, which also moved up and down on the terrain, toward the trainee shooter.
The trainer prepped the trainee, to be tested, thus the trainee was armed with a pump shotgun with a sling. There were rounds in the magazine, but none allowed in the chamber. The shotgun had to be slung on the shoulder, with the safety on, and the bolt locked forward. To engage the target, the trainee had to unsling the shotgun, disengage the bolt lock, work the action, disengage the safety, then shoot. Alternatively, the trainee could unsling the shotgun, disengage the safety, dry fire the shotgun, which would disengage the bolt lock, work the action, and then shoot.
Once preparation to do the drill was ready, the trainer would engage the trainee with a question or small talk. When the trainee’s attention was off the “bear” the trainer would give the secret signal to start the bear charging at the trainee. Unsurprisingly, few trainees managed to get off a shot and hit the “bear”.
Trainers can create a drill to obtain the effect they want
(Excerpt) Read more at ammoland.com ...
Common to see grizzly bear along salmon streams. Had them 10 yards from me waiting for me to catch a fish; which they take. I've never felt threatened by grizzly bear. Most in blueberries run from people as they get shot at a lot.
I have a bunch of Indian friends who talk to grizzly bear up close all the time; makes me nervous. They claim bear only eat white people but I remember one Indian who got treed and always had an 06 with him.
People shoot most bear they see on the spot. They break into cabins and cause numerous problems. They are not supposed to be around people.
That’s Pt. Hope, AK.
Another problem is many seem very unwilling to kill a bear, even to protect themselves.
It is important to overcome that programing.
In the vast majority of bear attacks, there is a few seconds warning. It is equally important to take advantage of those few seconds to draw your pistol and make ready.
I lived in the Alaskan interior for two years.
If you are in a gun fight with a bear, you are doing it wrong.
They are faster than you think, smart than we give them credit for and can suck up bullets like a tree trunk.
” Only the old timers stubbornly cling to wheel guns.”
If you have carried a wheel gun for years that is what you are comfortable with.
I wouldn’t call them stubborn.
Buffalo Bore site also has a very good article along with photos of Tim’s woods guns.
All side arms are revolvers starting with .4 and all are single action.
Fruns run heavy to lever action 45-70’s.
I suspect his advice is probably pretty accurate.
I think the old timers like the fact that the wheel gun goes bang every time you pull the trigger and sometimes a mag fed semi-auto might stovepipe....
Fruns run heavy to lever action 45-70’s.
Eyes not doing well this morning.
Should be : “Rifles run heavy to 45-70”
He also hints that a .308 is not recommended for the big bears.
His town guns are 9mm +P
Agree. I just prefer a wheel gun while I’m in the river.
I have a Ruger GP100, 6”. Love it. It handles full power loads easily.
For camping in Bear country I usually keep my Marlin 45-70 handy.
Nobody knows anything any more.
They all forget what happened years ago concerning kids and bears.
My mother and her sisters, when they wer young, went blueberrying on top of the moutain here. They always carried a pot and spoon. If a bear came, they would just bang on the pot with the spoon. They were never attacked by a bear over a span of 15 years, never ever. Duhhhh!
Nobody knows anything like it never hapenned before to kids. Gimme a break.
These guys must be city slickers.
I got a bear comes every year into my rasberry patches, eats all the berries and falls asleep in the patch, & leaves the next morning.
These guys better go talk to some mountain folk about them bears coz they dont know beans about bears.
Too damn close, I say...I prefer a mile away. Maybe I could ‘run away’.
= = =
Park your rifle, with a string on the trigger.
Run far away.
Pull the string.
Bear goes to the gunshot, expecting to find dead game to eat.
You get away.
Good Plan.
Where would you shoot him? head or chest?
The nose is a pretty good target, if the bear is coming straight at you.
Put lots of shots on target, as the bear closes. Aiming at a shoulder is good, because it usually slows them down and moves them off the line of attack, if you have a powerful enough caliber to break the shoulder.
The brain is a good target because it stops them right now. It is especially viable if they are paused for a moment, very close to you, which happens with some frequency.
I remember Patton saying the only thing he feared was getting shot in the nose.
Guys, ‘bear’ in this article really means a charging human. Bears kill around 11 Americans every year. 15,000+ Americans are murdered every year by subhuman monsters. Prepare to defend yourselves against subhumans not bears. Bears are sweet animals as long as you dont try to steal their dinner.
Anyone who goes into bear country with a single action wheel gun probably has a death wish. At the very least, make sure the will and insurance papers are easily accessible.
I would. I started out with wheel guns and had no problem transitioning to semi-auto when I got older. Same with technology. I had no problem transitioning to vehicles with keyless entry, push button start, adaptive cruise control, backup camera, etc. Some people just can't handle change, even if it's for the better. I call those people stubborn.
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