Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Alaska Bear Charge

Yeah, but I caught it.

My dog is smarter than that one. I'm sure he would have gave my shooting hand a good bite or "fetched" the revolver out of the holster and then headed for home to warn the family....

When the dog got home he related the story of his bravery to the neighbor dog by saying he told his master, "Skin this one, pilgrim, I'll be back with another in a few minutes!"

I can't fault the dog.

If the situation was reversed, what would you do?

well since i wouldn't be in that situation unarmed i'd stay and help my dog. a good dog should of given him some warning of the bear at the very least and perferabably be willing to fight

Thinking Greg is not the kind to blame the dog...

He take the short bus to school???

I'm sure my hunting cocker would have stuck around. The only problem is that he probably would have been hanging on to my chest.....

However, I have no doubts that the one I had previously would have met that charge going full speed ahead right at it.

Since all worked out for the best, we can make a few jokes.

I heard Grits Greshum talking about a similar story but didn't tune in early enough to know if this was the one. Grits also said the guy tried to put one last round into the bear and the gun was locked up from bullet pull out. Was that this particular guy or does anyone know. IF so this is the second one of these I've heard of with the 454. Just wondering.

The bear self defense thing is always going to be a tough situation. I think a lot of bears get shot by inexperienced, freaked out people. This said, you still want the ability to protect yourself. I think a whole lot more bears get shot in AK than are reported. Typically the nuisance bear that is habituated in a populated area. Without a doubt this is likely the most dangerous bear. In the wild I think the very rare bear that attacks, is the one you never see. Most bear situations are avoidable or will diffuse with time. The wild cards are when you step on a couple of cubs while busting through the alders or pitch your tent near a buried moose kill. The "Grizzly Man" and his girlfriend were the first known bear attack fatalities in Katmai National Park or preserve areas. This guy was an idiot and begged for the attack. Katmai has been open for at least 75 years and is absolutely choked with brown bears. The sad thing is that he brought his girlfriend along for it. No one sees more brown bears than the fly fishing guides in the Bristol Bay areas. All of them carry guns. I have never heard of one of them shooting a bear. When I worked in AK, I carried an overloaded 44mag. It seemed like a massive cannon in TN but in the alder bushes seemed like a bb gun. Most likely would have just wounded a bear. I never know what to believe when I hear the self defense stories. You really have no choice, but to rely on the fact that the person felt they were in imminent danger.

Dogs can be a lot like people when it comes to bears. You just don't know how they'll react 'til they're "in the situation." I had a great bear dog, but you had to read him. He was definitely not one to provoke (or scare) a bear by barking, But he didn't turn tail and bring them back either. He was more like a bear "pointer" (though he was generally a poor hunting dog.) Still, he alerted to many bears and saved us some trouble as long as someone was paying attention - and you should be in bear country.

And the first was Medred in the ADN? (That was a crazy deal IMO, if I might say so. Bad handloads??? his own.....)

Had a black bear situation on a Ak. goat hunt two years ago. Up on top we saw him chasing the goats around, but they would just go higher and he would eventually quit.

After shooting a goat and returning to our tent we saw he had tore into it, ate some stuff and generally made a mess of things. While cleaning things up he came back. We yelled at him and he left twice. Upon returning the third time he started with the hissing and teeth clacking. That is when the guide said to shoot him. I said I thought we had enough to carry off the mountain and after talking about it we decided not to. Later that night he came in and took the meat that was just outside the tent.

The guide then said that he wished we would have shot him because he would be concerned about returning to that area again that year due to the fact that he would probably do the same and that if he ripped up the tent in bad weather it could be a problem. With a ripped tent and some tore up gear he indicated it would be no problem justifying it as DLP.

I don't know if the right decision was made or not, however he has considerable experience with both black and browns around Cordova. It seems DLP can have various definitions. By that I mean your life does not necessarily have to be in immediate danger at that particular moment to qualify under the definition.

No DLP gets prosecuted... Say "I was scared" and you are golden...

Have had way too many dealings with Medred "brilliance" to lend much weight to his side of any argument...

Actually, I was a bit surprised at how "well" a situation went off this summer. (I never considered property as a legitimate defense issue personally and didn't previously know it was allowed.) But I did make sure I documented every kid we had along so that they (F&G) might have some perspective. (At least I suppose there is a bit more real concern in defense of a two-year-old as opposed to a 12 or 20 year-old simply from the individual's ability to defend themselves if "imminent" danger turns into "immediate.") I have never liked the prospect of the hassle, nor, of course, the possibility of a fine. Though the latter has always been less of a concern to me when a potential situation has loomed. But the paperwork is relatively hassle-free. The only reply I got was "you did right by sending the claws" which makes me think that some people take small trophies. I would have been more pleased if they had commended me for doing a decent job of skinning, and with a pocket knife even. The regs don't really say the parts need to be tannery ready but I at least rough fleshed the hide and skull (but no turned lips, eyes, or ears.)

Kilkitarik,
I can only imagine how many bears have been shot going after the salmon drying racks in your picture. How in the world does the bear resist going after these? I imagine they have been used for 1000 years. I have often wondered about this. There is probably a zero tolerance policy with messing with the drying rack.

Actually, it's kind of surprising how many people I've run into who share. In fact, a few years ago, I was talking to one of the most respected elders and he was telling me about his bear issues. I figured he would have taken the "western" approach to the issue. On the contrary, he still carried on the idea of respecting the animals so that their spirits will not return bad luck. (Some Native people are very hesitant to kill a bear if it can be avoided, yet the incidence of bear attacks considering the amount of time spent in their territory is low.) Anyway, that elder explained that he would carry a sack of dry fish up on the tundra, well back from his camp, so that the bear could eat too. It was a very interesting angle for someone who is more accustomed to "lobbing one over the bow". (A radio in a bucket by the fish rack works quite well also. If that "ain't" disprespect for the spirit of the animal, I don't know what is. But it works! )

Correct. I haven't heard that problem with any other caliber and I'm aware of probably 1/2 dozen DLP's. Most guys just shoot 44Mag. I have a 454 but seldom carry it. Mostly go with 44 Mag or 45 Colt either with Buffalo Bore Ammo

It's a simple matter to apply the proper crimp on any hard- charging pistol round. I suspect that the reverse is just as simple...

bhtr

Radio in a bucket is hilarious. Those racks just look too tempting to expect the big brown guys to leave them alone. Saw a bunch of them on the Alagnak. They were also usually right by the front door. When I lived in King Salmon, we had a bear tear the door off of a car to get the leftover pizza in the back seat. Drying rack is like a buffet.