Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Griz Defense with Bergers

Two choices here:

X/TSX/TTSX/Failsafe

A-Frame/Partition Gold


Bergers? WAFJ!!!

Can you tell us it would have been the SAME outcome IF the bear/s were charging??



add: Mr. Burns, I like you and have enjoyed your pics of game and L R shots.

BUT we're talking a different scenario here.

It may actually be easier to knock the stuffing out of a bear than a moose........if you hit them right the first time. Rarely see a moose try to turn things into a rodeo even when hit a bit less than ideally; can't really say the same for bears.

The more I think about it, 12 gauge Berger VLD sabots is the answer!

So please inform us of your real world experience with bear charges and the appropriate bullet for such a task.

a 308 with a vld no. A 300 ultra or 338 ultra, with a 230gr or 300gr vld ,although not my first choice, yes. Hard to argue with physics.

When using burgers for bear defense, one need not be too picky about which specific burger to take. They all work well. However, I do use the White Castles when I can get them because they are smaller and lighter in weight (you can carry more units), and I am much less tempted to eat them while hunting than, say, quarter-pounders or butter burgers. In testing, bears showed a slight preference for whoppers, probably because of the burnt smell and all the mayo slathered mercylessly on both sides of the bun. One other advantage of whoppers is there is no chance they will be eaten in camp by the hunter or his partners.

The hard part of the burger defense is laying them out sequentially during the chase scene. There should be 10 feet of ground between them to slow the bear sufficiently, but in testing, most hunters just flopped the whole bag out in one pile at the start of the chase due to adrenaline and fear. One other mistake frequently made by hunters is stopping within the same zip code of the last burger drop to remove those dirty shorts, and then staying on the spot to puke before proceeding to the bar. While it may be socially unacceptable to enter a bar with dirty shorts and having the first 6 rounds before going to the can to change, it just might save your life. The trick is to inform the fellas at the bar that you are in bear retreat. Then they will understand the stench and cut you some slack. Sometimes the more understanding and experienced fellas will draw their own weapons and watch your back as you go to the can to change to make sure the bear didn't track you all the way to the bar. That is a rare occurrence, but there are at least two documented cases.

That sure does help to keep you from getting chewed on.

Nice one!

Thanks. Mine don't garner page after page of hilarious replies quite like, say, the Pubah, but it's the best I got. My boss is one of the very few that appreciate my sense of humor, thank goodness. We're both gearhead/egghead/electronic types. I just happen to groove on rifles.

Too many around with NO sense of humor! Keep it up.

The fmj comment got me thinking...a dab of superglue filling the nose of a berger ought to get it to act like a fmj. Or you could scratch an X on the bottom of it and it will act like a barnes.

There is your answer or carry a big bore revolver!

Not much time to empty a clip when the bear is charging. Maybe 2 to 3 shots at the most.

I will chirp in here. I have been around many, many bears: Black, Brown, and Griz (haven't encountered a Polar or Growler yet). A Couple of these events have been at 10 yards!

I have also worked as a paramedic and have treated more than a handful of folk who were chewed on.

That being said, I have not been in a situation where I had to defend myself against a bear (not to say that others haven't; indeed I know of a few). It has been my experience that if the bear knows you are there, or if you talk at the bear if they don't, they will very expiditiously depart from your presence! Now, if they don't have a good way out, that may be right over the top of you!

If, perhaps you would need to defend yourself from a charging bear, it is doubtful that anything short of a 1 oz. 12ga. Brenake Slug will slow or stop the bear. You may kill it alright, but I am reminded of the quote on the film "Mountain Men" from the character Hatchet Jack... "this here Hawkin' kilt the bar that kilt me".

Be aware of your surroundings, be willing to back away from a situation, don't freak out if you see a bear and things will likely go well with you. Good luck.

Was NOT the movie, "Jeremiah Johnson"?

I too would like to hear about the bear charges Burns has stopped at 5 yards with Bergers.

That's proprietary info Scott

Dang! You are correct!

Am I being to hard on Lil Fish?? I cut the line and he seemed to swim away fine.

I though Scott and I were beginning to bond here as of late.