My daughter lives in a semi-rural area of Ojai, Kalifornistan.

This morning she let the dog out and went to change the two-year old.  She heard a rustling out back near one of the outbuildings about 25 feet away and saw the dog coming back to the house back door.  She finished with the baby and let the pooch in.  He turned and began alerting out back.  Then she noticed a BIG (250lb-300lb) but skinny black bear come lumbering out from behind the shed and head for the door!

She screamed for her hubby who jumped up and grabbed his 9mm Glock as Mr. Bruin fled from all the noise.

She called the sheriff and then me.

They are avid hunters but the only effective weapon he had available but unloaded and in the closet was his very nice scoped Winchester .270.  I reminded her that a 9mm would only piss off the bear.

I told her that the bear might come back so to keep the dog and the baby in the house for a while anyway.  I also told her to purchase a Mossy M590 or equivalent and some magnum slugs and 00 buckshot rounds.  At first she argued that her rifle would do the trick but I quickly calibrated her on the need for IMMEDIATE STOPPING POWER when engaging a bear.  Yes, a well placed shot from te rifle will certainly kill the bear, but in close combat against a bear, nothing beats the trusty 12 ga.  Too many stories of hunters being killed by a dead bear walking...

I asked her if they've been having a drought lately and she said that they've had a couple of very dry years and that there isn't much game in the area now and the bears have been reported coming down out of the hills searching for food.

I also reminded her of the guy in our area who shot a bear six times a few weeks ago when the bear came BACK to his house and tried to get in and join him at supper...after first coming to the porch earlier that evening then leaving.  When the guy called the sheriff, they asked if the bear had gone and to forget about it.  Well...the bear returned, tried to bust in and got shot for his troubles.

She's scared now...and a 12ga shotty purchase is in the offing.

No, you can kill bears with medium caliber handguns.  Burt Reynolds killed a bear this spring in Anchorage with a Glock in .40

Quoted: No, you can kill bears with medium caliber handguns.  Burt Reynolds killed a bear this spring in Anchorage with a Glock in .40

Which movie was that?  I'll queue it up on Netflix.

9mm is not the best black Bear medicine, But 10+ rounds of 9mm should discourage him.

Quoted: No, you can kill bears with medium caliber handguns.  Burt Reynolds killed a bear this spring in Anchorage with a Glock in .40

Never said you couldn't.  Problem is that Mr. Bruin may not die before he kills you too.  If I had nothing else, I'd sure be using whatever pistol I could get my hands on...but I'd also surely prefer my M590 with lots of magnum slugs and 00 buck rounds.

When I was a kid, my best friends dad, an avid hunter, told us a story of two [foolish] hunters that were hunting in Alaska when they were confronted by a griz.  One of the hunters had a .30 caliber M-1 carbine and I can't remember what the other guy had...but I seem to recall he was armed similarly.

Anyway, the search party found the hunters a few weeks later...quite dead.  Nearby was the dead bear; shot full of holes from the dead hunters.

I never forgot that story about "not enough gun".

A healthy 300 bear is a formidable opponent.

Quoted: Quoted: No, you can kill bears with medium caliber handguns.  Burt Reynolds killed a bear this spring in Anchorage with a Glock in .40 Which movie was that?  I'll queue it up on Netflix.

Movie?  This is real life.  I started a thread about it, but it's over 3 months old, so it's gone.

A guy who bears a striking resemblance to Burt Reynolds was hiking in Anchorage this spring, when he crossed paths with a momma brown bear.  He killed it with his handgun, and the zoo took in the 4 orphan cubs.