a few years back in southern ohio a lady deer hunting during shot gun season killed a black bear. the ODNR did everthing they could to try and prove she just shot the thing. i mean they did ballistics to try and see if she shot it running away or coming at her. if i felt threatened i would not blink an eye, i would shoot.

Bear hunted with a bow a few times,but never had one come close enough for a shot.Always hunted with two good freinds though ," Smith & Wesson" .

Joe

A bear can, from a standing start, cover 20 yards in about 1 second. They are incredibly quick animals. If they are already moving, with every intention of getting you, a bow, or holstered handgun is going to be too slow. Because an arrow kills by hemoraging, shooting one at a bear(unless you are lucky enough to spine or brain it) isn' t going to stop it. At least not right away. And it would only take a half second for one to kill you, if it wanted. Or possibly collapse on top of you while mauling you. Hopefully he' s not too big you can get him off of you!

A shotgun can be fired from the hip, with good results. You may only get one chance, so you have to make the first one count. Number 4 buck puts a lot of pellets in the right direction. Pepper spray is effective as well, but requires the bear to be in rather close(15 feet or less, I think ten feet is the recommended range to use it)). Always a good choice, especially if bear seasons are closed, and a good back-up to the shotgun. And lastly, a big non-folding knife carried on the belt is not the first choice but will work. Think about it, you fired once with your shotgun, perhaps missed or just grazed the bear. He keeps coming. By the time you' ve worked the action he' s on you and has knocked you to the ground and your gun from your hands, that leaves you with nothing. The knife works as a last resort and can be used with both hands. Go for the throat, or try to get the blade into the chest.

Where in NH do you live? My brother lives in laconia and hunts.

Commercially boughten pepper spray is a joke, mostly 2 percent, sometimes if your lucky you find 8 percent. I have worked in prisons my whole life. We use 28 percent. Every year I get exposed to it. Does it hurt like hell you bet, but it really pisses me off. I dont think I would want to piss it off any more.

Ever hear the phrase
" I would rather be judged by twelve, than carried by six."

Honestly I would have been hollering and doing something long before that. But I wasnt there and wasnt in your shoes. So I wont judge.... im thinking I can run faster scared than that bear can mad....that or it would be slipping in what Im leaving behind.

MossyOak02,
I live about 90 miles away from Laconia, in Keene, close to Massachusetts and Vermont.

NH Demon, where about in the state are you. I' ve done tons of bushwacking out in the pemmi and around the north wood and never have stumbled into a bear. I know that they are around but you say you' ve never seen one before this year, are you in the southern portion of the state or in the north country? I did some hiking in AK in 2000 and was a little worried about brown bears. I asked around with the outfitters what they suggest (as far as wepons or deterants) they advised to make lots of noise espically near rivers where they may be feeding. The said it is most important not to scare a bear because that is when they are most likely to attack. As for a pistol they suggested that if I were to carry one to file off the front sight so when the bear shoved it up my a$$ after I shot it it would hurt less. Those guys in AK sure have a funny sense of humor.

Well when deer hunting we try to be as quiet as possible .... when traveling through bear country we try to be as noisy as possible... tough choice.. but i would quietly get away from my stand/hunting area then make some noise the rest of the way. When i hiked the app trail we wore bells to alert bears of our presence which gave them time to get out of the way and not be startled by us, which can lead to a nasty encounter(have a few good bear stories from that trip)and when wearing the bell we still jumped deer and turkeys so i don' t think it will spook the deer any, just my $.02.
but if in that situation again make noise alot of it and LOUD if the bear doesn' t change its direction you change yours slowly but ready to defend yourself... and if it comes time to haul a$$ then haul it downhill they don' t run as fast downhill as side or up.

lmao...You' re a sick man dave, but a good idea it is!! bear season huh?? What are the dates for self defense season. I don' t know what I' d do because I' ve never seen a bear while hunting. I' m sure upon soiling my pants I' d figure something out quick.

Spent alot of years guiding and dealing with bears in Alaska. VERY common to have browns within feet of you during salmon season. Come across many dead bear that had been shot by folks. When you retrace the steps, most times the bear wasn' t within 50 feet of them. People freak for some reason when it comes to bears. yes they have attacked a few, but generally as a rule, their more afraid of you . We use to tell our clients that if attacked by a griz, play dead. He' ll hurt you but rarely kill you unless your head gets in his mouth. They like to let you " season" some before eating. If you get attacked by a black bear, fight for your life cuz he' ll kill you everytime. RULE OF THUMB " if" you see the bears ears are laid back, then get ready cuz he' s coming. If ears are in normal position, rarely have anything to worry about. Taz