On Aug 20, 9:44 am, Vincent wrote:
Rob Arndt wrote:
On Aug 19, 9:02 pm, george wrote:
On Aug 19, 6:35 pm, Tiger wrote:

Rice warns Moscow about its bomber runs off Alaska
As if that's never happened before.
Unless they encroach upon US airspace there's not a lot can be done.
Unless Conny wants to start WW3

So what? Sounds like Condi has more ****ing balls than you do. What do
you do when a hunter with a rifle encounters a hostile bear? Drop his
gun and get into the fetal position hoping it will just sniff around
you and leave? No, you aim and shoot the ****er dead.

People like you make me sick; you know, the ones that always wanna
negotiate peace with terrorists, rouge nations, dictators, and
anything of Slavic origin.

Rob

Lets assume its a Grizzly and and you have a .22

That is what takes balls

Vince

On the other hand we have people who are still alive to testify as to
the efficacy of shooting versus some other solution.

The Traveling Hunter

Grizzly Defense
What's the best way to defend yourself if you run into a grizzly while
hunting--or if a grizzly tries to run into you?

Nearly all authorities on the subject agree that the first two words
to memorize in this regard are "pepper spray." I'm fully aware that
some hunters associate pepper spray with politically correct, granola-
eating, New Age, tree-hugger crapola. "Just give me my gun," these
guys brag, "and I'll drop any charging griz like a sack of rocks."

Other hunters are less fanatical on the subject, but simply have
serious (and understandable) doubts about the efficacy of a spray can
to stop one of the largest and most dangerous animals in North
America. Doesn't it just make sense that a high-caliber bullet is more
potent, and more effective in a life-or-death situation?

It’s a reasonable question, and by no means should hunters dismiss the
power and value of their firearms, as we'll discuss later. But as is
so often the case when it comes to bears, the answer is more complex
than it might first appear.

Studies by biologist Stephen Herrero and others indicate that pepper
spray works on charging bears about 90 to 96 percent of the time. Mark
Matheny, a hunter who was seriously mauled by a grizzly several years
ago while deer hunting north of Yellowstone Park, and who subsequently
began a career devoted to bear self-defense and the manufacture of
UDAP pepper spray, explains how a mere blast of cayenne aerosol can
stop an angry griz:

"First, with a charging bear the loud hissing and billowing cloud
startles them, lessening or turning their aggressive intentions into a
state of surprise or even defensive evasion. When a bear hits the wall
of fog and breathes it in, his sense of smell is instantly shut down,
which confuses any animal. Chemically, pepper spray is an inflammatory
agent, an irritant, that gets into the bear's mucus membranes, causing
temporary blindness, choking, and difficulty breathing. In many cases,
they go off hacking and coughing."

For those who believe a gun is still a better bet to stop a bear,
Matheny adds:

"Some people think a .44 magnum or large-caliber rifle is going to
have the 'power' to stop a bear. But you're talking about a bullet not
much wider than a writing pen hitting a vital area. That's assuming
you even get a bullet off. Most times when someone with a firearm is
attacked, they don't get a shot off. You've got to get the gun up,
aim, and fire. With pepper spray, you can fire right from the holster,
putting up a wide stream, even a fog, of deterrent. You can respond
instantly and the likelihood of hitting the bear is much greater."

Another compelling reason for the use of pepper spray instead of
bullets is that many grizzly charges are not full "attacks," but are
only attempts by the bear to discourage and intimidate human
intruders. For instance, if you surprise a grizzly feeding on an elk
carcass (possibly your elk carcass), the bear might charge without
intending actual contact, its purpose being to simply drive you away.

Of course, for those who aren't expert at reading bear behavior, it's
fair to ask, "How am I supposed to know whether the bear means
business or is just bluffing?" Which is precisely why pepper spray is
a better alternative to a bullet in most situations. With the spray,
you can very likely discourage the bear without worsening the
situation or elevating it to an irreversibly deadlier level. If the
bear breaks through the spray blast, and you're an armed hunter, you
still have your gun as a last resort. But if a sprayed bear veers off,
the encounter is over. No one is hurt. Conversely, if your first line
of defense is a gunshot, and you shoot at the bear, the results will
almost always be more severe. If the bear was only bluffing, you've
now either killed or wounded a bear unnecessarily. Also possible is
that by wounding it you've turned a bluffing bear into a seriously
enraged one, intent on killing you. Another scenario: You shoot at an
attacking bear and--because they come so fast, unbelievably fast if
you've never experienced it, often catching you in utter surprise--you
simply miss. The bear is on you. What you missed with bullets you
could have easily hit with deterrent spray.

But aren't there times when you should shoot, or perhaps must shoot?
While pepper spray is generally considered the best primary, first-
choice bear defense, you wouldn't want to make the same mistake as the
hunter in Wyoming's Bridger-Teton National Forest who, when charged by
a sow grizzly with three yearling cubs, allegedly threw his high-
powered rifle at the bear and pulled out a can of pepper spray, which
by that time failed to stop the attack. The hunter was mauled until
his partner shot and killed the 475-pound animal. Later, from his
hospital bed, the hunter said he didn't want to shoot the bear because
he feared going to jail (for killing an endangered species) and losing
his hunting privileges.

The reality is, if a grizzly attacks, sometimes you have to shoot,
and, further, you would be foolish not to. That is why I think of
pepper spray as "the first line of defense, when feasible." If
there's no time to hit the spray button (and with the canister mounted
pistol-fashion on your belt, you can aim and fire from the hip in mere
seconds), or if you spray and the bear keeps coming, you have little
choice but to shoot. With a grizzly still far enough away to dissuade,
you can try a shot into the air or into the ground near the animal,
hoping the muzzle blast or bullet noise will stop or turn the charge.
But with a close, fast-incoming bear, don't waste time with a warning
shot. Aim for the deadliest point you can find. On a close-in,
charging bear, this will probably be the face or upper chest. Often
full-attack grizzlies lower their heads as they come in, so that's
about all you have to aim at. More than one Alaskan guide of my
acquaintance suggests aiming for the snout--a high shot goes into the
upper skull or even over the top, into the neck or spine; and if the
bear hops or you shoot low, you have a chance at the throat, chest, or
even a shoulder or leg, all of which can stop the animal, if only long
enough for you to aim and shoot again.

Although this is legitimate self-defense, it clearly is not a
desirable outcome. That is why Mark Matheny likes to tell hunters,
"Spray 'em, don't slay 'em." He points out that too many close-
encounter grizzlies are killed unnecessarily; which is not only bad
for the bears, but also for hunting's already precarious social image.
Long-time bear biologist Chris Servheen agrees, calling the
unnecessary killing of grizzlies by sportsmen nothing less than "a
threat to hunting."

In the end, the ideal is to protect yourself while sparing the bears,
whenever that's possible. --Anthony Acerrano