Bear Attack in Montana Stopped with Close-Range Birdshot

On the morning of September 12, 2023, a bird hunter was after upland game in a shelter belt in Montana, about 15 miles south of Choteau. Suddenly, a large grizzly bear burst out of the brush and weeds, charging directly at the hunter full tilt.

Bird hunters tend to be on full alert when expecting to jump-shoot birds out of cover. Your senses and reflexes are on a razor’s edge. You have an appendage (finger or thumb) on the safety. You stay alert to any movement or noise, anticipating a bird might rocket out. The shotgun has a round chambered and ready to go. You expect to acquire the target, mount the gun, and make last near instantaneous corrections before you slap the trigger, all in a fraction of a second. Most bird hunters have practiced and/or hunted enough that second and third follow-up shots are available before reaching a full second. A Grizzly bear moves slower than most birds but is coming directly at you and is a much larger target. From Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks:

GREAT FALLS – A hunter shot and wounded a grizzly bear on Tuesday near Freezout Lake Wildlife Management Area near Fairfield.  

The surprise encounter happened on the morning of Sept. 12. The hunter was walking along a shelter belt hunting for upland birds on private land when he was charged by the bear, which based on evidence of the animal found at the scene is believed to be an adult male. The hunter fired twice with his shotgun at less than 15 feet, hitting the bear at least once and causing it to run off. The hunter was not injured in the encounter, which is still under investigation.

People who have not had the opportunity to mess around with shotgun loads may think birdshot would not be effective on grizzly bears. At close range, under six yards, birdshot can be very effective.

It creates massive wounds but does not penetrate more than a few inches.  Larger sized shot penetrates a bit further.  At close range, birdshot acts more like a pre-fragmented slug than as individual shot pellets. There are so many pellets, so close together they follow in the tracks of the pellet ahead, penetrate further, and do massive damage.

The recent incident in Montana is the latest of seven this correspondent is aware of. Three were obtained in a Freedom of Information Act request. One was related by Francis E. Caldwell in his autobiographical “Salmon on my Mind”. One was found in ordinary news coverage in 2017.  The 2017 incident was about 20 miles north of Choteau, Montana.  There have been several bear attacks and defenses along the Highway 89 corridor from Dupuyer to Fairfield, about an 80-mile stretch. Most of the bears appear to come from Glacier National Park and the Flathead National Forest, as the expanding bear population encroaches on human ranches, farms, and homes.

An unusual, successful defense was videoed in Canada, as the defender shot the bear at a distance with bird shot, in the front legs, causing the bear to stumble. This gave the defender time to reach the sanctuary of his house. This technique is not recommended if you do not have a bear-resistant shelter nearby.

The key to using bird shot for an effective defense is to shoot within five yards of the muzzle. Keep shooting as long as the bear is coming at you. Reload quickly in case the bear recovers or comes back.

About Dean Weingarten:

Dean Weingarten has been a peace officer, a military officer, was on the University of Wisconsin Pistol Team for four years, and was first certified to teach firearms safety in 1973. He taught the Arizona concealed carry course for fifteen years until the goal of Constitutional Carry was attained. He has degrees in meteorology and mining engineering, and retired from the Department of Defense after a 30 year career in Army Research, Development, Testing, and Evaluation.