I wonder if....

[CJB]

Handguns are not terrific killers of large animals. The "center of mass" rule does not apply to bears! Think in terms of very carefully placed spine or head shots. Read up on some of the Steve Herrett stuff. He was meticulous on shot placement, and got the job done. None of that wild west gunfight mentality there. For a brownie... isn't the backup of choice the same as a lion gun? Or put another way, 12 gauge 3" with heavy buckshot?

[Bawanna]

I'd opt for 375 H&H or perhaps 416 Rigby myself. A shotgun will at least blind em and maybe take out their sense of smell so you can out maneuver.

Personally I think good physical condition and a good pair of Nikes is the best with a clean pair of Fruit of the Looms in your day pack when you get away.

[wyntrout]

I hope to NEVER SEE a bear in the wild. I can live without that. I don't want to hunt them or be hunted BY them!

I've seen ONE mountain lion cross the road in front of us somewhere in Colorado. I was concerned about the deer and elk, and watching for those at night. I saw something cross the road maybe 150 yards in front of us and just figured it was a deer... being light tan, but my wife said "That was a CAT!" Well, it almost stretched from one side of the road to the other! That's enough for me. I can watch documentaries or go to the zoo... that's fine, but if I have to wander around in their backyard, I carry a gun, otherwise, I'm not going to put my life at risk to commune with nature!

I've seen the tracks of all of those animals when I hiked up the 'hill" behind my in-laws... we heard the coyotes a lot and the deer and elk are all over the place... day and night... fantastic, but the predators I will pass on, given the chance!

We're planning to go to SW Colorado this Christmas and I want to take my PM45 and some ammo when we fly. I could carry 5 boxes of Blazer Aluminum-cased .45 ACP or any other 4 boxes of brass-cased... 11 lbs max. I guess I'll take 4 boxes of brass-cased and maybe buy some more at Wally World near Durango. My wife wants to shoot, too, and we are looking at using a nearby range this time. The Christmas before last, we shot up a hill(~8,000' mountain) behind the in-laws, but it was hard to find a field of fire safe to the neighbors. I shoveled out an area to stand in the snow and we had a nice shoot, but I don't see doing THAT again!
I plan to take my PM45 and water their eyes! None of us shot well the last time and I hadn't shot for 3-5 years at that point... didn't even know how long it had been! I've fired MANY thousands since... MANY thousands of .45 alone! I can't wait. I wish that we had the time to drive (my wife works and it's three days driving each way!) and I could take everything I want... lots of guns AND ammo!

Wynn

[wyntrout]

I'd opt for 375 H&H or perhaps 416 Rigby myself. A shotgun will at least blind em and maybe take out their sense of smell so you can out maneuver.

Personally I think good physical condition and a good pair of Nikes is the best with a clean pair of Fruit of the Looms in your day pack when you get away.

OR, another tactic, is to have someone with you that you can outrun. Hmmm... the chair probably won't do that... maybe a 4-wheeler setup.

Wynn

[CJB]

Mr Brown Bear is a tough critter.... black bears much easier to deal with.

Take a look at what griz do to each other, and survive, then think on what you need to put him down reliably.

I think my choice would be something more like a ma'deuce and the whole 9 yards....

Seriously though, the shotgun is the backup for lion. Maybe lion are fast and determined, but not as tough as grizzly? Maybe they're "smarter" than griz, knowing when to retreat? Dunno.

[CJB]

Maybe all this... is why I chose to hunt ducks.

I've seen a guy get hit by a duck, while laying decoys... ruined our hunt, we had to take his very comatose body to the paramedics on shore, about 3 miles by duck boat. But a duck, even a determined one like that huge ass widgeon I shot... is not likely to eat the hunters leg clean off.

We shoot'm right next to the Shuttle Landing Strip at the cape... great place for duck hunters!

[Bawanna]

"I hope to NEVER SEE a bear in the wild. I can live without that. I don't want to hunt them or be hunted BY them!"


Clearly no sense of adventure Wynn. I long to walk (and run if necessary) amongst them.

Always wanted to walk all over Alaska but that didn't happen. Did a little looking from the boat last year so I can at least say I been there.

Small resemblance but we do what we must.

[wyntrout]

I've taken many walks up that little "hill" and seen the tracks of all kinds of critters... enough to know that I want Boomer with me, even in the Winter! I don't want to have to pretend I'm dead while a large predator decides whether to eat me now or come back later for snacks!
The in-laws have pictures of bears all around the house. When food is scarce, they come down to where people live, mainly to check out the garbage containers.

Their house is at about 7,200' and the "hill" probably tops out close to 8,000 ft. they have a cellular tower in the NW-most corner of their land (~7 acres) that gives them $6K+ a year rent... nice.

Wynn

[steve666]

There was a goofy British science show called Brainiac: Science Abuse hosted by Richard Hammond (Top Gear) and later Jon Tickle which aired an episode showing how to use household and/or office items to stop bullets and arrows. They tried using computer keyboards and monitors, phone books, pillows, skillets, and all kinds of other things.

[apdturbo]

so about the whole cast iron frying pan thing, save it for cooking with. we have one thats been in the family for years(was my great grandmothers), its tempered perfectly and fries THE BEST rainbow trout, chicken, and squirrel on this planet. kinda funny to pass down a frying pan i know but the thing fries stuff really well. no shooting at my frying pan please!

[OldLincoln]

That's right, apdturbo! Growing up that's all we had for frying. After getting married I insisted on getting one but the secret to it is never washing it with harsh detergent. I'd wash it with just a little soap and rub it dry and it was great. When we got a dishwasher, my wife snuck it in and ruined it. I tried re-seasoning it but it never was the same, then teflon came out and it was all over.

Thing is now everybody takes iron pills because they don't get it from the skillet food.

[Bawanna]

That's right, apdturbo! Growing up that's all we had for frying. After getting married I insisted on getting one but the secret to it is never washing it with harsh detergent. I'd wash it with just a little soap and rub it dry and it was great. When we got a dishwasher, my wife snuck it in and ruined it. I tried re-seasoning it but it never was the same, then teflon came out and it was all over.

Thing is now everybody takes iron pills because they don't get it from the skillet food.

Well thats the answer. I used to look like an Iron Man, now I look like I need iron pills. Now I know why. And here all this time I thought it was because I ate too much and didn't exercise enough. What a relief.

No worries apdturbo, your frying pan is safe with me..........

[TheTman]

That was a hell of a story about that brown bear OldLincoln. If I count right it took 7 or 8 shots from the S&W 500's, and 2 45/70 rounds to put it down. Holy Moly. I agree with Wyn bigtime in that I have no desire to hunt or be hunted by a brown bear or griz.

[OldLincoln]

Seems like folks are always asking about which gun for bears on the various gun forums. I think I'll bookmark that link and post it when I see the question. It gives a real good picture of how one may fare even if armed with a S&W 500 Mag loaded with 47gn loads AND even if you had time to shoot them all. You only get 5 shots before you're lunch.

[melissa5]

I wonder if bear spray works better than bullets?