If confronted by a bear....

Question

If confronted by a bear.... Rather than shooting at the bear. Would shooting the gun to make noise be a better idea to fend off a bear? Like to scare it...

Answer 1

if you have more than one bullet go for it

if you dont, i would save the bullet and try scaring it off with something else  try screaming or jumping or running away

Answer 2

You can try it, but you only want to react loudly or aggressively to a bear if it is acting aggressively towards you - if it is just moseying along, you should just back away slowly.  Do not turn your back on it and NO RUNNING!  If you are being aggressively confronted by a bear, you want to make yourself as big and as noisy as possible so the bear thinks you are something it doesn't want to mess with.  If that doesn't work, SHOOT IT!

Answer 3

well i guess shooting a gun makes a loud noise, so yea i guess i would do it, and start shouting like crazy (yelling)

Answer 4

ide just rape it with the gun(meaning kill it fast)

Answer 5

Shooting in the air and yelling at it would be a good bet for scaring the bear off in most cases. If you are between a mother bear and her cub then you absolutely have to move out of the way or you will surely end up in bad shape, if not dead. If it is charging don't bother trying to scare it or get out of its way, just put it down before it kills/injures you.

EDIT; I didn't think of this before, but if you stumble upon a bear just sitting on a log, slowly walk away and leave it in peace. You only want to make a ruckus if it is acting in a threatening manner.

Answer 6

Definately

Answer 7

Shoot it in the face

Answer 8

you gotta yell and most certainly don't turn your back and don't run.

Answer 9

Depending on the situation I would think. If it is charging you, you should shoot it as a matter of self defense. Even if it doesn't kill it, it will definitely slow it down. Otherwise, I would try your idea and just make some noise.

Answer 10

I lived on Kodiak Island, Alaska and had big grizzlies in my back yard nearly every day.

Bears will get bored of gunfire and firecrackers.  Once a bear has tasted human food it will do anything to get more.  When you stumble across a bear - how good or bad the outcome will be depends on what that bear's previous human experiences has been.

Bears are not stupid and as a rule - black and brown with previous people experience will run like the wind when they smell or detect humans.  When you are in a park or busy trail and encounter a bear that does not run - you have a problem.

Hope this helps    

Answer 11

Shoot him with either a .454 Casaul or a .500 S & W, JHP's try not to F him up too bad, you do want a bear rug out of the ordeal, don't ya? ;)

- N.

Answer 12

if you make enough noise as you move it the woods most bears will see you ...and you wont see them.

Get quiet and be still...bears dont see well. They will chase movement and they sprint good.

Shooting a bear is the last resort... kill a grizzly or blackbear in most states any you will have a good time with the DNR or Federal warden.

I have known some fishing guides who like a short shotgun with 7 or 8 shot backed by slugs as a last resort firearm...first shot peepers them and the slugs are potent for a kill shot.

whats that old joke about bear bells and pepper spray?

J

Answer 13

Dude shot the Bear. Only if your in harms way.

Answer 14

nop! it will make the bear even more tense and obviously letting it know that he's in danger. leading to it to react furiously, so not a good idea.

Answer 15

Depends.  Running like h**l might be your best option.  You might try to fire a shot or two into the ground if the bear is not charging you.  If it is charging you and you're standing there with a sub-caliber weapon running might be your best option.  If it is a smaller species bear (like the Black bear) and you have at least a .357 Magnum or a 10mm, then try to terminate hostilities by making every shot count.  If it is a big bear charging and you don't have at least a .44 Magnum or a .454 Casull then refer back to option #1:  Run like h**l.

H

Answer 16

Well, what if the bear just got angry?  

Answer 17

G'day mate if some animal was charging at me i ain't going to waste a shot man.If you shot up in the air the bear going to think," well that didn't hurt I'm going to rip this person's face off ".Aim at him mate and aim true.If I'm ever up yr way no bear would wanna come near me while I'm s h i t t i n g in the woods.cheers mate

Answer 18

i hope you dont think any of these 12 yeard olds gave you any real advice? stay out of the woods.

Answer 19

Get some bear alert it's like pepper spray it just shoots further loud noises detours them do not run make a stand and if all else fails shoot the bear  

Answer 20

Firing a warning shot is seldom a good idea in any situation.  The bullet is going to land somewhere and you might injure a bystander far away.

Firing a warning shot at a bear might provoke a charge that might have been avoided otherwise.  And that warning shot might be the very cartridge you need to stop a charge.

I'd say make yourself look as big and dangerous as possible.  Yell, scream, swear, and be ready to shoot to kill.

Most importantly, be packing a gun with enough power to stop a bear charge.  That is a .44 RemMag or .454 Casull at a minimum, and a heavy loaded.45-70 rifle very much preferred.

Doc

Answer 21

if the bear isn't going to attack walk away

If he is going to attack shooting in the air isn't going to do much in the way of scaring it off

You are much more likely to need that wasted shot to finish the bear off as he is tearing your face off

Answer 22

This would depend on what the bear was doing.  If he looked unsure...I might shoot in the air...if he looked like he was going to attack me...I'd probably save my bullet for the bear...

Er...I try to avoid situations where I might be confronted by wild animals larger than myself...just a suggestion...

Answer 23

Blow a whistle or bang on a pot or pan first, that should do the trick. Save your ammo.*

Answer 24

No...

Don't use a gun unless it is charging you...

Unless you get lucky and get it right between the eyes, it will still keep coming, and you're history...

Body shots to a a bear would just make it angrier...

The best defense is not to encounter one...see one in the zoo...

(Experienced backpacker in Yosemite Bear Country...)

Answer 25

dont know

Answer 26

back up, shoot the air if you have enough space, and then shoot the bear if it doesn't back off and attacks you.  

Answer 27

Here we go again, another bear question and a bunch of people guessing what will work. I know the folks here mean well but unless you have: “been there done that” why guess when a life is at risk with your answer.

Shootin a gun off to scare a bear away works some times and other times does not and you never shoot it in the air but at the ground. Shooting at the ground creates an image as the bullet blows a hole in the dirt. Its far safer and its louder as the sound waves reflect off the ground. I have done this numerous times to detour a bear and most left post haste. That said I have seen bears attracted to a gun shot from a distance. They learned that during hunting season when they hear a gun shot that means a hunter shot an animal and there is a gut pile for them. I had a Native friend shoot a deer only to have abrown bear run out of the brush and grab the deer and drag it off.

Researches and scientists in Alaska use “cracker” shells to scare off bears. Cracker shells (fired from a shot gun). These are shells that will travel 200 meters when fired from a shotgun and explode in an area in front of an approaching bear. They are only effective when fired in front of the bear, but they do work.

Here is a link explaining that with lots of bear information to be safe from them;

http://safety.eas.ualberta.ca/node/13

Bears have been scared off by; air horns, flare guns, fire crackers and other loud noise/ visual effects. Even banging pots and pans together has worked.

Now a sow with cubs is a dangerous situation and firing a gun near her cubs can actually make her attack. Here is a video of that happening;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZnsL7-Ud...

Here is a link on bear safety;

http://www.wildlife.alaska.gov/index.cfm...

Another one;

http://www.dfw.state.or.us/swwd/Bear.htm

Prevention is the number 1 way of avoiding a bear attack! If you read the links I gave you, you will learn them.

I recommend bear spray with a gun 44 magnum hand gun minimum or better yet 12 ga with slugs or any rifle larger than 30-06. Bear spray has a higher success rate than firearms and here is the data to prove that;

http://www.absc.usgs.gov/research/brownb...

So the answer to your question is yes if fired at the ground near the bear under certain circumstances.

I live in Alaska and have first hand experience for decades with bears. In fact I had one in my back yard yesterday all all was fine. You just need to learn how to prevent problems with bears. I fish with large brown bear within yards of me every year.

Hope this explained things for you.