Even if a potential victim sees the bear coming, time may be short. While it is reported that about 75 percent of grizzly, or brown bear, attacks are sows protecting cubs, sometimes bears, especially black bears, attack people with the intent of eating them.īears are incredibly fast despite their size, so speed of response is essential. While people are advised to take certain precautions when in bear country - like keeping food in tightly closed containers and sleeping in separate tents so if a bear attacks one tent, the person in the other tent may be able to stop the attack - the fact remains that no matter what precautions a person may take, a bear may still attack. Misinformation about bear behavior and attacks is everywhere, and some experts will disagree on certain points. (Photo: Doug Larson) Yes, Bears are Dangerous Practicing moving tandem shooting drills with a charging bear target, either stationary or moving, helps shooters have instant awareness of their partner's location while also increasing firepower at the threat. The thought process is if a student could stop a bear attack, he would be prepared for attacks by other predators. Since bears are the most robust and hardest-to-stop four-legged predators on the continent, instruction focused on bear protection. So the agency came to the firearms experts at Gunsite for help.Ī select group of gun writers recently attended Gunsite's handgun portion of the Predator Defense class. The USGS apparently came to the conclusion that after 20 years of teaching bear defense, there was a lot more to it than just pointing a gun and shooting a bear. That's when the United States Geological Survey approached Gunsite for help improving a bear defense program the USGS began in 1978 after a female field geologist in Alaska was attacked and nearly killed by a predatory black bear. The course, taught by Il Ling New, a longtime Gunsite instructor and experienced big-game hunter and guide, got its start in 2000. So, where a long gun may not always be at the ready or within reach, a handgun can be.
Bears hand in cast free#
Why are handguns more successful? That's a good question and probably has something to do with the fact that handguns are easier to carry than long guns and can always be with a person, where long guns are often carried on a sling making them hard to deploy or are set down to free the person's hands for some other task. The class is in two parts, one covering protection using a handgun and the other using a long gun such as a rifle or shotgun.īut because one study suggests handguns are used successfully 84 percent of the time to defend against a bear attack and long guns only 76 percent, we're going to focus on handguns. Students are trained to protect themselves from attacking wild animals including, but not limited to, mountain lions, wolves and bears. Gunsite's Predator Defense course lasts five days. One of the courses available is Predator Defense. Academy instructors specialize in firearm training for students ranging from honest citizens with no experience to high level, top-tier law enforcement, military and government agency personnel. Gunsite Academy, located near Prescott, Arizona, has been in operation for more than 40 years. There is at least one place the average person can go to get the knowledge and training necessary to increase the chance of stopping a bear attack.
Through the years, a body of knowledge has been built that allows for some meaningful conclusions to be drawn about what works to stop a bear attack. Numerous factors are involved in trying to stop a charging bear, including the right firearm, ammunition, knowlege and much practice to hit the vital areas to end the threat.
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