Montana Bow Hunters Kill Charging Grizzly with a Pistol

Alaska444

Moderator
Bow hunting in the Gravelly mountains of Montana is a risky business with two hunters mauled in 2010 and two successfully fending off an attack recently with a pistol that they carried for protection.

Sow grizzly bear shot and killed after encounter with bow hunters in Gravelly Mountains

Posted: Thursday, September 8, 2011 12:15 am
CARLY FLANDRO, Chronicle Staff Writer

A sow grizzly bear was shot with a pistol and killed after an encounter with bow hunters in the Gravelly Mountains on Tuesday morning.

The two men who were hunting said the sow had charged them, said Ron Aasheim, spokesman for Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks. The sow had two large cubs that were likely 2 years old.

http://www.bozemandailychronicle.com/news/region/article_9ad27662-d9ad-11e0-ab85-001cc4c03286.html

I guess we will have another discussion on that fact it is impossible to kill a grizzly with a pistol and must be a mistaken account. LOL
 
that's the best you can hope for, just shoot whatever you can on target and hope that one or more do the trick. It would be interesting to know which and/or what shot killed the bear(examples only: headshot, bodyshot that caused sufficient trauma, etc).
 
Somebody said "impossible to kill a grizzly with a pistol"? I imagine they would have gotten them torched for that comment on this site.

But this does bring up some interesting points. Did any of them, this attack and others mentioned, have bear spray? Will they have to kill the other cubs? Or will they die on there own.

And also:

An investigation into the incident is ongoing.
“We need more information before we exonerate or condemn anybody,” Aasheim said.

Wonder what the end result will be?
 
The "cubs" are 2 years old. They should be able to make it on their own, although they might be killed by another bear.

I can only hope that the bowhunters were in the right, and that they won't be charged.

Daryl
 
It is elk season up here in Idaho and Montana by bow hunting, so the first issue is that they certainly were not hunting for a grizzly with a handgun which should point the investigators into a defensive killing outlook from the beginning.

Secondly, there are two witnesses and third, this is an area known for grizzly attacks on bow hunters. Lastly, it is legal in Montana to carry defensive weapons in the woods and it is legal to use those weapons in defense of life as this case appears to be.

I wouldn't expect any charges in this case and will be shocked if they do. I hope we hear more details about this case such as type of gun, ammo, shot placement, size of bear etc. but I won't hold my breath waiting for all of that information that likely will never come. We may be looking at all of the information we will have.

Glad to hear the folks survived the attack without any injury.

As far as "impossible to kill with a handgun," sorry, maybe a little bit too much tongue in cheek on that one, but there are so many discussions on which cannon is the minimum size for bears when in fact, type of ammo and shot placement are more important factors. Once you have a bullet that penetrates, putting it in the right place is what matters most. Most discussions always state that handguns are not adequate yet case after case of effective stoppage fails to mitigate those comments that they don't work. Obviously, this is one more case where it did work.
 
Unfortunately, not all states allow bow hunters to carry a handgun for protection against predator animals. You would think this would be a no-brainer, but logic does not always prevail.

I wonder who had to do laundry in camp this night. I would not want to face a charging mamma bear.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMbnmLLnsfw
 
Maybe the bears do not read this site and do not know a pistol is inadequate to kill them? :o


Your right though. How many threads discuss what size pistol you should have for hiking in bear country? I think the consensus on those threads were it should be at least a .500 magnum.
 
It's rifle season for black bears where I'm at, and they are thin skinned animals, I would bet a standard rn 9mm or .45acp would kill one, it's all about shot placement.
 
I've never had an encounter with a grizzly, but I know that when a bear is charging/running, its head is bobbing up and down. Between that movement and the adrenaline factor, I doubt that anyone can be confident of achieving good shot placement. I would much rather have a pistol for defense against a bear than not have a firearm at all, but I would not go into grizzly country counting on any handgun as a guarantee of safety.
 
Sow and Cubs in the same sentence never ends well for humans.

These guys may have just happened upon them but if you ever see a momma bear and cubs just head the other direction quietly and quickly as possible.

I think these guys were probably in the right but I hate to read about the sow getting killed when she is with her cubs as 9/10 the sow will be aggressive to protect. You cant fault a mother for protecting her young.
 
Please give a reference that someone said you cannot kill a grizzly with a pistol.
But if you are so sure a pistol is adequate then go to Alaska and on a bear hunt with it, and without a back-up with a rifle.
Jerry
 
I always carry a S&W 629 while bow hunting in Montana. I always assumed I would have to hit a charging bear in the brain or close to it to stop it.

Would be good to know the details of who shot, how many shots, and where they hit.
 
Today, 01:16 PM #13
JerryM
Senior Member

Join Date: April 4, 1999
Location: New Mexico
Posts: 1,294
Please give a reference that someone said you cannot kill a grizzly with a pistol.

But if you are so sure a pistol is adequate then go to Alaska and on a bear hunt with it, and without a back-up with a rifle.
Jerry
__________________
Ecclesiastes 12:13 *¶Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.
14 *For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.

Dear Jerry, I guess you didn't read my follow up post talking about tongue in cheek comment. In any case, why so contentious? After all, I am also a brother in Christ as well.

To answer your question, it is quite common in many bear threads to completely castigate a pistol as an adequate defensive plan, yet we have example after example after example where it has worked and worked well. that is my one and only point of statement which was of course tongue in cheek as I mentioned above.

As far as hunting grizzly with a handgun, no thanks. I will be hunting them with a rifle either. I much prefer to have them run the other way if I ever see one in the woods. An evangelist I know lived for a few years in Alaska and went bear hunting on more than one occasion. The very last time he hunted bears, he was going through some tall grass when a very large brown bear stood up about 10 yards away. He prayed a very short prayer:

"Lord, if you make this bear go away, I will never hunt them again." That is my feeling on the issue as well. I have no desire whatsoever to hunt these creatures. But I did recently purchase an expensive Ruger Super Redhawk in .44 magnum as ONE of my bear guns which would include grizzly since I live in northern Idaho. So hunt with a handgun, no thanks. Carry one knowing it is a reasonable defense against an attack absolutely. My first choice as I have stated on TFL several times is my Marlin .444 but it is not possible to always have it over my shoulder. In those situations, it is my Ruger SRH in .44 magnum. And, why not. It has worked for many in the past and with proper shot placement, it is a reasonable defense even against grizzly.

God bless,

Alaska
 
Hi Alaska,
[Dear Jerry, I guess you didn't read my follow up post talking about tongue in cheek comment. In any case, why so contentious? After all, I am also a brother in Christ as well.

No, I did not read your follow up post. In fact I did not even look at who made the post. After reading various threads that contain something like, "10 shots from a .45 should take down a grizzly." I pretty well skipped the rest of this thread.

Sorry, I could not see your cheek.:)

Jerry
 
No problem Jerry,

By the way, I don't think a .45 ACP is the best bet for grizzly, yet the first case of successful use of handgun after allowing them in national parks was a .45 ACP of all things in Denali. I guess you can get lucky with just about any firearm, even a .22 LR from what I have heard. Not my choice, but some folks have been lucky.

God bless,

Alaska444
 
Yeah, that was his last bear hunt. I want to be prepared for bear defense, but no desire at this time to hunt the critters. I spend most of my time trying to avoid them and happy when I don't see them.
 
I carry a Ruger Alaskan in .454 when i am up there fishing. It may not be perfect but in my chest holster i can put it into play instantly. A rifle across your shoulder takes a while to get into action.
 
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