Handgun or Pistol Defense Against Bear Attack

[glocktoberfest]

i'm glad to hear this. i really have no desire to see let alone shoot a bear. Or a lion.

A couple years ago, I walked out my front door with a black bear pretty close on my driveway. My GSD let out one loud bark, and that thing was running so fast to the other end of my five acre lot that I barely had time to get a pic after it was almost out of sight. Black bears really want nothing to do with people and especially dogs unless they have been desensitized with trash, food, and other crap that people leave out for them to rummage through. I have bear scat all over my lot, and I really don't see them that much. They absolutely stay away from large dogs...don't want any part of that so if you have one (especially two), they will stay away from you. They are dangerous in the spring when they are hungry especially the early springs when there is no food. My neighbor had a lama taken down by one in the early spring, which was pretty impressive and they have left deer kills on my lot in the spring. They are the most dangerous when you enter a sow's territory where she has her cubs. I think situational awareness is your best tool. You can clearly see when you are in their territory if you are looking. All the years I lived up here in bear, mountain lion, and bobcat territory I've never had an issue with the kids and GSDs hanging out on my lot or campsite during the day...however, evening time come in the house. My only close call in the back country was seeing fresh cat tracks along the river bank from a cat that I scared off before I saw it; that could have been a bad situation. Brown bears are far more confident and very powerful animals; stay vigilant in their territory because they will absolutely challenge you if they see you as a threat or if you have something they want like a fresh kill. My niece has a cabin up by Leadville; her biggest encounter at this point hiking the trails up there was with another dog attacking her dog causing a lot of damage. She carries bear spray to protect her dogs, and her CCW to protect herself.

[Mtneer]

Good article pointing out that bear spray has been oversold based on one study.

https://www.outsideonline.com/240124...ear-spray-work

[Irving]

Bad reporting of studies is bad news from every direction. Bear spray could be 98% effective, but we wouldn't know because of the inadequacies of the study. Seems like to either place ones trust in a product that doesn't work, or not use a product that does work because you're gun shy due to bad reporting and misleading marketing are equally as bad.

[SA Friday]

There are multiple documented cases where a brown bear sprayed with OC will come back in a hour or so to the spot it occurred. They roll around in the remnants of the spray. I did a short paper on it in college. If you use OC/CS bear spray, prepare for them to come back.

[ray1970]

There are multiple documented cases where a brown bear sprayed with OC will come back in a hour or so to the spot it occurred. They roll around in the remnants of the spray. I did a short paper on it in college. If you use OC/CS bear spray, prepare for them to come back.

If I pepper spray a bear and it comes back an hour later I won?t have to worry about it finding me as I?ll be long gone. Probably be heading for the house to change my dirty underpants from the initial encounter.

[Irving]

Same thing for arsonists.

[waffles]

There are multiple documented cases where a brown bear sprayed with OC will come back in a hour or so to the spot it occurred. They roll around in the remnants of the spray. I did a short paper on it in college. If you use OC/CS bear spray, prepare for them to come back.

Yep, when I was in Alaska the forestry/similar industry guys would always stick to a 15 minute rule as far as packing up camp and getting the fuck out of dodge.

[Bailey Guns]

Same thing for arsonists.

Very few of them will eat you when they come back to the scene, though.

[ChickNorris]

Very few of them will eat you when they come back to the scene, though.

Might depend on how thick the smoke ring is or if you're charred.

[Irving]

Might depend on how thick the smoke ring is or if you're charred.

Joke stealer!