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Black Bear - Advice needed
6/19/2009 10:57:11 PM
OK... I'm still a little adrenaline'ed up.
Piled the family in the car to head to the feed store and headed down the windy driveway to see a rather large black bear standing in my front yard about 80 yards from the house. Wife was driving and saw it first and stopped the car. I know the mind thinks... that thing is huge and then it turns out to be a small 100lb cub, but I've seen a few bears and this was the largest wild bear I've seen outside of my trip to Denali. I estimate 400lbs give or take. I'm still pissed that we didn't have the camera. I ask the wife to back up to the house so I can run in and grab it. The puts the car in reverse and the sound and movement, bear is looking at us now, cause the bear to swing it's head towards the treeline, but it stopped and looked at us again. The wife can't navigate the windy driveway in reverse and the extra time and then even more for me to find the damn camera and the bear was gone by the time we got back.
Oh, background... we just moved out to the country in October. Both the wife and I grew up in metro areas. Me in DC suburbs and her in LA.
Mostly we are brushing up on bear precautions. We've been feeding the cats outside, so after looking around various sites, I've learned that is bad... which sucks because I hate those dumb cats coming into the house. I understand that bears, even big ones... will likely shy away from humans and what I observed of this one's behavior, it seemed timid.
We have two young boys. The youngest is 20 months (basically almost a 2yo) and his older brother is 5. We have the two outdoor cats. We also just got a dozen chickens four months ago and have been letting them roam the yard during the day. Had what we think was a bear visit one night about 5 or 6 weeks ago. We had the "chicken scratch" in a "bear-proof" container near the coop (20 yards from the house), but it was dragged off about 8 feet, then tipped over and opened. It's about 40 lbs. Didn't bother the coop and we were not missing any chickens in the morning.
Anyway...
I'm trying to get the wife set up to deal with it if the need arises. I suggested the shotgun, which we keep loaded with 00 buck, but it only has 4 rounds in the tube. She has not shot a shotgun since she was 7 and said she would prefer to grab her carry piece as the is most familiar with it. M&P 9c. I tell her a 9 is not a good idea on a bear that size but that in an emergency, use what you have.
She keeps asking about the AR's , but I tell her that has similar to the 9 against a 400lb bear.
I don't think she wants to try my SAIGA 308.
Suggestions?
Get her some practice with the shotgun?
Let her use the AR or the 9?
Get her time on the SAIGA?
Buy a dog? (yea... that's probably a good idea. We are working on that)
Generally, yes, I know the likelihood that we will have to confront that bear is very very slim.. but I'd just wanting to know and be prepared.
TIA,
-3D
Piled the family in the car to head to the feed store and headed down the windy driveway to see a rather large black bear standing in my front yard about 80 yards from the house. Wife was driving and saw it first and stopped the car. I know the mind thinks... that thing is huge and then it turns out to be a small 100lb cub, but I've seen a few bears and this was the largest wild bear I've seen outside of my trip to Denali. I estimate 400lbs give or take. I'm still pissed that we didn't have the camera. I ask the wife to back up to the house so I can run in and grab it. The puts the car in reverse and the sound and movement, bear is looking at us now, cause the bear to swing it's head towards the treeline, but it stopped and looked at us again. The wife can't navigate the windy driveway in reverse and the extra time and then even more for me to find the damn camera and the bear was gone by the time we got back.
Oh, background... we just moved out to the country in October. Both the wife and I grew up in metro areas. Me in DC suburbs and her in LA.
Mostly we are brushing up on bear precautions. We've been feeding the cats outside, so after looking around various sites, I've learned that is bad... which sucks because I hate those dumb cats coming into the house. I understand that bears, even big ones... will likely shy away from humans and what I observed of this one's behavior, it seemed timid.
We have two young boys. The youngest is 20 months (basically almost a 2yo) and his older brother is 5. We have the two outdoor cats. We also just got a dozen chickens four months ago and have been letting them roam the yard during the day. Had what we think was a bear visit one night about 5 or 6 weeks ago. We had the "chicken scratch" in a "bear-proof" container near the coop (20 yards from the house), but it was dragged off about 8 feet, then tipped over and opened. It's about 40 lbs. Didn't bother the coop and we were not missing any chickens in the morning.
Anyway...
I'm trying to get the wife set up to deal with it if the need arises. I suggested the shotgun, which we keep loaded with 00 buck, but it only has 4 rounds in the tube. She has not shot a shotgun since she was 7 and said she would prefer to grab her carry piece as the is most familiar with it. M&P 9c. I tell her a 9 is not a good idea on a bear that size but that in an emergency, use what you have.
She keeps asking about the AR's , but I tell her that has similar to the 9 against a 400lb bear.
I don't think she wants to try my SAIGA 308.
Suggestions?
Get her some practice with the shotgun?
Let her use the AR or the 9?
Get her time on the SAIGA?
Buy a dog? (yea... that's probably a good idea. We are working on that)
Generally, yes, I know the likelihood that we will have to confront that bear is very very slim.. but I'd just wanting to know and be prepared.
TIA,
-3D
6/19/2009 11:33:53 PM
Get her time on the SAIGA?
Buy a dog
^^^^^^^^^^^^^THIS^^^^^^^^^^^
Buy a dog
^^^^^^^^^^^^^THIS^^^^^^^^^^^
6/19/2009 11:43:43 PM
6.8 spc for the win
6/19/2009 11:56:35 PM
Originally Posted By coldair:
6.8 spc for the win
6.8 spc for the win
Eh.. don't have the money right now for a new cal.
In the middle of re-modeling our kitchen.
-3D
6/20/2009 12:10:02 AM
Originally Posted By foxherb53:
Get her time on the SAIGA?
Buy a dog
^^^^^^^^^^^^^THIS^^^^^^^^^^^
Get her time on the SAIGA?
Buy a dog
^^^^^^^^^^^^^THIS^^^^^^^^^^^
Yea. That would be my go to gun for a bear, but it is a little large for her.
With practice, she could do it. She likes to shoot. Don't know how much .308 I could afford...
-3D
6/20/2009 12:20:43 AM
Dogs do attract bears so be carefull.
Your chickens are what it was after.
It will keep trying.
A electric fence around the chickens might help.
Just make noise when moving around the yard.
Young black bears will be fearless.
Played all over bear country as a kid and never been attacked.
Just made a lot of noise.
We keep a shotgun with buckshot for the first shot then slugs for the rest.
Wife will shoot if needed but my momis uneasy around guns since uncle was killed.
If you can clear the underbrush back.
Your chickens are what it was after.
It will keep trying.
A electric fence around the chickens might help.
Just make noise when moving around the yard.
Young black bears will be fearless.
Played all over bear country as a kid and never been attacked.
Just made a lot of noise.
We keep a shotgun with buckshot for the first shot then slugs for the rest.
Wife will shoot if needed but my momis uneasy around guns since uncle was killed.
If you can clear the underbrush back.
6/29/2009 1:13:12 PM
I'd consider a saiga 308 or DPMS 308 since she likes the AR platform. Since money is tight, I'd give a lot of thought to a used remingotn 7400 or similar. They can be found on online auctions under 400 and they'll shoot minute of bear.
7/9/2009 5:18:47 PM
ar w/30 rounds should be fine on a blackie until you decide on, and can budjet for, a bigger caliber.
7/9/2009 10:13:13 PM
22-250 was more than enough for this adult polar bear btw
Ck out the Officer Dan thread:
http://www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=2&f=244&t=159703
Ck out the Officer Dan thread:
http://www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=2&f=244&t=159703
