Another bear chewing

[mdeland]

A spring bear guide got chewed on a few days ago up near Glenn Allen Alaska. He and a friend were on snow machines and were after spring bear and wolf. The Guide was equiped with a .338 Mag and his partner had a .220 Swift. They found a bear den in some brush up on a mountain side and waited around until the occupant came out were they way layed him. They took their time snowshoeing up to the den entrance where the 400 lbs bruin was still half in the den hole. As they were wrestling him out they heard a growel from inside and here come a sow out from behind her dead 400 pound cub. Well the guys made a dash for the snow machines a bit down the hill and the guide managed to reach his machine and rifle getting one shot off hitting the sow in the shoulder before she grabbed him by the foot and commenced to chew toward his head. The .338 bullet went through her left shoulder and into her back leg before she was on him. She managed to chew his foot , leg , side hand and head before his buddy retrieve his Swift and put her lights out with two well place shots to the head. Another case where a 4 inch heavy revolver would have probably save the day. They sewed and stapled the guide up an he is back home again very thankful he had a pal along who was a cool head and a good shot. It is modern times but this is still Alaska and bear still chew on people on a rather regular basis every year. I say strap on a 4 inch heavy revolver. shoot it often with good heavy cast bullets and wear it as often as your pants when out and about in this country. Wished some one would have had one at VT this week and cancelled that jerks ticket before he cleared leather! One can see where political correctness has lead us. I know there must be a place in this world for liberals but I just can't think of one that benifits society. SSD

[ironramrod]

Liberals might make good boat anchors. The only potential problem I see is that they are typically so full of hot air they may be bouyant to the point of being totally useless as boat anchors, too.

Regards

[D. Cash]

Bears think liberals taste good. Bear food they are.

[RMulhern]

Hmmmmm....ain't never hunted bears afore so I ain't no authority thereof! But....from all I've ever read from some mighty good guides who do hunt them...and from some folks like ole Peter Hathaway Capstick...in reference to shooting dangerous game.....it ain't important to kill the game!

The IMPORTANT THING is.......to STOP IT at the crack of the rifle! I would imagine that a big ole Kodiak Brownie, as slow as their heart rate is....would do a mighty fine job of rearranging your face even if his heart was blown up!

[mdeland]

I'm no expert either. I sure am interested to hear of these accounts though. Guides seem to have differing oppinions on how to handle them also. The two schools of thought for charges seem to be breaking them down with shoulder shots or cut their wiring with a hump or under the chin shot. I suspect when they come most are just aiming for the center of mass and glad to get off a shot. I can't see myself trying to hit a shoulder from the front in such a case. Under the chin makes more sense to me. Never been in such a situation and hope never to be. I do hunt every year in their domain though and thinking about such a possibility is certainly pertinent. SSD

[Old Doe Shooter]

I'm not sure if it is still true but a few years ago I read that in Alaska no brown bear charge had ever been successfully stopped with a handgun.
I have no idea at what point an event becomes a "charge" or the difference between a charge and a chewing, tossing, ugly incident or what have you. Grizzly and brown bear are the same animal plus or minus the 800 pounds of salmon so I believe grizzly was not included in the comment.
I agree/believe that only shorting out the electricity will stop a charge
of any so inclined animal. Brain or spine shots drop critters. Anything else has a cause and effect result at some point in time, something you may or may not care to wait upon.
ODS

[mdeland]

The information about not stopping charges with a handgun is incorrect. I know of two incidents within the last couple of years that where stopped with 44 mags. These were charges not sightings. One was not more than five miles away from where I sit here in Anchorage by a fella walking his dog. He had a double action on his belt when a 750 pound boar came after him. He didn't kill it out right but he broke the charge and the bear died shortly there after. The man said that what really give him the chills was that a bunch on kids running cross country had just passed where the charge occured. We have entirely to many bears near the city, in my oppinion, with the state and national parks on our door steps. I saw a black in my neighbors dumpster not a hundred feet from my front door year before last. You think they'll let us harvest a few out of the park? Actually I heard a rumor that they are considering a controled hunt to thin them out. They follow the salmon streams down from the mountains each year a block away and are often seen in the upper Cambell Creek Park by fishermen. SSD