Posted on 10/31/2017 5:21:11 AM PDT by marktwain
On the morning of 24 September, 2017, David Buckallew, 63, and his son, Rory, 35, were hunting black bear. David was along as an observer. Only Rory carried a rifle, a Remington model 700, semi-customized in the wildcat 6.5mm-06 caliber. Dave carried a Taurus Tracker stainless steel 4 inch .44 magnum in a Montana Holster shoulder rig made by Norm Schertenleib. Rory carried a Glock model 20 in 10mm.
The morning was cool with a light frost in low spots at Kalispell, Montana. There was little wind. Sunrise was at 7:28 local. Before 9 am, the men had spotted a black bear and were attempting to get in position for a shot. They were moving through thick cover on the steep side slope east of the Hungry Horse reservoir.
Then they heard it. A large animal was crashing through the undergrowth. It was moving along the side slope angling up the hill, above them. As it came directly above them, about 30 yards away, they could see bushes move. It changed direction and charged down the hill at them. Neither man knew what it was. It was coming directly at them. Both men fired a shot in front of the beast in an attempt to divert it or scare it off. David fired his .44 magnum Taurus, Rory his model 700 bolt action Remington rifle. The animal was only 7-8 yards away, but the cover was so thick, they could not see it.
In a split second, the bear appeared as it slid to a stop only two feet from and just beyond Rory.
(Excerpt) Read more at ammoland.com ...
This article lists 9 successful pistol defenses against bears. The feature article is the tenth example.
http://gunwatch.blogspot.com/2016/10/where-are-bear-attack-pistol-failures.html
Good job Dad. Like they say, if you’re in bear country, you’d better have a gun with a “4” in the caliber.
Terrifying.
When my Sons were still in diapers, I had a nightmare of our being chased by a polar bear, and I was unable to protect them or escape as we hid in a tunnel by a park.
So, yeah. Anytime we go into the mountain area of Colorado, I’ve got my .44 Ruger Super Blackhawk.
Out hunting for Black Bear’s and found a Grizzly. I guess it was a bit more than they were looking for. Good shootin’ dad.
"Might"? Sheesh. They would also likely BOTH be dead.
Dad: "Yeah, thanks for the advice butthead. Let's see which you'd rather have if it was YOUR ass on the line."
I carry a S&W 629 when in bear country, especially when hunting for deer and elk. Here in Montana it just makes sense to have enough gun.
Dad needs to learn that a modern double-action revolver is not an 1870s SAA-Colt that did require loading only 5 rounds so the hammer could rest on an empty chamber. Good on Dad for calling out FWP for their obvious hypocrisy on the value of “bear spray.”
I’ve hunted in bear/wolf/cougar country for years and have always carried a Taurus 357 Magnum with +P ammo. Thankfully never had to use it in this type situation but have always felt safe with what I carry. I guess some won’t agree but I know many that think it’s just fine.
“Another successful pistol defense against bear story.”
Yup, good story. I’m guessing in the future though there will be five rounds in the cylinder. Btw, just a minor observation; in the article the shotgun is referred to as a Remington 700 bolt action. The 700 is a pump. Like I said, a minor observation but kinda surprising for a Ammo Land article.
Don’t have grizzlies in my area and while I have a .454 Casull revolver, I prefer the Glock 20 in 10mm just for the punch and capacity.
Model 700 bolt action Remington Rifle... has been around a very long time.
I used to live in bear country. One late January morning my wife and I saw bear tracks between the house and the pole barn. It walked from beside our house across the frozen lake and into the woods on that side. A game camera photographed it several miles away. The game wardens estimated the weighed over 500 pounds.
He said that bears come out of hibernation sometimes when they get hungry. I didn’t know that. Hungry hibernating bears? I started carrying a large handgun with 5 rounds of hardball when I was on my property the rest of the winter.
Did the BWP give the Dad the Bear’s Hide/Fur Coat after they found it dead?
Did a search on the page, and the word "shotgun" is written only once, and it's there describing the guns the fish and wildlife guys were carrying. The Remington 700 is a bolt-action rifle, and in case, was chambered in 6.5mm-.06 caliber. The Remington pump shotgun you're thinking of is the 870.
“Dad needs to learn that a modern double-action revolver is not an 1870s SAA-Colt that did require loading only 5 rounds so the hammer could rest on an empty chamber.”
Lucky his ignorance of modern firearms didn’t cost him his life.
The 870 is Remington's pump shotgun. The 700 is a rifle - the article even mentioned the chambering, which, at 6.5mm - '06, was definitely not a 12 gauge.
I have never been able to locate the pump mechanism on my bolt action Remington 700 chambered in .243 Win.
I’ll look again.
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