Happy Medium rifle for partridge and black bear protection?

I don't claim to be an expert. I have however had a bear watch me and my pooch while grouse hunting, only to charge off through the brush (unseen) when we stopped to examine its tracks where it turned off the trail we were walking on, and another do the same on the Mizzy Lake Trail in Algonquin Park while hiking there with my son several years ago. In the first case, I was armed with a 20 gauge over/under and had spray on my belt. In the second I was unarmed except for the spray on my belt. I surely felt just as secure of my personal safety in the second case as I did in the first, maybe more so, because in the second case my hands were unencumbered and the canister was drawn and ready to fire before I even determined that the bear was receding into the brush rather than advancing toward the trail.
http://www.fieldandstream.com/articl...arging-grizzly

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Originally Posted by chrism76

Bear attacks are seldom but once in a while they do happen.

I hunt partridge with my .22 but see traces of black bear activity.

Any of you have some suggestions for a happy medium rifle caliber which I can hunt partridge with while perhaps dissuade a black bear's curiosity or even attack without having to change ammo midway?

I'm not hunting bears but do wish to be able to protect myself against them with the rifle.

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*** While I wouldn't recommend a 22WMR for hunting bear I was sure glad to have had my Ruger Single-Six-Convertible on my hip (1965 moose-hunt) while fetching water just before dark . --- Let's just say that it resolved a "sticky" situation for me (at 15') . --- Now-a-days they won't allow you to carry a handgun (in the bush) but a rifle would do the trick as well (or even better) . --- The main-asset is a cool mind . --- "In a pinch" , your 22lr could save the bacon for you .---
Remember Bella (the native woman) and the giant grizzly ? --- Any gun is better than none .

Yet another nice article, with some "stats" Smallgamer.

My guess is some people can't be bothered to read them and more first.
as I said.We trust guns, we know guns.

[COLOR=#000000]"You strap your spray on every time you go out.” The biggest problem, he adds, is building confidence in the spray, especially among hunters."

yet there arethose hose who don't want to believe that spray works. Statistically better than guns.

I expect I will never have to test theories here. Hope I don't have to. But if I do, and I end up in a situation where I betting my life. I'll bet with the odds.

and the fact we know as hunters, people miss, people wound when not in a life and death situation, that buck fever is real. That when your heart starts racing and adrenaline pumping...... We know that even when we hit vitals it's not Hollywood and big game doesn't drop dead, doesn't get blown back. The fact we know wounded bears are one the most dangerous scenarios. The fact we know even highly trained Leo miss a lot when it hits the fan, even highly trained armed forces...let's see a bullit vs a cloud, a steady stream if need be. Most cans give you up to 8 seconds....of a cloud

i wonder of the people who have used guns and have gotten seriously mauled. How many trigger an attack. We know attacks are very rare. We know bears bluff charge a lot to...........maybe that's why people who reach for the can first walk away unscathed or with just scratches.wheres those who have tried guns get messed up..

and we know that swinging Barrels might not be that easy vs a small canister. Curious Terry if it's actually in your face how you think your going to get the business end where it needs to be.....

I to know bear outfitters, who bait up to 50 stations a day. Guess what they bring? Byron is just one. This young man had stones of steel. I've tracked wounded bears with him. Guess what...for the record he also has traps lines around Kap and pushes Wolves for wolf hunters in the winter. He carries spray.

hopefully none of us ever have to test one or the other...me I'll play the odds, the odds that say 92% of the time.....and if I can stack the odds, by firing into the air first to see if that's enough to send it on its way...all the better.

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Originally Posted by pbonura

How many deaths in the last 10 years from black bear attacks??? My guess pretty none? If the threat was so big we would really need to worry. How people are out in bear country camping, hiking, fishing, hunting. Buy bear spray and remember their is a better chance of you dieing in a car crash on the way to your spot so wear your seat belt. Stats do not lie or make up bs hunting stories.

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Obviously you don't follow the news.

These are the fatals - there are far more non-fatal attacks.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_o..._America#2000s

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Originally Posted by sawbill

I baited up to 50 baits for years as well and never carried a firearm. Its too difficult. You are on and off the quad all day long and carrying a firearm, loading and unloading each time , then its usually either slung over your shoulder or in your hands--it still doesn't come up that easily.
You can see where a stream of bear spray goes but you would have no idea where a snap shot with a rifle/shotgun ends up. Now you probably have to get off a second shot....
I'm convinced that the large can of spray is better than a rifle any day.

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Those raising the issue of checking baits with/without guns are missing the point entirely. If the bear is feeding at the baits, he is probably not starving hungry and would just as soon eat at the bait pile as try to kill and eat a human. Its a completely different scenario.

Not all bear encounters are the same... and while the startled bear or sow/cubs present some risk, if the bear calms down before it attacks you'll be okay. In the case of a bear hunting humans, well, the longer the encounter lasts, the lower your odds are.

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Originally Posted by werner.reiche

Obviously you don't follow the news.

These are the fatals - there are far more non-fatal attacks.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_o..._America#2000s

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Again that proves bear can be dangerous. But that really does not proof a gun is more effective than bear spray. So of these are actual captive bears. Also how many times are people around bears and what are the chances you will be eaten by a bear. Remember someone wins the lottery every week but the statistical chance you or i can win is pretty low. The same think applies around bears. I hunt bears in the fall and carry bear spray. Read other posts on this thread on bear outfitters methods of guns vs spray. Also all bears will end up at a bear bait and the bears in your stats were mothers and cubs and an aggressive boar. An aggressive boar is an aggressive boar.

Yes, in that list of dozens of wild bear attacks their is the occaisional captive bear attack.
And no, the list has nothing to do with gun/spray effectiveness.

But this thread is not about gun/spray effectiveness - it's about a solution for partridge/bear protection.

But it seems that since the first mention of bear spray, intelligence has been abandoned.

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Originally Posted by sawbill

I baited up to 50 baits for years as well and never carried a firearm. Its too difficult. You are on and off the quad all day long and carrying a firearm, loading and unloading each time , then its usually either slung over your shoulder or in your hands--it still doesn't come up that easily.
You can see where a stream of bear spray goes but you would have no idea where a snap shot with a rifle/shotgun ends up. Now you probably have to get off a second shot....
I'm convinced that the large can of spray is better than a rifle any day.

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Pffffft

Real world experience? Who needs that? :silly:

I dont have your resume, but I have lived, worked, and played my whole life in the bush and have not had felt even one time that I should have a gun with me for bear protection.

The one time I did bring a gun was when I was working as a survey technician measuring garbage levels in a landfill. Those obviously arent bears that are in a normal situation.

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Originally Posted by werner.reiche

Obviously you don't follow the news.

These are the fatals - there are far more non-fatal attacks.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_o..._America#2000s

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So 3 in the past 10 years in the wild and not intended isn't a lot.... Definitely not enough to me to worry about it and to feel the need to carry a gun every morning while walking my dog.
The OP could carry is 22 for bird and not worry about it, but if he feel the need for bear protection use the 22 or get a spray.

I counted 7.

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Originally Posted by seabast

So 3 in the past 10 years in the wild and not intended isn't a lot.... Definitely not enough to me to worry about it and to feel the need to carry a gun every morning while walking my dog.
The OP could carry is 22 for bird and not worry about it, but if he feel the need for bear protection use the 22 or get a spray.

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