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AR-15 Used to Defend Against Charging Polar Bear (2008)
Ammoland ^ | 8 March, 2018 | Dean Weingarten

Posted on 03/11/2018 12:59:31 PM PDT by marktwain

AR-15 Used to Defend Against Charging Polar Bear (2008)

Zeb Cadzow and Paul Herbert are experienced hunters who live north of the Arctic Circle in Fort Yukon, Alaska.

In late March of 2008, residents of Fort Yukon, Alaska become concerned because a bear was not exhibiting any fear of humans near their town. Peter John originally saw the bear eating lynx carcasses near a cabin on the edge of town.

People did not believe the white bear was a polar bear. Polar bears had never been seen in the area. They thought it was an albino grizzly or a grizzly bear covered with frost.

The hunters, who depend for their lives on their rifles, did not carry .357 magnums or .30-06 model Winchester Model 70s. They carried AR-15s.

Many hunters who depend on rifles for survival in the far north carry high-velocity, small caliber rifles. They can carry much more ammunition, they are easy to shoot, and are flat shooting. They offer excellent accuracy. The magazine capacity is a plus.

The two experienced hunters, on tracking a large bear that showed no fear of people, choose the AR-15 in .223. From shootersforum.com:

“There’s usually grizzly around this time of year,” he said. “You want to get rid of it because it’s hungry.”

The men tracked the bear three miles out of town to the Porcupine River, where it moved onto a river island.

At that point, most of the hunters returned to Fort Yukon


(Excerpt) Read more at ammoland.com ...


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Culture/Society; Government; US: Alaska
KEYWORDS: ak; alaska; ar15; banglist; bear; bears; polar; polarbears
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To: Louis Foxwell

“Once they charge it is too late to call the police.”

Yes it’s a bear to deal with the credit card company to have the charges reversed.


21 posted on 03/11/2018 3:48:56 PM PDT by Redcitizen
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To: marktwain

I read a lot of bear attack stories in my teens about Alaskan and Canadian guides, hunters and backwoods homesteaders. Quite a few stories of big Alaskan Browns hit right in the brain pan with calibers like .375 H&H, .458 Winchester and .300 Weatherby Magnum that got back up and ran flat out for several hundred yards.

One very memorable story was about a hunter alone on a coastal BC island who put at least 11 rounds of .375 H&H in the chest and gut of a big bear that proceeded to maul him and disappear into the woods.


22 posted on 03/11/2018 5:00:46 PM PDT by TigersEye (13 Russian Facebook trolls ... and a Siberian partridge in a Russian Olive tree.)
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To: TigersEye

I read a lot of bear attack stories in my teens about Alaskan and Canadian guides, hunters and backwoods homesteaders. Quite a few stories of big Alaskan Browns hit right in the brain pan with calibers like .375 H&H, .458 Winchester and .300 Weatherby Magnum that got back up and ran flat out for several hundred yards.


I have read a lot of those stories too. They never seem verified or have an autopsy of the bear done.

A bears skull is shaped such that a shot slightly above the eyes, with the nose pointed at you, will miss the brain altogether. bears are not bullet-proof, but they have a lot of stamina and stored oxygen capacity. Hit them in the gut, even with large, powerfull calibers, and they will likely remain active for hours, even days. Hit them in the lungs, it can take several minutes or longer for them to die. Only hit one lung, and they may survive the shot.

Destroy the heart, and probably not longer than a couple of minutes at most.

Quite a few big bears have been stopped with pistols.

https://www.ammoland.com/2018/02/defense-against-bears-with-pistols-97-success-rate-37-incidents-by-caliber/


23 posted on 03/11/2018 5:35:59 PM PDT by marktwain (President Trump and his supporters are the Resistance. His opponents are the Reactionaries.)
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To: Bigg Red

Is there a valid reason for you to excerpt from your own site?


Not my site. It is Ammoland.


24 posted on 03/11/2018 5:37:18 PM PDT by marktwain (President Trump and his supporters are the Resistance. His opponents are the Reactionaries.)
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To: imardmd1
M-1 Garand

That would be my first choice of a semi-auto rifle in that case, and I'd be sure I heard that clip "ping".

25 posted on 03/11/2018 5:40:42 PM PDT by Hardastarboard (Three most annoying words on the internet - "Watch the Video")
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To: marktwain

Fair enough. I’d hate to spend two minutes with a really POd Brown bear though.


26 posted on 03/11/2018 5:46:21 PM PDT by TigersEye (13 Russian Facebook trolls ... and a Siberian partridge in a Russian Olive tree.)
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To: TigersEye

I have read the advice to break down the shoulder bones, to keep anchor the bear. Spine shots also anchor them.

http://gunwatch.blogspot.com.au/2014/10/panama-dr-smythe-and-grizzly-attack.html


27 posted on 03/11/2018 5:52:43 PM PDT by marktwain (President Trump and his supporters are the Resistance. His opponents are the Reactionaries.)
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To: marktwain

“to keep anchor” should be “to anchor”


28 posted on 03/11/2018 5:53:34 PM PDT by marktwain (President Trump and his supporters are the Resistance. His opponents are the Reactionaries.)
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To: marktwain

I apologize to you, then. I was wrong.


29 posted on 03/11/2018 6:57:40 PM PDT by Bigg Red (Francis is a Nincompope.)
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To: Sasparilla

Bella Twin

Shot Placement!


30 posted on 03/11/2018 7:23:53 PM PDT by Big Red Badger (UNSCANABLE in an IDIOCRACY!)
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To: Bigg Red

No problem.


31 posted on 03/11/2018 7:37:14 PM PDT by marktwain (President Trump and his supporters are the Resistance. His opponents are the Reactionaries.)
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To: Sasparilla
If I recall correctly, she wasn't any too young, but rather an expert with that single-shot meat-harvester to keep her larder filled. Just sayin' . . .

It was a nice true story, though

32 posted on 03/12/2018 7:53:38 AM PDT by imardmd1 (Fiat Lux)
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To: Vaquero
"Alaskan Guides prefer pump 12 gauges with sabot slugs and marlin guide gun lever rifles in 450 marlin or 45-70."

I am guessing that these hunters were hunters for food and probably didn't own another rifle, because they cannot afford another rifle. I do not know them nor do I live their lifestyle, so I cannot comment. Having said that, I read an article that did talk about how popular the AR15 is up North. It is relatively inexpensive, easy to fix, accurate and very reliable.

Yeah, the caliber sucks, and I wouldn't even use it against the 100lb swamp deer in my area. But then again, Karamoja Bell (arguably one of the finest elephant hunters in history) liked to use the .256 Gibbs (and the .303, and the 7x57 and .... almost any another small bore round made at the turn of the 20th century) for killing elephants. And Bell was known for one shot kills.

33 posted on 03/25/2024 5:58:31 AM PDT by fini
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To: fini

First off you’re replying to a 6 year old post.

AR 10 in 308 might be a better choice.

Bell hunted elephants for ivory…not necessarily for self protection.
A charging Bear, Moose or elephant needs to be put down quickly. The most powerful rifle round I currently own is 30-06. I would choose that. If I could go hotter it would in the .400 to .500 range, though a 12 gauge sabot round is nothing to sneeze at.


34 posted on 03/26/2024 6:16:48 AM PDT by Vaquero (Don't pick a fight with an old guy. If he is too old to fight, he'll just kill you. )
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To: Vaquero

Ha, ha. A four year old post! Well, that explains a lot about my life.


35 posted on 03/26/2024 10:26:10 AM PDT by fini
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