Bear Maulings; what is the real risk?

M

MeekAndMild

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Did anyone read that sad little article in Field and Stream about bear maulings among elk hunters?

My brother in law has been trying to get me to come up north to hunt elk, but after reading about this I don't know that I'd want to risk going there with a.270 as I'm too slow and deliberate working a bolt and settling back into a stance. I have never, ever been able to do a bolt action follow up shot in less than half a minute.

So, people who have hunted in the northwest, what is the real risk of coming up on a grizzley? Consider in your answer that I'm pretty slow and clumsy and have never been quiet enough to walk up on a black bear in many decades in the deep south even though I've been hunting, fishing and berry picking hundreds of times.
 
The perfect partner in bear territory is someone who can't run as fast as you can. Maybe that's why your brother-in-law wants you to go with him.... :D

My guess is that the odds are very low. If you were really worried you could take a semi-auto instead of a bolt gun. Either that or use your one good shot on your brother-in-law! ;)
 
I don't know about that. He's about 15 years older than me, which makes him 20 years older than dirt. :D

One of the guys in the article looked young, skinny and healthy, able to run pretty fast, but the bear just jumped out and waylayed him. I hear a bear can run faster than a horse.
 
If by "Northwest," you mean Alaska, there's actually been some pretty good study done on this: http://www.absc.usgs.gov/research/brownbears/attacks/bear-human_conflicts.htm

Have attacks gone up lately? Yes, they have. But note that the opportunity for bear-human interaction has increased strongly, as well.

Our own Keith Rogan has some insight on this, having been mauled by a Kodiak brown bear on Kodiak Island while deer hunting. He used to have an interesting page on it, but I see it's not listed anymore.

See:
http://www.thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2699

As for me, I find a certain amount of adventure in the prospect of going where there are still wild things that fully believe themselves to be higher on the food chain. I happen to believe that they're wrong.
 
Meekandmild. Long before the U.S. Army went to the semi-auto Garand, they had a training excercise for rapid fire with the bolt action. basically, in a nutshell, they tied the trigger back, (tape will work) and placed the butt against the shoulder. Then they reached up and worked the bolt back and forth as fast as they could, then reached for the tied back trigger as if shooting then worked the bolt again always trying to keep the sights on target. The recruits were told to start out slow and work up to speed.
I tried it and it does work. The trick is to keep that rifle's butt up against your shoulder. The reason for tieing the trigger back is so it won't be slamming foreward in a dry fire when you pull the trigger.
Try it and see if it doesn't help you out.
Paul B.
 
As noted by the Forest Service ranger guy, they have some quarter of a million hunters come through each year and only a few bear attacks. That doesn't sound like much but when it is you, then it is 100% (his words, not mine).

You probably have greater chances of being mugged and stabbed in New York than attacked by a bear, but if you are in New York, you are a lot closer to medical facilities than out in the wilds and knife wounds tend to be a lot less ragged than bear attack wounds.
 
ive been out several times and have never had bear problems out here in alaska. i can barely find a bear when im hunting for them. I carry a 338 and my suggestion is you take a good side arm...i recently picked up a 454 casull as a back up in close incounters which may be the answer to your worries. hope that helps and sorry if it doesnt but all in all i dont think you would have a problem any ways
 
"They" claim that the bears are getting to where they hear a shot go off and they are on their way to you. A shot to them means fresh meat (either you or the game you just killed) I would most assuredly NOT hunt alone. Have your pal stand guard while you work on the game and keep your rifle CLOSE.
 
That's pretty scary. Who are 'they'? I do like the idea of hunting with a sidearm or with a buddy.

Wil try that taped trigger routine later this year when there is more leisure time to experiment.
 
i dunno

i dont know how many people get attacked by bears but my friend has an uncle who bowhunts them and carries a sawed off shotgun with a pistol grip full of 00buckshot just in case.

P.S. i think that if you were going to be attacked by a bear you might get fast with that bolt real quick
 
I tried tied up trigger practice a few minutes to see what would happen and it looks like I'll need lots more practice.

OTOH, I found a good ballistics table for the 45-70 and I think that it would be practical for elk sized targets out to 150 or even 200 yards, so it will be a reasonable goal to learn to shoot it at longer ranges. I can already work a lever faster than a bolt.
 
Meek
I will suggest that you get a copy of the book "Bear Attcks", new volumne by Stephen Herrero. Lot of good solid data there - Herrero is a bear researcher in Canada.

Your exposure to bears increases any time you go out and wander around being quiet. Herrero's book will give you some things & places to look for so there are no surprises for you or the bear.

Lee..................
 
I lived in AK for 12 years and did lots of berry picking, fishing, hunting or just hiking to check out the views. Without binoculars, the only grizzleys I was ever able to see (besides at the dump or while driving) were the ones that would come around after a noisy day of dialing in the rifles or target practice.
 
Done a lot of reading about, once worked for a federal agency that was concerned with such things...

The overwhelming impressions I got were these:
A) You don't want to startle a bear. Bells on backpacks and incessant singing are both good ideas (no word on whether what you sing makes a difference - I'm kinda partial to Merle Haggard songs).
B) You will not run away from a bear (successfully).
C) Shooting a charging grizzly is probably not as good an idea as it sounds like.

Lots and lots of accounts of guys putting rounds into charging grizzlies with their rifles, then getting chewed on. The only ones that sound like they did real well were the ones who had their rifles knocked away and managed a killing shot with a BIG handgun while the bear was chewing on their head.

Also recall a story about a lucky shot w/ a 12 gauge that killed one.

Rumor has it that bear spray has a better chance of stopping a charging bear.

Me? In grizzly country, I'd wear a bell and a can of bear spray and a large pistol. Hopefully not to be used, but, if so, to be used in that order.

:)
 
I always heard the way you tell the difference between grizzly sign and black bear sign was those little bells in grizzly bear droppings. :D
 
Everyone I've asked about bear protection in Alaska says they carry some variety of big double action revolver. Big bullets, no jamming, just keep pulling the trigger. It also seems that I've seen pictures of people hunting bears with revolvers. :eek: Some are crazier than others.
 
If you're worried about hunting in bear country, here's the solution. Have someone go with you to watch your back. That person should have lightning fast reflexes and sharp senses, armed with a quality 12ga shotgun loaded with 3in slugs and a handcannon loaded with premium bulllets.
 
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