9mm vs. bear

[Sonic_mike]

Just use the slight of hand perk and unload on that bear.

[Coded-Dude]

find the biggest bear you can and make and example of him:

(the others will leave you alone)

[mif_slim]

Uhhhh M...S ??? Be careful out there ..... The man who dismisses any bear as no threat should not go hiking in bear country... And yes, a California bear can do allot of harm to you.
As far as choice of weapon, I would say a .22 is among your last choice of anything. Yes you can kill a bear with a careful, aimed, and "perfect shot" But you can do that with most firearms or a dart-gun for that matter...
The issue at hand is: If he is hiking in the back country and surprises a bear, which means the OP will be crapping his pants and trying to pull a weapon in the face of a charging bear, what is better FMJ or HP ?
Yes, lots of things are better when hiking, but that was not his question....

Of course, but before a black bear even thinks about attacking, you've done something really wrong. Like feeding the bears or...crawling into their den...or...yeah you get the point. I've hunted for 20 years and all the bear i've encounter in CA I see their buttocks dashing as fast as they can in the opposite direction from me. The only one I seen close up (8 yards) is when Im hunting them from Treestands and Im unnoticed by them.. like this one shot two years ago at a distance of 8 yards:

[Rusty_Buckhorn]

a treestand?wuss(jk ) nothing gets the blood pumping like spot and stalk bear hunting with a bow.

[mif_slim]

That one was actually a ground hunt. lol. I have the video somewhere.. I just gotta dig it up.

[Rusty_Buckhorn]

The only one I seen close up (8 yards) is when Im hunting them from Treestands and Im unnoticed by them.. like this one shot two years ago at a distance of 8 yards:

hhmmm, didn't take long to start back pedaling

[jabell]

I've seen the aftermath of quite a few people shot........................

by the 9mm after many years as a paramedic.
In a nutshell: not impressive.
It's certainly better to show up to a gun fight with a 9mm instead of your favorite knife but I see no reason why anyone would buy one if they were in the market for a gun.
In regards to bears, better than nothing but I if you had the choice a 44 mag would be on my list.

[mif_slim]

Originally Posted by mif_slim
The only one I seen close up (8 yards) is when Im hunting them from Treestands and Im unnoticed by them.. like this one shot two years ago at a distance of 8 yards:
hhmmm, didn't take long to start back pedaling

Nah, I have video of that hunt. So I know it's from the ground.

[Saym14]

I often hike with my two dogs off leash. I hear bears tned to shy away/ run from dogs?

[VytamenC Tactical]

been hiking hundreds of times in california mountains the only bears i have seen is from about 40 yards and from the looks of things they were more afraid of me than i was them. last year i was going up deer hunting the sun wasnt up yeat and as i hiked/biked into my blind which as a few miles off the path i was walking with my visor head light on i saw from about maybe 30/40 yards out a pair of green eyes glaring at me. never saw what it was to this day i think it was a mountain lion.

if you feel more safe carrying a 9mm go for it. would it kill a bear? yes it would kill a bear. would i hunt a bear with a 9mm no. believe it or not i have heard of people taking bears with air rifles. its all about shot placement. about 3 years ago i was down in texas at a friends ranch doing some hunting we went out to do a prairie dog hunt my friend has a .17 hmr and i brought a 22-.250 before we start shooting was see this big a $ $ hog in the distance i give my friend the 22-.250 he put 1 shot in the ear of this hog at about 75 yards. it droped instantly. shot placement is everthing.

the main thing is make sure you dont sneek up on a bear be kind of noisy when your hiking everything will be fine.

http://www.gutpilestyle.com/ForumSMF/i-bear-hunt-!/black-bear-taken-with-air-rifle/

[Rob454]

Our bears here you gotta be naked, dip you body in honey, tie a steak on your head, arms and legs, salmon meat on your COM coated with more honey with peanut sprinkles on top and you MiGTh attrack a bear... So you don't have to be too afraid of CA black bears.

Are you describing how to get the attention of a mating bear or your last weekend in Vegas Cause if thats your last weekend in vegas i wanna party wif' chew.

i agree with you and cali bears. I've been hunting California for a long time and I've seen bears. The closest I came to one ( as far as being a "threat") was about 40 feet and he saw me i saw him he sniffed the air I clicked off my safety and he just went back in the brush ( high manzanita bush taller than me and Im 6 01 thats the reason i did not see him. Came around a corner he was on the trail)
Next time I go hunting I may get a bear tag rather than deer tag. Seen more Bears than deer the last time I went up to Nor Cal.

I have carried a 357 when i go hiking and fishing in the sierras but never had a problem. i do take the bear signs seriously though. As for the 9mm if that's the only thing you got I guess I would get the hardest/hottest hitting 9mm load Go for the mouth eyes and if he stands up under the chin or throat area.
Ive never felt threatened by black bears. But like the other guys say I bet bear spray will work better. Most of the time bears hear you coming and pretty much get the F outta there.

[DAW2432]

9mm would be great for a Koala Bear.

To be blatantly honest, there are very few, if any handguns, that are truly effective against bears. Sure, they'll probably die eventually from the wounds, but getting them away from you isn't a high possibility, unless you're playing the fear factor.

And remember, you don't have to be the fastest, you just can't be the slowest.

[mif_slim]

Are you describing how to get the attention of a mating bear or your last weekend in Vegas Cause if thats your last weekend in vegas i wanna party wif' chew..

A little bit of both. LOL!

[Dooligan]

Are you protecting yourself from bears in San Francisco? 9mm should work fine.

[Arreaux]

unless it's in season and you have a tag, or he's truly attacking you, you'd be better off carrying a can of bear spray(pepper spray).

What he said!