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Woods Gun and Wife Advice
- Thread starter AngelKing
- Start date
Head over to www.pistol-forum.com and search for bear gun. Guy there has a thread on using an H&K USP 45 with .45 Super. Wasn't happy with the Glock 20. Most of 10mm loads are so light they're like shooting .40cal.
Aloha
Here it is
https://pistol-forum.com/showthread.php?16503-HK-USP-45-field-pistol
Aloha
Here it is
https://pistol-forum.com/showthread.php?16503-HK-USP-45-field-pistol
Last edited:
I don't know anything about shooting bears. For pigs, they can be surprisingly hard to put down. A friend with a farm unloaded a sig 9mm on a boar, ended up shooting it something like 13 times. After that, he took it in and sold it to get something bigger.
My personal choice would be either a glock 20 or a 44 magnum. Too much bigger than that and you are getting into rounds that are difficult to handle.
My personal choice would be either a glock 20 or a 44 magnum. Too much bigger than that and you are getting into rounds that are difficult to handle.
Wild pigs or boars are not common in New England but are possible. There have been some that are in NH and presumably there would be some in Mass too.
Barre is in the Worcester area if I remember right. You'll be fine with either a Remington 1100 or a .357 or a 44 Magnum.
Between the three, I'd go with the shotgun and the .44. A .44 Magnum can be loaded with .44 Special, which is roughly in the same power spectrum as .45ACP. So you could go with magnum or special loads, depending on your needs.
You don't need a gun to protect yourself from new england black bear. They don't attack people. Don't worry about it.
You have more to worry about from 2 legged predators than you do 4 legged ones.
You have more to worry about from 2 legged predators than you do 4 legged ones.
My lord you are a city boy if Barre is the sticks. I hunt out there and I have never seen a brown bear or pig. Black Bears yes, Black Bears can have different colorings such as cinnamon so maybe that is what the guy was talking about (I have never seen one). I know folks that have hunted bears with a 357 handgun, so that would work. Honestly, unless cubs are involved I wouldn't worry.
.357 will be fine for black bear.
I've anchored a 350 lb wild boar with one and he stayed down.
They got a thicker noggin and a far worst disposition than any bear you'd run into in this area.
158 grain Federal hydra shocks.
Nighty night.
I've anchored a 350 lb wild boar with one and he stayed down.
They got a thicker noggin and a far worst disposition than any bear you'd run into in this area.
158 grain Federal hydra shocks.
Nighty night.
FrankNA
NES Member
Round placement is the key. A .357 in these parts should do the trick for most of whatever big game critters we have roaming these woods. I have complete confidence in my 686 with 3" barrel as a woods gun around New England (provided I'm shooting straight....). 
84ta406
NES Member
If youre worried about a bear that much, get a Mossberg Patriot rifle in .308 and call it done. Theyre usually under or around 400, sturdy rifle and a .308 with 180gr soft points will down a bear quickly.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2011-05/uoc-bop050911.php
"In an article published today in the Journal of Wildlife Management, University of Calgary professor emeritus Dr. Stephen Herrero, University of Calgary graduate Andrew Higgins, and colleagues from the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife and Brigham Young University analyzed the circumstances of all recorded deaths inflicted by non-captive black bears in North America between 1900 and 2009. The study found that 63 people were killed in 59 incidents in Canada, Alaska and the lower 48 states. The researchers determined that the majority (88%) of fatal attacks involved a bear exhibiting predatory behaviour, and 92% of the predatory bears were males. The authors suggest male black bears have evolved some different behaviours than females.
"Each year there are millions of interactions between people and black bears with no injuries to people. So while the risk is low, it does exist," said Herrero, an expert in bear behaviour and ecology in the U of C's Faculty of Environmental Design. "Our findings raise some important new insights that can be used to better understand the cause of attacks and how they can be avoided in both the front and backcountry.""
"In an article published today in the Journal of Wildlife Management, University of Calgary professor emeritus Dr. Stephen Herrero, University of Calgary graduate Andrew Higgins, and colleagues from the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife and Brigham Young University analyzed the circumstances of all recorded deaths inflicted by non-captive black bears in North America between 1900 and 2009. The study found that 63 people were killed in 59 incidents in Canada, Alaska and the lower 48 states. The researchers determined that the majority (88%) of fatal attacks involved a bear exhibiting predatory behaviour, and 92% of the predatory bears were males. The authors suggest male black bears have evolved some different behaviours than females.
"Each year there are millions of interactions between people and black bears with no injuries to people. So while the risk is low, it does exist," said Herrero, an expert in bear behaviour and ecology in the U of C's Faculty of Environmental Design. "Our findings raise some important new insights that can be used to better understand the cause of attacks and how they can be avoided in both the front and backcountry.""
F
Finalygotabeltfed
Get a 12ga pump shotgun loaded alternating with OO buckshot and slugs for the house and a .44mag pistol for the woods unless you feel like lugging a shotgun around at sling arms with you when you're out and about.
Your chances of seeing a bear are actually pretty slim while out walking around, but they will come to your home if there is food around.
Your chances of seeing a bear are actually pretty slim while out walking around, but they will come to your home if there is food around.
You can tell this is gun board, not a hunters forum... All these recommendations for high power firearms lol... the first piece of accurate advice --- bear spray... The stray blackie you might spot running away from you in barre doesn't need a .338...
Maybe if the bear was like the one in "the revenant"...
gasaman
NES Member
There are feral hogs in NH. They escaped from a game farm and are thriving.
A real hungry black bear will not care much about avoiding a human if there is an easy food source nearby.
They are probably in MA now. This guy got hit and killed in Shirley. Probably a descendant of the escapees that are roaming around Vermont and NH - if they were in that area in 2008, they definitely could be in Barre. http://www.telegram.com/article/20081024/NEWS/810240649
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Black bears in NE are good enough at avoiding humans that even in Maine it's hard to hunt them without bait.
LittleCalm
NES Member
There are no brown bears in NE. Black bears want nothing to do with humans unless you get them habituated to you by feeding them and in exceptionally rare instances they can be predatory. The chance of an encounter with a black bear is probably less than getting struck by lightning. Still, I understand the desire to want the ultimate ability to protect yourself when alone in the woods and I'd do the same. Just "bear" in mind that if you stumble upon a bear that does not turn and run, you are likely to be dead before you can get out spray or a firearm, so just don't think having spray or a firearm is going to make a difference. Go read Herrero's book "Bear Attacks" (as well as other books on the subject) and you will conclude that (1) black bear attacks are exceptionally rare and (2) the likelihood that you will have time to defend yourself is pretty minimal. I've been hiking in black bear territory up north for 40 years and never encountered a black bear on a hike/bushwhack b/c they are gone before you get within a quarter mile of them. I have encountered moose though.
I carry a G20 in the colder weather when I can hide it....
Buffalo Bore makes a 220 grain hard cast bullet for the 10mm, I use them carrying in the woods....
![[laugh]](/xen/styles/default/xenforo/smilies.vb/012.gif "Laugh [laugh]")
I wouldn't worry too much about bear. If you're lucky enough to see a bear family while walking around, the biggest risk is resisting the urge to go up and hug the baby bears. They are so effing cute!! My wife and I were driving home this spring and about half a mile from home, two newborn baby bears probably born about that day, the size of cats, waddled across the road while we stopped and watched them cross. We must have just missed Mommy Bear... she had crossed road before we got there and we caught the babies trailing behind. OMG were they adorable. I successfully resisted putting my truck in park and running into the woods in the dark after them to get a selfie.
Anyway, my biggest animal worries around here, in decreasing order of severity, are:
1. Ticks.
2. Deer / horse flies.
3. Spiders.
4. Moose.
Anyway, my biggest animal worries around here, in decreasing order of severity, are:
1. Ticks.
2. Deer / horse flies.
3. Spiders.
4. Moose.
Yep - hardcore city kid - grew up in hyde park, I don't even know how to drive standard, let alone hunt, so yeah, Barre is a bit out to the boonies for me....that and considering the fact that I never heard of Charlton til I moved here....
But yes, I think the prevailing wisdom seems to be bear mace, .357 or .44 mag -- once she gets her permit, she can have the 686.
But yes, I think the prevailing wisdom seems to be bear mace, .357 or .44 mag -- once she gets her permit, she can have the 686.
scatter
NES Member
I'm on 25 acres in the Blue Ridge. For several days in a row last month we had a female black bear and her yearling cub coming up to the house to lick up the droppings from the bird feeder on the deck. My wife named them Wilma and Wilbur. I have stood literally 20 feet from them, on the other side of a wall and window of course. When you see the size of those things up close, and think about what you would need to drop one in an emergency, you don't think about handguns. You think about high caliber rifles and 12 gauge shotguns. I keep an 870 loaded up with alternating 00 buckshot and slugs.
All these pages and no mention of hiking with a fat friend, or shooting your hiking partner in the knee with a .25 auto? This place is getting soft.
Pat McD and the others are right - the black bears in New England are mostly like feral cats, just bigger. They like their groceries, so if you leave bird feeders, garbage and dog food around, you'll have bears. Down the valley we have them running through the 'burbs all the time. There are more than a dozen radio-collared females in Northampton living under porches and in small patches of woods. Someday there will be an incident when somebody steps on one, but so far, so good.
The one critter that hasn't been mentioned is the local coyote. They can grow big, they run in packs, and they can be aggressive. I've had a few meetings with Wily, and he backed off, but not always quickly. They can be handled with a .38, 9 mm. or .45. But feel free to convince your bride that you need whatever new howitzer appeals to you the most.
Barre is a beautiful area. Best of luck.
Pat McD and the others are right - the black bears in New England are mostly like feral cats, just bigger. They like their groceries, so if you leave bird feeders, garbage and dog food around, you'll have bears. Down the valley we have them running through the 'burbs all the time. There are more than a dozen radio-collared females in Northampton living under porches and in small patches of woods. Someday there will be an incident when somebody steps on one, but so far, so good.
The one critter that hasn't been mentioned is the local coyote. They can grow big, they run in packs, and they can be aggressive. I've had a few meetings with Wily, and he backed off, but not always quickly. They can be handled with a .38, 9 mm. or .45. But feel free to convince your bride that you need whatever new howitzer appeals to you the most.
Barre is a beautiful area. Best of luck.
Chris M.
NES Member
They're all black bear here - some are brown or cinnamon colored.
thanks for the education, guys - on the one hand, I really don't ever want to shoot a bear - hell, I don't even have the desire to hunt. Im glad to know that a lot of the wife's fears are largely unfounded and that yes, a .357 might be just what she needs when she gets her permit....
which means she might get my 686 as a nice hand me down and I get to go gun shopping again, because, well, safety and all!
which means she might get my 686 as a nice hand me down and I get to go gun shopping again, because, well, safety and all!
![[rofl]](/xen/styles/default/xenforo/smilies.vb/013.gif "ROFL [rofl]")
