.45 acp vs a bear

[tbhracing]

What about wasp spray if you have it?

[aermotor]

It doesn't really help you since you've got a 1911, but 10mm is the way to go when in the woods. Get a Glock 21 (.45) and a conversion barrel to 10mm so you can have it multi-purposed.

This is the best answer imo, though Bear Spray would be a god idea as well in case of attack.

I've had plenty of bears come into camp deep hunting as a kid. We always had one of these on the ready. One toot from these babies and bears don't run, they fly away.

[Lead-Thrower]

When I go hiking, I usually carry one of those horns, along with my KA-BAR.

[5shot]

Bear Spray didn't help this guy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AjkTmE--Ntg&feature=fvw

I've been going to Mammoth for around 25 years, and own a second home (condo) there. Bears are about as common as dogs there. The town has a "no shoot" zone that surrounds the town and lakes basin, so there's no hunting pressure on the local bears. It's very common to see bears everyday if you fish the lakes in the evenings, or camp around the lakes. For the most part their pretty docile, but a few get too comfortable around people and attempt to bully people. They know most people are scarred of them, so they use it to their advantage. Usually a mother with cubs will walk the shoreline when people are fishing. When the people back away, or get in their cars, the mother bear will find their stringer, step on the stinger and pull the fish off. There was another bear who hung around one of the back country lakes trails. When he saw hikers he'd bluff charge them. After they'd drop their backpacks and ran, he'd tear open the packs and eat their food.
The local bear control officer tries to monitor the population pretty well, and problem bears are removed. But there's always the small chance that you may encounter a problem bear. And there are some big bears in Mammoth. They hit all the restaurant and condo dumpsters, and eat pretty well. I've seen a few that will go about 500 pounds, which is very big for a black bear. Then you see a lot of small ones that go about 150-200 pounds. (The big bears usually chase other bears away from their favorite eating spots.)

A good article on bear handguns from expert bear hunters.

http://www.foggymountain.com/handgun-bear-hunting.shtml

[1911Luvr]

My one closeup experience with California black bears happened while skiing. I was doing a bit of back country spring skiing after a March storm several years back when I skied down the side of a canyon and immediately stopped when I saw a black bear, which I instantly understood to be a female when I saw a little one 30 feet behind it. I then went into my bear defense mode which for me is simply clenching my butt cheeks in hopes of not dirtying my ski pants, and just watched as they plodded on past me. I was locked into downhill skis in a foot of fresh powder, so running wasn't an option and having been stopped I wasn't going to ski fast enough to get away anyway. After they ignored me and continued on their way I found a tree to water (funny how I never had to go until the bears showed up), and then skied quickly to the bottom and hiked out. I had always thought bears are supposed to be asleep in winter (ok so March is Spring but whatever) so I never gave it a second thought until this happened. In any case, I'm glad to have not accidentally skied in between them, but looking back they hardly seemed like the worrysome beasts they are made out to be. Of course I might feel differently if this had been Alaska or Canada, and perhaps I was just lucky, but that experience didn't inspire me to carry a sidearm while in the back country in winter.

Now that said, I would certainly carry in summer as I have seen mountain lions and they scare me far more than those black bears. Fortunately mountain lions seem to be much less bold than bears when it comes to invading camp sites and other occupied places. In any case, I don't think anyone going to Mammoth or other CA mountains needs to be worried about bears to the point of carrying a shotgun, etc. Just be smart, be loud (my other non-closeup experiences with CA bears was as simple as making noise to scare them off) and if you need a sidearm to feel comfortable then bring it. I seriously doubt that unless you panic and shoot at the first sight of the bear, you will have any need for your pistol to keep you safe from CA bears. But, like the old saying goes, "an ounce of prevention..."

[BuckTurgidson]

Bear Spray didn't help this guy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AjkTmE--Ntg&feature=fvw

Would be very interested in how you can be certain from the evidence presented in the video - a spot of concentrated spray in the snow - that the victim actually deployed the spray at the attacking bear.

[5shot]

Would be very interested in how you can be certain from the evidence presented in the video - a spot of concentrated spray in the snow - that the victim actually deployed the spray at the attacking bear.

Watch the whole National Geographic show that short clip was from. You'd also see the 2 female hikers who emptied a can of bear spray and still got mauled.

[bigbob76]

Would be very interested in how you can be certain from the evidence presented in the video - a spot of concentrated spray in the snow - that the victim actually deployed the spray at the attacking bear.

Are you an attorney or something?

[BuckTurgidson]

Are you an attorney or something?

No, but I play one on TV.

[Flouncer]

Sssst !!



Shoot a Bear, go to jail. Or at least pay a fine, lose your toy. Are you guys serious ??

[mif_slim]

^ wait, black bear are on the endanger list?!?

how come dfg sells tags for them?!? it must be black market. lol

[Flouncer]

Not Serious

Did the OP mention anything about hunting bear in season with a license and a tag ???

[k1dude]

Did the OP mention anything about hunting bear in season with a license and a tag ???

Defending yourself against an attacking bear will not get you in trouble with the law.

[bigbob76]

Shoot a Bear, go to jail. Or at least pay a fine, lose your toy. Are you guys serious ??

Come on Flouncer, this is the internet. Do you think anybody would BS you? It's all true, the check is in the mail, the house is paid for, it's only a cold sore.

[tbhracing]

I love you, the check is in the mail and I wont...you know the rest.