44 Specials Aint Worth Nuthin' Fer BEARS

W

Wildalaska

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So I get a call this am from Jim West, the boss, who is staying out of my hair whist he guides the hoity toities at his primo expensive lodge (www.fishhuntalaska.com) Seems they were landing a 71 pound King Salmon when the radio goes off saying a bear is terrorizing some folks upriver...so Jim hauls upstream in the boat and finds some guys standing in the river whilst a 6 1/2 foot black bear is gnawing at their equipment...chasing it off being futile, and having a hunting license (that area you can take three blackies)Jim pulls out his 329 and pops an HSM 44 mag round into the critter, then another for good measure..it runs off about 50 yards and kicks the bucket...

So Jimmy walks in after it and another black bear charges him...Jim pops that one with another 44 mag round, it starts squalling and thrashing around...now thats three 44 mag rounds expended...Jim only carries three magnum rounds, the other three are 44 special 200 grain Gold Dots that he uses to shoot fish (easier than a gaff)...so he torches off three 44 specials into the thing and it runs off (they are out looking for it now)...

So a nice day of fishing on the Klutina River in Alaska...rain, 41 degrees, one 71 pound King and two bears....

"So Jim, you got that 2nd one tagged?"
"Bastid ran off, got him good with that first magnum, but I'll tell ya, those **** 44 specials are great for fish, but they aint worth **** fer bears"

WildthereisyourwednesdayhuntingstoryAlaska ™
 
Seeing that it appears to take two 44 mags to kill a black bear, I'm re-thinking packing my 44 Special in camp.... regardless CA bears probably not as big as those up your way.

Speaking of bears, on our upcoming cruise, we're considering a float plane excursion out to Tongass National Forest to see some Grizz and Black bear eating salmon. Seems a ranger or park-employed docent guides the tourists to the bear's feeding area and I'm wondering if this person will be armed? If so; with what?
 
Seems a ranger or park-employed docent guides the tourists to the bear's feeding area and I'm wondering if this person will be armed? If so; with what?
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Probably a Remmy 870 with slugs.

WildallbeatuptooAlaska ™

You need to call me with your itinerary and what tours you are thinking of taking, I can run them past SWMBO who is a wiz on the tourist thing being thats her job.
 
the other three are 44 special 200 grain Gold Dots
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Light anti-people flying ashtray hollowpoints. Against a bear of unknown size in this story. Probably at least twice the weight of a person though... let's say 400 pounds.

Sounds like a good argument to change the special loads to a keith-style, light recoiling 200-240gr LSWC. It'll punch a nice hole in a fish just fine (who wants hollowpoint jacket fragments in their fish?), but be more useful when hunting bears by the six-pack.:p

I've got a special load that uses 200gr LSWC's, it'll go end-to-end through half a dozen 1 gallon water jugs. Same load with a hollowpoint fragments to heck and stops after the second jug.

AZRedhawkgivingthealaskanguidesalltheadviceofmyvastbearexperience44
 
Sounds like a good argument to change the special loads to a keith-style, light recoiling 200-240gr LSWC. It'll punch a nice hole in a fish just fine (who wants hollowpoint jacket fragments in their fish?), but be more useful when hunting bears by the six-pack
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No sounds like a good argument to have Jim stop scarfing the shop 44 special ammunition and go order some better stuff :)

WildnevermindilldoitAlaska ™
 
Light anti-people flying ashtray hollowpoints.
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Exactly. I'm a big fan of the Gold Dot Speer .44 Special load.... for self defense against people. No way I would want to take on a bear with them. You aren't going to get sufficient penetration with chest shots. You would be far better off with some super hard SWC's loaded to 1100-1200 fps. Still well short of full magnums but they would give the kind of deep penetration you need with such a large animal.

Gregg
 
Yes but what kind of sunglasses was he wearing? If it was those nifty Panama Jacks the beat would have went down with a .32......
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Maui Jims ya mean? Yep, one must look ones best when guidin on the last Frontier...

Did any of you Yuppies know we are Alaskas only Maui Jim dealers? Call with your needs:D

WildbestpricesinthecountryAlaska TM
 
if .44spc won't stop black bears, we need to ship some .500's to the poor russian saps:
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,390048,00.html
or how do you say "870" in their tongue? probably wouldn't matter, being a fancy import over there it'd probably fetch a grand more than what mine workers have got.
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Sweet jeebus, the bears hunt in PACKS in Russia???:eek:

Terrified workers at a mining compound in one of Russia's most isolated regions are refusing to go to work after a pack of giant bears attacked and ate two of their colleagues.

At least 30 of the hungry animals have been seen prowling close to the mines in northern Kamchatka in search of food, where the mangled remains of the two workers, both guards, were found last week.

The co-workers at the compound in the Olyotorsky district are trapped and frightened: the gruesome discovery has left them too scared to venture out. A team of snipers, with orders to shoot the bears, is now being dispatched to confront the invasion after government officials authorized an off-season hunt.

A spokesman for the local government in the capital, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, said that the area was so isolated that it would take until at least Saturday to get there. Attempts to reach the scene by helicopter had to be abandoned because of thick fog.

The Kamchatka brown bear is one of the world's largest, with males growing to around 10 feet and weighing up to 1,540 pounds. They can also reach speeds of up to 30 mph despite their size.

RelatedStories
Starving Bears Eat 2 Men at Russian Mines The peninsula, nine time zones east of Moscow and twice the size of Britain, is home to an estimated 16,000 bears.

“In the interests of safety they didn't come out to work — the people are scared by the invasion of bears,” a spokesman for the Kamchatka emergencies ministry said. Villagers in nearby Khailino are also afraid to leave their homes after bears were seen rummaging through garbage.
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Yeah that is it Maui Jims....folks Wild is your man for stylish sunglasses. Maybe a free Colt with every pair of sunglasses sold???
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I got to find the pic of I have of Col Bob Brown and Jim hunting, the good Col has his tactical Oakleys on IIRC

Wild511Alaska ™
 
44 Specials Aint Worth **** Fer BEARS
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Especially not this bear. :)

ArmedBear.jpg
 
I shot a 10 pound tomcat with that load one night, looking straight at me from about 15 yards, from a 4" Model 29. The bullet centered his chest and stopped under the hide in front of his flank. I quit carrying it for defense after that. If I had 'discourage' a bear at contact distance and the choice was between .44 Spec Gold Dots and a good single-bit axe- I'd take the latter every time.

Probably just fine for fish though.
 
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