Bear protection handguns?

I would venture to say that the people who hunt bears, or even go into bear country is a small group of our population. So it's really not an apples to apples statistical comparison. I've fished in areas not knowing it was bear country while in outside sales. The locals warned me (Montana) about the bears so I carried after that. If people don't want to carry that's fine. If people want to take selfies with buffalo and bears well,.... it's a free country unless there's a sign saying don't do it lol.
 
xsn10s said:
I would venture to say that the people who hunt bears, or even go into bear country is a small group of our population. So it's really not an apples to apples statistical comparison. I've fished in areas not knowing it was bear country while in outside sales. The locals warned me (Montana) about the bears so I carried after that. If people don't want to carry that's fine. If people want to take selfies with buffalo and bears well,.... it's a free country unless there's a sign saying don't do it lol.
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Yep that's my point. The numbers are skewered using ALL US residents in the formula when in actuality, it's only the people actually out there in that wilderness that are at risk. That number is very small in reality vs the US population. I lived in Detroit for many years. They say crime related deaths in Michigan are relatively low based on 10 million residents. Narrow it down to deaths by crime in just Detroit and that number changes...alot. I've never left home without my pocket pistol. Carried one at 14 and actually needed it while headed to the local 7/11 one night. Without it, I'd have been a statistic. Look at Alaska and the NW as Detroit. People visiting or living there are the part of that formula, nobody else.
 
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I can't pretend I know what it's like traveling thru big bear country or living with those bears on a regular basis. Living in a state with black bears isn't even close to the same. My choice of defense pistol may not be the same. My everyday walk to my truck may not be the same. My chores around the yard or barn may not either. Everything must be different living in that environment. Maybe I'm wrong but I think in many cases I'm right. This morning the wife says to me "looks like a bear got the bird feeders again"! I told her " ya I'll take them down for a few weeks"! Went out back and retrieved the pieces of one and removed the others. No worries of walking out back to fix the issue. No dead dogs or calves. No worry about kids playing out back or leaving a dog on a chain, Etc. Totally different life living with those big dangerous bears.
 
Hoppsing55 said:
Hunted in your state of Wyoming, multpile times Once 30 miles south of a bear attack in 2018. That killed Mark Upton. Took a nice cow elk that year, working over a carcass, and never gave bears a thought? Have also hunted sucessfully in, Colorado, Maine, Wisconsin, Maryland, and the province's of Newfoundland and Quebec. All have "bears". To each his own. Not trying to dissuade anyone from their reasoning and planning. Just adding to the thought process.
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If you're hunting in northwest Wy. and cutting up your kill and not thinking of grizzlies or even wolves for that matter, well, that's your problem. I live here. I hunted this area 22 years before I moved to this area. I'll continue to be " bear aware". Not that it means squat , I've hunted Ca. most my life. Plenty of black bears, Wa., Co., NM, Mt., Nv , Az., Ut. and good old Wy.. the last 3 states for many years. Oh ! And successfully like you !
And yes they all have bears also. I don't worry about black bears much unless one isn't scared of me. Campground bears are what to worry about or ones who know human food. Like the one mentioned braking into house. I remember in Ca. a boyscout was killed in his tent. Bear wanted his toothpaste. I was more concerned about the sacred Mtn. Lion in Ca.. They had lost their fear of humans because of not hunted. They have attacked and killed more people than bears. Here grizzlies have no fear of humans. They haven't been hunted since 1970. I'll continue to look around and behind me. Thanks .
 
WYO300RUM said:
Campground bears are what to worry about or ones who know human food. Like the one mentioned braking into house. I remember in Ca. a boyscout was killed in his tent.
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I wish my memory was better but there was a campground down near San Diego that I read about. I can't remember if it was coyotes or mountain lions but they reported that the area was over populated with one of the other. They associated food with people so they had no fear of them. When does people become food?
 
WYO300RUM said:
If you're hunting in northwest Wy. and cutting up your kill and not thinking of grizzlies or even wolves for that matter, well, that's your problem. I live here. I hunted this area 22 years before I moved to this area. I'll continue to be " bear aware". Not that it means squat , I've hunted Ca. most my life. Plenty of black bears, Wa., Co., NM, Mt., Nv , Az., Ut. and good old Wy.. the last 3 states for many years. Oh ! And successfully like you !
And yes they all have bears also. I don't worry about black bears much unless one isn't scared of me. Campground bears are what to worry about or ones who know human food. Like the one mentioned braking into house. I remember in Ca. a boyscout was killed in his tent. Bear wanted his toothpaste. I was more concerned about the sacred Mtn. Lion in Ca.. They had lost their fear of humans because of not hunted. They have attacked and killed more people than bears. Here grizzlies have no fear of humans. They haven't been hunted since 1970. I'll continue to look around and behind me. Thanks .
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I've had a couple run in's with black bears here. Baiting and hunting them I've had a couple bear confrontations. Bear spray does work on black bears. If it didn't, I had a pistol but It did turn her around headed back down the tree. Black bears will swat the ground like a warning if your close to their food while there eating. It's not a huge threat if you just walk away. Cubs are the problem when their confronted in the woods. That's with any bear. Respect all bears is kinda how I approach the issue. The food chain isn't the same everywhere.
 
xsn10s said:
I wish my memory was better but there was a campground down near San Diego that I read about. I can't remember if it was coyotes or mountain lions but they reported that the area was over populated with one of the other. They associated food with people so they had no fear of them. When does people become food?
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It's Cuyamaca. If I spelled it right. Lion killed a bicyclist and one attacked a jogger . Juvineles that were starving. I knew a game Warden in San Diego Co.. (where I lived for sometime) that told me the area I was hunting (Julian) they had killed 22 lions the year before and only 2 that year. By state trappers paid for by taxpayer money. No revenue for F&G thru tags. No you or me hunting lions. Total BS. The tree huggers and people that voted for the lion moritorium on the proposition I think was in 1992 have no idea how many lions they kill a year in the whole state . But at least they weren't killed by hunters... And I'm sure they ignore the reason they are over populated and attacking people. They run out of their food source ( where are all the deer theses days Martha ?) and come into the towns and kill livestock, dogs, cats and what's next ? Little kids with dog and cat smell on them. I'm soooo happy I don't live in that socialist dictatorship state anymore ! I don't want to change this thread to a Mtn. Lion thread. There are some of those on this site already that I've posted on 😉
 
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VLD Pilot said:
I've had a couple run in's with black bears here. Baiting and hunting them I've had a couple bear confrontations. Bear spray does work on black bears. If it didn't, I had a pistol but It did turn her around headed back down the tree. Black bears will swat the ground like a warning if your close to their food while there eating. It's not a huge threat if you just walk away. Cubs are the problem when their confronted in the woods. That's with any bear. Respect all bears is kinda how I approach the issue. The food chain isn't the same everywhere.
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The bad thing is sometimes you end up near or between a mama and cubs with out knowing it. That's when you don't have time to think bluff or real charge. Last thing anybody wants to do is shoot a sow with cubs. I guess you have to decide "ahead of time" who's life matters most. I'm sure if you had a daughter or son hunting with you, your protection mode from the bear would be the same as it's for it's cubs. Nothing is more sacred than your children . You will protect them to your death.
 
WYO300RUM said:
I'm soooo happy I don't live in that socialist dictatorship state anymore !
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Yeah Cuyamaca I believe that was it. I read when people flushed the toilets there the cats came running. I'm glad I left the state too. Back to the original program. Hard cast bullets! ;)
 
VLD Pilot said:
I've had a couple run in's with black bears here. Baiting and hunting them I've had a couple bear confrontations. Bear spray does work on black bears. If it didn't, I had a pistol but It did turn her around headed back down the tree. Black bears will swat the ground like a warning if your close to their food while there eating. It's not a huge threat if you just walk away. Cubs are the problem when their confronted in the woods. That's with any bear. Respect all bears is kinda how I approach the issue. The food chain isn't the same everywhere.
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We hunted Black Bears with dogs in North Carolina, A totally different situation from the OP's perspective, They (The Bears) have a different attitude with the dogs on them and 99% of the time when you go in after them the brush was so thick you can barley see 10 feet in any direction, hence my choice of the 10mm and 15 rounds, I've seen a few photo finishes
 

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