biznatch

My drum teacher who goes hiking a lot told me he used firecrackers(those that pop in series really loudly).
In his own words. "If you're camping and a bear comes around your tent, go out and set one of those firecrackers on fire. 'brarrrarararararrararararaaa'(imitating sound) the fucker 'll run away.. if he comes back, light one on fire and when he runs away, run after him with another one in your hand screaming as loud and wildly as you can, and then light that one on fire and throw it at him."
yeah, he's demented. (he's a drummer)

FishKing

As a last thought, a good 12ga with 00 then slugs is carried by more than one guide.[/QUOTE]


12 ga is a good idea but I was told 00 slug and bird shot alternating is the best idea. The odds are if your hiking and you run across a bear you will not be able to shoot straight anyway.

The way you can tell the difference between black bear shit and brown bear shit is because brown bear shit has bells in it.

The old saying is "if a bear is black you better fight back, If a bear is brown just lie down"

Boo

HOLY SHIT FISHKING IS HERE!

Birdshot....... did you really say birdshot? I guess its better than you weee little 9MM.

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kleptophobiac

Alaska... now there's an awesome place.

Boo

While this is a terrible pic, it is the only one that I have found that was taken on a trip to Eureka in July 2003.

The brown DOT in the center is an Alaskan Brown bear. The animals around him are Caribou. They parted like the Red Sea as he went up the hill. I cannot believe that we did not get a better pic. For reference, caribou are about the size of a decent mule deer. The bears ass is 2 bou wide.

The bottom pic is the herd of bou that he is feeding on. The dog is my long time Desert dog... and his name is....Boo. It used to be Bear but you just can't go around Alaska calling your dog with a name like that.

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FishKing

I carry the 9MM to shoot you in the leg..........Sorry better you then me!

Some sort of OO and slug combo.....The odds of a person hitting a bear while hiking and being chased by a jeep with teeth is slim to none. By the time you pull the gun out and realize the amount of shit that is running down your leg it is a little late to try and hit it with slugs or 44 or what ever your carring. So do Like I do and shoot your buddy in the leg and run like HELL.......My wheeler is faster then your anyway.

kleptophobiac

Is it legal to hunt caribou in Alaska?

saigon1965

So, after all the suggestions, have you decide on anything?

Boo

Yes. They are quite popular to hunt. I personally don't like the meat and would rather take pics or just watch them. They also make a sound like a herd of frogs and smell a bit like sheep. I hope to post some pics soon in the pics area.

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daswig

What do sheep smell like?????

Boo

*swallows hook*

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runs upstream...


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runs downstream...


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PHEW! *spits hook* (damn that was close) Fishking will have to answer your question.

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raptor9k

deleted

Strange Famous

I reckon a Desert E .50 AE will stop any bear that tried to attack you.

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daswig

Better file down the front sight, so when the bear shoves it up your ass, it'll hurt less...

Anybody, ANYBODY, is absolutely NUTS to take on a bear with a handgun OF ANY CALIBER unless that's your absolute LAST resort. It should only be your last resort if the firing pin in your large-caliber rifle suddenly broke, or something similar happened.

Boo

Bear are taken every year with handguns. Rarely are they taken during a charge. I always figured that the greatest danger in the woods was a human, followed closely by a moose. Neither can be trusted. Bears seem to be slightly curious until they realize what you are, they they shit and get. I have been lucky and not put one is a corner or spook it to where it decided its only option was to fight.

I have never had to pull my weapon on an animal, I have had to "let it be known" that I was armed to a human in order to avoid excalation of trouble.

My current goal is to get a 12GA pump to mount on my wheeler for trips to the bush.

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Ashton

Ruger Blackhawk 44 mag

ziadel

I say go with a .30-30....

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Strange Famous

Oh well, I dont know... Im not an expert, but I reckon if you shot a bear with a big hand gun like that, even if it didnt kill him, it'd probably make him run off.

But I would definitely agree that humans are a lot more dangerous than bears.

__________________
"Do not tell lies, and do not do what you hate,
for all things are plain in the sight of Heaven. For nothing
hidden will not become manifest, and nothing covered will remain
without being uncovered."

The Gospel of Thomas

jakewesier

I used to live in NOrthern Quebec and had a run in with a Polar Bear that came off the river into the town I was working in. Generally Polar Bears (worlds largest land based preditor) don't care much for anything that moves and if you are forced into a situation where you have to shoot it it takes several rounds from a 12 guage to wound it enough to cause it to retreat.

A slew of town folks burned in on their ski-doos all armed and started firing off rounds at the bear. It eventually took enough rounds to cause it to run, they chased it down and kept shooting, eventually it fell through the ice of the river and was presumed to not have survived. I think it was hit probably 5 or 6 times at least by 12 guage and a variety of other hunting rifles.

In Alaska I believe they have a lot of Grizzley's which are notoriously vicous and in fact will kill for the fun of killing. Hand guns won't phase the animal. You need high caliber rifle action.

Some bears will simply ignore or even run from you in contact. Brown or Black bears are easy to frighten off, fire off a few rounds as warning shots and it probably would run. Or just shoot the damn thing and it would take off. Grizzely or Polar Bear, hope you have enough time to reload.

Boo

We do not use the term grizzley for the Alaska Brown Bear, also known as a Kodiak. Common thought is that if it is black fight back and if it is brown lay down and play dead. Black bears are usually smaller and more apt to kill on a chance meeting. Brown bears will kill to defend cubs or their dinner. Almost all of the brown bear attacks in this area are over a food source such as a downed moose. A guy just killed a bear on the edge of town with a .44 MAG. It was protecting a moose carcass.

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Strange Famous

The thing is, if you are just walking or camping, a handgun is a lot more easy to carry than a rifle. I've read people here say a Desert E can kill someone through a wall... if a bullet can go through a masonary and still kill, I recokin it can penetrate the skull of a bear!

Plus I think the a Desert E is semi auto, so it would be a lot easier to fire off a few shots at the thing than if you had a rifle.

__________________
"Do not tell lies, and do not do what you hate,
for all things are plain in the sight of Heaven. For nothing
hidden will not become manifest, and nothing covered will remain
without being uncovered."

The Gospel of Thomas

The_Dunedan

The problem with the DE is that it's not a very reliable weapon at ALL. They're famous for their malf-a-minute fickleness; you do NOT want to be doing a tap-rack-bang drill as an 1800-lb Kodiak is barreling down on you. This is why guides ( if they carry a hangun at all; most prefer rifles ) carry a revolver.

Secondly, almost any firearm can shoot through a wall and be capable of killing people on the other side. Even a .22-calibre pistol can accomplish this if it's just shooting through sheetrock, masonite, or plyboard. Now, if it's masonry we're talking about ( brick or stone ) then almost no handgun can do that. The new .500 S&W might be able to penetrate a fair bit, and almost any bullet will -crack- masonry, but penetrate with enough force to kill? Doubtful.

Lebell

Adam,

A few friendly corrections.

Most guns can kill someone through a wall, when you can specify what kind of wall you are talking about.

If you are talking about a .50AE round, I don't know the penetrating characteristics offhand, but there are several factors that might make it more able to penetrate a concrete wall vs a bear skull (frangibility immediately comes to mind as one factor).

Secondly, a lot of rifles are semiautomatic while a lot of revolvers are double action (i.e. no separate cocking motion needed...just pull the trigger).

That being said, the unreliability of the DE would be my major concern. With a pissed off, wounded bear, you won't have a chance to un-jam your DE, while I get a second shot off with my .44 mag.

So there are really two factors that have to be considered here: the ammunition used (construction, muzzle energy, penetrating characteristics, etc.) and the gun used (reliability, ease of use under extreme pressure, ability to quickly aim and fire, etc.)

All things considered, I can see a short barreled semi-auto shot gun firing slugs as probably being the best option (maybe alternating with 00 shot). After that, I would probably go with a S&W 500 or a .44 mag long barreled revolver.

In all cases, I would stay away from a DE because of the spotty reliability. There's too much at risk if your particular gun happens to jam because it didn't like a particular bullet you were feeding it.

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ziadel

in light of all the brilliant suggestions made here, I have decided to change my recomendation to a frozen red snapper...

I feel this would be more than adequate defense against a bear.


plz take care when handling a loaded frozen red snapper, as they have been known to discharge inadvertantly.

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Boo

^ He said "red snapper"

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MSD

The DE is just as heavy as a light rifle or shotgun, and has several disadvantages:

-The reliability issue - Some reports put the jam rate as high as 20%. If there's a pissed off bear coming at you, you're actually playing with worse odds than if you had a six-shooter and were playing russian roulette.

-The aiming issue - Imagine panicking and trying to draw and fire a 6-pound gun at a moving target while running. Enough said

-The ammo itself - The .50AE round is designed to expand and transfer power very rapidly, and there is a decent chance that it would just bounce off of a bear's skull. Bone is a lot harder than walls that are used for penetration testing, and those tests are always done with a direct hit, not a glancing hit, which is the likely scneario if you're shooting a heavy gun with a lot of recoil while running and trying not to shit your pants. This caliber of bullet is only practical in a rifle.

I know you're a big fan of IMI, and I agree that they make good weapons, but the DE is not a big success. If you're ever in the US and around here, I'll take you to an outdoor firing range and show you a variety of guns, and I think you'll find a pistol that you like better than the DE.

ziadel

*cough*http://www.imisammo.co.il/com_4.htm*cough*




I still agree with your assessment, but 300gr FMJ's are available...



edit: oh, and I forgot to mention, make sure you have all neccesary permits before carrying your frozen red snapper concealed...

and make sure if you are hiking in a state park that they have not outright banned frozen red snapper....

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MSD

[QUOTE=ziadel]*cough*http://www.imisammo.co.il/com_4.htm*cough*


I still agree with your assessment, but 300gr FMJ's are available...
[QUOTE]

I know they're available, but I still don't think that it's practical for use in a semi-automatic handgun. I'd take a .45 or a shotgun with slugs and 00 shot, or maybe one of those nice S&W 500 revolvers.

ziadel

[QUOTE=MrSelfDestruct][QUOTE=ziadel]*cough*http://www.imisammo.co.il/com_4.htm*cough*


I still agree with your assessment, but 300gr FMJ's are available...


I can see the .45 or the shotgun, but the .500?

its the same problem as the DE (minus the reliability) too much oomph for a follow up shot on a charging animal, isn't it?

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MSD

I've only seen people hold it like a rifle, and that's somehting that isn't easy to do with the DE. Personally, I'm ocnfident that I'd rip off a fingertip or two on the slide if I tried to hold it like anyhting but a pistol.

ziadel

yeah, holding an auto like that seems like a pretty bad idea IMO, but wtf do I know

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Airoch

http://www.ruger-firearms.com/Firear...-11-2004B.html Compact light and would take down almost anything short of a tank With the exception of the price sounds perfect for your needs but if your lifes on the line money shouldnt be an issue.

Jerron36

I might have missed someone saying this: .500 S&W Magnum

http://www.firearms.smith-wesson.com...sw_activeTab=1

Big Cholla

I spent several years in Alaska as a Bush Pilot. I had a friend killed by a big grizzly when the guy with him wounded it with a .375 H&H rifle. I fly fished many places with grizzly present, but made sure that they knew I was there, never got between a cub and its momma and always carried a big rifle. I would hazzard the educated guess that if a grizzly surprises you, no matter what you are armed with....you're dead meat.

I walked up on a fair sized grizzly in his bed one morning. He sat up and was trying to figure out what I was. I took his picture with an Argus C-3 camera with a very metallic sounding shutter. He took off running thru the willows. He looked like a D-8 Caterpiller tractor doing 60 mph. Make lots of metallic sounds while hiking. You won't see many wolves or moose, but you won't see any bears either.

splck

Yup, the grey matter between your ears is the best defence against bears.

__________________
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WillyPete

Wasn't there show in the US that advocated walking slowly up to them and slapping them smartly on both ears?




just kidding. I love those commercials.

tropple

Yeah, but it was cancelled when the host was eaten in the first episode ;-)

My personal favorite defense against bears (it does work, every time) is the ability to fly! Unfortunately, I can only manage a foot or so for a moment or two.

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cavu

.45 caliber Glock, with a 15 or 30 round clip. You aim that sucker at that bears head and started pulling that trigger (which is designed to get rid of loads extremely fast after the first shot) as fast as you can. If that doesn't stop the bear, then shoot your friend in the leg and run like hell! The new glocks also have only internal safetys. As soon as you pull it out and pull the trigger it will fire, up to 30 rounds without putting a new clip in. Thanks to the semi-automatic weapons ban being lifted.

Faygo

Pfft a hand gun is not what you want for a bear. I'd get a pistol grip shotgun loaded with slugs. Stop a fucking elephant.

sanjuanworm

mossberg 500
12 ga.
18 1/2" barrel
slugs
i have been on more than one alaskan fly-fishing trips.
this is the gun the guides carry.