anti-black bear

Status
Not open for further replies.
I would say NO GO for buckshot myself! I had tried 10ga 3 1/2 inch federal premium 00buck at about 20yards against a 1950's chevy pickup truck hood that was at ~45 degree angle. NOT a single pellet went through the hood! :eek: A 22LR will punch through it like it was not there, same for slugs.

This informal test really opened my eyes as I thought the 00buck would shred that thin metal.
 
The one obvious truth here is...

...don't smoke!

Problem with single rounds is: you have to hit your target. And in the right place. And you may not get more than one chance. No, its big buckshot.

In Alaska it has been small .44 Mag handgun (hardcast Buffalo Bore) and short shotgun with 3" 000 plated buck. Blackbear area protection? .357 Mag handgun (hardcast Federal) and 2-3/4" 00 plated buck.
 
I think the load is probably good. I would also however add some hard cast 12Gauge Slugs like Brenneke or something. In case you need that penetration I think it would be good to have. You could even load the last 3 in the tube with the slugs as the failure rounds.
 
For those that keep advocating buck shot, do any of you have any story of anyone successfully defending against a bear with buck shot? I read and search bear stories just about every single day and I just cannot recall any stories of someone fending off a bear with a shotgun with buck shot. On the other hand, I can show you plenty of stories of hard cast bullets from hand guns or rifles or slugs from shotguns.

If folks keep advocating buck shot, let's start sharing the true results of this in real life. Sorry, but I just have not come across that as a successful defense in all of my reading put in place in real life. If someone has those stories, they would be good to hear. Until then, I truly do not know why people keep advocating for this when it is a great home defense remedy, but it just makes no sense when talking about big, furry critters with heavy bone and muscle you must penetrate first before getting to the vitals.

Thank you,

Alaska444
 
I like ALASKA444,s response. Few people have any real world experence, me included. So many that have field experence, dont have it against the animal mentioned, and most have used 00 Buck on small deer.
 
You can stop a bear with pepper spray but not plated-lead spray?

Big buckshot was and often still is a standard bear hunting tool for generations in the lower 48. .30-30's too. Yeah, I'd prefer a well placed hard 12 ga. slug too, but, that isn't always ideal. This was about defense. I also know they invented belted-magnum cartridge marketing.

http://www.midwayusa.com/viewproduct/?productnumber=880449

Look at the "substitue products" for other examples of bear-stopping buckshot...
 
Last edited:
Killing a bear and stopping a bear are two entirely different things. I have seen many large animals shot and killed with a 22 pistol. However I never saw a charging aggressive animal killed with a 22. There are hunting rounds and stopping rounds. I have my doubt that a charging bear coming hard and fast could be stopped with #4 shot from a 16 guage. I could be wrong as I have never had to shoot such. But the story about the bear killed with a 16 guage, was shot in the side ahead of the hip. Not exactly a charging angle. It also didnt die right away.
 
As stated above, big bears have been killed by .22 LR, but not too many have been stopped by them in a full charge. The issue of using buck shot for self defense is still an issue with little documentation that I am aware of to date.

A couple of red necks shooting a bear off their back porch that wasn't aggressing is a great story, but it is not a story of self defense using buck shot. That is the issue of real life experience stopping a charging bear. I can find plenty of testimonial stories of Garretts 540 gr Hammerhead wiping out a charging bear and sending it tumbling, but I still have not seen that type of story with a shotgun using buckshot.

Technically, at very, very close range, it does have the potential to kill a bear with the right shot placement, but it is also true of .22 caliber guns as well. Not many would on the other hand advocate a .22 as an adequate woods gun. Same logic applies in this case. It is all about penetration to the vitals reliably. Buck shot just is not one of those on my list of loads for bear protection. To each their own.
 
I live in the mountains and we have a couple of black bears that come around a few times a year. They are usually following the food (when the berries are ripe, they will come). Right now it's berries. In the spring it's grubs in the stumps, at least they really like to tear those old stumps apart. Anything that smells, or smells like it might be edible will bring them in.

So that said, No food in the garbage, ever. Wash all plastics and tin cans really good...We keep our garbage cans in a 4X4X8 box, 2X4's and 3/4" plywood on a concrete base. A few years ago the kids were visiting and some food got into the garbage. That old boar bear ripped the box apart to get to the food. Oh yes, and watch where and how you store your dog food. They love dog food too...

So, that said, the #1 thing is don't give them a reason to come visit. I have no desire to shoot a bear (I don't want to clean up the mess) so I try to scare them. So far (6 years here) a 12 guage in the air along with a large dog that does not like bears, has been enough to get them running.

When we are hiking, or working around the property, I OC an old CZ-52 in 7.62X25. It is unbelieveably loud. It has worked just fine so far, and If I did in fact ever have to actually shoot an unusually agressive bear, I am pretty sure it would put it down. I carry it for the noise factor, but it hits hard too. 1700fps, 506flbs
 
A mother and 3 cubs are treed right now out front with 3 truckloads of the dirtiest hounds in the county raising cain.:)
Sounds about like WW3.
 
That took until about 2am trying to get 2 of them out of a couple of trees. Up, down, back up again.
Contrary to the cold war phrase...poking the bear with a stick got no big reaction but was actually tried for a few minutes on mama.

Couldn't get a bear picture, too dark, but I did catch a wandering Chewbaca baby on my phone camera.:)
 

Attachments

  • PICT1711.JPG
    PICT1711.JPG
    104.4 KB · Views: 52
I appreciate all the advice! I should also mention that I don't live in any kind of village or town, there is little or no development for about 10 miles so scaring citezens with a long arm is not a problem. I am on my own up here. Encounters are more common when I am several hundred yards from my house usually in dense buck brush, but not too uncommon in the yard (about 5 a year), I had origionaly chosen buckshot because of incredibly close cramped quarters and the threat of cougars but I think givin the posts here I'll be swaping it out for 3" remington 1 oz. slugers! It may also be worth mentioning that I carry a glock 23 3rd gen with one in the chamber and two EXTRA mags (13 rds a pop) for a total of 40 .40 cal rounds. Another one of my posts convinced me that as much penetration as possible was the way to go so I have that loaded with 180 gr. fmj. Any and all advice is appreciated, thanks!
 
Last edited:
A couple of red necks shooting a bear off their back porch that wasn't aggressing is a great story...
Click to expand...
Friggin heart-warming story in my book.

I wish you the best of luck in killing, not deterring, each and every bear you ever see, sincerely. IMO, they should've taken on a cure for bears right after they developed that polio vaccine.
 
Yesterday, 01:18 PM #37
doctor_brevic
Junior Member

Join Date: August 19, 2011
Posts: 7
I appreciate all the advice! I should also mention that I don't live in any kind of village or town, there is little or no development for about 10 miles so scaring citezens with a long arm is not a problem. I am on my own up here. Encounters are more common when I am several hundred yards from my house usually in dense buck brush, but not too uncommon in the yard (about 5 a year), I had origionaly chosen buckshot because of incredibly close cramped quarters and the threat of cougars but I think givin the posts here I'll be swaping it out for 3" remington 1 oz. slugers! It may also be worth mentioning that I carry a glock 23 3rd gen with one in the chamber and two EXTRA mags (13 rds a pop) for a total of 40 .40 cal rounds. Another one of my posts convinced me that as much penetration as possible was the way to go so I have that loaded with 180 gr. fmj. Any and all advice is appreciated, thanks!
Last edited by doctor_brevic; Yesterday at 01:29 PM.
Click to expand...

Wow, that is bear exposure for sure. Hopefully you can clear as much brush as possible around the house. If I ran into them that frequently, I would go to the 45-70 with Garrett Hammerheads.

http://www.marlinfirearms.com/Firearms/bigbore/1895SBL.asp

This has a 6 shot tubular magazine, XS Ghost ring sights and of course, a real thumper of a caliber that will put down even the largest bears. In addition, it is perfect for the brush.

I would also swap out the .40 cal for a .44 magnum or higher, you must have a back up gun with enough penetration to matter. Theoretically, you can kill a bear with just about any caliber gun, but why take chances if you see those critters that often.

Bear attacks happen most often to a single person alone and in areas where visibility is low. If you can clear away the brush on trails and other areas, you are going to be way ahead of the game. In your yard, you can put a fence and electrify the top to discourage those frequent visits. Since you see them that often, I would also invest in flash bang grenades if you can get them. Not sure if us regular civilians are allowed. If you have that many encounters the bears could easily become accustomed to you which may make them bolder, something you don't want. I would definitely make them unwelcome. You might want to see if you can get some old fashioned rock salt and keep them moving when they come on your property.

Lastly, secure your garbage and don't ever feed the critters, you will be asking for serious problems as most bear feeders eventually find out.

Good luck, I wouldn't want to run into yogi that often myself.
 
For those that keep advocating buck shot, do any of you have any story of anyone successfully defending against a bear with buck shot? I read and search bear stories just about every single day and I just cannot recall any stories of someone fending off a bear with a shotgun with buck shot. On the other hand, I can show you plenty of stories of hard cast bullets from hand guns or rifles or slugs from shotguns.
Click to expand...
This begs the question: Do any of you have any story of anyone unsuccessfully defending agains a black bear with buckshot? Would not that be more meaningful?
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top