Who carries a pistol?

[TXCO]

Im heading to Alaska soon for brown bear (hopefully with a bow). Who carries a pistol with them?

 

[luke moffat]

If bow hunting, yes I carry my 329PD, if rifle hunting it stays at home.

 

[littlebuf]

uncle was a brown bear guide on Kodiak for years (some time ago) he always told me the only thing a pistol was good for was to shoot your self in the head before the bear got to you. shotgun was his back up

 

[Snyd]

I always have my 4" 454 Redhawk on my hip or pack belt when I'm in the woods unless i'm Sheep Hunting.

 

[Snyd]

Hey Luke. Where's the story/pics/vid of the Grizz!? Didn't you get one last week or 2?

 

[Yellowknife]

Hey Luke. Where's the story/pics/vid of the Grizz!? Didn't you get one last week or 2?

You just missed it Snyd. The Moffats have modernized and do videos now. Trip reports? too old school anymore.

http://www.rokslide.com/forums/showthread.php?8085-Video-60-mile-hiking-trip-Grizz-Hunt

Yk

 

[luke moffat]

You just missed it Snyd. The Moffats have modernized and do videos now. Trip reports? too old school anymore.

http://www.rokslide.com/forums/showthread.php?8085-Video-60-mile-hiking-trip-Grizz-Hunt

Yk

Not too old school, I'm too lazy to type

 

[Yellowknife]

I'm too lazy to do those long reports, AND to lazy to film. Which is one of many reasons why you are pro-staff material and I am not.

You have done some pretty dang good trip reports over the years though, so I don't buy your excuse completely. Many were pre-Rokslide, and I suspect most were written during long winter nights though. It's this modern era of "need to know what happened right now" that's getting too you.


um, back to the original topic. I think lots of bowhunters up here carry pistols, especially when bear hunting. It's been my observation that very few guys can actually hit jack squat with a large caliber handgun though, so if you are going to carry I recommend some serious practice. And not slow fire, single action practice either. Combat drills would be my recommendation.

Presumably your guide will be carrying some serious backup firepower, which is going to be the best second line of defense.

Yk

 

[luke moffat]

I'm too lazy to do those long reports, AND to lazy to film. Which is one of many reasons why you are pro-staff material and I am not.

You have done some pretty dang good trip reports over the years though, so I don't buy your excuse completely. Many were pre-Rokslide, and I suspect most were written during long winter nights though. It's this modern era of "need to know what happened right now" that's getting too you.

HAHA...nearly all my writeups on AOD were done in the 24-48 hours between trips while drying gear and packing for the next one....long winter nights were more of gear review writeups and what not....between my slow internet connections and slow computer to create the videos a simply write up actually get uploaded to the site faster, but I am happy on waiting on the computer/internet and go out and enjoy the summer weather while its "working"

 

[TXCO]

Yea I stuggle with how quick and effective it might be. Im wondering if proper bear spray might be any better. Thoughts? Obviously a different situation if the bear is wounded vs. suprising one.

There was a recent article I read in a magazine from a Doctor in Alaska who does a lot of repair work on bear attack victims and they commented a lot on bear spray.

 

[Snyd]

I posted this on another forum last week.

Rocks might work as good or better than bear spray as these folks found out. Noise from a gun might not work at all like these other guys found out by shooting "in front" of the bear. One lady was worried she'd run out of bear spray so she would'nt even use it.

Do what you all want but for me... I'll attempt to hit what I'm pointing my weapon at and it it won't be spray or a rock. It will be about 360grs of 45 caliber lead and I'll have extra boolits for a reload if needed.

http://www.newsminer.com/granite-to...cle_2ea02fae-f7d4-569d-a664-1869d20214b2.html

"According to chief ranger Ian Thomas, the bear ripped a hole the size of bowling ball in the tent of a family camping on the trail late Saturday night. The campers, a man, his wife, and a 2-year-old, were able to yell at the bear to get it away from the tent, and the man sprayed the bear with pepper spray, Thomas said.But the bear “just shook its head a little bit” and started coming toward the family again, the ranger said. At that point, the man and woman began hitting the bear with “some good-sized rocks” that dissuaded it, Thomas said."

....


One of the lone hikers, a man, fired two shots from a handgun in front of the bears to keep them at bay. The bears followed him down the trail a ways before backing off.
The other single hiker, a woman, told park workers that the bears approached her near the trail shelter at Mile 7 of the trail. They got close enough that she could have sprayed them with a can of bear spray she was carrying, though she didn’t because she was worried she didn’t have enough spray for both bears. It was unclear how that encounter ended, but the woman was unhurt and hiked out to the trailhead.

In this above story from last fall no one was mauled. Rob Weaver (God rest his soul) did'nt fare so well last week and his wife had to see it all. Peace to her and her family.

http://www.newsminer.com/news/alask...cle_d6dbcd66-d2f8-11e2-91e0-001a4bcf6878.html

 

[BRobertson]

I am in total agreement on the bear spray!!

A friend of mine, who was involved in bear research for lots of years, had bear spray fail twice!!!
Also agree with the lack of effectiveness on the gunshot scaring a bear!! I personally have shot over a grizzlys head from 50 ft away with a 4" .44!!
She was NOT impressed!!
The only thing that the shot did was make me regret wasteing the shot!!!

Bob

 

[Yellowknife]

Presumably your guide will be carrying some serious backup firepower, which is going to be the best second line of defense.

Yk

Just realized I mis-typed what I meant to say. The guide will be your best FIRST line of defense, as he will have a large caliber weapon already out and aimed at the bear. He will be much faster and more effective than you can ever hope to be.

Bear spray can be really useful stuff, but it's useful in the correct context, which is to say "get out of my face". As Snyd pointed out, rocks can say the same thing. It also has major drawbacks in windy areas, which coastal areas nearly always are.

For the "wounded bear trying to kill me" scenario, I vote gun all the way. It's just a matter of if you are confident in your guide, or think that an additional safety measure might be warranted. Guides do have a pretty good track record of keeping clients in one piece.



Yk

 

[BRobertson]

I got my first Alaska Guide license in 1978, and I have not hurt a client yet!! LOL
I have tried to drown a couple, and lost my own gear saving their's!!

I have never known a guide to carry bear spray, I'm sure one or two do so, hell some of them even carry Remingtons!!!!

Bob

 

[BRobertson]

To be more serious,

the most important thing to carry in most areas here, for you protection, is bug dope!!
Get the type that will melt plastic on contact, (Bens, Muskoil, etc) NOT the politically correct Gorp-eater brands!!!!!!!!!!!!

Otherwise you will be delirious, and unable to enjoy your hunt, and the guide will have to shoot you!!!

Bob

 

[rodney482]

500SW
460 ruger
454 casull

Have it where you can get it fast!

Big lead bullets

Practice with it!

 

[Snyd]

500SW
460 ruger
454 casull

Have it where you can get it fast!

Big lead bullets

Practice with it!

I bet you meant 480 Ruger

 

[rodney482]

I bet you meant 480 Ruger

I actually meant 460 SW.. Oops

480 Ruger should also be added to the list!!

 

[Snyd]

My friend owns a 5" 460 X-Frame. Every time we go out fishing or take the wives hiking or berry pickin she has to beg him to pack the thing. She was mauled by a bear in WA as a teen. He has a nice shoulder/chest rig for it but it's an XL-Frame heavy handgun. It's not a belt gun. Now this guys not a wimp, he's my sheep hunting partner and is a very strong guy. But, packing that revolver is a hassle. He says it all the time. Last week half way through our 15 mile hike he took it off his shoulder and stuck it in his pack because the shoulder rig finally got to him. This was on the trail that is the one in the news links above. It's griz country.

The best "bear gun" is the one you can/will pack and can shoot accurately. Starting with a 357 w/180gr hardcast max load. I pack a 4" Redhawk that started life as a 45 Colt but is now a 454. It was on my pack belt or hip all day. It worked, we didn't see any bears It was either that or the fact that I had a bear tag in my pocket! He may as well had a bb gun or 5 lbs of rocks in his pack.

A "bear gun" that is too big to pack is a gun that should be replaced.

my .02

 

[rodney482]

10mm glock is a great gun as well..

That is if your not getting one of the hoglegs above.