Bears

[Jack Moroney (RIP)]

Just came back in the house from running off a damn black bear. The critter thinks it is a chickadee and has destroyed one feeder. Took down the other two and the SOB snorted at me from the woodline. Couple of pictures below, not great but then I was holding the camera with one hand and the .45 with the other.

Jack Moroney-no Ansel Adams

[NousDefionsDoc]

Cool!

[lksteve]

JJack Moroney-no Ansel Adamsnope...he did primarily landscapes with black and white film in broad daylight...

so how high will the locals try to hang you when you eventually have to bust a cap on Yogi's ass....?

[Jack Moroney (RIP)]

so how high will the locals try to hang you when you eventually have to bust a cap on Yogi's ass....?

Five hundred big ones unless I can show that I have had the bird feeders down for over 30 days between his reappearances and he is a threat to my home or pets. It was not the little guy in the picture that was the threat, but momma out of camera range. Of course, if this critter comes back again and I am out with the pups and decides he wants a little puppy flesh he is going to die-pups are family.

[Peregrino]

Sir - Not wanting to step out of line - BUT! I'm sure given the previous wildlife photos you've posted this is a regular occurance. So - if I may: I like .45s too but can I recommend that the next time you use the shotgun - with slugs! You want pictures, let the wife take them (from somewhere behind you). Sorry - I just believe in stacking the deck. No such thing as overkill, it's all insurance. Even (especially) if he was just mooching. Besides if it takes to hanging around it (bears) can be terribly destructive. If he gets in the habit, he might even resent you taking steps to curtail his activities. Personally, given my previous experiences with bears (Sierra Nevadas) I'm very cautious. 99% of the time there's nothing to them. The other time - well, why risk it? Neat pictures though. :D Peregrino

[AngelsSix]

have to agree with Peregrino on this one....better safe than sorry. Also, the spouse should be in a safe zone (enclosed deck or vehicle if possible) with a cordless or cell to call for help if need be....bears are no laughing matter.

Stay safe!!

[lksteve]

Of course, if this critter comes back again and I am out with the pups and decides he wants a little puppy flesh he is going to die-pups are family.amen to that...but i agree with Peregrino...something more than a .45 might be nice to have...

[lksteve]

Also, the spouse should be in a safe zone (enclosed deck or vehicle if possible) with a cordless or cell to call for help if need be....
methinks the spouse should be in overwatch...

[Peregrino]

methinks the spouse should be in overwatch...

Though I'm not sure how mine would react to being in overwatch. Love her dearly but I can't even get her to go inside and not stand in front of lit windows when there are "untoward activities" in the neighborhood. I can't imagine persuading her to stay safely out of my way (or in an area where I would not be concerned for her safety) while I dealt with a bear. She would be far too interested in the cuddly little bear and "look how cute it is" and "why are you trying to chase it away", and etc. etc. What is it about women and their ability to make rational threat analysis? Just because you're paraniod doesn't mean they're not out to get you. :cool: Peregrino

[Smokin Joe]

Peregrino,

Your wife and mine must be sisters. The first time my wife saw an elk she called them "Raindeer". :rolleyes: In my in-laws neighborhood there is a good size Bobcat that likes to troll the backyards. Its got one normal eye, the other eye is the size of a raquetball and a deep dark blue throughout (I'll see if I can find some pictures) but its the ugliest friggin cat I have ever seen.
She thinks its "Cute". :rolleyes:


Col. Good luck with your pest problem. I agree with Peregrino you might want a bigger gun.

[Jack Moroney (RIP)]

The .45 is the largest I have and the wife was kinda, sorta, in overwatch with a flashlight reminding me that at present I cannot run with these knees. You know sort of like that Roman slave that rode in the chariot behind the returning warrior reminding him of the instabilities of human nature and that she was closer to the door than was I :D

I guess I will have to get a long gun of some sort to keep around the house as the bears are becoming more and more of a common occurance as are no-necked, mouth-breathing, arm-dragging college kids. It's just that a .45 will hollow points is a whole lot less messy than a shot gun.

A smaller one showed up after I shut down the computer last night and I chased him off down the woods towards the house a bunch of college kids are renting for the summer. He probably dined on pizza crusts and beer the rest of the night. The only thing that really ticks me off is that I will have to keep the bird feeders down for a while. Was kind of enjoying watching the flying squirrels at night and all the birds we get during the day.

[NousDefionsDoc]

Shit! If Colonel Jack wasn't still stove up, he would have wrestled it! If he used anything bigger than a .45, he'd never hear the end of it from Jake. :D

[Cincinnatus]

Jack,

I've got a 12ga pump you can borrow if you'd like. Let me know. I can hook up w/ you the next time you're in WRJ. Just gotta promise no vigilante stuff. :p

[Bill Harsey]

Looks like those bears need a change of feed, maybe some habenero sauce for them to lick out of the feeder would help. Birds don't have the taste receptors to notice the heat and can eat the hot stuff all day long, besides, they would stay out of a paste. Not sure about the flying squirrels...don't want to hurt them.

[Doc]

Looks like those bears need a change of feed, maybe some habenero sauce for them to lick out of the feeder would help. Birds don't have the taste receptors to notice the heat and can eat the hot stuff all day long, besides, they would stay out of a paste. Not sure about the flying squirrels...don't want to hurt them.

Good advice Bill.

I only hope with all the relocating going on up there it isn't a latino bear. :eek:

:D

Doc

[CPTAUSRET]

Good advice Bill.

I only hope with all the relocating going on up there it isn't a latino bear. :eek:

:D

Doc

CUTE!

Terry

[Peregrino]

Good advice Bill.

I only hope with all the relocating going on up there it isn't a latino bear. :eek:

:D

Doc

Try playing a little "Salsa" music from the back deck. If it gyrates to the music, you might have problems the habanero bird seed won't fix. :D Peregrino

[Jack Moroney (RIP)]

Try playing a little "Salsa" music from the back deck. If it gyrates to the music, you might have problems the habanero bird seed won't fix. :D Peregrino

Wish I could but the back deck has been demolished and all that sits out back now is a 24 x 30 foot excavation for our new extension. Had visions last night of finding the damn bear down in there and having to get him out but he was not that dumb. Come to find out at first light this morning when I went out and read the tracks that we actually had three different bears last night. The Mom was about 250 pounds and she has a cub which makes her very unpredictable. There was a loner and judging from his tracks he was about 125 pounds-just a punk kid out raising hell on a Saturday night. I enclosed a shot of his tracks below.

[alphamale]

Holy smokes! :eek:

Sir Jack, I'm glad you weren't munched on!!!

You'll need to borrow my future bad-a*s new shotgun that the Team Sergeant will be jealous of ;) , the one with "Animal Control" etched on the side of it.

FrontSight

[Bill Harsey]

Just put FS out there overnight.
They won't come back.

[alphamale]

Mr. Harseyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy ::squint::

You know I am at one with the wildlife :) .

FrontSight

[Weazle23]

I saw a bear at it's home, nowhere near my home, on Saturday.
I was on a day hike with family on Mt Rainer and noticed a bear on a hillside several hundred meters away. It never noticed us, so we finished our lunch and headed back towards the car. I have a pic, but it looks more like a fuzzy ball of brown fur.

[The Reaper]

You'll need to borrow my future bad-a*s new shotgun that the Team Sergeant will be jealous of ;) , the one with "Animal Control" etched on the side of it.

FrontSight

You going to shoot that piece, or bore us to death talking about it?



You know I am at one with the wildlife.

FrontSight

I have heard something about you and wild life, but I do not think that was it.

TR

[alphamale]

TR>> You going to shoot that piece, or bore us to death talking about it?

Sirrrrrr,

I don't have it yet! It's in-process!

Then, once I get it, I'm not going to shoot it till I carry it around with me for an entire weekend. I'm sure it's going to feel weird.

FrontSight

[The Reaper]

TR>> You going to shoot that piece, or bore us to death talking about it?

Sirrrrrr,

I don't have it yet! It's in-process!

Then, once I get it, I'm not going to shoot it till I carry it around with me for an entire weekend. I'm sure it's going to feel weird.

FrontSight


You have to have a "process" to get a scattergun there?

TR

[alphamale]

You have to have a "process" to get a scattergun there?Not really; it's just coming to me via an indirect (but very legal) channel.

It's in "Animal Control Division" outprocessing (i.e., a couple mods) :)

FrontSight

[Spartan359]

Not to hijack but what are you getting FS?

[Bill Harsey]

Jack,
How are the bears doing at the bird feeder?

I could get you a good lasso down at the local saddlery so you could lead him back out in the woods vaquero style.

[Jack Moroney (RIP)]

Had a big'n last night. I took down the remaining bird feeders that they had not destroyed and placed a hook on a tree limb about 10 feet AGL (above ground level-sorry old habits). This one last night stood on its hind legs and while stretchng his forearms above his head almost could touch the damn bird feeder. I scared him off only to hear the feeder getting dislodged from my hook by a raccoon. I think they are teaming up on me. Things quieted down for about an hour and then we had two more show up. One, evidently genetically confused, was walking along the side of the new concrete pad we just poured for our new addition-adjacent to what will eventually be my den. He was sneaking up towards the hummingbird feeder that is mounted on the side of the house. Ought to be an interesting fourth of July, I will have my son and his family from Chicago with a new dog and my daughter from NJ with her dog where the biggest thing they have ever seen is a frigging grey squirrel. Been doing some work on my driveway with some fill and gravel so I was able to get a good look at the latest set of tracks. I think this latest one is tipping the scales at just under 300lbs and that is large for a black bear. Of course the nice thing about this bruno is that he has a white patch on his chest that shows up like "ranger eyes" in the moonlight. Great aiming point-even for you know who's shot groups at 15"s. :D

Jack Moroney-

[Martin]

If you wanted to bring this bear down with a .45 in broad daylight, where would you aim, Sir?

[Jack Moroney (RIP)]

Snot locker.

[Martin]

Sir, ok, how much lead do you think it'd be able to take in the chest or abdomen?

[The Reaper]

Sir, ok, how much lead do you think it'd be able to take in the chest or abdomen?

More than you can carry to get him before he gets you.

TR

[lksteve]

Sir, ok, how much lead do you think it'd be able to take in the chest or abdomen?you would be shooting, of course, from the inside...

[Bill Harsey]

Martin,
You need to factor in the explosive initial move of an animal with high power four wheel drive.
You can place all the bullets you please in the chest cavity of a bear and unless you severe the spinal cord they will still reach you and kill you.
You can place a bullet straight into the center of the heart and shut down the main pump, they still have enough time to kill you before they die.
A gut shot isn't even worth commenting on.

Moroney will just grab the bear by the ear and place the round exactly where he needs to.

(edited because AM called and listening to him is more important than spelling)

[Peregrino]

Martin,
You need to factor in the explosive initial move of an animal with high power four wheel drive.
You can place all the bullets you please in the chest cavity of a bear and unless you severe the spinal cord they will still reach you and kill you.
You can place a bullet straight into the center of the heart and shut down the main pump, they still have enough time to kill you before they die.
A gut shot isn't even worth commenting on.

Moroney will just grab the bear by the ear and place the round exactly where he needs to.

(edited because AM called and listening to him is more important than spelling)

Written by a man that probably has a bit of experience with bears. Wounded bears have a well deserved reputation. That's why I favored a shotgun full of slugs if you have to deal with one inside of rifle range. It definitely gives added urgency to the concept of "Instant Incapacitation". Martin - FYI, it's pretty hard to do, even with a well placed rifle shot. It's right up there with miraculous to do it with zero reaction time, at close range, with a pistol. Course in his younger, more "spry" days, the COL probably would have done a "Jeremiah Johnston" on the bear and served liver for breakfast. :D Peregrino

[The Reaper]

Martin:

Bears in North America are not exactly small game.

Big boars are as much as 1500 lbs.

Here is what a 10'6", 1000 lb. Kodiak looks like.

I do not think you want to tackle one by body shooting it with a shoulder fired weapon.

TR

[Smokin Joe]

Martin:

Bears in North America are not exactly small game.

Big boars are as much as 1500 lbs.

Here is what a 10'6", 1000 lb. Kodiak looks like.

I do not think you want to tackle one by body shooting it with a shoulder fired weapon.

TR

That Airman was incredibly lucky!

I was talking with a friend at work the other night about bear hunting he bow hunts bear in Canda and Alaska (Crazy sum' bitch) He advised me that the back up gun is an 18.5 inch Remington 870 with 3 inch magnum slugs. And 1 time they actually had to use it. :eek:

[Weazle23]

Martin:

Bears in North America are not exactly small game.

Big boars are as much as 1500 lbs.

Here is what a 10'6", 1000 lb. Kodiak looks like.

I do not think you want to tackle one by body shooting it with a shoulder fired weapon.

TR

WOW! Iv'e seen a few wild Grizzleys from quite a distance, but I doubt any of them were that size. That's truly impressive.

[The Reaper]

That Airman was incredibly lucky!



AirMEN. There were two of them shooting, and the range was 10 yards.

Weazle23, I guarantee that they thought it was much bigger than it actually was.

TR

[Martin]

Those are bigger than our dog! (weighs four pounds, full grown)

What you wrote is what I suspected, but I am as you know neither a cub nor well acquainted with the effects of gunpowder. Thanks!

I'm going to go practice lying as if dead.

[EX-Gold Falcon]

Could have been worse, it could have been a mother Moose and her calf!

Heard a saying about the difference between a mother Bear and a mother Moose.

"A mother Bear will beat you down till ya play dead. A mother Moose wouldn't stop till she is sure the job is done!"


T.