Archive for the 'Animals' Category

Dean Weingarten.

As I collected documented incidents of handguns fired in defense against bears, a pattern emerged. The recorded incidents of pistols being fired in defense against bears overwhelmingly occurred from 1960 onward.

I’ve found 125 documented cases where handguns have been fired in defense against bears, from 1890 to present. Two of the 125 cases were considered to be indeterminate as to success or failure. An additional 20 cases, where handguns were used with other lethal means, are considered combination defenses. They are not included in this analysis.

The total numbers include indeterminate cases, but not the combination cases. 95% of all the documented cases occurred from 1960 onward. 76% of all cases occurred from 2000 forward.

Dean then goes on to examine the causes.

First, while pistols were used against bears prior to the development of the cartridge firing handgun, (about 1840 – 1870) much of the use was in hunting. There the handgun was used as an ancillary device to long guns.

Bears tended to be hunted hard on the outskirts of settled areas. They were considered pests. Bounties were offered for them. Bears had no legal protection. Bears, of necessity, became wary of humans, and seldom attacked humans other than when hunted and wounded.

Second, few records were written of handguns being used against bears during this period. Some hunts were recorded, as were a few incidents involving bears. Most involved long guns. What few records there were are difficult to find. Records became more common after 1960, and much easier to find after the Internet information explosion in the 1990’s.

Third, while human populations continued to increase, bear populations declined, then started to increase, with the greatest increase from about 1960 onward.

To sum up, an increase in effective handguns, record keeping and the ability to search records, and increasing populations of humans and bears do much to explain the rapidly expanding number of documented cases of pistol defense against bears.

It all makes sense.  Handguns firing centerfire cartridges were developed, and cartridges became much more powerful and with much higher muzzle velocity, with much better materials and construction to take the higher chamber pressures.  Next, record keeping and the availability of retrieval.  Third, bears are protected.  You can’t hunt the if they’re not in hunting season, and if you have to shoot one, even in self defense, you just might run afoul of game management officers.  Thus, population is on the rise.

Maybe depending upon how near we are to the bush, we all need to go back to carrying long guns for self defense.  Just a thought.

Long guns are heavy.  Then again, it might be good exercise.

You look lonely.  I’ll be your friend.

Here, I’ll share with you.

Yes, I took it.  What?  Do I look guilty or something?  What gave me away?

I’ll be your ears for you.

I’m so happy to see you!

You CANNOT leave without me!

If only I had opposable digits, I could do that too.

We dogs know the difference between good people and bad.

Once again the greatest bear and firearms researcher in the world helps us with new data.  I’ll let you go to Dean’s article for the scoop, but I’ll lift this out.

Of these 20 cases, 15 involve a single, known, pistol caliber. Here are the current numbers of cases for those calibers:

• 9mm – seven documented cases, all successful
• .38 Special –  four documented cases, three successful, one failure
• .357 magnum – nine documented cases, eight successful, one failure
• .40 S&W  – five documented cases, all successful
• 10mm – six documented cases, all successful
• .44 magnum – 37 documented cases, all successful
• .45 Long Colt – 2 cases, successful, this includes the .45 Colt/.410 revolver.

Caliber seems far less important than the willingness to use the firearm and kill the bear.

These were all newly found cases.  I’m surprised to find no .45ACP in the list.

But it isn’t clear to me what Dean’s list means.  This totals to 70 cases, not the 20 new ones he listed.

How can we get support to the fox, perhaps equipment and personnel?

Via WoG: Democratic Rep. Ami Bera of California said on Tuesday that he was the victim of an “unprovoked” attack by a fox outside of the US Capitol on Monday evening.

Unprovoked? Weren’t the foxes and other animals there first? Aren’t “we” the invaders?

Dean Weingarten.

Three bears – a polar bear, a grizzly bear and a black bear.

Kiepertoyo Hinlopen Strait, August, 1995

Another five people of the crew set out separately with only a .22 pistol and a flare gun. After an hour’s march, the second party were met by a bear, 75m away and openly aggressive. The bear was distracted neither by warning shot nor flare and attacked one of the party. As he did so, he was shot, from a range of only 15m and turned against the man who had fired at him. This man tossed the gun to the first, who shot again. The process was repeated, with first one man being attacked and then the other. By the time the pistol was emptied and a knife drawn, one man was dead and another badly injured.

[ … ]

Miller managed to pull out his .357 Magnum revolver and squeeze off a shot, possibly grazing the animal. Then he fell onto his stomach, dug his face into the dirt and covered his neck.

The bear went for his exposed right arm, gnawing and clawing it and chipping the bone off the tip of his elbow. The attack lasted 10 to 15 seconds, then the animal lumbered away.

As Miller rolled over and was getting to his knees, the bear, only about 40 yards away, came at him again.

He managed to fire two more shots, but with his right arm badly injured he thinks he missed the bear. Then he lay still as the animal gnawed and clawed at him.

[ … ]

The hunter received bite injuries to his foot through his boot as he climbed a tree to try to escape the bear. He was taken to Alta Vista Hospital in Las Vegas, N.M., where he was treated and released.

In Thursday’s attack, the hunter told officials he was eating lunch under a tree when he spotted the bear and her cub in a watering hole. He took photographs and started shooting video of the animals when the mother bear got angry and charged. The hunter, who officials did not identify, climbed the tree to escape.

At one point, the hunter fell 15 feet from the tree and then managed to climb back up. He fired his pistol into the air and at the female bear in attempt to scare it, but the animal didn’t leave.

So, in order, a .22LR, a series of misses, and shots never fired directly at the bear.

Dean once again proves himself to be the king of the researchers on firearm defense against bears.

Carry a large bore handgun, practice with it, and hit what you’re aiming at.

You can read the rest of Dean’s analysis at the link.  It’s worth it.

Hey listen dude.  Some dogs are smaller than other dogs.  Don’t just tell that little dog to stand up for himself.  Take care of him yourself.  He’s yours.

Hey daddy, look what I made!

Uh oh, don’t tell daddy please.  I don’t want to get in trouble.

You hurt my feelings.  See, dogs have feelings too.

Where’s Fred when you need him?  This big cat needs some love.

Elephant to Crocodile.  Don’t screw with me.

That’s one beautiful cat!

This Doberman loves her master as much as my Heidi-girl loved me.

I love it when a blind dog can get happiness!

This fox wants to meet people.

This fox just wants to come to hear good banjo playing.

This is a fisher cat.  I don’t think I’ve ever seen one even on video.  Do we have any readers from Maine?  Have you ever seen one?

This Kestrel escaped with his life, just barely.  I don’t think the owls liked the visit.

Dog saves the life of his buddy.

Source.

Can I do that mommy?  Pleeeease?

Source.

Not in active combat.  The cat is too smart for that.  The python does have to eat, and left its eggs behind.  That cat sure is wary.  But has the sense to cover up the meal and come back to it later.

Then mama python shows up.  The cat doesn’t much mess with the python.  It just waits.

We saw it, but not he full video.  Here it is.

The only animal in North America other than a large pack of dogs that will stand down a bear. On the videos they go after the legs, the same approach the honey badgers take with lions in Africa. A single bite could break bones.