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“Stopping” bears with handgun or rifle cartridges

Talyn

Talyn

SAINT
Founding Member
Bear aggression and attacks are far more common that most fish and game agencies want to report. There are a lot more black bears in the woods. Do not let yourself be misled by fish and game agencies that claim “black bears are not dangerous”, or likewise about grizzlies.

“Stopping” bears with handgun or rifle cartridges

8059e64b77e501c6fdbabfcc96631b79--coyote-hunting-bear-hunting.jpg

Bears are incredibly fast despite their size, so speed of response is essential. Even if a potential victim sees the bear coming, time may be short. In a typical attack, the victim may have as little as .5 to 1.5 seconds to react. Training and practice are essential to survival. But just shooting the bear may not be enough to stop the attack. Bears are tough with heavy muscle and hide and very strong, thick bones. So, the first challenge is for the bullet to penetrate deeply enough to get to vital organs which, when damaged sufficiently, will cause the animal to stop the attack immediately. However, even if the heart or lungs are destroyed, the bear may still have enough oxygen and blood in its system to carry out the attack and kill the victim. Sure, the bear may die, but not before the victim is dead.

The best bet to immediately stop an attacking bear is to turn off its central nervous system, which requires a brain shot or a shot which severs the spinal cord.
 
Talyn said:
Bear aggression and attacks are far more common that most fish and game agencies want to report. There are a lot more black bears in the woods. Do not let yourself be misled by fish and game agencies that claim “black bears are not dangerous”, or likewise about grizzlies.

“Stopping” bears with handgun or rifle cartridges

8059e64b77e501c6fdbabfcc96631b79--coyote-hunting-bear-hunting.jpg

Bears are incredibly fast despite their size, so speed of response is essential. Even if a potential victim sees the bear coming, time may be short. In a typical attack, the victim may have as little as .5 to 1.5 seconds to react. Training and practice are essential to survival. But just shooting the bear may not be enough to stop the attack. Bears are tough with heavy muscle and hide and very strong, thick bones. So, the first challenge is for the bullet to penetrate deeply enough to get to vital organs which, when damaged sufficiently, will cause the animal to stop the attack immediately. However, even if the heart or lungs are destroyed, the bear may still have enough oxygen and blood in its system to carry out the attack and kill the victim. Sure, the bear may die, but not before the victim is dead.

The best bet to immediately stop an attacking bear is to turn off its central nervous system, which requires a brain shot or a shot which severs the spinal cord.
Click to expand...
I’ve never been attacked by a bear but I’ve had my run in’s with coyotes and wolves a few times during wildlife rescues, only had to shoot dead one coyote who wouldn’t back down to warning shots.
 
ALASKAN GUIDE, PHIL SHOEMAKER, Uses 9MM OUTDOORSMAN ROUNDS in a S&W 3954 to stop an attacking grizzly - See story and photos below.

Tim,

Two days ago I was guiding a couple from NY on a fishing trip and decided to pack my S&W 3954 pistol. When we were approaching the stream we bumped into a large boar who must have been sleeping as we were talking loud just so we wouldn't surprise one. Over the past 33 years I have lived and guided here on the Alaska peninsula I have never had to kill a bear in defense of life but this bear was different.

We were in thick brush and I was only 8 or 10 feet from the bear when he started growling and huffing. I began yelling and it eventually ran around, behind my two clients, into the brush. But within 15 seconds it came charging back from the area behind us and popped out of the brush 10 feet from me! I had the little S&W in my hands and was thinking I was probably going to have to shoot it but as it cleared the brush it headed toward my clients. The man had enough sense to grab his wife and fall backward into the tall grass. The bear seemed to lose track of them, even though it was less than 3 feet away from them and it was highly agitated! It then swung toward me, I was 6 or 8 feet away, and I fired the first shot into the area between the head and shoulder. It growled and started wildly thrashing around, still basically on the feet of my clients. My next shot hit it in the shoulder and it began twisting and biting at the hits and I continued firing as fast as I could see vitals. Five shots later it turned into the brush and I hit it again and it twisted and fell 20 feet from us!

We hiked out and I flew back to camp to report the incident to F&G and pick up my daughter to go back and skin the bear for F&G.

You are the first person I have told this story to as I haven't decided whether to write it up or not, or where, but thought you should know that your ammo WORKS. We recovered 4 of the bullets and I took a photo of the back of the bear after the hide was removed that shows an entry on one side of the back and the tip of the bullet on the off side ...

Phil Shoemaker
www.grizzlyskinsofalaska.com

Phil Grizzly
 
Talyn said:
ALASKAN GUIDE, PHIL SHOEMAKER, Uses 9MM OUTDOORSMAN ROUNDS in a S&W 3954 to stop an attacking grizzly - See story and photos below.

Tim,

Two days ago I was guiding a couple from NY on a fishing trip and decided to pack my S&W 3954 pistol. When we were approaching the stream we bumped into a large boar who must have been sleeping as we were talking loud just so we wouldn't surprise one. Over the past 33 years I have lived and guided here on the Alaska peninsula I have never had to kill a bear in defense of life but this bear was different.

We were in thick brush and I was only 8 or 10 feet from the bear when he started growling and huffing. I began yelling and it eventually ran around, behind my two clients, into the brush. But within 15 seconds it came charging back from the area behind us and popped out of the brush 10 feet from me! I had the little S&W in my hands and was thinking I was probably going to have to shoot it but as it cleared the brush it headed toward my clients. The man had enough sense to grab his wife and fall backward into the tall grass. The bear seemed to lose track of them, even though it was less than 3 feet away from them and it was highly agitated! It then swung toward me, I was 6 or 8 feet away, and I fired the first shot into the area between the head and shoulder. It growled and started wildly thrashing around, still basically on the feet of my clients. My next shot hit it in the shoulder and it began twisting and biting at the hits and I continued firing as fast as I could see vitals. Five shots later it turned into the brush and I hit it again and it twisted and fell 20 feet from us!

We hiked out and I flew back to camp to report the incident to F&G and pick up my daughter to go back and skin the bear for F&G.

You are the first person I have told this story to as I haven't decided whether to write it up or not, or where, but thought you should know that your ammo WORKS. We recovered 4 of the bullets and I took a photo of the back of the bear after the hide was removed that shows an entry on one side of the back and the tip of the bullet on the off side ...

Phil Shoemaker
www.grizzlyskinsofalaska.com

Phil Grizzly
Click to expand...
Thats pretty crazy!

Personally I'd have a 10mm on me in grizzly bear country with 15 XTP rounds on tap.

That's what I carry in the woods in NH though we only have black bear here.
 
If I was him I would have excused myself to the nearest high brush and removed my well soiled drawers and kneeled for a moment of Thanksgiving!
On a m/c ride in the hills my friends and I met a one-armed barkeep in Coalville, Utah. He had a big brown bear hide tacked up behind the bar. He claimed he was just a boy when he killed it with a .22 Ruger Bearcat revolver. I joked him and asked, "is that what happened to your arm?"
He laughed. He told us his daddy whupped him real good for that little escapade.
 
I'm just providing (hopefully) useful information on this topic.

But I do use Buffalo Bore ammo since I do live in both black bear and Grizzly country, and there are a couple other 4-legged critters that could get hostile when I'm out-and-about in the mtns.
 
Late fall bears (before they hibernate) have lots of fat so a bullet needs to get through all that too in order to get to the vitals.

I wouldn't load any different than I do for grizzlies.

There's some BIG black bears in places with an abundant food supply for them like eastern PA, etc..

879 lb PA black bear

9061842-large.jpg
 
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