Bear Stopper?

**trax** · 01-14-2009, 06:46 PM

Yeah my point was that if Yellowstone 'pops' I don't think bear encounters are going to be your number one priority. Now..where down-wind, give or take, what do you do there? got a family? interested in outdoor survival skills long? got a lot of experience with it? See? these are the kinds of things that people tell us in their....(drum roll please) INTRO!!!

**crashdive123** · 01-14-2009, 06:51 PM

...and you can find it here http://www.wilderness-survival.net/f...splay.php?f=14 Thanks.

**higgy** · 01-14-2009, 06:53 PM

I didn't want to debate the premise, I just want to know the best weapon to use against a moose or bear.

**Ziggy** · 01-14-2009, 08:41 PM

Yeah, so anyway, The question seemed to be about bears, not cats (which the chances of you seeing before an atack is slim). If you can't hear a miffed moose coming in time to get out of it's way, ya might just stay out of the woods...

I'm just sayin...

**Stony** · 01-14-2009, 11:34 PM

dougz
as a guy from Mackanzie, you should know better than ask here for advice.
forget the handgun nuts.
none of them has had ever shoot & kill any bear in self defence.
a gun gives a false sense of security, the BEST is capsium spray and bear bangers.

you live and work in grizzly country and should find very experienced people right in your neighborehood.
talk to them instead of some that never have seen a bear.

**klkak** · 01-15-2009, 02:22 AM

I see and deal with a God awful lot of bears and moose. If I were to try and average it out. I would think that less then a 1/10th of a percent of the encounters are notable.

**RBB** · 01-15-2009, 08:42 PM

In our local woods, we have no brown bear. We have a lot of black bears, but the most dangerous animal to encounter is moose. I've been chased three times by a cow with calf, though the general consensus is a bull in rut is even more dangerous.

Moose, when you're up long side one, are a very large animal with very big hooves. They have poor eyesight and I once came near to being run over by one that didn't see me. I shouldn't say they have poor eyesight, but they key on things that move. They can see almost 360 degrees, so sneaking up on one is tough - even from the rear.

With my brothers, I once brought a friend, Rich, a great woodsman from south Minnesota, up to a lake we like to fish in Canada. His main reason for coming: He'd never seen a moose.

At every portage we'd see moose tracks, His response, "Could be cows for all I know." We assured him he'd get his chance to see a moose.

After many long and arduous portages (this is a great fishing lake), we got into the lake we were headed for - about noon of the third day. No sooner had the canoes hit the beach than Rich jumped out, grabbed a roll of TP and headed inland to do his duty. As my brothers and I started to set up camp, we began hearing shouting from back in the woods. We thought Rich must be trying some prank on us and ignored him.

After a bit of time, and no sign of Rich, we set out to see what had come of him.

We found him up a tree. It must have been the only pine with a branch low enough to reach within half a mile. Rich's eyes were big as saucers. He had the roll of TP in one hand and his kay-bar in the other. At the foot of the tree was a particularly large cow moose. The calf, very young, was scampering about like a kid at play.

As we were in Canada, no one had a gun. We returned to camp and got kettles and tin plates. We banged them together, shouted and hollered. Nothing could get the moose away from Rich's tree.

Finally, we told Rich to sit tight, the moose would go away eventually. We returned to camp and started fishing.

Rich returned to camp about dusk looking pretty shook. We ignored him for a bit, then Randy turned to him and said, "How do you like our cows"?

**dougz** · 01-15-2009, 10:05 PM

dougzas a guy from Mackanzie, you should know better than ask here for advice.

Being from Mackenzie, I'd find more gun-nuts here than on this forum, believe you me..

They've seen many a bear, it's true, and all feel better with their rifles at hand..

Unfortunately (or fortunately, I should say), I've not found anyone who has had occasion to use bear spray on a bear and live to tell the tale..

I can't help but believe there are more people on this forum that have come into contact with bears than people in Mackenzie have (being a town of less than 3,000), and I WAS hoping for more testimonials from people having actually used bear spray OR a gun on a bear.. But it doesn't seem like it's come to that for anyone here..

**Ziggy** · 01-15-2009, 10:10 PM

Originally Posted by RBB

In our local woods, we have no brown bear. We have a lot of black bears, but the most dangerous animal to encounter is moose. I've been chased three times by a cow with calf, though the general consensus is a bull in rut is even more dangerous.

Moose, when you're up long side one, are a very large animal with very big hooves. They have poor eyesight and I once came near to being run over by one that didn't see me. I shouldn't say they have poor eyesight, but they key on things that move. They can see almost 360 degrees, so sneaking up on one is tough - even from the rear.

With my brothers, I once brought a friend, Rich, a great woodsman from south Minnesota, up to a lake we like to fish in Canada. His main reason for coming: He'd never seen a moose.

At every portage we'd see moose tracks, His response, "Could be cows for all I know." We assured him he'd get his chance to see a moose.

After many long and arduous portages (this is a great fishing lake), we got into the lake we were headed for - about noon of the third day. No sooner had the canoes hit the beach than Rich jumped out, grabbed a roll of TP and headed inland to do his duty. As my brothers and I started to set up camp, we began hearing shouting from back in the woods. We thought Rich must be trying some prank on us and ignored him.

After a bit of time, and no sign of Rich, we set out to see what had come of him.

We found him up a tree. It must have been the only pine with a branch low enough to reach within half a mile. Rich's eyes were big as saucers. He had the roll of TP in one hand and his kay-bar in the other. At the foot of the tree was a particularly large cow moose. The calf, very young, was scampering about like a kid at play.

As we were in Canada, no one had a gun. We returned to camp and got kettles and tin plates. We banged them together, shouted and hollered. Nothing could get the moose away from Rich's tree.

Finally, we told Rich to sit tight, the moose would go away eventually. We returned to camp and started fishing.

Rich returned to camp about dusk looking pretty shook. We ignored him for a bit, then Randy turned to him and said, "How do you like our cows"?

Now THAT was funny

**klkak** · 01-15-2009, 10:28 PM

Originally Posted by dougz

Being from Mackenzie, I'd find more gun-nuts here than on this forum, believe you me..

They've seen many a bear, it's true, and all feel better with their rifles at hand..

Unfortunately (or fortunately, I should say), I've not found anyone who has had occasion to use bear spray on a bear and live to tell the tale..

I can't help but believe there are more people on this forum that have come into contact with bears than people in Mackenzie have (being a town of less than 3,000), and I WAS hoping for more testimonials from people having actually used bear spray OR a gun on a bear.. But it doesn't seem like it's come to that for anyone here..

I am one who has used both pepper spray and a gun on bears and know a couple of people with the same experience. Every encounter where pepper spray was used, the bear stopped in its tracks and ran off post haste. Three of those encounters I was the one using the spray. In one of my encounters where I was using a weapon (Remington 870 w/Brenneke black magic slugs). The bear took three hits from a .338 win. mag. and one of my slugs. It dropped less then its body length from me. On an attack that happened to a friend. The bear took three .338 hits before it broke off. My friend took a whole lot of staples to put him back together.

If you use a gun, chances are you are going to get mauled. If you use pepper spray, chances are you won't!

**dougz** · 01-15-2009, 10:39 PM

I am one who has used both pepper spray and a gun on bears and know a couple of people with the same experience.

There we go..

Thanks!

**higgy** · 01-18-2009, 12:27 PM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=evDLCnquErM&NR=1

edit: Sorry about the Budweiser commercial. Just trying to keep a scary situation emotionally tolarable.

**Sourdough** · 01-18-2009, 02:04 PM

Originally Posted by dougz

I can't help but believe there are more people on this forum that have come into contact with bears than people in Mackenzie have (being a town of less than 3,000), and I WAS hoping for more testimonials from people having actually used bear spray OR a gun on a bear.. But it doesn't seem like it's come to that for anyone here..

This is not a forum that would be receptive to hearing about the use of firearms on bears or any animals.

You have encountered my B!tch about the Forum, one or two people with first hand extensive experience get shouted down by posts from well meaning "Google'experts" who have no experience in that subject.

After getting shouted down a few times it is easier to just let the well meaning, well read, wrong advise be disseminated. It really does not matter as it is just entertainment.

Who are you going to believe the 70 posts from people who say if you encounter a bear, retreat. Or the one who say's stand your ground, or PUSH the bear.

Search a thread about: stealing food. I have had as many as 40 close, (LESS than 15 feet away), bear encounters "PER" day. Day after day after day. Had as many as 5 grizzly/Brown bears in camp at the same time; destroying everything in camp. Had Grizzly/Brown bears build nests and sleep next to my tent, and then snore loudly all night.

I have shot or guided hunters in the harvesting of maybe 75/90 bears in the last 40 years. Had Zodiac boats eaten, snow machines eaten, ATVs eaten, Buildings eaten, crops eaten by bears.

I can teach someone first hand what bears are communicating by their behavior, but it can not really be safely communicated in words. That said, Never ever run, or even back up if the bear can see you. If he looks away you can back up, but stop backing up if the bear looks your way. But it is safer to push than retreat. My advise is always stand your ground if the bear sees you.

I have "NO" first hand experience using bear spray.

**dougz** · 01-18-2009, 03:57 PM

My advise is always stand your ground if the bear sees you.

Thanks!!

Probably easier said than done..

**Riverrat** · 01-18-2009, 04:20 PM

I have never had bear spray, although I am getting some. I have not had the experience Hopeak or others have had, but have seem a few bears, for me, all black. I have to agree, never run, stand your ground. I have been caught between mom and cubs, woke up on one side of a big pine tree, heard a noise and when I looked around the tree, a bear was laying on the other side. I have seen them knock pretty good size trees down with a swipe of a paw, break a car window like china, and tear a camp to crap in minutes. I still say to stand your ground, you run you stand a good chance of becoming dinner...

I am the same as some others on here, I am more worried about moose, cows with young calf's, and bulls in the rut....have been attacked by a cow and seen a truck pretty well trashed by a bull. In my case, I waved my arms and shouted, the cow went away after awhile.

**Sourdough** · 01-18-2009, 04:50 PM

Originally Posted by dougz

Thanks!!

Probably easier said than done..

EASIER than getting chewed'on.......

**Sourdough** · 01-18-2009, 05:00 PM

I notice with the geese and the dogs. If the geese hold their ground the dogs will lung at them, bark in their face, threaten them, but will not touch them. The microsecond the goose turns, the dog will grab the goose from the backside, and shake them. How many times do you read over and over, the bear grabbed my by the butt or upper thigh and shook me violently, like a rag doll.