Bear vs the 40 cal

Not much to add, but I will echo the point that national parks are not very dog friendly. There are lots of National Forest areas around Teton and Yellowstone where your dogs could join you on your hikes, but they can't do much of anything in the national parks themselves. You might want to reconsider your plans or leave the dogs behind.
 
Might also take a lightening rod, as you're about three times as likely to be killed by lightening as a bear. jd
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The ratio is more like 35 to 1. Considering how concerned folks are with bear defense and the fact you can be struck by lightning even when you don't hear thunder and the storm is miles away, I'm surprised some folks ever go outside at all.
 
The ratio is more like 35 to 1. Considering how concerned folks are with bear defense and the fact you can be struck by lightning even when you don't hear thunder and the storm is miles away, I'm surprised some folks ever go outside at all
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Assuming I'm quick enough, what caliber do you guys recommend for lightning protection? Would a 9mm cut it or should I stick with my 10? Should I use a poly frame or am I ok with steel?

All jokes aside, a 40 cal is better than a sharp stick but is this something where you really want to look for the bare minimum? No pun intended...
 
Or even consider a .40 calibre handgun to save my life from any irate beastie.
"...when you don't hear..." Chances are you won't hear Yogi or Cindy coming either. No handgun cartridge will stop either of 'em in their tracks anyway.
"...He was about 75 yards away paying us no mind...." Yep. Yogi isn't interested in people. If that one had been annoyed, he'd cover the 75 yards in about 4.38 seconds.
"...since bruin refers to a brown bear..." But not A brown bear. As in Kodiak.
Why do the "I'm afraid of bears." post always start in the spring?
 
Why do the "I'm afraid of bears." post always start in the spring?
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I think it has something to do with the end of hibernation for the critters. Nap time is over and they're hungry.
Yes, I know they can wake up and eat in the dead of winter. But common tales say spring time is when to keep a sharp eye out for Yogi and Boo-boo.
 
having hunted bears and having some pretty close calls i'd love a handgun

I haven't been run over yet but I find it hard to imagine being able to get multiple shots of onehanded with a rifle, possible a semi auto but a handgun would be more manouvereble
 
a .44 magnum would be your best common sense choice.no semi auto would have much affect on brown or black bear not even a .45ACP.

i am assuming you dont want to carry around a rifle or a shotgun.i dont think you would need a slug gun for self defense,at 10 feet #00 buck with a neck shot should take care of the spinal cord but dont go for a head shot with #00 buck
 
Of course, in MT there are these creatures we call moose, which are responsible for more deaths than any other wild animal in the area. And much larger than any bear. I'm not an expert, but having seen an example of how tough and belligerent these animals are, I don't think a .40 is near enough caliber.
 
Of course, in MT there are these creatures we call moose, which are responsible for more deaths than any other wild animal in the area. And much larger than any bear
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perhaps a yukon moose but MT does not have yukon moose. they have Shiras Moose, which is the smallest subspecies of moose in north america and max out at 750 pounds and that's the mature bulls. the cows, which are much more likely to be aggressive as their belligerence is normally provoked by getting too close to calves (my sister's been charged by moose because she tried to pet a calf), normally max out about 450 pounds, with 400 being much more common. I've been swimming in the same 1 acre pond as an adolescent bull and he felt no need to charge me or even showed any cause for alarm. he went about his business and left me and my entire family to ours. now if that had been a cow with a calf I would have certainly turned the family around and left them to it. 400 pounds is well within the realm of grizzly bear weight and moose are actually easier to kill than bear as their hide is thinner and are deeper bodied, leaving less penetration requirement to hit the vital organs.

not that I condone such a thing but this winter there was quite a ruckus over a youtube clip shot by snowmobilers that messed with the wrong moose and had to be dropped with a 40 cal handgun.
 
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You got three dogs, that's your first line of defense. Bear spray should be your second.

Here's the joke. Keep your .40 well lubed so it'll hurt less when the grizzly shoves it up your buttocks.
 
What is missed is the construction of the bullet. 40S&W bullets are constructed for soft 2 legged people. Even a Black Bear has a thick hide and heavy bone structure. A hard cast SWC bullet of 240-275gr at 1050 would provide full penetration.
 
hosed

A pair of NPS Rangers killed a mature female and cub that had fatally attacked a women in Great Smokey's about 15-20 years ago. The call came in disjointed, and when they arrived on scene, there were the bears on the victim.
I talked to one of the guys later, he said they just hosed the critters down. Had they known they were going to a bear attack, they'd have taken a long gun (slugs) he said. Their duty sidearms were Sig .40's, unknown load, likely 180 JHP.

More to it than that, not ideal situation obviously, but ...dead bears.
 
skissums you would be much better off with a Mossberg pump shotgun and a 18 inch tube barrel shooting slugs.

I was bear hunting in thick stuff last year so I used my 1847. I could have used my 624 or my 12 gage but I didn't want to hang up on brush.

I would not use a .40 as it is simply to light.
 
I am speaking as a gun for backpacking. I ain't lugging no 18" shotty around for 10 mile hikes. I like the ranch hand cause it weighs about nothing and would comfortably fit on my bag where the tent or thermorest goes. Not the perfect weapon, but light and packable and a 10" .44 will pack some serious punch.

I hiked the Tetons for two weeks when I was younger and even then, any full size rifle would have got chucked of a cliff within a couple of days.
 
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