Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Alaska Guns for bear protection in Alaska??

Which should not discount the use of a decent revolver with good bullets in practiced hands as "the" weapon in certain situations. You're correct in not getting bogged down in, or even distracted by, the hardware. No volume of noise or quantity of recoil ever deterred a bear with intent. Good arrows still demand a good "indian".

So please tell me O Wise One how do you carry your rifle when you're thigh deep in a stream fly fishing 10 yards from the shore? I hiked the length of the Bob Marshall wilderness by myself with my trusty 270 which was more than enough for grizzly (proven twice finishing off wounded bears when when I guided) at least the small Montana kind when you're young and immortal. Unfortunately when fishing it sat on the shore, so I'm always willing to learn ... Maybe a 45 ACP isn't optimal for grizzly, but it beats the crap out of hitting a bear with a dead fish or fly rod ...

From my experience, if a bear comes up on you while fishing, he just wants your fish. Give it to him and slowly back away. If you have to go swimming, then get wet.

Although a brown bear did grab my buddies pack one time while it was sitting on the shore of the russian. I was laughing my butt off. My buddy went after it and got his pack back...after the bear was done with it.

I just dont worry about it. If I'm in a remote spot, I'll have a rifle slung but bears are the least of my worries, although the thought is still there.

I agree, that's why I pulled a trout from my creel and talked to the grizzly, he was standing up about 40 feet from me in the South Fork of the Flathead river. I didn't know he was there until I heard a loud sniffing noise. I was about a 3 day walk South of Hungry Horse Lake in the Bob Marshall. I was prepared to throw my fish at him and go swimming. He heard my voice and moved on. I kept fishing. He paid me a couple visits at my camp that afternoon and night and convinced me to keep walking south the next morning. I had a mini mag lite taped to my 270 and stayed up by the fire that night. Best fishing I've ever had though ...

Well, actually there are quite a few folks here at the fire that have been with me around lots of brown bears. A couple years ago castnblast and I had a Kodiak bear pop out of the brush at less than 20 yards. We let the bear decide to cross the river and make a bed in sight and less than 100 yards away. I have had more encounters with brown bears in one week than most will ever have in their lives.

Seeing over 100 brown bears in one week is not all that unusual on Kodiak and other places. I believe DennisinAZ was with me when we saw well over 50 in an hour.

Being able to read a little sign when I see bears has told me most folks are making this far more dangerous-sounding than it really is... And nothing about bears pisses me off worse than some dumbass giving fish to a bear. Training a bear to take handouts is a death warrant for a bear. It also does the giver no good and only means the bear will return.

I have shot quite a few bears and been there when quite a few more died. I have had them die coming in hard. Often as not I do not even carry when fishing. There is a huge difference.

Stand exactly on what I said if I lived and worked in bear country right after my shirt went on in the morning so would one of my N frame SW's in a Safariland shoulder holster. That doesn't mean my primary arm a rifle stays at home either. I make my own decisions and always listen to good advice ,I'm still listening and alive. Magnum man

Exactly my point.

And after you actually knew something about bears and being around them I would love to see your answer.

sitka deer, you still haven't explained yourself well enuf and I'm listening. I did not advocate starting the ball, if there are other options. I was talking about using a bullet that would penetrate and hold together out of a revolver, if you had to use it as the last resourse to protect your life. A rifle of suitible caliber with correct ammunition is allways a better answer in my book for defensive action against a large predator. I would be the first to admit not having any experience defending myself from a bear.I am all ears ,speak. Magnum Man.

Treatise time, artsy.

No way do I have time for that... Spent the day in Whittier dewinterizing a boat and need to go back tomorrow to fix a reverse switch on a potpuller... and set some pots... maybe find a prawn or two in them...

All that and I tore up my office, added about 30' of shelf space and may finally get all my books where I can get at them...

But back to bears... Rarely does the hype about monster bears matter in self defense. Despite the stories big bears are almost never the problem. It is the little bastard males, newly disnefranchised from Mama and getting their asses kicked everywhere they turn that cause problems.

I have been amazed repeatedly when truly big bears are sighted at great distance... making tracks in the opposite direction, in great haste. And we are not talking about bears that have been harrassed. Big old bears in poor condition are the exception (Timothy Turdwell and Greg Brush as two examples with very different outcomes) but they are still not the super-fit, monster bears of legend.

Sows with cubs are the worst for several reasons, mostly related to conditioning. We cannot shoot them and they get used to that idea. Then they find people willing to give them food and think they can just woof at a fisherman to place an order for a shore lunch.

OlBlue and KKAlaska were with me on Kodiak when OlBlue's SIL and partner were bluff-charged by a sow with cubs while dragging a deer. The skid marks in the beach gravel where the sow put on the binders when a big shot went off at her feet were remarkable... and long! Think those bears were handed deer before?

I would suggest bluffs to real charges run way more than 20:1. If the bear looks or acts grumpy it is far better to avoid all possibility of being charged by leaving. There are bears on Kodiak that I will not fish around, and others I ignore.
art

Hi Sitka, I have some experience with grizzlies, none with brown bears and certainly nothing like your experience with bears in total. I totally agree with backing off, talking to grizzlies (so they don't mistake you for a black bear which they sometimes kill on sight), avoiding confrontation in general. I also agree that given a choice, a rifle is the best tool to have in your hands in an emergency. So my original question, which hasn't been answered is: Do you not arm yourself at all while fishing in a stream" or do you carry a pistol or revolver?

Thanks,

Chuck

I can't answer for Art, nor about Kodiak, nor a place like the Kenai Pen. IOW, I would say it depends. We fish where bears are wild and are generally trained to stay that way. However, what Art says about truly big bears and the smaller adolescent males is exactly right on. Where thing differ for us is with the sows/cubs. While the she-bears can be downright nasty in attitude, they are also extremely protective and want nothing to do with allowing human contact with their cubs. (The only think scary about them is being a cub, I think, when you watch the way they enforce compliance with "I told you to beat cheeks".) So, in our area, the best you'll do with them is to watch 3-4 furry butts rapidly depart from view.

We don't generally fish where the bears fish. We do much of our stream fishing in the tidal part of the rivers. Mostly, these rivers are unfettered in these areas by willow and alder brush so one can actually see what's around them - as long as you're paying attention. It's often find a spot and "park" there. A rifle may get laid next to the necessary gear. If it's an area that bears are known to cruise, we may carry a small flare gun loaded with a shell cracker. On those occasions when we venture up these rivers to where there is both cover and bears, generally there are several people. Often, one person does rifle duty if there is any real concern for potential problems. (This is generally assuming that the fishers are either guests of some sort, or young people who have neither the experience with bears or enough experience with guns to sort things out.) I carry a revolver when anything else is either in the way, or might create more problems due to visibility. IOW, I don't especially like to carry a revolver, it isn't a back-up to a better weapon; when I carry one, it is "the" weapon. I don't carry a revolver at all if my practice isn't "up to date" (and I can still shoot heavy revolvers pretty well even when I haven't stayed up with the practice.) Rifles make a lot of sense to me. But I don't get bogged down in hardware. I have found that a rifle worn has to be compact and not out-of- balance. 20" is a barrel length that doesn't bother me. The rifle is worn across my back. It is easily unslung by reaching back and grabbing the butt and pulling it forward. The barrel makes about a 270� arc as it swings down and back up. That's something that I've done for so long it is a natural thing, just as it is natural for me to work the bolt, so carrying one in the chamber means I've left live souvenirs in a number of places. (Let's not discuss this now. )

I am not scared of bears. If an area gives me a reason to be afraid, I avoid it. I'm not young enough anymore to believe I can prove anything by doing that.

I guess the bottom line is that it really helps to know the clients (bears) you're dealing with. It also helps to know the area. Obviously a visitor has a distinct disadvantage in that. When in doubt, I err with a compact rifle, and I use my judgement to avoid places that are trouble or appear to be that way. Take a clue from the bears. The guys at the top of the food chain aren't there because they stand their ground. Sure, they have their moments when they defend what's theirs, but when it comes down to brass tacks, they tend to "get out of Dodge." That's the answer to a long and healthy life - and they still get their fish.

The most dangerous bear situation I can imagine would be a bunch of Russian River fishermen armed with handguns, or rifles for that matter, when a bear decides to stir up the neighborhood.

That's when the nines come out, yo.

I would think a Ruger Alaskan Stainless Steel in 375 with the 20 inch barrel would be a great bear stopper.

.500 S&W, they made a model called "The Alaskan", and the .500 can take down a bear. Or elephant. Or polar bear.
Or grab a M44 Mosin-nagant. Soviets have used them to hunt polars, seals, walruses, and the like for many years now. Druganovs, 91/30's, etc.

Yup. Lots of situations far more dangerous than fishing, or berry picking even, in bear country. I much prefer bear country to "human" country.



Rather have a 480, or even "just" a 44 Mag.

I never carry a pistol when i'm hunting with a rifle, no reason for it. When i'm back packing or fishing is when I carry one and it's only there as a very last resort, like when the bear is about to take a bite of me.

Can't say how i'd react with my pistol to a bear that up close and personal but i'd like to think that I would remain calm enough to put one in his vitals before he bit me.

Everything is a situation!

On a BP rifle hunt, leaving the handgun at home is a good way to reduce weight. On horseback, either a trail ride or hunt, I always have my revolver. I've even gotten to where I no longer have to remind my wife to strap on her revolver when trail riding.