I told a guy I was taking a 357 magnum to the mountains for protection, he said I hope it has a short barrel & small sights so when the bear shoves it up my you know what it won't hurt so bad!
We usually keep a clean campsite. I would imagine that a bear can smell what was cooked in the camper that morning or evening even if you had everything packed up in Coolers and in the Fridge. I am just glad it was a Bear and not a Human. Would rather shoot a Bear if I had to shoot something.
And we actually were kind of hoping he would come back Sunday night. Wanted to see him. Wife wanted to leave some Lasagna out for him, but I vetoed that.
I have actually thought about getting a motion detector camera to hang on a tree at night in the campsite just to see what does come around.
I've had a fair amount of experience camping/living around black bears, and I would sooner watch a cat cough up a furball. However, thank you for posting your encounter, as I was recently wondering how a bear looks at an RV, which he apparently considers a car, i.e. fair game.
Your 9mm is tuned to perfection for the greatest danger we face in the wilderness, other humans. But please do not consider it useful against any sort of bear, other than a dead one.
As for leaving food out to attract a bear, I know you've got better sense than this, but FWIW: if a bear sees food out he owns that food. If food is left out regularly the bear begins to feel entitled, and if the food is withdrawn, you have an angry bear. It's easy to assume the world operates by human rules, but it doesn't. Giving a bear food increases the odds of his wanting to kill you.
A trail cam might be kind of fun!! Another story about bumps in the night, on one trip we were told by a forest Ranger a bear had been spotted in the area. Our TT started rocking during the night, and armed with a couple shotguns we found a cow rubbing against the corner.
DocNRed
Some heroes wear capes, My heroes wear combat boots!
Running into a bear is just one of the issues with Dry-Camping/RV'ing. But if your not affraid of them, and use some common sense, they usually will leave you alone. There just looking for something to eat in most cases. As we constantely are taking over bears natural habitats, there are more and more chances of running into one. Espically in the Mountain areas of a lot of states, and for sure in Alaska and Canada. I also believe in carrying a bigger heaverier load hand gun, and with plenty of Ammo. I always keep a 357 Mag, with Hollow Point loads with us when I know we are in bear county. But we also always travel with the hand gun anyways. I also keep three Speed loaders with the 357 Mag Holow Points. But I wouldn't actually shot a bear, unless I had no choice at all. Most times, even a singal shot will scare a bear away. We as Campers/RV'ers need to learn to live with Mother Nature and all of its critters. I have lived and have traveld all over Alaska and Canada, and so far, haven't felt the need to shot a bear yet. Even a couple of pots and pans being banged togetehr will usually make a bear leave the area. But at the least, we are prepaired for the worst, if ever it be needed. But it would be a sad day in our lives if we ever really had to kill a bear. Think Safe, and be Safe. Your best bet, is to keep a spotless campsite, and no traces of food any where at all. Good Luck. Happy Camping, Dan & Jill
1997 Ford F-250, H.D. Extended-Cab, Short Bed, 7.3 PSD, K&N Air Filter, 5000 lbs air bags w/on board compressor w/guage, SuperChips Tuner/Programer. 1996 Nash 24fter 5er, 15K "Lil" Rocker Hitch w/BedSaver, Twin EU2000i Gen's W/Kit. Nam-Vet, 33 Months.
In Alaska I was told to wear snow bells just to let the bears know you are around so not startle them and carry a big bottle of pepper spray however then I read that you should be VERY,VERY weary of bears that jingle and smell of peppers. LOL
Conconully is one of the last places I thought I'd ever hear on the boondocking forums We spent a summer there back in the 90's. Of all the running around we did in that area, about 400sq miles, I never seen any sign of bear in that area. The area must be changing???
I doubt that very few people here even know how to shoot a bear for a kill as there's only 7 one shot kill zones on a bear and none of them are easy to hit at any distance. Bears have a very hard and very thick bone structure.
So what does that mean? If you shot a bear, there's a 99.9% chance your just going to make him madder and they'll attack even more aggressively after being shot.
"you better be loaded for bear" is not a myth, just a fact!!!
Bear spray, now there's a good laugh
I agree, don't make yourself or your camp a bear target!
T_Bone
02 F350, 4x6, Crew, DRW, PSD, 6spd, 3:73, LWB
32ft RKSS Serria
Please do not trust everything you read on the internet. Use only valid engineering information from well established Companys.
Buy UNION Work UNION
It pays off in the long run
You don't want hollow points, you want flathead penetrators. HP loads are for the greatest danger we face in the wilderness, ourselves. But there is no chance of a penetrator load exiting a bear, and an HP load might not pierce his hide. FWIW.
A 9mm or a .357 magnum is sufficient for a black bear. Actually a .22 will work on a black. Just put a couple of shots into the ground at his feet and he will scamper off as fast as he can. Most of the time banging on something metal or just hollering and making noise will scare them off. I have done it many times. Don't shoot a black bear, or any 4-legged camp visitor, if you don't have to.
Grizz are different. A 9mm or .357 will still work on a grizz, but it may take more than one shot and a very good and fast aim...
A gun shop employee told me a few months ago there are now .357, 9mm, and .40 flash-bang rounds now available to the public, but I cannot seem to locate them on the internet. Anyone know the source?
* This post was
edited 05/31/08 08:59pm by dave54 *
=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=
Log off and go camping!
~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~
Offline
We spent a summer there back in the 90's. Of all the running around we did in that area, about 400sq miles, I never seen any sign of bear in that area. The area must be changing???
