What does it take to bring down a bear?

T

thunderbird101

New member
I will state this up front! I am a city kid and though I love the outdoors and wildlife, I have limited exposure.

I finally have time to go on the occassional fishing/camping trip with friends, and we typically camp out for 2 or 3 nights and fish during the day as much as possible. It is always in the back of my mind that bears are out and about in these parts. Though I have never had any trouble w/ them, I always wondered what would happen if I was confronted by an angry bear that would not back down! (shooting would be my absolute last resort! I am not out to go rambo on the wildlife!)

I am curious what it would actually take to bring a bear down in a situation like this. We mostly have black bear in the area, no grizzly.
I usually have a Bersa .380 w/ me (mostly for protection against people), but I am thinking about getting a .45; would this even come close to brining down a bear, or is a rifle pretty much the only hope I would have? I know shot placement is a large factor, but let's face it, when you have who knows how many pounds of fur and muscle throwing itself at you, who's going to take the time to approximate where the vitals are, and meticulously aim a shot? :D
 
I know shot placement is a large factor, but let's face it, when you have who knows how many pounds of fur and muscle throwing itself at you, who's going to take the time to approximate where the vitals are, and meticulously aim a shot?
Click to expand...

If you don't put the shot in the proper place then all you are going to do is PO the bear. A wounded mad bear will still move faster than you. Black bears aren't likely to attack you anyway unless you get between a Sow and her cubs. Best thing you can do is keep aware of your surroundings when and keep a clean camp to avoid bear troubles. It may just be me but bear attacks are the least of my worries when camping, I'm usually more worried about the weather.
 
People have killed bears with sticks they found on the ground but that obviously isn't ideal. I'd rather have the .45 than the .380 but if I knew I'd be facing an angry bear, I'd want a 12 gauge.
 
It takes disrupting the central nervous system or stopping blood flow to the brain, of course.


A 380 handgun right between the eyes will do it quicker than a 50BMG in the leg.

It's ALWAYS about shot placement. You really can't make up for it, except for margins of fractional inches, with more power. So long as you've got enough power to reach what matters, the only thing that matters is where the bullet lands.
 
Where are you? That makes a BIG difference. Black bears have a vastly different body structure than grizzlys. Look at the skull of a grizzly. It is almost armor plated. Even their eye sockets are armored.

A black bear, on the other hand, is much easier to kill. But then again, the chance of a black bear attacking you is so remote as to not be hardly worth mentioning. You are far more likely to be accosted by a two-legged varmint than a 4 legged one.
 
Good news and bad news: :)
Good news- Bear attacks are very rare, bears will often leave the area if they know that a human is in the area.
Bad news- If the bear does not leave, he is not afraid of you.

Good news- Grizzly attacks are primarily territorial or defensive, black bear attacks are often predatory.
Bad news- Most bear attacks are by black bears.

Good news- There were only 3 fatal bear attacks in the continental US in 2009.
Bad news- One of the attacks was by a "tame" bear.

Good news- While grizzlies often weigh 600 lbs or more, black bears weigh on average only about 250 lbs.
Bad news- If he can get a good hold, a 250 lbs black bear can rip the door right off of your car to get to the Cheetos on the front seat. They are heavily muscled, and are about 5X stronger than a human pound for pound.

Good news- Black bears have been killed with sticks and stones, like the camper last year that killed the black bear with a piece of firewood.
Bad news- Black bears have been hit by cars and walked away. Don't count on a "one punch knockout".

And finally:
Good news- If you are attacked by a bear, you can play dead.
Bad news- If the bear is a black bear, you may soon not have to pretend. Fight back or wind up in a steaming pile on the trail.
 
I'd say a can of bear spray would be your best bet. I read a study (dunno the details) that said bear spray was more effective than ANY firearm in documented cases. It should do a hell of a number on people too :)
 
Get the bear spray not just any oll pepper spray. You can spray up to 30 feet and have enough to do the job . Then have a 12 ga loaded with slugs as a backup. Now get the bear spray.
 
You did not specify if you were talking about black bears or grizzle bears. The requirements for a proper firearm would be very different.
 
Layers!

1. 10% pepper spray, water based washes off quicker.

2. 12g packing slugs with either a "dot" optic like Eotech or BSA or ghost rings

3. .45(pistol) or heavier, measured in energy, like a .357 or .44(wheelgun)

Having all of the above is optimal.

Just my opinion...

but I have never faced down a Bruin so only 2 cents worth but all of these will also work on Crack-heads or even zombies.

Just a side note, a quick handling levergun and a revolver in the same caliber could be real handy for almost any unforseen challenge out there.(my next purchases)
 
Ya, I'm gonna go fishing/camping and tote a 12ga along. Think I'll also pack a 50bmg to the grocery store. Not.

More than likely (like a million to 1) you won't need a thing. But I know I'd feel better if I did have something. IMO, bear spray would be my first choice and then a medium sized handgun .357M or bigger.

Bear defence is much like SD. If you see a bear in you way avoid it. Just cause you're packin a gun or bear spray doesn't mean you go walking right up to it hoping it changes it's mind and moves outta your way.
LK
 
Ahhh, I did fail to specify whether we were dealing w/ Black bears or the Grizzlys. I live in NC, therefore only have Black bears.

Agreed, if time and nerves permitted a well placed shot, shot placement is absolute key. However, I foresee most encounters allowing only enough time to aim for center mass.

For black bears, aiming at center mass, woud a handgun work?

On a sidenot, I've got an SKS chambered in 7.62x39 that would probably do the trick, but NC isn't Montana, and most people would view me fishing w/ a rifle strapped to my back slightly out of place in these parts!
 
Get bear spray and a side arm you will carry. A 45 on your hip is better than a shot gun in your tent or closet because it is to heavy to keep on you. I bought a smith 329 PD, it is an air weight 44 mag. Very light and fairly big on the recoil but I have a 270 grain soft point for it that should do fine. While it is not a range toy, it does work well for what it was intended for.

The spray will will stop most bears but the pistol will be good to have just in case.
 
As an aside, last summer hiking in Montana my wife and I had a "bear encounter". We were on a trail (if you ever hike in the Bitterroot Mountains you know that generally you are the only one on a trail) with a steep cliff on one side and a meandering creek on the other. We heard rustling in the bushes along the creek about 10 ft away and thought it was a deer. Out pops this huge (at least at the time it was to me) black bear. He looked at me, stood up and roared. I had a 45 dan wesson that I started to draw, but he then dove back into the creek.

We waited a moment and then climbed up the side of the cliff to avoid getting right back on the trail.

I tell you, it scared the heck out of both of us - but it certainly gave us a memory!!

Mick
 
Throw the bear spray away. Bears like seasoning on their food too.
Get a good pistol and learn how to shoot it. If you wait till 30ft to use the spray and it dont work, you will not get a chance to use your pistol.
Skip the stupid spray and go straight to the gun.
 
The bear spray is actually very effective. My guides this year in Alaska carried it.....along with a 12 gauge loaded with alternating 00 buck and slugs. The other guide had a Ruger Super Redhawk in .44 magnum. I've had other guides in the past carry .454 casull, and 45-70 lever actions. The fact is that bear attacks are pretty rare. Bears are solitary animals and will normally avoid humans. It's best to hike in a larger group and it's good to be making noise. The worst thing to do is surprise a bear....especially one with a cub. If you were attacked by a bear......DO NOT RUN. Large bears can run up to 35 MPH for short distances.......you'd be toast. As hard as that may be with a Grizzly or large brown bear coming at you, running will only make you appear more like prey. Somehow you have to stand your ground. If all else fails and you were unarmed, the best thing you could do is roll up in a ball and play dead.
 
Id also recommend bear spray from what Ive read, Ive seen plenty of times the statistic that 98% of the time bear spray users escape injury while with with firearms its only 50%, Im not sure if this statistic is true but bear spray is simple, you get to save an unessecary death of such a powerful beautiful creature, and you get to save yourself which seems like a good plus lol. Shooting a bear alot of the time just makes it more aggressive while spray is almost like the tazer equivalent for the bear, it stops them dead in their tracks reliably while bullets have extreme variables when shooting organic materials as noted in combat with bullets.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top