# Bear protection



## zedex (Jan 9, 2018)

Many people are concerned about a run in with a bear while out hunting or hiking. In some areas its not really a concern. In other areas, its much more so.
 Where I live now, its a real issue. same with where some of you live down there.
 It is said that bear bells work by creating noise to run them off. True, but not always. 
 A handgun? Sure, where legal. It aint legal here and where some live. If this is your route, youre in luck as long as the gun has real knock down power. Anything less could make a bear a bit madder. It takes a lot to stop a charging bear. 
While bears often make a false charge, do you really want to wait to find out?
 Bear spray... This stuff tickles me. Why? Because every parameter must be right in order for it to be effective. What if you are downwind? The spray comes back at you. One of two things will happen: the bear will attack while you are blinded or the bear is going to be laughing at you. If the wind is going sideways, neither of you are affected.
 Whats the proper recourse? Walk loudly and carry serious fire power.
 Being as we cant take a handgun in the woods here, I choose to take only one rifle with me. I bought it after watching a friend drop a running griz with a single shot. The 45-70.  While I was busy making a mess behind me, he was cool and collected. One shot and it dropped and rolled never to get up again.
 My gun of choice is the Marlin guide gun. its 8 pounds and short enough for heavy brush maneuvering. 
 My opposition to bear spray comes from a report of a woman attempting to use it during an encounter. The wind caused her to spray herself. The bear never touched her. Maybe he was laughing. Maybe he doesnt like spicy food
 What do you use?


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## ripplerider (Jan 9, 2018)

Nothing. Our bears mostly have a healthy fear of humans. We dont have Grizzlies. If we did I'd probably carry bearspray. The country around here is generally heavily timbered and we dont usually get the heavy winds you have out West so I dont think blowback would be as much of an issue here. As it is, I hike/scout/walk all the time with only a sharp knife on me and think nothing of it. I agree the 45/70 Marlin would be bad mojo for an angry bear.


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## model88_308 (Jan 9, 2018)

This subject is always one that draws contrasting opinions; those who use ridiculous comparisons to say how remote the chances are for an attack. Ever hear the old "more dangerous driving to your hunt" or "better chance of lightning striking you" arguments?

Having spent over a week deep in the Alaskan bush on a drop hunt for bear with two days spent alone, I feel it prudent to simply understand that the possibilities exist and to keep that in mind in all that you do. I never allowed my rifle to be more than an arms length away after seeing the first black bear (cub) of our trip at 10 yards with my rifle farther away than that in the opposite direction.

I'd call it prudent to carry a decently powerful handgun with good loads along in bear country. Actually, I carry one typically every time I'm in the woods keeping two legged predators in mind.

A prominent Alaskan guide recently "saved" his clients (man & wife) and himself by shooting a charging grizzly with his 9mm handgun stoked with good hardcast loads (BB). Many tout pepper spray as the ticket, but after reading about a bear hunter who used it only to get a facefull himself, I'd at least want to have a firearm along with the spray.

While the possibilities are pretty low for a fatal attack, or any bear attack, it's a fact that the state with the second highest amount of deaths by bears since 2000 happens to be my home state of Tennessee. And it's also a fact that there was a fatal attack in the last few years in, of all places, New Jersey (11/25/14).


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## BeefMaster (Jan 9, 2018)

I concur with ripplerider.  I have never had an aggressive encounter with a black bear which is what we have here.  It seems that they are reasonably skittish here and the ones that I have happened upon while fishing normally tuck tail. Barring getting between a sow and her cubs I don't have any fear of black Bears here.   My Sunday school teacher grew up in Wyoming and 45-70 is what they carried when out and about. If I lived in Grizzly country I think 45-70 (hot loads with solids).  A Ruger guide rifle in 416 or 375 Ruger would be good bear medicine too.  I would not want to face down a griz with a handgun of any caliber if I could avoid it.  However, that would be preferable to taking one on armed with bad breath and a unsavory disposition.

I carry in the woods (always have) but it's normally in case I stumble upon two legged varmints who have intent to do wrong in a do right zone.


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## ryanh487 (Jan 9, 2018)

Black bears attack and kill more people every year than grizzlies, though I would expect that's largely because of probability.  There are simply more black bears in more places resulting in more encounters.  That being said,  an angry momma bear or a fed bear are dangerous bears,  and the possibility of an encounter should not be downplayed.


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## PappyHoel (Jan 9, 2018)

Every black bear I've seen while hunting in north ga runs the opposite direction when they know you're there.

My uncle lives close to west Yellowstone and he carries spray in his back yard.  I think he said there were 7 attacks last year from grizzly bears.  He sees them regularly when he floats the river.


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## NCHillbilly (Jan 9, 2018)

Statistically, black bears are much more likely to stalk, kill, and eat you than a grizzly. There have been a few fatal predatory (bear eats victim) attacks in this area, and scads of maulings. You are not likely to be attacked by a bear, but if you are, a bear isn't anything to mess with. A black bear can easily kill a grown cow, and can rip the doors off a car if he takes a notion to. I've seen dogs ripped apart, and decapitated cows over the years. A black bear can make pieces out of you pretty quick if he wants to.

Here in my area, we supposedly have the highest concentration of black bears anywhere in the lower 48. I have lived around them for over half a century. Here are my thoughts:

I have seen/encountered probably well over a hundred bears in my life of roaming the woods here. Only a couple of them have acted at all aggressively, and those were at campsites in the national park. A wild bear somewhere like the national forest or rural private land is nothing to worry about running into 99.9% of the time. Most of them will hightail it as soon as they see or smell you-which is usually before you even know they are there. The one exception is a sow with cubs. It's best to give them a wide berth, because they can get aggressive. 

Bears in the national park or urban areas can be downright dangerous. They have no fear of people, and often relate people with food. In the GSMNP, there are usually several bear attacks every year, and they have ranged from minor to fatal. Backcountry campsites and areas are closed almost every year due to aggressive bears. 

All in all, I honestly don't worry at all about bears, unless I am camping backcountry in the national park-and not much, then. You can't carry a rifle there legally, but you can carry a handgun with a CCP. A 10mm or .460 Rowland on a 1911 frame, loaded with solid lead bullets would probably be the best deal in that situation.


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## Killer Kyle (Jan 9, 2018)

I encounter loads of bears every year. I see them starting in turkey season, and spend many, many summer nights watching them in the food plots just to observe. I think I saw something like 40-50 this year before the archery season began. Two years ago, I saw +-40 bears the first week of archery season while I was on vacation and hunted eight days straight. Aout half of those were repeat bears that I had seen on previous days. I won't say I've had a truly aggressive encounter, but I've had bears chomping their jaws at me on three occasions. I THINK I was bluff charged last summer when making my way through a sorghum field, but I cannot be certain. I was making my way through the sorghum, and to stalks that I could se moving, and to the sound of the heads being crunched. I thought they were probably hogs. Near the back of the field, and maybe 40 yards ahead I hear a woof, and see a small cub scamper up a white oak about 10" in diameter. Before I knew it, she came barreling towards me, and then turned and ran to the woodline where the cub was. I realized that my ML was still down, and I didn't have time to even raise it because it happened so quickly. I backed away without turning my back to them. It very well could have been a bluff charge as I was in the field with them. The sorghum was grown up so high that I couldn't see them, and I was going in clueless.
Now on other occasions, I've had sows with cubs right in front of me. On one occasion I filmed a sow with cubs that I paced at nine steps after she left. I also filmed over seven minutes of two big bears fighting on Chattahoochee WMA this late summer, but I backed out and left when they started bringing the fight uncomfortably close. I also had a 400+ lb bruin sneak up to 15-20 yards behind me this past turkey season. I also walked up on a big daddy courting his girl a couple summers back. He was about to get the boogie on. When I tried to run them off because they were about 30 yards away, she bolted, but he just stared me down for a long while, then slowly turned and fed away in the other direction.
All that said, I have had some extremely close encounters including a couple spooky ones. I'm cool as a cucumber around bears, and never get the shakes. I'm not afraid of them, but I have a very healthy respect for what a bear can do. If you watch black bears fight on YouTube, they are no less ferocious than a grizzly, and they use their weight to anchor the other bear. I know if a big bear ever pinned me down, I'd probably never get away unless I could stab him with my knife repeatedly. I carry a .40 because I am young, healthy, single, and I want to experience the joys of marriage and children one day. Although bear attacks are extremely rare here, I am not going to be #1. My life is is more important to me than my ego, and that 1 lb slab of steel in my holster is cheap insurance.


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## Nicodemus (Jan 9, 2018)

Killer Kyle said:


> I encounter loads of bears every year. I see them starting in turkey season, and spend many, many summer nights watching them in the food plots just to observe. I think I saw something like 40-50 this year before the archery season began. Two years ago, I saw +-40 bears the first week of archery season while I was on vacation and hunted eight days straight. Aout half of those were repeat bears that I had seen on previous days. I won't say I've had a truly aggressive encounter, but I've had bears chomping their jaws at me on three occasions. I THINK I was bluff charged last summer when making my way through a sorghum field, but I cannot be certain. I was making my way through the sorghum, and to stalks that I could se moving, and to the sound of the heads being crunched. I thought they were probably hogs. Near the back of the field, and maybe 40 yards ahead I hear a woof, and see a small cub scamper up a white oak about 10" in diameter. Before I knew it, she came barreling towards me, and then turned and ran to the woodline where the cub was. I realized that my ML was still down, and I didn't have time to even raise it because it happened so quickly. I backed away without turning my back to them. It very well could have been a bluff charge as I was in the field with them. The sorghum was grown up so high that I couldn't see them, and I was going in clueless.
> Now on other occasions, I've had sows with cubs right in front of me. On one occasion I filmed a sow with cubs that I paced at nine steps after she left. I also filmed over seven minutes of two big bears fighting on Chattahoochee WMA this late summer, but I backed out and left when they started bringing the fight uncomfortably close. I also had a 400+ lb bruin sneak up to 15-20 yards behind me this past turkey season. I also walked up on a big daddy courting his girl a couple summers back. He was about to get the boogie on. When I tried to run them off because they were about 30 yards away, she bolted, but he just stared me down for a long while, then slowly turned and fed away in the other direction.
> All that said, I have had some extremely close encounters including a couple spooky ones. I'm cool as a cucumber around bears, and never get the shakes. I'm not afraid of them, but I have a very healthy respect for what a bear can do. If you watch black bears fight on YouTube, they are no less ferocious than a grizzly, and they use their weight to anchor the other bear. I know if a big bear ever pinned me down, I'd probably never get away unless I could stab him with my knife repeatedly. I carry a .40 because I am young, healthy, single, and I want to experience the joys of marriage and children one day. Although bear attacks are extremely rare here, I am not going to be #1. My life is is more important to me than my ego, and that 1 lb slab of steel in my holster is cheap insurance.





Your experience with bears reminds me of a few gator encounters I`ve had.


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## livinoutdoors (Jan 9, 2018)

.357 24/7


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## TomC (Jan 9, 2018)

You are probably more likely to get attacked by a falling tree  than a bear but if it were a legitimate concern I think I'd feel better with 15 rounds of stout 10mm ammo out of a Glock 20 than any wheel gun.


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## GunnSmokeer (Jan 9, 2018)

If a handgun can’t be carried in California hiking trails, I think I’d go with a semi-auto 12-gauge with an 18” Barrel, loaded with 1-oz. slugs.


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## Killer Kyle (Jan 9, 2018)

Nicodemus said:


> Your experience with bears reminds me of a few gator encounters I`ve had.



I am far, and vastly more afraid of Gators than I am of bears!!! Those things are Jurassic. I flew south to turkey hunt with T-N-T from this forum once in Bacon Co. We crossed a creek he called the "gator hole". I saw a frog make a wake in the water, and nearly fell out. Another time I duck hunted with Heavyneck and kingkillerdelete from here in the forum in Savannah. We waded into a beaver swamp in waist deep water and my heart was in my throat the whole time. I tried not to let on like I was scared, but I was.
Heavyneck and I were also in KingKillerDelete's boat, and we saw some Gators in the brackish water on an earlier hunt. I remember thinking that if one of those comes one foot closer, I am going to shoot it. 
Back in my uniformed days, my artillery unit was doing a live fire exercise on the ranges at fort Stewart at Red Cloud Delta. I saw a monstrous gator sunning on a sand island in a creek a couple hundred yards from our bivouac site. It had to have been 13'. While the guys in my platoon slept that night, I slept in the back of the HUMVEE. They made fun of me, but I remember telling them all "That thing is going to come in and eat your head while you are asleep!" Me and bears get along. Me and Gators do not! Those things are scary!!


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## tree cutter 08 (Jan 9, 2018)

A wounded bear is something you don't want to mess with. The last bear I shot this year was a eye opener. First shot he piled up and rolls and wallers down the hill. He makes it to about 30 yards and locks eyes on me when I moved. I decided to shoot again even though first shot broke his shoulder and punched a lung. Second shot was center chest while on his back. When the gun cracked the bear jumped up like nothing ever happened charges straight towards me. He hit the creek and run out of steam. His last breath was a growl and he never took his eyes off me since the second shot. I was 5 yards away when he crashed.


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## whitetailfreak (Jan 9, 2018)

I have spent my entire life around bears, and don't worry about them much. I have a healthy respect for the critters and what they are capable of. As NCH said, an unhunted bear without fear of humans is one to be particularly aware of. With that being said, my scariest encounter was on the head of Tellico near the NC line in the Cherokee NF.  I usually carry a .40 S&W when fishing and camping in the Backcountry. I would also opt for a tent and avoid sleeping in a hammock, particularly in the Backcountry.


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## whitetailfreak (Jan 9, 2018)

tree cutter 08 said:


> A wounded bear is something you don't want to mess with. The last bear I shot this year was a eye opener. First shot he piled up and rolls and wallers down the hill. He makes it to about 30 yards and locks eyes on me when I moved. I decided to shoot again even though first shot broke his shoulder and punched a lung. Second shot was center chest while on his back. When the gun cracked the bear jumped up like nothing ever happened charges straight towards me. He hit the creek and run out of steam. His last breath was a growl and he never took his eyes off me since the second shot. I was 5 yards away when he crashed.



I killed one several years ago with my muzzleloader at 10 yards. Those ultra close encounters will get the ol heart to pounding.


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## tree cutter 08 (Jan 9, 2018)

whitetailfreak said:


> I killed one several years ago with my muzzleloader at 10 yards. Those ultra close encounters will get the ol heart to pounding.



Yes they will! Ive seen a few I didn't trust and both was centered around food sources. They were very territorial so I decided to back out and give them room. But I guess there like us, each ones got a different personality. I always carry a 44 mag while bowhunting and muzzloader hunting. After seeing what I did I will continue to do so.


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## jbogg (Jan 9, 2018)

I fully understand that the chances of being attacked by a black bear are incredibly rare, but I sure sleep better with my 40 cal next to me in my hammock when I backpack hunt solo on NF.  My understanding is that grizzlies will attack when they feel their cubs are threatened, or when defending a food source.  Victims of grizzly attacks are advised to play dead, the thinking being that once the grizzly no longer believes one to be a threat they may move on.  Most serious Black bear attacks are predatory in nature which means the bear doesn’t view the victim as a threat, rather as lunch.  As a result victims are advised to fight for their lives,  or risk becoming the next special on the menu.  

Personally I have enjoyed seeing bears since I began hunting the mountains, and as many others have stated I have never felt threatened by one.  I did see a huge 400 lb boar during turkey season last year.  I watched him coming towards me from across a food plot and when he closed the distance to 30 yds I decided I better let him know I was there.  He looked me over for a second, and then slowly walked back from the direction he came.  He was the only one that did not haul butt like most have done when they have seen me.


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## Buckman18 (Jan 10, 2018)

I walked up on some bears fishing in my hole on the upper Chattahoochee last year and ran them off. Here's the video:

http://youtu.be/CVS1UfCfxlU


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## NCHillbilly (Jan 10, 2018)

Nicodemus said:


> Your experience with bears reminds me of a few gator encounters I`ve had.



I find gators scary. Bears not so much, because I've been around them all my life and understand them pretty well. I have not been around gators much, and don't know much about them except that they are a lot bigger than me, have a lot of big teeth, and can lurk unseen in a couple feet of water right next the bank where I'm fishing.


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## northgeorgiasportsman (Jan 10, 2018)

Buckman18 said:


> I walked up on some bears fishing in my hole on the upper Chattahoochee last year and ran them off. Here's the video:
> 
> http://youtu.be/CVS1UfCfxlU



Ain't it funny how much of a pest they can be when you don't want them around, and then you go to hunt one and they become scarce?


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## livinoutdoors (Jan 10, 2018)

TomC said:


> You are probably more likely to get attacked by a falling tree  than a bear but if it were a legitimate concern I think I'd feel better with 15 rounds of stout 10mm ammo out of a Glock 20 than any wheel gun.



10mm is a hefty round but the wheel gun in bear country thing i believe came about because of the possibilty of a semi auto failure to cycle if a big bear what piled up/pined your gun somehow. A revoler will still fire( dont really want to find out)


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## livinoutdoors (Jan 10, 2018)

northgeorgiasportsman said:


> Ain't it funny how much of a pest they can be when you don't want them around, and then you go to hunt one and they become scarce?



Its the same thing with hogs! When i tell people i hunt hogs on public land by myself or with the wife they always respond wow that seems scary! Truth is you are lucky! To come across one haha!


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## Killer Kyle (Jan 10, 2018)

livinoutdoors said:


> Its the same thing with hogs! When i tell people i hunt hogs on public land by myself or with the wife they always respond wow that seems scary! Truth is you are lucky! To come across one haha!



Bears are like hogs. I like the way someone over in the hog hunting thread said it when referring to pigs. "They're everywhere and nowhere at once". You can always easily find their sign in the fall, but it's always five days old seems like.


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## 35 Whelen (Jan 10, 2018)

I usually have a 6 foot ultralight spinning rod with me when I encounter bears.


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## Buckman18 (Jan 10, 2018)

northgeorgiasportsman said:


> Ain't it funny how much of a pest they can be when you don't want them around, and then you go to hunt one and they become scarce?



You got that right! Where I live now there aren't many of them thank goodness. But I have lived where there have been plenty of them, especially in the college days when I stayed and worked with my uncle in Hayesville on the edge of the southern nantahala wilderness. Trash cans raided, bears on our trucks, eating dog food, up on the porch... 

Seems like if you can find fresh sign, week 1 and 2 of bow season is a gimme, but the minute bears think they are being hunted they are gone!


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## Killer Kyle (Jan 10, 2018)

You know why that is don't you, Buckman? Soon as season starts and you step foot in the woods, they get word and take off runnin' cause they know danger is a comin'!


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## Buckman18 (Jan 10, 2018)

Killer Kyle said:


> You know why that is don't you, Buckman? Soon as season starts and you step foot in the woods, they get word and take off runnin' cause they know danger is a comin'!



Ha! Not this year! Next year, there'll be no kids playing soccer during hunting season!


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## jerry russell (Jan 10, 2018)

I get that it is a primal fear in some but it is irrational. In all of North America combined, there is, on average, one death from black bear attacks in a given year.   

Carrying a gun makes some feel safe but your chance at a black bear killing you is one in 350 million.  

Again, i get that it is a primal phobia but you are 600 times more likely to shoot your self accidentally (according to the CDC).

Now don't yell at me, lol.  I have a bit of experience with these critters.


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## NCHillbilly (Jan 11, 2018)

jerry russell said:


> I get that it is a primal fear in some but it is irrational. In all of North America combined, there is, on average, one death from black bear attacks in a given year.
> 
> Carrying a gun makes some feel safe but your chance at a black bear killing you is one in 350 million.
> 
> ...



True. But. The fact that you have a very slim chance of getting struck by lightening doesn't mean that I am going to stay waded waist-deep in a creek waving a 9-foot piece of graphite over my head during a thunderstorm. If you've ever been a couple feet away from one of these cuddly, harmless creatures while it is standing on its back legs roaring at you, slapping dogs, and biting off saplings as big as your arm while popping its teeth and trying to get to you, it will instill a bit of respect for them in you. 

I don't have an irrational fear of bears by any means, but I do have a healthy respect for them. And I don't dismiss them as harmless like so many folks who have never seen what they are capable of. The lack of large numbers of fatal attacks is true, but non-fatal attacks and maulings are pretty common in the national parks. Talk to a guy who has been drug out of a tent or hammock in the middle of the night by one (happens every year here in my backyard,) and tell him he's being irrational for thinking a bear can hurt you.


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## tree cutter 08 (Jan 11, 2018)

NCHillbilly said:


> True. But. The fact that you have a very slim chance of getting struck by lightening doesn't mean that I am going to stay waded waist-deep in a creek waving a 9-foot piece of graphite over my head during a thunderstorm. If you've ever been a couple feet away from one of these cuddly, harmless creatures while it is standing on its back legs roaring at you, slapping dogs, and biting off saplings as big as your arm while popping its teeth and trying to get to you, it will instill a bit of respect for them in you.
> 
> I don't have an irrational fear of bears by any means, but I do have a healthy respect for them. And I don't dismiss them as harmless like so many folks who have never seen what they are capable of. The lack of large numbers of fatal attacks is true, but non-fatal attacks and maulings are pretty common in the national parks. Talk to a guy who has been drug out of a tent or hammock in the middle of the night by one (happens every year here in my backyard,) and tell him he's being irrational for thinking a bear can hurt you.



Exactly. A healthy dose of respect goes a long ways. Same goes for anything.


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## model88_308 (Jan 11, 2018)

jerry russell said:


> I get that it is a primal fear in some but it is irrational. In all of North America combined, there is, on average, one death from black bear attacks in a given year.
> 
> Carrying a gun makes some feel safe _**but your chance at a black bear killing you is one in 350 million.**  _
> 
> ...




No yelling here, simply making note of more _confusing "statistics"!_ I'm supposing your 350 million number coincides with the population of the U.S.? That being figured, your comparison is way off base. Of those 350 million folks, how many never venture out of the cities in which they live? I'll guesstimate about 1/3 to 1/2 of the U.S. population live and stay in large cities (simply add up the population of the 50 most populated cities in the U.S.)

Now, how many of those folks remaining ever actually venture into typical wooded/forested areas where bears normally reside? I believe that the true type of comparison we might(?) be looking to use for true comparison's sake are not really backed by the typical comparisons thrown out there; lightning, driving, crossing the street, etc. 

This is not to say that anyone should carry an inordinate fear of a bear attack every day and every hour. Instead, it might show that those relatively "few" folks afield on any given day in known bear country might be wise to simply consider some type of contingency should the "unthinkable" actually occur. Whether that means a firearm, whistle, bells, or pepper spray designed for bear protection, that's an individual's own decision.

Personally, for folks afield in known habitat to totally dismiss the idea of a possible confrontation with a bear is not being prudent IMHO. YMMV.


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## Killer Kyle (Jan 11, 2018)

model88_308 said:


> No yelling here, simply making note of more _confusing "statistics"!_ I'm supposing your 350 million number coincides with the population of the U.S.? That being figured, your comparison is way off base. Of those 350 million folks, how many never venture out of the cities in which they live? I'll guesstimate about 1/3 to 1/2 of the U.S. population live and stay in large cities (simply add up the population of the 50 most populated cities in the U.S.)
> 
> Now, how many of those folks remaining ever actually venture into typical wooded/forested areas where bears normally reside? I believe that the true type of comparison we might(?) be looking to use for true comparison's sake are not really backed by the typical comparisons thrown out there; lightning, driving, crossing the street, etc.
> 
> ...



I was just about to comment on the error in the odds that Jerry gave. My odds are not 1 in 350 million. When I bear hunt, I'm hunting from a hammock seat on the ground, and usually sitting something like 10 yards off of a bear 's trail. My chances are extraordinarily, exponentially, astronomically higher than any average American who does not go into a bear's living room on a very, very, very frequent basis.


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## ddd-shooter (Jan 11, 2018)

I suspect the answer is somewhere between NChillbilly running them with dogs and running across one that is totally cornered and faced with death, and the average hunter who never runs across one in their travels. 
The key is to be prepared mentally for what your solution is in ALL situations. 
If a knife, have it readily accessible in a sheath. 
Same for a gun or pepper spray...just don't shoot yourself with either trying to get at the bear in a panic. 
Being situationally aware goes a long ways in life-especially hunting.


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## jerry russell (Jan 11, 2018)

First, let me say that I am in no way trying to diminish a primal fear in some.  I learned a very long time ago that some people have phobias that cannot be overcome.  I am simply putting things in a rational perspective. No insults are intended in any way.  

The odds are not skewed by anyone's proximity to bears.  350 million to 1 is 350 to 1.  If fact, hunters are much LESS likely to suffer a fatal black bear attack.    I didn't even add in the 40 million in Canada, by the way, lol.  Again, I didn't say don't be prepared if you are afraid of them.  By all means do whatever you think will make you feel safe but the fact remains that if you end up dead because of a black bear attack you are 1 in 390 million and you have beat some pretty special odds.  Heck, you will be famous! 

I would also add that a hunted population of bears makes it DRAMATICALLY less likely that you will have a negative encounter.  Bears in the Eastern US are terrified of humans.  The teeth clacking is not a threat response,  it is a fear response much like that of a boar hog popping its jaws.  I can see where it could unnerve and be misunderstood by someone that hasn't seen the behavior before.  To put things in proper perspective consider (If I remember correctly) there have been just a couple deaths attributed to bears in the Souheastern US in the last 75-100 years. More people have been killed by rabid chipmunks.  

In extreme remote areas where bears are not accustomed to humans, the chance of extremely close encounters certainly goes up but it is still 1 in 390 million that you will end up being Bear lunch.  

I'm no biologist but I am around a huge number of bears in a given year.  I blood track 2-4 wounded bears per day in a bear camp without a weapon (by law) and I have never ever felt a threat.  These bears are in extreme remote areas of Canada and I can and do walk to within 10 yards of them several times in a week.  Other than an occasional side ways glare, tooth clacking or huffing to show off, there is nearly zero chance of anything more than their just posturing.  To the uninformed it may look like a threat but it is not. 

This conversation comes up a few time per year and I only respond for the benefit of the new bear hunter. By reading this negative information, it would seem likely that he is going to have a negative encounter with a bear when the likelihood is astronomically against it.


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## The mtn man (Jan 11, 2018)

jerry russell said:


> I get that it is a primal fear in some but it is irrational. In all of North America combined, there is, on average, one death from black bear attacks in a given year.
> 
> Carrying a gun makes some feel safe but your chance at a black bear killing you is one in 350 million.
> 
> ...


I get your point, but the 1 in 350million chance is flawed, 350 million Americans are not in the woods with bears, but still, the risk is low, I will agree. And I have been struck by lightening, I don't live by statistics anymore.


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## livinoutdoors (Jan 11, 2018)

There is a low risk of death/ harm from most things nowdays compared to history. Dont mean im gonna leave my gun at home. Bear woods or walmart


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## goshenmountainman (Jan 11, 2018)

*Bear Charge*



tree cutter 08 said:


> A wounded bear is something you don't want to mess with. The last bear I shot this year was a eye opener. First shot he piled up and rolls and wallers down the hill. He makes it to about 30 yards and locks eyes on me when I moved. I decided to shoot again even though first shot broke his shoulder and punched a lung. Second shot was center chest while on his back. When the gun cracked the bear jumped up like nothing ever happened charges straight towards me. He hit the creek and run out of steam. His last breath was a growl and he never took his eyes off me since the second shot. I was 5 yards away when he crashed.


Some time ago, a friend of mine and myself were hunting a high mountain bench loaded with acorns. He was about 500 yds. south of me and I hear a shot so I stand up so I can see around a little better. After about ten minutes I hear something coming at a fast walk. A big fat bear came around the ridge above me at about 50 yds. He stops when he saw me standing there, I take aim and squeeze my muzzle loader trigger. At the shot the bear starts flopping and biting his self, all of sudden he barrels off down the hill wide open at me, I pull my side arm and fire 13 shots in him from about 20 yds. till he was two feet from me. He splashed blood all over my pants when he went between me and a big white oak that was only 4-5 feet away. When it was all over, I was shaking like a leaf, he was looking directly at me when I shot him with the muzzle loader and I truly believe he was on a mission to get me. Best I could tell 9 out of eleven hit him. Took me 10 minutes to clean my britches out!! Lol..


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## NCHillbilly (Jan 12, 2018)

jerry russell said:


> First, let me say that I am in no way trying to diminish a primal fear in some.  I learned a very long time ago that some people have phobias that cannot be overcome.  I am simply putting things in a rational perspective. No insults are intended in any way.
> 
> The odds are not skewed by anyone's proximity to bears.  350 million to 1 is 350 to 1.  If fact, hunters are much LESS likely to suffer a fatal black bear attack.    I didn't even add in the 40 million in Canada, by the way, lol.  Again, I didn't say don't be prepared if you are afraid of them.  By all means do whatever you think will make you feel safe but the fact remains that if you end up dead because of a black bear attack you are 1 in 390 million and you have beat some pretty special odds.  Heck, you will be famous!
> 
> ...


Agreed, none of us know the first thing about bears, don't come from generations of well-known bear hunters, have never been around any, never spend decades having close encounters with them, haven't spent half our lives hunting them, haven't crawled into laurel thickets on our bellies up to bear fights, don't know people who have been injured by them, and bears are fluffy and completely harmless, much less dangerous than chipmunks. We are all clueless indoorsmen who are terrified of bears and have delusional phobias of bears because we don't know anything about them. All bears are exactly like your Canadian bears, including our protected human/food associated/habituated national park bears here in the Smokies. Having respect for a bear's capabilities is an irrational phobia fueled by ignorance. I have been enlightened. I will begin to go up and pet them when I see them from now on.


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## northgeorgiasportsman (Jan 12, 2018)

NCHillbilly said:


> I will begin to go up and pet them when I see them from now on.



Heck, I bet you could saddle one up.  Can I film it?


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## tree cutter 08 (Jan 12, 2018)

northgeorgiasportsman said:


> Heck, I bet you could saddle one up.  Can I film it?



Got to put salt on its tail first!


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## jbogg (Jan 12, 2018)

jerry russell said:


> First, let me say that I am in no way trying to diminish a primal fear in some.  I learned a very long time ago that some people have phobias that cannot be overcome.  I am simply putting things in a rational perspective. No insults are intended in any way.
> 
> The odds are not skewed by anyone's proximity to bears.  350 million to 1 is 350 to 1.  If fact, hunters are much LESS likely to suffer a fatal black bear attack.    I didn't even add in the 40 million in Canada, by the way, lol.  Again, I didn't say don't be prepared if you are afraid of them.  By all means do whatever you think will make you feel safe but the fact remains that if you end up dead because of a black bear attack you are 1 in 390 million and you have beat some pretty special odds.  Heck, you will be famous!
> 
> ...



For what it's worth I was not insulted by your post.  I am still a newbie when it comes to hunting in bear country, and I shared many of the already expressed concerns regarding bears.  The first night I spent in my hammock solo a couple of years ago a few miles in on NF during a turkey hunt I heard bears around my camp all night long and didn't sleep a wink.  Of course there were no bears in my camp that night, but due to my inexperience my over active imagination was running wild.  As I have become more educated and experienced in the mountains I no longer fear bears, but I always have a healthy respect for their speed and power.  I have found a good pair of earplugs and my glock go a long way to helping me get a good nights sleep.


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## NCHillbilly (Jan 12, 2018)

jbogg said:


> For what it's worth I was not insulted by your post.  I am still a newbie when it comes to hunting in bear country, and I shared many of the already expressed concerns regarding bears.  The first night I spent in my hammock solo a couple of years ago a few miles in on NF during a turkey hunt I heard bears around my camp all night long and didn't sleep a wink.  Of course there were no bears in my camp that night, but due to my inexperience my over active imagination was running wild.  As I have become more educated and experienced in the mountains I no longer fear bears, but I always have a healthy respect for their speed and power.  I have found a good pair of earplugs and my glock go a long way to helping me get a good nights sleep.



There you go. Don't be afraid of bears- but respect them, and know what they can be capable of, even if they usually don't use it. A bear attack is a very rare thing, but they do happen. Usually in places where they are protected, are used to humans, or have been fed. And it can be some serious stuff in the rare instance when one does decide to cop an attitude with you.


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## NCHillbilly (Jan 12, 2018)

northgeorgiasportsman said:


> Heck, I bet you could saddle one up.  Can I film it?



If I can split the viral video profits with you.


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## whitetailfreak (Jan 12, 2018)

NCHillbilly said:


> If I can split the viral video profits with you.



You fellers are crazier than I was that dry summer


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## NCHillbilly (Jan 12, 2018)

I wonder what that feller that got snatched out of his hammock in the middle of the night and half ate up on Hazel Creek last year thinks about cuddly bears now?


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## whitetailfreak (Jan 12, 2018)

NCHillbilly said:


> If I can split the viral video profits with you.





NCHillbilly said:


> I wonder what that feller that got snatched out of his hammock in the middle of the night and half ate up on Hazel Creek last year thinks about cuddly bears now?



Well, fortunately for him he lived so he's not 1/350,000,000


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## NCHillbilly (Jan 12, 2018)

whitetailfreak said:


> Well, fortunately for him he lived so he's not 1/350,000,000



He might have been if his dad hadn't been in the tent nearby and ran out to help.

He looks paranoid,  irrational, and phobic laying there with his face half ripped off.


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## jerry russell (Jan 12, 2018)

NCHillbilly said:


> Agreed, none of us know the first thing about bears, don't come from generations of well-known bear hunters, have never been around any, never spend decades having close encounters with them, haven't spent half our lives hunting them, haven't crawled into laurel thickets on our bellies up to bear fights, don't know people who have been injured by them, and bears are fluffy and completely harmless, much less dangerous than chipmunks. We are all clueless indoorsmen who are terrified of bears and have delusional phobias of bears because we don't know anything about them. All bears are exactly like your Canadian bears, including our protected human/food associated/habituated national park bears here in the Smokies. Having respect for a bear's capabilities is an irrational phobia fueled by ignorance. I have been enlightened. I will begin to go up and pet them when I see them from now on.





NCHillbilly said:


> Agreed, none of us know the first thing about bears, don't come from generations of well-known bear hunters, have never been around any, never spend decades having close encounters with them, haven't spent half our lives hunting them, haven't crawled into laurel thickets on our bellies up to bear fights, don't know people who have been injured by them, and bears are fluffy and completely harmless, much less dangerous than chipmunks. We are all clueless indoorsmen who are terrified of bears and have delusional phobias of bears because we don't know anything about them. All bears are exactly like your Canadian bears, including our protected human/food associated/habituated national park bears here in the Smokies. Having respect for a bear's capabilities is an irrational phobia fueled by ignorance. I have been enlightened. I will begin to go up and pet them when I see them from now on.



I never for a moment insinuated that anyone was ignorant nor did I say anything derogatory.  I simply stated a fairly educated opinion based on my experiences.  That's what a forum is for by definition.  

I never once told anyone to not respect a bear but I did try and put the new bear hunter at ease- as he should be. 

If you took it personally I am terribly sorry.  

None of us are experts   We simply state our opinions on a subject on here to answer questions based on experience.  In my case it is 40+ years of hunting and exposure to black, brown and grizzly bears in the lower 48, Canada and Alaska.  I live in the heart of Georgia bear country and guide professionally for bears. I probably track more wounded bears in a given year than the average joe.  

Not trying to impress here just trying to quantify my experience.  That doesn't mean I am trying to disregard the experiences of others be they a very experienced or just a guy that has shot a few bears.  EVERYONE has an opinion and a forum let's everyone voice it - even if they are one of those guys that seems to know everything from three legged painted turtle behavior to stem cell research in brown bat fetus (South of the equator). You know the type, right?

Unfortunately, some actually get a bit pouty when others simply post an opinion that they disagree with.  In the case of this thread, you seemed to get out of sorts without cause.  You may disagree but perhaps a bit of self reflection is in order?

  I really don't mean this disrespectful but you're often at odds with others that don't agree with your opinions on a staggering array of topics.  You literally have 37,500+ post on this forum and are often times adversarial when you simply shouldn't be.  If you are going to go to the trouble of educating other with 7,000+ post per year, (your average) be nice and respectful to others.  

Now, let's drop it.  You had your shot and I had mine, lol.  

I am done with the topic and I'm hopeful that all the bear hunters, be they the average joes or the few suffering from bear induced PTSD, can just get along.


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## meatseeker (Jan 12, 2018)

Dang. I wasn’t worried till I read this. Now I’ll be packing for sure cause we are covered up with rabid chipmunks. Hope they can’t bite through my snake boots!


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## Killer Kyle (Jan 12, 2018)

I think Jerry made the mistake when he confused the words caution for phobia. I think about myself in this case. If I had a "phobia" of being killed, would I spend my time videoing them in the spring? If I had a phobia of them, would I spend my free evenings in the summer driving 45 miles north just to sit and watch them? If I had a phobia of them, would I make those hour long drives in the fall to literally get as close to them as I physically can? Well....no. a phobia would keep me away. But the fact is, I do spend countless hours each year videoing them. I do spend those evenings just watching them. I do spend those long days in the woods trying to get as physically close to them as I possibly can. If I'm trying my best and spending all my efforts to inch within 10 yards of a bear from the ground....how could I possibly have a phobia of them? 
Maybe......I try to get as close to them as humanly possible......yet I still respect their power and capabilities?! Sounds a tad more reasonable, right? There is a difference between reasonable understanding and fear. If I was afraid,I wouldn't be getting as close to them as I possibly can. I'm still wondering.....if Jerry tracks all those wounded bears without a weapon.......how does he plan to finish off the wounded bear? Somebody has a weapon, correct? Someone shot the bear with a weapon. If the bear is merely wounded, then it has to die somehow, and so still, a weapon is involved. Just because he doesn't have a weapon, someone else in his party does, otherwise they couldn't finish off the bear. Food for thought.


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## livinoutdoors (Jan 13, 2018)

Dont need no weapon if you know how to bear wrasle. Seriously.


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## NCHillbilly (Jan 13, 2018)

jerry russell said:


> I never for a moment insinuated that anyone was ignorant nor did I say anything derogatory.  I simply stated a fairly educated opinion based on my experiences.  That's what a forum is for by definition.
> 
> I never once told anyone to not respect a bear but I did try and put the new bear hunter at ease- as he should be.
> 
> ...




You are also describing yourself. You were the one who started belittling folks and calling them names or acting like they were outright liars when they said anything about bears being capable of hurting you, and insinuating that others who have also bear hunted and been around bears all their lives just like you, are ignorant, phobic, and suffering from PTSD because they personally know of several instances of bears hurting and killing people. I am far from a bear expert, and don't claim to be one. I'm just a guy who lives around and encounters bears on a regular basis. I am not a biologist, professional bear hunter, or Grizzly Adams. I don't have a bear phobia at all, but I do respect them, and I am cautious around a bear just like I would be around a rattlesnake, alligator, lion, nest of hornets, rabid chipmunk,  or any other critter that has the capacity to harm you. Maybe you wrassle them with your bare hands, and kill them with a pocketknife. I don't.

I agree with you for the most part, and my experience has been similar to yours about bears in PLACES WHERE THEY ARE HUNTED, as I said earlier. The national park bear is a totally different critter. Those are the ones I'm talking about. There are a couple bear attacks every year in the Smokies, which are full of bears that mostly have no fear of people and associate them with food. A woman was killed and eaten by two bears a few years ago near here, another family was attacked and their daughter killed and other family members mauled a couple years later. People are bitten or mauled by bears at backcountry campsites on a frequent basis, leading to the closures every year of campsites and trails. That is the stuff I am referring to. Not bears out on the WMA or the Canadian bush. Having respect for bears doesn't equal PTSD, phobia, or any of the other derogatory names that you have called folks in this thread. Kyle stated my thoughts perfectly in this post:


Killer Kyle said:


> I think Jerry made the mistake when he confused the words caution for phobia. I think about myself in this case. If I had a "phobia" of being killed, would I spend my time videoing them in the spring? If I had a phobia of them, would I spend my free evenings in the summer driving 45 miles north just to sit and watch them? If I had a phobia of them, would I make those hour long drives in the fall to literally get as close to them as I physically can? Well....no. a phobia would keep me away. But the fact is, I do spend countless hours each year videoing them. I do spend those evenings just watching them. I do spend those long days in the woods trying to get as physically close to them as I possibly can. If I'm trying my best and spending all my efforts to inch within 10 yards of a bear from the ground....how could I possibly have a phobia of them?
> Maybe......I try to get as close to them as humanly possible......yet I still respect their power and capabilities?! Sounds a tad more reasonable, right? There is a difference between reasonable understanding and fear. If I was afraid,I wouldn't be getting as close to them as I possibly can. I'm still wondering.....if Jerry tracks all those wounded bears without a weapon.......how does he plan to finish off the wounded bear? Somebody has a weapon, correct? Someone shot the bear with a weapon. If the bear is merely wounded, then it has to die somehow, and so still, a weapon is involved. Just because he doesn't have a weapon, someone else in his party does, otherwise they couldn't finish off the bear. Food for thought.


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## The mtn man (Jan 13, 2018)

Well, I'm not grizzly Adams or the bear tracking expert on here, but I have seen A BUNCH of bear in a tree with hounds barking at them. My observation of black bears is that they have different personalities like people, some are docile and just sit up in the tree and turn their head when you look at them as to not make eye contact. Some will not tree, and do their best to kill all the dogs, even running the dogs down with intent. Some behave while treed until they just all of a sudden either panic or snap, these are the ones that hurt people, and kill a whole pack of hounds. I might not have tracked a million wounded ones, but I have seen them stuck by knives in self defence, and have seen a win. 94 30/30 and win. .338 broken over bears heads after unloading at point blank. I once took a bucket of dog food away from a bear in my yard, he was a big dummy, and had no aggressiveness whatsoever until my pet dog latched onto is gonads, then in the blink of an eye, he killed my 60 pound dog like he was a house fly. So my point is, you better respect a black bear, and telling people that they will not attack people is irresponsible, they will attack people, they don't much, but you better believe they will.


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## Ohoopee Tusker (Jan 15, 2018)

I spend a lot of time hunting areas of middle Ga that are full of bears that can't be hunted. See lots of bears there. Most of them leave as soon as they can but I've ran across two that meant business. As stated earlier, bears like all animals in my experience each have their own personalities. This year while deer hunting I had a sow with a cub feed on acorns for about an hour. I hunted 3 more hours after they leftaan then I climbed down the tree, put my climber on my back and took about 5 steps when I saw the cub climb a big pine faster than I could believe. Then mama came charging out. It was a fluff but she meant business and I backed out of there with here watching me the whole time. Two years ago while sitting in a blowdown, a bear got my wind. It was only 30-40 yards away in a thicket. It stood up and slammed the ground so hard I could feel the vibration in the log I was sitng on. Then i it made spitting sounds similar to how a kid does when they stick their tongue out at you. This repeated 6-8 times, then the wind shifted and it stopped. It never saw me but I don't think it was playing. On another note I unknowingly walked within a few yards from a sow and 3 cubs bedding inside a hollow tree trunk. When  I saw them they were all looking at me but never made a sound. In my way of thinking respect has nothing to do with fear and some of the words use in this thread seem odd and unneeded. I've spent a lifetime in the swamps around gators and I show them the same respect.


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## Esau (Jan 16, 2018)

I do a lot of hunting and fishing in bear country. I always take 2 things with me as a precaution. 1st I carry bear spray. I have had several people who live near Yellowstone and encounter both black bears and grizzlies to sell me on the benefits of bear spray. 2nd I always go with someone I can out run. I ain't ever heard of the bear getting the faster person.


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## ryanh487 (Jan 16, 2018)

Esau said:


> I do a lot of hunting and fishing in bear country. I always take 2 things with me as a precaution. 1st I carry bear spray. I have had several people who live near Yellowstone and encounter both black bears and grizzlies to sell me on the benefits of bear spray. 2nd I always go with someone I can out run. I ain't ever heard of the bear getting the faster person.



Don't even need to be faster, just carry a .22.  

Easy to outrun someone with a mini-mag in their knee.


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## GunnSmokeer (Jan 17, 2018)

*S&w  m-66*

I'd "like to" carry a 10mm  Glock 20, if I owned one.
That's my idea of a good bear protection handgun.
Shorter and lighter trigger pull than a DA revolver, and more power than a .357 (IF you shop around for full-power 10 mm, not ammo downloaded for the sake of lady cops and better LEO qualification scores).

That being said, I don't own one of those, or any other 10mm auto, or a .44 magnum wheelgun.

What I've got for a rugged and rust-proof firearm to take to the woods, that still has a good amount of stopping power and penetration against 300-lb creatures, is a S&W model 66 with a 6" barrel.

This M66, loaded with pretty hot 158 grain loads will have to do. (1500 f.p.s. from a handgun barrel, they say-- but the ammo company could be exaggerating. It may be more like 1300 in real life.)
It's heavy, but I'd rather carry a heavy 2-lb. handgun than even a "light" 7-lb. rifle.


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## model88_308 (Jan 17, 2018)

For the sake of comparison, I think a revolver might be preferred over a semi-auto because if the impossible happens and you are attacked and being chewed on it will fire if (when) pressed against the bear (or 2 legged attacker) where a semi-auto can be put out of battery when the barrel and slide contact the attacker. Just something to possibly consider.

That said, my 686 3" (180gr BB) is not as handy to carry as my 40 S&W Shield, but is preferred in this use.


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## northgeorgiasportsman (Jan 17, 2018)

model88_308 said:


> For the sake of comparison, I think a revolver might be preferred over a semi-auto because if the *impossible* happens and you are attacked and being chewed on it will fire if (when) pressed against the bear (or 2 legged attacker) where a semi-auto can be put out of battery when the barrel and slide contact the attacker. Just something to possibly consider.



I highlighted the key word there.  Earlier in this thread, the odds of a bear attack were brought up.  Now, factor in the odds of a bear attack where you are so close your muzzle comes into contact with the bear and your slide won't rack.  I think the odds of this equal a virtual impossibility.  I'd venture to say, it's never happened and will likely never happen.  And never is a long time.  

I wouldn't let the most remote "what if" improbability keep me from carrying what I wanted.  If you want to carry an auto, carry it.  If you want to carry a wheel gun, carry it.  If you don't worry about bear attacks and want to carry nothing but your pocket knife, carry it.


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## model88_308 (Jan 17, 2018)

My comments were made specifically reference a black bear attack, which have proven over the years to continue until either it or its prey is killed. That said as I'm being "chewed", I'd hope my handgun is reachable and my shots would be as the handgun was being pressed against attacker, bear or whatever. YMMV


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## model88_308 (Jan 17, 2018)

*Bear attack*

A recent bear attack in Florida, of all places....

Over 40 stitches to his face after bear "swiped" him. 

http://www.naplesnews.com/story/new...aples-man-attacked-bear-his-lanai/1025317001/


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## Killer Kyle (Jan 18, 2018)

Back in the summer, Buckman was telling me he had really gotten into carrying this while in the woods this year. He said it doesn't harm the bear or scare it away. It just calms and soothes the bear. Pretty interesting tactic. He said you can also apply it to the bottoms of your feet after a stressful day, and it will help you sleep at night. Anyone else ever used this?


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## NCHillbilly (Jan 18, 2018)

Killer Kyle said:


> Back in the summer, Buckman was telling me he had really gotten into carrying this while in the woods this year. He said it doesn't harm the bear or scare it away. It just calms and soothes the bear. Pretty interesting tactic. He said you can also apply it to the bottoms of your feet after a stressful day, and it will help you sleep at night. Anyone else ever used this?



Not that there's anything wrong with that...........


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## ByrdDog76 (Jan 19, 2018)

PappyHoel said:


> Every black bear I've seen while hunting in north ga runs the opposite direction when they know you're there.
> .



This.^^^^^^

Opening day of duck season my son and I were in the swamp about 20 yards apart (facing different directions) waiting on daylight . I heard some sloshing around from his direction and figured he was adjusting some decoys. All of the sudden in a low voice he said “Dad, Bear”. I turned around and a big 300# Black bear had walked within 15 yards of him. All I had to do was say get out of here in a stern voice and it took off as fast as any deer I’ve ever seen.


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## northgeorgiasportsman (Jan 19, 2018)

ByrdDog76 said:


> This.^^^^^^
> 
> Opening day of duck season my son and I were in the swamp about 20 yards apart (facing different directions) waiting on daylight . I heard some sloshing around from his direction and figured he was adjusting some decoys. All of the sudden in a low voice he said “Dad, Bear”. I turned around and a big 300# Black bear had walked within 15 yards of him. All I had to do was say get out of here in a stern voice and it took off as fast as any deer I’ve ever seen.



I bet that got everyone's heart racing!


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## Killer Kyle (Jan 19, 2018)

NCHillbilly said:


> Not that there's anything wrong with that...........



If Buckman says it werks, then it werks. I'd bet my paycheck on it!


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## Buckman18 (Jan 19, 2018)

Killer Kyle said:


> If Buckman says it werks, then it werks. I'd bet my paycheck on it!



It definitely works! Last year, when I was speck fishing in Stephens County, I had a big bruin jump me in the creek and try to take my fish creel. I admit, it hurt, but I wasn't gonna give it up without a fight. So... I put my thumb in his eye, which bought me a couple of seconds, and sprayed the Aroma. In the same instant, he went from snarling to purrin' and wanted me to scratch him behind the ears... 

I'm still making this potion if you're interested in buying it? I'll cut you a good deal! I've got it stored in the basement next to my helicopter bass lures, Sham-wow's, and flex seal containers.


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## northgeorgiasportsman (Jan 19, 2018)

Buckman18 said:


> I'm still making this potion if you're interested in buying it? I'll cut you a good deal! I've got it stored in the basement next to my helicopter bass lures, Sham-wow's, and flex seal containers.



How much you want for them Sham-wows?


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## Killer Kyle (Jan 19, 2018)

Buckman18 said:


> It definitely works! Last year, when I was speck fishing in Stephens County, I had a big bruin jump me in the creek and try to take my fish creel. I admit, it hurt, but I wasn't gonna give it up without a fight. So... I put my thumb in his eye, which bought me a couple of seconds, and sprayed the Aroma. In the same instant, he went from snarling to purrin' and wanted me to scratch him behind the ears...
> 
> I'm still making this potion if you're interested in buying it? I'll cut you a good deal! I've got it stored in the basement next to my helicopter bass lures, Sham-wow's, and flex seal containers.



I must publicly admit....I bought the helicopter lures. And the banjo minners too. I was a younger lad then. 

I'm ready to get after those middle fork specks again when the weather warms up, buckman. Miss those pretty gems. They might well be the southernmost native brook trout on the continent. Sure are special in my book.


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## tree cutter 08 (Jan 19, 2018)

Dang didn't know they was any specks in Stephens. Funny how topics change ain't it!


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## NCHillbilly (Jan 19, 2018)

Buckman18 said:


> It definitely works! Last year, when I was speck fishing in Stephens County, I had a big bruin jump me in the creek and try to take my fish creel. I admit, it hurt, but I wasn't gonna give it up without a fight. So... I put my thumb in his eye, which bought me a couple of seconds, and sprayed the Aroma. In the same instant, he went from snarling to purrin' and wanted me to scratch him behind the ears...
> 
> I'm still making this potion if you're interested in buying it? I'll cut you a good deal! I've got it stored in the basement next to my helicopter bass lures, Sham-wow's, and flex seal containers.



I think my wife already has some of it. She rubs it on her toes before she goes to bed or some such.


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## whitetailfreak (Jan 19, 2018)

Killer Kyle said:


> Back in the summer, Buckman was telling me he had really gotten into carrying this while in the woods this year. He said it doesn't harm the bear or scare it away. It just calms and soothes the bear. Pretty interesting tactic. He said you can also apply it to the bottoms of your feet after a stressful day, and it will help you sleep at night. Anyone else ever used this?



They help my time, I've seen it all 
I'd be afraid my ancestors would come up out of the grave and get me for using that


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## Killer Kyle (Jan 19, 2018)

whitetailfreak said:


> They help my time, I've seen it all
> I'd be afraid my ancestors would come up out of the grave and get me for using that



Leave it to Buckman to start carrying essential oils in the woods.
I still ain't sure what essential oils are because I made it this far without them, so I know they ain't essential!!


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## Buckman18 (Jan 19, 2018)

NCHillbilly said:


> I think my wife already has some of it. She rubs it on her toes before she goes to bed or some such.



I hear ya! I rubbed some on my toes and I still got smacked!


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## matt79brown (Jan 19, 2018)

I fought a guy that was twisted up on meth. He didn't have any teeth but had somehow chewed his toenails off. I'll take the bear any day!


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## NCHillbilly (Jan 20, 2018)




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## bowbuck (Jan 20, 2018)

matt79brown said:


> I fought a guy that was twisted up on meth. He didn't have any teeth but had somehow chewed his toenails off. I'll take the bear any day!



I do that for a living but not nearly as exciting as a sow bear in White County that didn't like the way I had talked to her cub.  I tote a weapon with me whenever in the mountains cause it can happen and I plan to at least put some rounds down range before the hateful wretch bites me through the back of the neck and kills me.  

For fun I have spent more days than most among Alaska bears and a North Georgia Sow is the by far the closest I have come to buying the farm.


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## Killer Kyle (Jan 20, 2018)

bowbuck said:


> I do that for a living but not nearly as exciting as a sow bear in White County that didn't like the way I had talked to her cub.  I tote a weapon with me whenever in the mountains cause it can happen and I plan to at least put some rounds down range before the hateful wretch bites me through the back of the neck and kills me.
> 
> For fun I have spent more days than most among Alaska bears and a North Georgia Sow is the by far the closest I have come to buying the farm.



I thought I was about to have to do some wrastlin' tonight on Chattahoochee WMA. I met JBoggs up there this evening at the bridge at Martin Branch. We caught up a while, then he went off to look for porkers. I went off my way to hike up the road to look around. There appeared to be a  man camping at the bridge, but no vehicle was there. When I got back, he and all of his stuff was still there. He came up to me and asked for a ride to Helen, and I apologized and politely declined. He began begging me for a ride, and trying to argue with me. I again politely said no and apologized. I told him it was only a thirty minute walk to Helen, and he had two and a half hours to get there before sunset. He then got an attitude and used some very, very unfriendly explatives, so I decided it was time for me to go. Got in the car and backed out, and he was screaming at me at the top of his lungs. He screamed at me until I drove far enough away that I could no longer hear him. 

This is yet another very valid reason to carry a side arm. 

I got down the road and started fishing, and twenty five minutes later, here he comes down the road. As he passed by me again, he decided to use some more "friendly adjectives", and I just replied "fair enough", and kept on fishing. Not often do I feel the need to carry my .40 while fishing, but today was one of those days. I'm glad I did.

If you know much about Martin Branch and pay attention, you'll start learning some things about the people that hang at the bridge. You'll find condoms, beer cans, liquor bottles, zig zag wrappers, and last year my dad found a meth/crack pipe in a pill bottle stuffed into a stump right there at the bridge. Today an old white Nissan truck passed me just after I left the bridge, and it wreaked of weed smoke. Sometimes it is wise to carry a side arm for the two legged critters too.


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## Buckman18 (Jan 20, 2018)

Killer Kyle said:


> I thought I was about to have to do some wrastlin' tonight on Chattahoochee WMA. I met JBoggs up there this evening at the bridge at Martin Branch. We caught up a while, then he went off to look for porkers. I went off my way to hike up the road to look around. There appeared to be a  man camping at the bridge, but no vehicle was there. When I got back, he and all of his stuff was still there. He came up to me and asked for a ride to Helen, and I apologized and politely declined. He began begging me for a ride, and trying to argue with me. I again politely said no and apologized. I told him it was only a thirty minute walk to Helen, and he had two and a half hours to get there before sunset. He then got an attitude and used some very, very unfriendly explatives, so I decided it was time for me to go. Got in the car and backed out, and he was screaming at me at the top of his lungs. He screamed at me until I drove far enough away that I could no longer hear him.
> 
> This is yet another very valid reason to carry a side arm.
> 
> ...



That fella needed some of that Aroma? And a boot to his head...


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## NCHillbilly (Jan 21, 2018)

I'm sorry, didn't mean to be rude to you. I just needed to get to Helen before the likker store closed.


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## ryanh487 (Jan 21, 2018)

I carry whether I "feel the need to" or not. Same as wearing a seatbelt.  Some of my most bizarre and threatening encounters have happened in very nice "safe" parts of town.   If I have to go somewhere I feel the need to,  I carry a bigger gun,  a second gun,  and get in and out ASAP if i don't have the option of avoiding it.


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## 35 Whelen (Jan 21, 2018)

"two legged critters"

The most dangerous thing in the woods.


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## shawnrice (Jan 21, 2018)

matt79brown said:


> I fought a guy that was twisted up on meth. He didn't have any teeth but had somehow chewed his toenails off. I'll take the bear any day!


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## ripplerider (Jan 22, 2018)

Yall must be hanging out in the wrong woods. I've never met anyone in the field who made me wish I was carrying a gun. I have had a couple of pretty intense, close up encounters with bears when I wasnt sure of their intentions, and didnt have a gun, but I dont consider myself unarmed as long as I have my knife on me. I've had it out a couple of times when things got tense. Like someone else said, situational awareness is the most important defence you have. My spider senses are always tingling. In the woods or in town.


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## Killer Kyle (Jan 22, 2018)

ripplerider said:


> Yall must be hanging out in the wrong woods. I've never met anyone in the field who made me wish I was carrying a gun. I have had a couple of pretty intense, close up encounters with bears when I wasnt sure of their intentions, and didnt have a gun, but I dont consider myself unarmed as long as I have my knife on me. I've had it out a couple of times when things got tense. Like someone else said, situational awareness is the most important defence you have. My spider senses are always tingling. In the woods or in town.



Ripple, if you piddle around Chattahoochee long enough, you'll start to become acquainted with Helen's finest. That isn't necessarily a badge of honor!!


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## livinoutdoors (Jan 23, 2018)

Right now is the only time in history people dont feel they need to carry a weapon on them at all times. Call me old fashioned.


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## northgeorgiasportsman (Jan 23, 2018)

Killer Kyle said:


> Ripple, if you piddle around Chattahoochee long enough, you'll start to become acquainted with Helen's finest. That isn't necessarily a badge of honor!!



I know some of the places he hunts.  The only people he's likely to run into have probably been dead for years and the FBI has a missing persons file on them.


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## Killer Kyle (Jan 23, 2018)

northgeorgiasportsman said:


> I know some of the places he hunts.  The only people he's likely to run into have probably been dead for years and the FBI has a missing persons file on them.



Haha! The way the bears and yotes are up here, I'll bet he only finds bits and pieces!


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## cotton top (Feb 6, 2018)

Buckman you ain't right !!!!??


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