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RE: Bear Country
 

If it was me I'd take the 350 Rem. mag I'd feel alot safer just my opinion

RE: Bear Country
 

I wouldn't want to "have to shoot" a grizzly with a 270. Will your guide have a bear stopper? Ask him what you should bring.

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RE: Bear Country
 

A 50 BMG mounted on a Hummer. Don,t want to be undergunned.

RE: Bear Country
 

For a reliable way to handle grizzlies, how about using a 30-06 pump and just keep pumping lead into 'em until they drop? I've heard rumors that grizzlies are peaceable, slow moving critters and it is quite doable to score multiple lethal shots on one assuming you are handy with a repeater. Any thoughts on using this approach? (first hand big bear experience only please) <img src=icon_smile_wink.gif border=0 align=middle>

One rifle does all and I'm sure it will work fine on caribou too.

Never Undergunned,
EKM

Good judgment comes from bad experience! Learn from the mistakes of others; you'll never live long enough to make them all yourself!


Edited by - ELKampMaster on 02/11/2003 10:08:53

RE: Bear Country
 

Hi

I live in grizzly country and can tell you first hand that there is nothing slow about a grizzly bear. It can cover the ground and be on you before you even get the rifle off your shoulder. They will avoid humans whenever possible but if they are threatened they are very dangerous! Don' t hope for multiple shots just make the first one count! I carry a .450 Marlin when hiking and fishing the back country in BC just in case! I will be carrying a .338 for my spring bear hunt! If I was to go on a caribou/grizzly bear hunt and could only take one gun I would have to say it would be my .338. Grizzlies are big,fast,and strong don' t gamble with your life leave the .270 for the lighter stuff and use the .350 Remington for the big bears!

Good hunting

RE: Bear Country
 

McRae,
Welcome to the boards!
Good to hear from someone who don' t just talk the talk but also walks the walk!
Moose and Bears, huh? That' s some pretty heavy duty hunting!

Never Go Undergunned

EKM

RE: Bear Country
 

If I were hunting in Alaska as you are going to be, that last thing I would be considering is what is the guide carrying? I' d be more concerned with what I was carrying. That guide isn' t going to be in your hipocket the whole time, I' d make sure I could take care of an ugly situation if it were to arise. Sure a 270 will kill caribou, but Id be looking at the whole picture,(Grizzly) Take the 350 rem. We' d like to hear from you again. don' t be a statistic.


I hate to say this but (don' t be under gunned)

elknut1

RE: Bear Country
 

Bears are not stealthy predators and don' t like confrontation take whatever gun you feel most comfortable for the caribou. 270 will be plenty enuf gun for anythging you might need it for. it' s not what you shoot it' s where you shoot it that matters. the guides don' t carry that should tell you something also. Go get you a caribou. good luck should be a fun trip.

RE: Bear Country
 

HaHaHa Elksniper, since when can you place a bullet where you want at a chargeing bear, a 270 ain' t going to cut it, Bub, Get Real.

RE: Bear Country
 

ELKampmaster, I am by no stretch an authority on bear, but I can relate a story concerning a 30-06 on big brownies.

About 15 years back, a guy that brokers hunts all over the world asked me to reload some 30-06 rounds for him to take to Kodiak Island after a coastal brownie.
I suggested that from what I knew that he did not want to use that caliber.
He insisted for sentimental reasons. (he has literally a house full of animals from all over the world, taken with this particular pre 64 model 70 in 30-06.)
Anyway, I loaded up the hottest load I could using 220 grain noslers.
He came home with a bear that went 1150 pounds.

And swore he would NEVER try that again. He claimed the bear was feeding broadside at 110 yards when he poked the first one into the front shoulder. When he racked the next round into the chamber, the bear turned towards the sound, and came on in at a full run. He hit the bear in the brisket with two, and in the face with one, then the guide popped him once in the head at twenty yards to stop the bear.

No doubt many big bear has fallen to a 30-06, but given a choice, I know I would try it with no less than a .338 win mag.

Well, I am gonna try it with a bow, but someone is gonna be there with a big bore!;)

RE: Bear Country
 

Big Country,
Thanks for sharing the story. What a great adventure for your friend to be able to tell for the rest of his life. What an adrenalin rush that must have been! I bet he takes the memory of that one with him to bed every night. May have made an " Elmer Keith" fan out of him on the spot.

It seems likely the bear in your story was mortally wounded. Sure enough all number of cartridges will " kill them" and of course " dead is dead" ---- the part that conveniently gets left out of that little train of thought is.....

What happens to YOU -- BEFORE they die?
A hunter reduced to three parts shredded meat/bone and one part steaming bear poop is a sobering thing.

That same hunter, had he not had that experience, could have been lecturing here on the forum, extolling the virtues of his favorite deer rifle and citing the long list of animals taken with it and warning about the evils of magnums, flinching, recoil shyness, and the silliness of being " overgunned."

Personal Safety Above All,
Never Go Undergunned,
EKM

RE: Bear Country
 

Take your 350 Rem. Mag. There' s really no place for a 270 in God' s Country, anyways.

RE: Bear Country
 

Personally I can' t think of a good enough reason to take the .270. I mean I' m from ohio and the biggest thing I' ve been hunting for is whitetail/wild boar, but if I' m going into grizzly area I would take the bigger gun it' s not like the 350 isn' t gonna kill the caribou and the .270 would but the 350 might work on the bear and the 270 might not. Anyways good luck on our hunt, wish I was going.

RE: Bear Country
 

two of my buddies are from homer and whittier, they say 350.

my question is why not take both. I usually take a rifle and shotgun with me and a box of shells for each, still way under limit on flights.

RE: Bear Country
 

I live in Montana, right near glacier national park along the rocky mountain front. Let me tell you, when you' re going into bear country probably the best sidearm you could bring is bear spray. Some macho bad asses may say that bear spray won' t do anything, but I know plenty of people who have avoided attacks by this. If you read any newspapers in montana, you' ll read about a guy in missoula who was hunting over here when he stumbled across a sow grizzly with 3 cubs. He too, had a .270 rifle, and the bear charged him from only 50 feet away. It took the bear less time than he could react to bring up his gun before it was at 10 feet. He shot it in the head as he fell back with his gun at his hip. Now, remember HE SHOT IT IN THE HEAD AT 10 FEET!!! The bear just stopped, then turned around and walked away. The bear is still alive, and has been radio collared and tracked covering over 200 miles since then. I literally hunt within a mile of where this incident took place, and there are A LOT of bears up there. I' m talking 10 to 20 along one river bottom...no kidding. When hunting, I carry my normal rifle a 7mm Rem MAG with nothing less than 150 grs, and a canister of bear spray on my side. For $30 you can get a can of that and if you feel in danger at all, just squeeze the trigger and aim in the general direction. It is accurate up to 30 feet, which doesn' t seem like a lot, but you shouldn' t be doing anything to a bear if its farther than 30 feet away. Maybe the bears around here are a little more agressive because they are used to people, and some have been relocated here as problem bears, but I' d go with the .350 and a can of pepper spray. Don' t listen to these people saying " Oh, a a .270 will be fine" unless you plan on shooting a bear in the eye as it charges you. They can run in bursts up to 40 MPH, and will be tearing you apart quicker than you can wet yourself. They are nothing to take lightly, so be prepared...

RE: Bear Country
 

That $30 can of " bear defense" pepper spray buys me a box of ammo for my 338 Win. Mag. I' d poke the bear with a 250 grain premium bullet and use that pepper spray on a loose dog in my neighborhood.:D

RE: Bear Country
 

I have enjoyed 24 trips to Alaska to gladly donate to the economy and always to fish. I used to carry a 44 mag then a short barrel 12ga then for most years nothing. I have been within 30 yard of a sow with cubs and am still breathing. I just think after seeing browns that you might have a shot but doubt it if the bear is mad. I would take a bow and pepper spray or maybe my 300 for a rifle. Point is to have a great hunt and don' t worry too much about getting eaten. Pick a fat guide to hunt with you.:)

RE: Bear Country
 

Monanahunter, very well said, for a young man you talk the most sense and wish all nonresidents would read and take heed to the the BEAR FACTS as you have stated. I have had black bear encounters face to face, at the same time we look at each other and luckily the bear has always ran off, but a bear is like that of a dog, each is different, some good, some bad, people are the same, each scenerio is different, but when in bear country, the law of average WILL catch up, and you had better be prepared, as you stated, I highly recommend bear spray, and as for my pistol, I do carry it at times, but its more for my own confidence, because your not going to have a chance to react, its in on you lightning fast. Take care neighbor, Bobby;)

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RE: Bear Country
 

GleninAZ, sometime when we keep doing something we have a tendency to let our guard down, I know I do at times. Their is a lot of diference between a brown bear feeding on salmon and approaching him close, as oppose to a Griz encounter in the mountains, especially if you see each other at the same time. It happens at lightning speed. Last I year surprised a black bear sow and two cubs as we saw each other at the same time (20 yds), I like to consider myself as somewhat of a skilled woods man, but I couldn' t move, I couldn' t even yell, but I did have my pepper sray and pistol on me as the sow snatched the cubs and ran off. (I do believe in God.) Every situation is different and I highly suggest in being prepared.
AKhunter, I carry the pepper spray and sometimes a pistol, and the first thing I am grabing is the spray if I get into that situation, I have seen extensive test on sprays in dealing with bears. Does it always work? No. But, in most cases, yes it will. If your going into their environment, than be prepared and smart, you don' t have to be paranoid.
That statement about the 22 and 458, was that a typo???

Be safe folks;)

RE: Bear Country
 

I have been on many, many hunting, fishing and camping trips here in AK and have never been confronted by a bear, but there is always a first. When I do anything up here, I carry nothing but my 12 gauge or .375 H&H magnum. I feel a heck of a lot safer with those two, than my .30-06.

I have flow out to the mountains for caribou for a few years now and I have always carried that .375 as long as I' ve owned it. It shoots caribou just fine and seems to do less damage than the .30-06. If you look at the factory ballistics, they are very comparable. I would take the .350 or make sure my partner has a bigger gun.

I' m headed to sheep country this year and plan on taking my .270, but the deal is, my partner will have a .338. We will probably see grizzly' s.

Big Country, the guy who you loaded the bullets for wasn' t that guy who wrote " One Man, One Rifle, One Land" . I think Jones is his name?

RE: Bear Country
 

If you can' t shoot the 350 it' s not going to do you any good anyway, if you feel comfortable shooting it carry it, if not shoot the 270. you are going on a caribou hunt not the griz. hunt. If your outfitter really thought that you were going to be attacked then he would advise you to bring a bigger gun, he has a business to run and can' t afford for his clients to be eaten by ole GRIZ every time they are there.
Anything can happen but you need to concentrate on the goal at hand HUNTING CARIBOU. Use caution when dealing with your meat and have fun, thats what this is all about isn' t it?

RE: Bear Country
 

121-You are for sure right about the fat salmon soaked browns in the summer. The last thing they want is to stop feeding to chase a fat old fisherman. I just think lot of people put way too much worry into being prepared for the ultimat encounter when 90% of the real stories you hear the bear has his way with the people anyway. Lions eat on people every year yet we sneak right by them in the dark for elk and carry only a bow. The lion is watching and he choses not to get you. I guess I' m a little fatalistic but I think if your time is up it' s up so enjoy all and don' t worry. Maybe bears like the taste of pepper on their meat.

RE: Bear Country
 

I live in griz country and have had many discusions about what to do if you encounter a griz. First dont make eye contact and speak to it in a calm low voice to make sure it knows your a human. Stand your ground DONT RUN! The whole time getting your peper spray ready to shoot from the hip. I would if the wind is right let off a small blast to scare it. I always carry a side arm 454 casul in case the bear is on top of me. The bear spray is always my first defense because if you shoot a griz any where other than the head he is going to be even more pissed . If you realy want to take a big bore take a 12 gage pump its got more Knock down than most rifles and you can get more shots off fast. Most attacks happen because the people are just be boping along and not paying attenton to their surrondings, and startle the bear at less than 40 yards which they can cover fast ! No time to get the cross hairs on a bobing head and take a chance of wounding it. Even if the wind is wrong close your eyes and spray. some will get him. and blind and hurt it .
Make sure you get a fresh can that has the highest percentage of capcium, UDAP is the best 10 or 15%
REMEMBER BE AWARE IN BEAR COUNTRY! and dont get parinoid, have fun.

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RE: Bear Country
 

Good luck on your hunt!

And remember.....Pictures are mandatory!:D

RE: Bear Country
 

Given adjacent threads, seemed appropriate to " bump this one" up into the " neighborhood" for review purposes.

EKM