Handgun vs bear

[Combat Controller]

Here's a very interesting piece with all the data included. It has a surprising result.

https://www.ammoland.com/2019/08/handgu ... z5xBSsHG5i

[Vonz90]

Rule 1, bring a gun

...Bringing a .22 pistol into polar bear country is the exception that proves* the rule.

* AKA tests

[AlaskaTRX]

Which is why I carry ever time I go on any trail or area in Alaska where I may run into a bear (aka outside)

[HTRN]

I still say a ruger redhawk alaskan in 480 ruger loaded with heavyweight hardcast is about the ideal handgun for brownies.

[Netpackrat]

They are skewing the numbers in favor of “success” by defining it as “the bear stopped attacking” rather than as “the bear was stopped from attacking.” Also notable that most or all of what they are calling failures were use of marginal calibers on brown or polar bears. As is usually the case with black bears, hit them reasonably well with almost anything, and they will look elsewhere for an easier meal.

[Greg]

They are skewing the numbers in favor of “success” by defining it as “the bear stopped attacking” rather than as “the bear was stopped from attacking.” Also notable that most or all of what they are calling failures were use of marginal calibers on brown or polar bears. As is usually the case with black bears, hit them reasonably well with almost anything, and they will look elsewhere for an easier meal.

Unless a black bear has a reason to be motivated, you don't even have to hit it you just have to make some noise.

[Vonz90]

They are skewing the numbers in favor of “success” by defining it as “the bear stopped attacking” rather than as “the bear was stopped from attacking.” Also notable that most or all of what they are calling failures were use of marginal calibers on brown or polar bears. As is usually the case with black bears, hit them reasonably well with almost anything, and they will look elsewhere for an easier meal.

Unless a black bear has a reason to be motivated, you don't even have to hit it you just have to make some noise.

Black bears kill more people than brown ones.

[randy]

Black bears kill more people than brown ones.

I wonder if that's because a lot of areas with black bears are not in what most think of as Bear Country. So people are not as aware of any threat and are not as prepared to react properly. (and by people, I mean the usual clueless citizenry, not anyone on this board).

Out west I often saw bear spray, bells etc. on sale (even in National Parks stores) and tourist information on how to deal with a bear encounter.

Down south a state where there have been black bear attacks in the recent past (last few years), not so much.

[Greg]

They are skewing the numbers in favor of “success” by defining it as “the bear stopped attacking” rather than as “the bear was stopped from attacking.” Also notable that most or all of what they are calling failures were use of marginal calibers on brown or polar bears. As is usually the case with black bears, hit them reasonably well with almost anything, and they will look elsewhere for an easier meal.

Unless a black bear has a reason to be motivated, you don't even have to hit it you just have to make some noise.

Black bears kill more people than brown ones.

Doesn't surprise me at all, considering what I saw in Jersey.

Range of black bears has expanded *tremendously* such that bears are now in areas that they've never been in before so long as there have been white people keeping records.

So there are going to be more encounters than ever before.

Combine that with human stupidity, actively encouraging bears to feel less timid and more 'entitled', and the chances of running into a motivated bear go way up.

[Vonz90]

Black bears kill more people than brown ones.

I wonder if that's because a lot of areas with black bears are not in what most think of as Bear Country. So people are not as aware of any threat and are not as prepared to react properly. (and by people, I mean the usual clueless citizenry, not anyone on this board).

Out west I often saw bear spray, bells etc. on sale (even in National Parks stores) and tourist information on how to deal with a bear encounter.

Down south a state where there have been black bear attacks in the recent past (last few years), not so much.

Black bears are exclusively carnivorous in some places. Between that and the fact that they their range overlaps with people a lot more than brown bears I think account for the difference.

https://www.adn.com/alaska-news/article ... 011/05/11/