Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns Grizzly Defense With A Handgun: Doable?

Thats correct. the 12g is the standard for ADFG, the Troopers, APD and rural PDs alnong with most of the alphabet agencies and contractors who do lots of work outside.

Some agencies issue .375 H&Hs.

One of my friends trains workers for bear encounters. Much of that training is with shotguns, although he himself uses one of our custom lever rifles.



WilditsmyopinionAlaska ��2002-2011

You carry that bear spray in a holster? Do ya practice 'drawin' that can and accurately sending a stream where you want it? Curious here...

My luck, a Griz would find that stuff merely BBQ sauce on the main meal.. Pass.. Like those with the most experience have said - distance is likely to be a very few yards, or even a very few feet. A bear's a sizable target - and if close enough anyone with even a modicum of practice with a handgun should be able to put one in the head or face region.. Believe me, if I was goin' up there, I'd be practicing - a LOT..

And on the hunt I'd have my Ruger Alaskan .45C/.454C on my hip.. I'll take the weight when considering a possible alternative..

Maybe that's just me..

An aquaintance is a USFW employee in SE AK and has been for decades. They used to issue Win Model 70's (pre 64 of course) chambered in 338 Win Mag. They took them all away and issued shotguns 'cause the female employees bitched about the recoil. All those pre-64's got chunked into Captain Crunch also.

Speaking of "going there," are you in the process of moving?

I don't use a large pack where I hunt and frequently use no pack at all. My usual method is in a Simply Rugged holster worn cross draw on a dedicated belt. I can walk, sit, and ride (tractors, trucks, 4x4) without any problems.

My situation seems to be quite different from many who go frequently into Grizzly country and I would probably see things a little differently if I lived and hunted where they are found. My system gives me comfort when wandering around in my neck of the woods in which bears are black.



These are my bears.



These are not found in my woods.

A good handgun will work as good as the operator can handle it, you have to do 2 things. Have the gun with you at all times & use a gun & load that you can shoot well.....& fast.
Heavy loads it a light gun creates a lot of recoil, remember, you won't get many shots if things get "hairy". Most likely you will be shooting at the head so you'll need tough bullets.
Keep whatever gun you choose handy & when you see a bear make sure you always pull the gun immediately, even if its 100 yds away. Get ready because they are extemely fast & you might not get a real good look at it.
You could hunt Idaho 100 times & never have a problem but somebody has problems every year! I repeat, the gun must be with you at all times, rifle or handgun.

Dick

Can't yet.. Too many little items to get handled first - besides, I wanna be out there when they're building the shop and that's just impossible in the fall seasons..



Sure wish I was there already.. (sigh)..

Excellent, top-notch advice.. Good post.

Not attempting to minimize a grizzly bear encounter, but we are not talking coastal brown bears in northern idaho.

"In the lower 48 States, the average weight of grizzly bears is generally 400 to 600 pounds for males and 250 to 350 pounds for females".

In Montana, two bears, estimated to be in the 800 lb range have been killed in the last several years (one by a truck, and the other shot illegally). Five or six years ago, a 450 pounder was mistakenly killed during archery season in the area we bow hunt elk in SW Montana.

FWIW, both my son and I carry S&W 329 .44 Mags while bow hunting elk in SW Montana. We never hunt alone, and are on high alert when calling and when field dressing a kill. When it comes to predator encounters, bow hunting elk is a somewhat higher risk activity than most other outdoor activities. I've never had an encounter, but personally know of others (including my son) who have been up close and personal with mountain lions, wolves and bears while bow hunting.

http://www.fws.gov/mountain%2Dprairie/species/mammals/grizzly/

Paul

I've told this story before but its worth repeating when these "Bear Encounter" posts pop up every week or so.
Several years ago my son's best friend was bowhunting north of Soda Springs & watched intently as a sow black bear & 2 cubs passed him as very close range. He was wearing camo & hunkered down next to a small quakie.
As the bears passed the sow spotted Jason & was on him in a flash, he didn't even have time to stand. She continued to bite & claw him as he screamed for help.
Most bear attacks end with the bear suddenly dashing off with their cubs, this sow was intent on killing him, he was bleeding very badly from the big artery in him thigh, she also bit him on the head, arms, hands & face.
If he had been wearing a handgun he could have probably ended it with a lot less injuries. As he screamed his dad who was further up the ridge line came running down the mountain, Nolan was also only carrying a bow. As he came in sight of the attack the bear whirled & started for Nolan. As she closed the gap he released his arrow & made the shot of a lifetime, the arrow struck her above the head, severing the spine & killed her instantly.
Jason was life flighted off the mountain where he spent several days in the hospital. His father had saved his life & they appeared on several TV shows including one of the national networks from back east. He now has that bear mounted in his family room!
Again, you have to have bear protection on your body to fight off an attack, if its leaning against a tree or in the tent or behind the grub box you are in for a mauling. The sow that attacked Jason was less than 200 lbs but he said she was unbeliveably strong, he had to chance.
If its a handgun it has to carry tough slugs, whether jacketed or cast, no hollowpoints. If its a rifle it has to be handy, within reach at all times. If its a shotgun it is best served with slugs, not shot.
A handgun thats used expressley for bear protection would be best served if it had a lanyard on the butt, most likely a bear will knock you over if it makes contact, if that happens you've probably just dropped your gun, a landyard will keep you in the fight.

Dick

For up close and personal with a bear and a handgun, either a Contender in 45-70 or a BFR in 45-70. (And cover your butt with your ballistic vest, so the bear don't shove the pistol where the sun won't bleach it.) Then use a 200 grain partition in your 308 and fill the bear full of them.

...good idea about the lanyard.... Need to make a replacement screw with a QD sling swivel the 357PD....

Bob

Excellent points. I've only skinned out a couple of bears, a N GA blackie about #200 a few years ago and an average (8ft) Hinchinbrook Island brownie. The latter was an impressive critter but even that "cuddly" little black bear, once you get the hide off, looks like the Incredible Hulk, and the Hulk didn't have claws and teeth like the bear.

Pull the grips off. It may already have a slot with a crosspin under the Houges.

You can get a lanyard stud to replace the bottom Hogue grip screw directly from Hoque (or at least you could in the past). You have to call them, it's not on their web store.

I messed with a lanyard for a while. For general everyday carry and bow hunting, I found it to be more trouble than it was worth. Of course, your mileage may vary.

Paul

I once had a long conversation with a retired forest service guy who'd spent years doing field surveys in Montana.

He told me that back in the high country the black bears worried him more than the grizzlies. I didn't really understand at the time, and don't know enough about Montana blackies to say that I do, now, but...

He told me they were more likely to cause trouble than the grizzlies he and his crews occasionally ran into. Not fatal trouble, necessarily. But the kind of trouble that can leave you crippled pretty good when they're done messing you up.

I think some of you are missing the point. It's not that a handgun is the weaponb[/i] of choice[i] to kill a grizzly. About any rifle would be better. But nothing in the grizzly-attacking-the-surprised-elk-hunter scenario will be a "choice" matter. If it's in your hand when your rifle is ten feet away leaning against a tree for whatever reason, it becomes your weapon of choice. Same thing if you are imitating a burrito in your tent, or you think of the scenario. The main point is to never be separated from it which can happen with a rifle, always be with somebody else, and hunt smart.

As to capability, I've seen a heavily loaded 45 Colt shatter the thoracic spine of a 900 lb buffalo heifer at 50 yds dropping her like an elevator. Much more depends on the ability and coolheadedness of the operator than the inability of a large, properly loaded handgun to break down a bear. And that is why there is, I think, the generally accepted dogma to push bear spray.

It is my perception that the proponents of bear spray are not so purely on the efficacy of it but also on considering the capabilities and inclinations of the average urban dweller in Mendles and Marmot wear.

i've a black bear rug on the wall. squares 6'8". i shot that bear coming at me at spitting distance with a .243 when i was 16.

i do not carry a handgun when i'm rifle hunting, even though i'm capable enough with them.

i carry spray when i feel the need for a second layer of defense.

Good luck with the condiment with an angry bear on you


A handgun is the sane choice for sure

I had to laugh about the "going to a ranch comment."

I guess guys from the east may not understand some of our ranches. The ranch I'm on goes right up to the wilderness line and we have lots of grizz way down below it. Some ranches are many, many sq miles.

We had several grizz killing and attacking cattle this year miles below the wilderness line.

Most of the country on this ranch is wilder than anything east of the Rockies I suspect.