I received this video via an e-mail this morning. It shows an encounter between a homeowner and a grizzly bear in Canada last October. At the time, the Mirror reported:
An inquisitive grizzly bear was wandering close to a home in Bella Coola, Canada, with its three cubs, when homeowner Lawrence Michalchuk tried to scare him back in the woods.
Mr Michalchuk decided to shoot a warning shot into the air to get the animal off his property and it appeared to work, as all four animals started retreating.
. . .
Mr Michalchuk told CTV Vancouver that he ran out into the garden to "keep her moving".
He said: “As soon as I did that she just put her ears down and head back and came [at me] full blast."
Mr Michalchuk shot at the bear with a pellet in the leg, causing her to trip up, and giving him enough time to get away.
“Thank God it worked because it tripped her," he said.
“All I wanted to do is trip her. I dived in the door as quick as I could and I slammed the door and then she turned back towards her cubs.”
There's more at the link.
Here's the video.
That was a pretty close call. Full marks to the homeowner for waiting until he couldn't miss, and knew the birdshot in his shotgun would hold together in a solid mass, providing maximum impact effect on the bear's leg. Inexperienced shooters would have fired at too great a range, meaning that the shot would have spread and had minimal impact effect. Even so, I wouldn't have gone out there by choice with a shotgun holding only one or two rounds - and it would have had Brenneke rifled slugs in it to confront a bear, not a lesser round like birdshot!
Peter
13 comments:
Birdshot?
I wouldn't have gone out at all unless I had no choice, and then it would be with a rifle suitable for bear.
My home defense shotgun is loaded with: 2 shells of #4 buckshot, followed by 6 of #00 buckshot, followed by 2 rifled slugs.
The side-saddle shell holder has 3 x #00 facing up and 3 x Brenneke slugs facing down.
Now, my main concern for defense is skunks and coyotes. That is why the smaller buckshot up front. If it gets down to the end of the magazine, then something has seriously gone sideways.
What an idiot to leave his house.
I agree with Linda. He should have stayed indoors until he was certain the bear was gone. Even then, if it was me, I'd take along my Browning .45-70.
He was both stupid and lucky... Stupid for going out, and lucky he survived.
43. If it's stupid and it works, it's still stupid and you're lucky.
From the 70 Maxims of Maximally Effective Mercenaries.
Kill it. or stay inside. That guy is one dumb bunny with a large helping of luck. Female grizzly charges and he tries to wound it. idiot.
I have had grizzlys break into two buildings fortunately not the house. One was my store house and it totally destroyed the door jam. I covered the opening with 1/2 inch OSB and it turned it back into chips the next week. Now if I am away I have a 3/4 plywood over door studded with sheet rock screws every three inches. The other incident was the metal door on the shop which was bent beyond repair with no atractaints at all inside. Don't count on staying inside! Be prepared to reppell boarders if a bear is hanging around.
#7-1/2 in the chamber, backed up with a full magazine of slugs. When the bear moves far enough off you pepper it with the bird shot. They tend not to come back. I've never had to do it with a grizzly but I know a few who have, and I've run off a handful of black bears that way.
That fella needs to be on his knees thanking God for gracing him with a guardian angel that day. And that there weren't any penalty points permanently, or posthumously, awarded for stupidity.
So, what is the federal (and state?) penalty for deliberately wounding a bear? That's what this idiot did. Deliberate wounding shots are not legal for self-defense against humans, and the .gov tends to lean toward treating animals as you would a human, so...
my 12 gauge shotty - #4, 00, 00, slug, 00, slug, 00
How many people saying he shouldn't have gone out there didn't see the dog running away from the bear?
About the only reason I'd go out to confront a bear would be other family members.
he "waited" to fire at close range? SHE CLOSED ON HIM. He was stupid to run at her after she was initially retreating.
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