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Handgun for bear protection?!?
Posted by TABoylan on Jan 02 2006
Hi,
Here's what I would do if I were not hunting with a rifle or shotgun:
I would carry a .44 magnum handgun on my belt (right-side), and a large can of pepper spray designed for bears on my belt (left-side). If a bear looked like it might charge, I would perform the standard scare tactics to prevent that bear from charging. This would include looking taller, waving ones arms and yelling at the bear "No, bear! Go way, bear!" But never growl or grunt at a bear!
If the bear looked like it was just about to charge, I would put a nice thick cone of pepper spray between myself and the bear as it began its charge. Bear pepperspray reaches out to about 30 feet. As soon as the bear hit that, most likely it would stop its charge and immediately begin attempting to rid its face of the sticky, burning and choking sensation. It would also be blinded. As the bear hit the cone of pepperspray I would side step out of its pathway and back away, in case it kept moving blindly forward or around in the immediate area. At this point, the bear could not see or smell where I was, so effectively, the encounter would be over.
But if for some reason, the pepperspray wouldn't work, either because of an internal malfunction, or because of a strong wind, then I would immediately drop to the ground and cover my ears and head with my hands, curl in a fetal position and play dead. The "experts" say that unless the bear is starving, playing dead confirms for the bear that you are no longer a threat, and it will soon leave. If in the unlikely event that playing dead did not work, because the bear was in fact starving and did in fact attack with the intention of aqcuiring food, that is when the .44 comes in handy. It is there on the belt, in reach.
People keep saying that they would pull their handgun and get a shot off at the bear while it is charging. Well, if the bear attack is typical, playing dead would probably have ended the danger, but since a shot has been fired, the bear is wounded, and now playing dead will not help, as it is enraged. Now, the force of the bear will knock anybody to the ground so forcefully that either the gun is lost, or the inadvertent and instantaneous contraction of every muscle in the body of the person holding the handgun happens because of the great violent force of the impact and the gun is inadvertently fired, possibly into the person and not the bear.
What I am getting at is that I think the handgun is a good idea, but not until after the bear has already knocked you onto your back, or is beginning to gnaw despite your playing dead. Drawing the gun any sooner would be to risk losing the six point-blank shots to the torso or abdomen, or even to risk shooting oneself while being impacted.
And even if I was carrying a rifle or shotgun, I would drop the long gun at my side in preference of the sure-fire effectiveness of the pepperspray in most air conditions (make sure it is not expired and does in fact fire, and that the wind is not going to keep it from going where you intend it to. As with anything training with the pepperspray in different conditions is a must, as is practicing pulling the handgun out of the holster while on your back), and I would also rely upon the 9 out of 10 chance that the bear is not starving (it is easy to tell the difference between a starving bear and a healthy one anyway) and play dead. If those two almost guaranteed measures failed me, then I would still have my six-shooter.
I just think it is worth knowing there are effective alternatives to the "I'd just pull my gun and shoot it" option, both for the bears sake and your own.
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