LAST EDITED ON May-03-08 AT 11:31AM (MST)[p]I always get a chuckle out of these threads, where everyone states 'this is better, no that's better' or 'I'd do this or that'. The fact is, other than gb22 and myself, I don't think a single one of you has ever been charged by a dangerous animal, so you don't have a clue what it's like. It is the worst possible situation you can imagine; and generally when it happens, things go to hell quicker than you'd ever expect. You have no idea how you're going to perform until it happens.
Over many hunting and fishing trips to Alaska and Canada, I've seen well over 100 grizzlies/brown bears. I've probably been in reasonable shooting range of about 1/2 of those bears. Of those, I've been within 30 or fewer yards of probably 10-15 bears, with the closest one being about 15 yards or so. I've never had a problem with a bear, nor come close to having a bear problem and I'm talking grizzlies, not black bears. I've only ever fired shots at 4 different bears, 2 interior grizzlies, 1 Kodiak and 1 black. Each time, I had a tag and was actively hunting that bear.
I've been charged by two animals, both of which intended me serious harm, with one definitely trying to kill me. It is scarier than you can imagine if you haven't been there yourself, and I don't ever hope to experience it again. The one that tried to kill me was a 10,000+ pound bull elephant. We, as in my PH and I, stopped him at 8 or 9 yards. He started his charge from less than 15 yards. I was shooting a .458 and my PH a .460 weatherby. The second animal was a cape buffalo cow, and she started her charge from about 12 yards in very thick bush. I jumped out of her path, and shot at her at a distance of maybe 3 feet from the end of my gun barrel and my PH shot her in the face so close that she almost knocked the gun from his hands. He was shooting that same .460, while I was carrying a .470 nitro express that time. We didn't knock her down and had to follow her up. Over the next 20-30 very tense minutes I don't know how many times we shot her, but there were 27 bullet holes in her when she finally dropped at a shot I put into her spine. Some of those holes were exit holes from solids, but many never exited. Notice that I said 'shot at her', I MISSED! All you guys who talk about shooting at a charging bear with a pistol are clueless about how hard it is to accurately shoot a charging animal. That wasn't the first animal that I'd shot at in close quarters, and I was well under control but with jumping out of the way, pivoting as she passed me and my gun being shot from the hip, I completely missed her. It's easier to do than you guys realize. I've been bluff charged by a couple african lions and several elephants, with all of them stopping at about 15 yards +/-. We've never fired a shot at any of these animals, only the ones that got within 10 yards, and there was no question about their intent. I've been chased by elephants several times, but we never needed to shoot as they started from far enough away and we ran like hell, scattering in different directions as we went. They all gave up after chasing us away from them, again NO shots fired. You'd be stunned how fast you can run when given the proper motivation.
If I'm going to be carrying a gun for bear protection, I'm carrying a heavier caliber rifle, .338 being minimum. If it's strictly for protection, then I'm carrying my .416 hoffman. Anyone, inlcuding Alaskan guides, who carries a shotgun with buckshot for protection is doing so because they don't really understand what is takes to STOP an animal. Penetration from buckshot is dismal on an animal as big as a brownie, and slugs aren't much better. I've shot a few slugs into a cape buffalo after we'd killed it to see how they did, penetration was generally not much more than 12-15". That isn't going to stop any animal that is determined to harm you. It might deter or delay him, but it isn't going to drop him and keep him down. If you think hitting a charging animal in a vital spot such as the brain, spine or even major bones is easy, you don't know what you're talking about. If a charge happens where you have time to prepare and take careful aim, that is the exception and may have been a bluff. Most serious charges happen suddenly and from very close range, so you really don't have much opportunity to make a well aimed shot. So, I ask 'How many of you practice shooting under these circumstances?'
On the subject of Alaskan guides, I've known a fair number inlcuding some of the top brown bear guides (Earl Stevens, D*ck Gunlogson, Lynn Castle, Tom Kirstein, John Swiss, Darrel Farman) and don't know a single one who carried a shotgun. With the exception of one guy (Max Schwab) who carried a .30-06, they all carried bigger rifles, up to .458.
The only guns to carry as stopping guns are heavy rifles, not shotguns or pistols. If you doubt this, ponder why african PHs use heavy rifles. They experience more actual charges than anyone. It is safe to say that, collectively, african PHs experience more actual charges in a single season than Alaskan guides do in well over a decade. If shotguns or pistols were better, those guys across the pond would use them instead.
Abut the only time a pistol would be of use is if an animal is almost upon you, as in less than 10 feet. Then, you're going to be pointing it, not aiming as you aren't going to be standing steady in a stance, but probably moving more than you realize. Of course, you could just use the gun to put yourself out of the misery you'd be about to experience!
If I'm not carrying a heavy rifle, I'm carrying bear spray and when I have it's been UDAP.
Not that I was too worried as I had my .300 Win. Mag. with open sights close by at all times.
