Brown bear Rifle

Perhaps my rifle advice only applies to those who can shoot well.


Little better info, which does vary but all in all I averaged out to about .75-1 person per year killed by a Brown bear.

No doubt, they are impressive and deadly but we are not trying to kill a Hippo or something here. Granted, there are a lot of variables in all this but I think we risk creating even more risk when we believe all the risks can be mitigated by a one step, one size fits all solution of big bore rifle fire power. Some simply do not shoot a big bore rifle very well for various reasons. That’s likely why those who are not residents of Alaska must have a licensed guide. Big bore rifle would not save them from their shortcomings.

Mr Creel is up in Fairbanks and I’m going to get hold of him and see if he would like to chime in. I don’t like to talk to much about someone without them knowing it.

Perhaps he will agree, who knows.

In other news .

1719685527325.jpeg


Killed by native Alaskan. I was shooting and met this guy’s brother. Long story short, his brother said I would like a bear rifle like yours. Likely believing that having a rifle like mine would equate to shooting like me. My response was, well, would he mind shooting a little with me one afternoon.
Long story short, 300 win mag with Hornady 190 grain CX was my suggestion. He was quite comfortable with the gun and it turns out it worked well for him. However, without seeing him shoot I would have never been able to make a suggestion.
So when I say perhaps my advice is for those who can shoot well, that’s a relative term and depends on what that really means to that individual. It’s not to be smarty pants or be some way. It’s more to be responsible the way we are suggesting it is to use a large big bore rifle. I just don’t happen to agree that is enough to make it responsible and may not be part of the solution at all.

Food for thought.
 
A man writes a book to make money. That makes him your expert witness/expert?

The one death per year on average statistic (no agreement it's true - how does the author get statistics from communist Russia or less developed countries?) didn't help Timothy or Amy. No historical statistic ever saved a future victim.

"... but let's not make it out to be something it's not... " Amusing, as you're a day late with that suggestion. Exactly what you already did two posts prior "... I can only find six deadly attacks in 130 years of records... ". Now, 2 posts later, your number killed increases from 6 to an averaged 130. 124 more killed. Hmmm... So who's blowing the smoke?

Uninformed..., yet presenting as the seasoned authority. A certain way to increase the death by bear statistic, whatever it actually is, is for hunters to believe and follow your bear rifle / cartridge advice.
One big truth in this - the value of statistics vaporizes when the bear attacks you.
 
I’m quite curious how many big bears and with what were taken during the gold rush era!
375’s 416’s 458’s weren’t around
I’d like to try my 416 Weatherby on a brownie lol but due to Biden, my pockets have more lint than coin
I’ve taken blacks with my 458 Lott, they just DROP
I’ll say it again: there’s no substitute for HP ❗
 
You make a real interesting point. I always think about that big Jordan Buck being killed with a 32-20 lever action.
I know the big bore guns have tremendous killing power, no denial at all.
I do think the same skills that make those work, make smaller guns work also.
Having said that, I do not know that I want to try the long bow with stone arrowhead challenge.
I don’t have enough time and resources to develop the skill, with that particular weapon system, to take on a big bear.

What do we think about 44 mag for big bear? I know that use to be a big debate for those wanting bear protection. Some said 10mm in a semi auto. Some said 44 at a minimum.
Handgun is challenge in and of itself. Regardless of caliber.
 
I run off brown bears all the time by yelling at them. You have to or you'd be shooting 50 bears a year.
They don't hunt you if there's any other food source for 100 miles.
And they don't have armor, but almost everyone is either a **** shot or doesn't know where to shoot them and thats the only thing that makes them tough.
This thread is ridiculous. 90% of you have no idea what you're talking about and no experience with them at all.
 
I run off brown bears all the time by yelling at them. You have to or you'd be shooting 50 bears a year.
They don't hunt you if there's any other food source for 100 miles.
And they don't have armor, but almost everyone is either a **** shot or doesn't know where to shoot them and thats the only thing that makes them tough.
This thread is ridiculous. 90% of you have no idea what you're talking about and no experience with them at all.
I’d say that is a fairly accurate statement.

1719719438749.jpeg
 
Perhaps my rifle advice only applies to those who can shoot well.


Little better info, which does vary but all in all I averaged out to about .75-1 person per year killed by a Brown bear.

No doubt, they are impressive and deadly but we are not trying to kill a Hippo or something here. Granted, there are a lot of variables in all this but I think we risk creating even more risk when we believe all the risks can be mitigated by a one step, one size fits all solution of big bore rifle fire power. Some simply do not shoot a big bore rifle very well for various reasons. That’s likely why those who are not residents of Alaska must have a licensed guide. Big bore rifle would not save them from their shortcomings.

Mr Creel is up in Fairbanks and I’m going to get hold of him and see if he would like to chime in. I don’t like to talk to much about someone without them knowing it.

Perhaps he will agree, who knows.

In other news .

View attachment 582479

Killed by native Alaskan. I was shooting and met this guy’s brother. Long story short, his brother said I would like a bear rifle like yours. Likely believing that having a rifle like mine would equate to shooting like me. My response was, well, would he mind shooting a little with me one afternoon.
Long story short, 300 win mag with Hornady 190 grain CX was my suggestion. He was quite comfortable with the gun and it turns out it worked well for him. However, without seeing him shoot I would have never been able to make a suggestion.
So when I say perhaps my advice is for those who can shoot well, that’s a relative term and depends on what that really means to that individual. It’s not to be smarty pants or be some way. It’s more to be responsible the way we are suggesting it is to use a large big bore rifle. I just don’t happen to agree that is enough to make it responsible and may not be part of the solution at all.

Food for thought.
You really don’t know what your talking about
The bear in this picture is a dink
So are all the rest of the ones in your pictures

Why are you hiding in your vehicle if you have nothing to worry about?
 
You really don’t know what your talking about
The bear in this picture is a dink
So are all the rest of the ones in your pictures

Why are you hiding in your vehicle if you have nothing to worry about?
1719761901296.jpeg

What do you think of this one ole boy?

I’m sure you’re one of the foremost experts in the world but we are opening some discussions you know, trying to get to your level of knowledge.

I know I am proficient enough to kill a bear with something less than an anti tank weapon but other than that, yeah maybe I don’t know what I’m talking about.

I also don’t brag and make things out to be more dangerous and more challenging than they are. I guess that’s all relative to what you’ve experienced.

If you have some good info, maybe you could grace us and get on the other side ot the discussion from the “don’t know what your talking about group”.

I suspect that if you could, you would have already and that’s confirmation enough.

Sorry I don’t impress the likes of you on my infinite knowledge. Most of what I know has come from listening to people in Alaska, either from there or currently living there who I met during my time there or my own personal observations.

So seeing people say that Brown bears are tracking and stalking people, among many other similar comments does bring out the “some don’t know what they’re talking about comment” but I don’t remember specifying anyone specifically.
 
What I find fascinating, how many experts we have that have never hunted or seen a bear before, much less a big grizzly. I am sure if we look far enough back we could find someone killing one with a sharpened stick. So do we start there as "enough to kill" and go to thermonuclear as adequate? What if we settle on whatever you feel comfortable or have at the time?
I would want a 300 wm and up to feel safe. 338-416 whatever, would seem like a good range. But I have only seen I grizzly and he was a good 500 yards away.....and I was in a bus going thru Denali. So I felt safe there.
 
What I find fascinating, how many experts we have that have never hunted or seen a bear before, much less a big grizzly. I am sure if we look far enough back we could find someone killing one with a sharpened stick. So do we start there as "enough to kill" and go to thermonuclear as adequate? What if we settle on whatever you feel comfortable or have at the time?
I would want a 300 wm and up to feel safe. 338-416 whatever, would seem like a good range. But I have only seen I grizzly and he was a good 500 yards away.....and I was in a bus going thru Denali. So I felt safe there.
I fully agree on all parts and you’re very honest. With one caveat. If you carry a 300, you need to be able to shoot it well under field conditions. If you can’t, then you need something you can shoot proficiently.
The whole point is and I been saying this for 35 years or so, if you can’t shoot what you’re carrying well, it really won’t matter. It just doesn’t make up for poor shot placement to have big heavy bullets.
I just wanted a bear attack reenactment on YouTube where the hunter tried a shot from about 300 yds on a big bear facing head on. Big bore rifle. That is a shot that I would not feel comfortable with under the conditions that person was attempting it. The guide had separated himself, crawling down a costal area to get a better view when the bear emerged. With a weapon I am proficient with, I could shoot that bear in the head, but again, I would not attempt that.

It ended in the hunter getting mauled badly and a wounded bear left in the wild.
perhaps it happens but, I cannot find and instance that is documented in any way, where a bear was shot broad side with proper bullet placement and the round was too small and failed to do adequate damage to cleanly kill.
Again, I’m not saying it happens but I can find instances of the it happening the other way around.
So when we say, What Rifle should I use. My response has always been, the one you can use proficiently.
 
Top