Bear attacked people ... they used "cracker" rounds to scare it off ... oops...

[Lead Waster]

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/Two-people-hurt-in-polar-bear-attack-in-Churchill-230195481.html

A woman was being mauled by a POLAR BEAR (not a panzy brown bear) and her neighbor came out to fight it with a ... shovel. He got mauled too. Other neighbors shot off "cracker" rounds (??) that apparently are just really loud.

I'm sorry, but if people are being mauled, don't use fire crackers, use something in .30 caliber in a long gun or .44 Mag in a handgun.

I just brought this up because every month, a new "What handgun can I use against bears" thread pops up and people generally argue about the need for it, and the crazy caliber wars that arise. Well whatever you choose ... use REAL BULLETS.


My friend did some university research up in Churchill, there was a guy assigned to stand on the rooftop of the research building with a rifle, just in case a polar bear wandered into the area. He said Polar bears were like walking Volkswagon Beetles.... yeah ... don't use "cracker rounds"...

[falar]

I've yet to camp or hike in a place where large Brown bears are possible but if I do I'm making sure to pack my .44 with my 300 grain XTP loads @ 1350 FPS.

[Vin63]

I would probably use bear spray first, if I had enough time to use one or the other.

[jyo]

When I was hunting in Alaska, my sidearm was a FA 454 Casull---in the tent (for grab and go) were several pistol-grip 870s 12 ga with slugs---no "cracker" bombs...

[nastyhabts26]

Bear spray may not give you the opportunity to deplay a more lethal form of self defence.
Shoot first ask questions or forgiveness later.

[Xanatos]

12 rounds of .45 Super. All else fails magazine change and dump another 12 rounds.

[Ritchie8719]

It's Canada, and you have to jump through hoops to have a gun, and more to load it and use it. To shoot something and kill it, infinite hoops.

I am a big fan of bear spray. It works, and if I never am a data point in the ammo argument, that is ok with me.

[IVC]

Cracker rounds for white polar bears? Racist!

[cwilliams]

I've read stories of polar bears not being too afraid of the sound of gun shots because of their time spent being on cracking ice.

[Packy14]

I'm using colored bullets the next time those cracker bears come around

[Fate]

30 years ago, when I was a college student working at a summer wilderness canoe camp in the Boundary Waters of MN/Canada, I encountered many black bears that were not dissuaded by ANY human methods of "scaring them off."

Once I threw multiple "black cat" firecrackers in front of a bear near its face. It didn't even blink.

[Jungleking3]

Maybe the bear was deaf Fate? Hehe

[STR8HEATED]

Some 500 grains out of the 500 Smith and Wesson should stop the maulin.

[dwtt]

The article says they tracked down the bear, killed it and another bear, then captured an 'orphaned' cub. I am just waiting for how PETA is going to skew this one around.

[Freq18Hz]

30 caliber for a bear???

.45-70 govt, thank you very much.

-Freq