No BS: Real-life encounters bear vs. saw

[rdbee]

I work on the BC-Alaska border and twice in the last two years I've had stare-downs with grizzlys. Once with my 288 Walker held wide open and the other time with another guy and me both had 288s screaming. The main thing I thought about both times is- how much gas is in this thing?
Both times the bear stared for a while trying to gauge his adversary and then walked- not ran off.
Of course you might assume a saw would save you from a goring but I'm not really sure. One smack and it's over for ya.
Anyone out there heard anything about fighting off a bear attack with a saw.
Even rural-myth perhaps.

 

[eric_271]

I hope that has convinced you to keep your saw full. If you have a big tree stop often to refill and keep looking over your shoulder. Better yet, I think I would carry a 44 mag or better.

 

[Big Woody]

I think a 288 with a 32" bar would quarter up a grizzley nicely. Full comp. not full skip. A 3120 would obviously do a better job.
If it were me I would even go up a few cc's more to a 454 which doesn't have the speed but has much higher low end torque.

 

[ShoerFast]

rdbee
In Outfitter Guide school (formerly Pikes Peak Outfitter Guide School, now Colorado Outdoor Aventure School) There instruction with a grizzly bear was too just lie still and the bear would take you for dead and cover you with debris too come back latter,,, With balck bears it was to make your self look as big as you can, lots of noise and face them down.
I think with grizz , discression is the better part of valor, that and there like 35 mph in a short spert of speed! I think a .338 mag. would be my first choice.

 

[ehp]

I have had Black bears come up to me when we were cutting up at Kennissis Lake a couple times and so did the other cutters but they never did anything and are alot smaller bear than what you had staring you in the face. I am thinking like you and boy the outcome maynot be to good for the cutter , sure you could cut the bear but if it hits you I am sure it will knock the saw out of your hand . I think I would just as soon not find out the outcome on this one.


where we were cutting at Kennissis Lake they have a big dump about a mile from where we were so this is why we figured the bears were around

 

[Elmore]

<img src="http://carverscompanion.com/Ezine/Vol5Issue3/MBloomquist/chainsawbear3.jpg">

 

[Lawn Masters]

LMAO!! thats a mighty nasty bear. ok, wheres my M82A1 rifle? that'll cover bears pretty good.

 

[ShoerFast]

rdbee
(joke) ,,,, pardon the broken spell checker,,,,,,,,,

The reasent sightings of grizzly bears have the people around the Rocky Mtn Ntl Park concerned that it may lower tourisum. So they hired a big game guide to come in and give classes about what to do if bears come in contact with the Yuppies!
The class was to be very informative, and geared to give the hiking public confadance and not lower the tourisem, as its a huge business. The guide would start the class with pictures of the bears, black and griz, and how to react if they come acrosed any. The bears habits and what they eat, the fact that black bears are mostely herbavours and eat mostly plants and berries, and that griz are omnivours, and would eat most anything. It was pointed out that the biggest danger there was with bears was if you would startle them, as if given a choice, bears would try to avoide human contact!
During the brake, the yuppies were allowed to buy items from the gift shop to twert bear contacts, things like little bells that would jingle when they hiked and pepper spray.
When the class contunued, the guide went on with more advanced bear study, even went into a study of the scat, and had rubber scat models. The black bear scat consisted of weed and berry seeds and was more fiburius. And the griz scat had little bells in it and smelled like pepper spray!

 

[Sizzle-Chest]

that saw would have gone through his fur suit like a light saber through butter.

 

[pbtree]

Sounds like a good reason to be packing if you ask me...

 

[Al Smith]

It wasn't a bear,but a big ole rotwieler.I had just dropped a large cherry when this big old dog came out of no where and thought he would have old Al for lunch.The dog decided against it because the teeth on that old Lombard where sharper than his.No dogs or humans were injured during this encounter.

 

[Ekka]

Well I dont think if you are working with loud chainsaws you are startling them but it might be wise to be packing some long range Bear Repellent on you so if you have another close encounter you can spray that bear.

I wouldn't be messing with trying to chainsaw that guy, and trying to shoot it with a pistol ... poor bear, you're in his house!

 

[jokers]

..........it might be wise to be packing some long range Bear Repellent on you so if you have another close encounter you can spray that bear..........

Yeah, with lead spray! Screw the pepper spray!

 

[Ekka]

Jokers,

Might have family that bear? What about a stun grenade, that'd stuff it up. Perhaps hand held flares would too, I'm just not much into the killing thing if it's not going to be used for something.

 

[jokers]

Hi Ekka,

I don`t go around killing things just for the sake of killing by any stretch and I`m aware that killing a sow may leave cubs that are unable to fend for themselves but I also have family and an 8 yr old who can`t yet take care of himself, although my ex would no doubt love to have access to the funds in trust for him, but I digress. Anyway, he might not be taken care of if history is any sort of indicator.

Surprisingly, it is easier for me to legally possess a firearm than it would be to possess a stun grenade but I don`t live in grizzly country either. Still, I`ve never heard of anyone being allowed to possess the grenades outside of law enforcement or military.

Russ

 

[BlueRidgeMark]

If it were me I would even go up a few cc's more to a 454 which doesn't have the speed but has much higher low end torque.

Yep. .44 mag is not even close to enough gun for a griz! .454 is barely there, and not even a .338 is a sure thing.

And of course, grizzlies have been killed by .22s.

Shot placement counts more than size, but size counts.

 

[DanManofStihl]

12 guage shot gun with hydro shock slugs. I have yet to find anything that that can't take down.

 

[JamesTX]

... poor bear, you're in his house!

Seriously?

I'm all for respecting nature, but if it came down to a fight, I wouldn't be rolling over just because it was the bear's "house".

Remember - survival of the fittest.

 

[Billy_Bob]

Around here, it seems the bears are as much afraid of people as the people are of the bears (unless the bear has cubs). I've heard several stories of person encountering bear, momentary stare down, then *both* running away from each other.

I think the worst areas are where tourists frequent and people feed them. A bear chased my brother up a tree in one such area. My brother had no idea he was a tree climber, but he learned with a quickness!

 

[pallis]

If you needed another reason to keep that chain sharp, well... here it is.