If you are on a baited bear hunt situation in the USA (NO handguns allowed in Canada), and decide to carry a handgun as a backup, in case an angry sow or boar wants to come up into the tree stand and visit you, what type of loads should you carry? In many locales where outfitters take bow hunters, rifle hunters etc. it might be permissible to hunt with a bow and still carry a handgun as a back up.
Truth be known, I normally carry a canister of pepper spray specifically made to repel bears, (NOT humans). I read an article sometime ago concerning a scenario that repeats itself while hunting black bears over bait.
A hunter up in a tree stand overlooking the bait had a big sow and two cubs come into the bait. Both cubs decided to come up the hunter's tree. The advice normally given is to completely ignore the cubs, keep quiet and keep still. They are just curious and after checking you out will normally scamper down the tree and go back to their mother or on to other things.
The problem sometimes arises when the hunter decides to try and scare the cubs with hand gestures etc. to try to shoo them away. In the case I read about, one of the cubs climbed the tree until he was above the hunter and then proceeded to cry for his mama. The other cub ran down the tree. Faster than I can tell the story, the sow was up the tree and biting at the hunters boots. Fortunately he had a can of BEAR pepper spray and gave the sow a snoot full of it. She ran down the tree, roared, bawled, tore up the bushes etc. and in a flash was right back up the tree. The hunter give her another snoot full of pepper spray and the sow repeated the scenario of running town, tearing up the brush, bawling, etc. and again was right back up the tree. The hunter hit her with a third charge of pepper spray and this time when the sow ran down the tree, the frightened cub followed her. The three bears left the bait site with the sow still swatting at brush, bawling etc. (ONE CAUTION using pepper spray is to make note of the wind direction and intensity when in a tree stand............IF the wind is gusting badly or has an Upward draft to it, the pepper spray could come back in your own face which besides being extremely Unpleasant could temporarily blind and disorient you at a bad time to do so)
This case ultimately had a successful outcome for the hunter, although if he had remained quiet and still, it probably would have resolved itself without incident. I am NOT sure how many one or two second sprays were in his can of pepper spray, however if the cub had not followed the sow down the tree, it could have had a different outcome. Having an angry big sow up your tree stand three separate times is enough to shake up any one's nerves.
LINK to BEAR Pepper Spray Below:
http://www.defensedevices.com/bearpepspray.html / The spray mentioned in this link has (9) ONE second sprays per canister.
The sow was NOT about to vacate the premises without her cub. One of the most dangerous situations to be in is between a sow and her cub if she believes her cub to be in danger. I too carry pepper spray in an outside of my coat easy to reach holster. I think most of us would rather NOT have to kill a sow with cubs and the memory of that would haunt most of us.
I don't think it is a bad idea to carry a .357 mag or a .44 mag in a shoulder holster if you own either of these guns, and you can legally carry in your chosen hunting area. This is the ultimate last chance back up, (IN the event you were bow hunting where it is also legal to carry a side arm for back up, OR dropped your rifle, or it was knocked out of your hands, or jammed etc.), so what sort of ammo works in these two calibers?
.357 mag - I would carry Buffalo Bore's HEAVY 180 grain hard cast LFN-GC load that moves out of of a 3" bbl at 1302 fps, a 4" bbl at 1375fps and a 6" bbl at 1707. You do not want a jacketed hollow point type load for up close and personal bear defense. You want a non-expanding hard cast FLAT NOSE bullet and in the scenario above take a head shot only after expanding all other applicable tactics. BELOW is a LINK to BB hard cast .357 load.
http://www.buffalobore.com/index.php?l=product_detail&p=100
.44 Mag - I would definitely want one of Garret Cartridges for the .44 mag stuffed in my cylinder. He specializes in two calibers (45-70 ammo and .44 Mag ammo). His reputation for producing both is well known and you can visit his website to read the results of both. Since I own a Ruger Super Blackhawk revolver magnaported with a 7.5" bbl, I would opt for his 310 grain SuperHardCast Hammerhead load at 1100fps for bear protection and again take head shots. This particular load as mentioned on his website is safe for all .44 mag revolvers with one exception..........DO NOT USE THIS LOAD IN THE TAURUS TRACKER).
Dan
II Corinthians 5:21 KJV "For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of GOD in him:
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