Pardon my rambleing, but please read the links
2damnold4this (post 14) is exactly right. Seaman, too (post 28)
TenRing (post 27) outlines the second reason why.
Typically, a bear will avoid people. Sometimes they will make a bluff charge (depending on species). It is best to know the psychology of the bears in your area to be able to determine if shooting is the appropriate response to bear (apparent) aggression. Shooting a bear in self-defense is a good way to ruin a nice day in the woods. It opens up a world of paperwork, cleanup, skinning and packing out with the BEST outcome and a world of hurt with any other outcome.
Know your bears and the likelihood of having to shoot is minimized.
A shooting solution is best to avoid.
In the Northern tier (Alaska and Canada) bear spray has a better record of keeping humans safe in (non-hunting) bear/human conflicts than firearms. I carry bear spray in addition to my Ruger Super Redhawk and if only one, the spray.
The time required to place a stopping shot into a bear (close enough to be sure a shooting is required) is VERY short. 25 meters is a typical charge distance (further is not generally justifiable as a defensive shoot) and bears can run 40 to 55 kph (25-35 mph) virtually instantaneously from a standing start.
A bear can cover 25 meters in 1.8 seconds. Subtract from that, the time it takes you to recognize the threat, decide to shoot, present your firearm, aim and fire (hopefully in that order).
This guy is an experienced woodsman and had time for 2 (maybe 3, he couldn't remember) shots.
http://www.peninsulaclarion.com/stories/080709/out_478669517.shtml
http://www.adn.com/news/alaska/wildlife/bears/story/897940.html
and for a direct quote from the surviving party with pictures
http://www.go2gbo.com/forums/index.php/topic,179994.0.html
Friday, August 07, 2009
Soldotna mans brush with bear too close for comfort
By Joseph Robertia | Peninsula Clarion
It is not likely spray would have helped Greg, but it did these folks
http://www.adn.com/bearattacks/story/147318.html
Bear spray stops charging sow
SAVED: Couple hiking Peters Creek Trail used Counter Assault.
By CRAIG MEDRED
Anchorage Daily News
(04/18/08 16:04:12)
The most telling testimonial I have read is from this fellow in Montana who has had several encounters.
See the post by windwalker, about 2/3 of the way down the page
http://www.rugerforum.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=51538&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=60
Bears are thick-skinned and heavily muscled. The 45 ACP is, from its inception, a round developed for shooting thin-skinned targets (people). A 230 grain solid at 850 fps, even 950 is no match for a 300 grain 44 slug at 1200 fps to penetrate to vital organs, breaking bones or disrupting the nervous system.
By the way, even if you shred a bear's hear and lungs, he still can eat your lunch before he expires. Bears' heartbeats are that slow. 30 seconds of intense activity is well within a dying bear's ability and he can break both your legs and eat one arm in that length of time.
Sorry, I got onto a rant.
The best way to stop a bear who is intent on doing you harm is to disrupt his central nervous system (CNS) by breaking his spine or scrambling his brain. Second most effective is to break a shoulder bone, which will not stop him but might slow him down enough that you can take an aimed kill shot. Those are the only two recipes for success. All other solutions are gambles. (Spray on the other hand is easy to aim, highly discouraging, has a good track record and has only one real drawback, reloading in the field is not possible.)
For practice, get a soccer ball. Place it on the top of your backstop held in place with a piece of wood. Get 30 meters back from the ball and have a friend shoot the piece of wood out from under the ball. When the ball gets to 25 meters from you, see how many times you can hit the ball as it bounces toward you. Extra points if you can hit only the black spots.
Try it again with a good bear spray. Which spots you hit is of no consequence.
300 Grain flat points of hard cast lead penetrate well and break bone. But you really need upwards of 3,000 ft lbs of energy to get into a bear and 4,000 is better. But that energy level is hard to produce from a handgun. Any firearm capable of being carried in a holster is a weak compromise to a proper rifle or shotgun with good slugs.
I (and the links I have provided) have said my piece. Good luck. Use your 44 Mag in good health. It is an excellent round and you have an excellent revolver. My liking for the heavier loads is due to my proximity to larger bears (300 to 1,000 kg or 660 to 2200 lbs).
Lost Sheep