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Bear Attacks: The Reality of Deterrents
AmmoLand News & Journalist Dean Weingarten have documented hundreds of bear attacks on humans, prompting a close look at deterrents. Contrary to popular media portrayal, bear spray isn’t reliable. Factors like wind direction and bear aggression can reduce its effectiveness, sometimes leading to tragic outcomes.
Conversely, firearms have shown a statistically higher success rate in deterring aggressive bears. This isn’t an endorsement for indiscriminate shooting of wildlife but an observation from real-life encounters.
While bear spray has limited benefits, it’s vital to understand its limitations. In Bear country, being informed, armed, and ready to use deadly force, if needed, will save your life.
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The Florida Fish Wildlife and Conservation Commission has released it initial report on the investigation of the first recorded fatal bear attack in Florida. Perhaps some questions will be answered in a future report.
Horses and firearms in post-Columbian America made humans the masters of Grizzly bears.
One of the curious things about polar bears is that in nature, they never see any animal that does not run away from them; so if a man stands his ground in front of a bear…
Two Russian bear researchers appear to have similar desires to be at close range to large bears as did Timothy Treadwell. None of them carried firearms. Treadwell and one of the Russians were killed and eaten by large bears.
A European brown bear attacked a man who was hiking with his dog. The man was carrying an axe, which he used to hit the bear.
Book Review of Nunaga Ten Years of Eskimo Life, published in 1971. The review mentions Duncan Pryde’s defensive shooting of a polar bear at six feet.
Chad and Lacey Liske had their home invaded and were attacked by a 250 lb. black bear. They successfully fought off the bear with knives and a pistol.
What might an American administration of Greenland mean for the hunting of polar bears?
The victim lived through it, but this animal attack would surely have been fatal had a neighbor not seen it, responded aggressively, and shot the bear (at close range) with a pistol.
At least five instances are documented of Ivar Ruud shooting polar bears as they charged him. Two of those were while hunting the bears. The other three were from bears hunting Ivar,
In 2003, James Beeman used a .410 shotgun to stop a charging grizzly bear at a distance of three feet, long before daylight.
In the fall of 1989, Alan Yates shot a black bear which charged him. It was bear season in Montana, near Bozeman. He used a .303 rifle and a .357 magnum pistol. This is his story.
A Russian man’s use of bear spray with a polar bear makes an amusing story with serious lessons.
Another incident involving a grizzly bear attack in Montana should serve as a cautionary warning to people advocating for reintroduction of grizzly bears into north-central Washington’s North Cascades.
A 12-year-old young man shoots a wounded bear which was mauling his father, stopping the attack. Northern Wisconsin, 6 September, 2024.
A polar bear attacked crew members of an expedition ship near Svalbard Island. Defense with a .22 pistol proved to be inadequate.
Seven documented incidents where handguns were fired in defense against bears. These seven incident are of handguns in calibers more powerful then the .44 Magnum.
Tyler Johnson was attacked by a grizzly bear, in Alaska, without provocation. He used his 10mm pistol to stop the attack.
Many successful defenses against attacks by bears on people are not recorded/reported as attacks because the bear is killed and reported as a legal hunting harvest.
Six separate attacks. Three at campgrounds, three on people running on trails. None of the people had weapons to fight with.
All the documented cases where a .44 magnum handgun was fired in defense against a bear or bears.
In the last week of May 2024, Bowhunter Tyce Erickson used his 10mm S&W 2.0 handgun to defend against a large Kodiak brown bear.
Romania increased the number of European brown bears to be culled next year. The number was increased as another tourist was killed and partially eaten by a bear.
Chris Baker at Lucky Gunner has produced a high quality video summation of the data published at AmmoLand about the use of handguns in defense against bears.
Five year old Elizabeth presented a picture of people using handguns to defend themselves against a bear.
12 incidents have been documented where 10mm, .41 magnum, and .45 Super handguns have been fired in defense against bears. Those incidents are detailed in this article.
All documented incidents where a .45 acp handgun was fired to defend against bears.
In determining the efficacy of firearms, in particular handguns, only those incidents where the firearm was fired should be considered.
13 incidents where .40 caliber, .44-40 revolvers and .45 Colt revolvers were fired in defense against bears. All were successful. These are all the incidents we have been able to document, with diligent research over several years.
There have been 14 documented cases where a .357 Magnum revolver has been fired in defense against bears. One of those cases was a failure.
