So this summer me and some friends are planning a road trip into the heart of canada. One of the key events in our trip will be a 50 hike/canoe trip in the depths of the Canadian wilderness.
And so my question is: what type of gun should we bring to best fend off overly aggressive Canadian beasties? (geese, mooses, and bears, oh my!)
I first thought of a big game rifle, but then realized a shotgun or .44 magnum might not be bad choices either. Are there any wilderness dopers who can help me out?
PS: in case it comes up, me and my friends are quite capable of such a trek, we have experience.
assume for a minute that we wake up one morning and find a black bear rummaging around the campsite. I might want to fire a warning shot to scare off the bear. Also, a black bear may attack if it feels it is in danger or its cub is.
Besides, i always like to bring some sort of firearm when I’m on foot that far away from help. Guns can also come in handy if someone (or everyone) gets lost. What with the ability to fire signal shots and kill our own food in event of desperation. we eagle scouts are always prepared.
Also, me having a gun practically guaruntees me the power to steal the conch and kill piggy.
You won’t be able to bring a gun, mace, or pepper spray into Canada under ordinary circumstances. I think fireworks are a no-no too.
I’ve been to Canada a few times for the same reason you are going, and I’m planning to go back this June. The interesting thing about going to extremely remote areas is that black bears are less of a problem…they haven’t figured out people = food yet. I’m open to suggestions here, but I’ve been told the best tactic for black bears is to avoid them, and if you can’t avoid them; shout, holler, make lots of noise, throw rocks, beat them with a stick, and make life generally unpleasant for them…
…I haven’t had the pleasure yet to actually try that tactic…saying it is one thing, actually doing it in a “combat” situation is something else.
Black bears aren’t too agressive, unless you get between a mama bear and her offspring. They’ll raid your food stash if given the opportunity.
How to determine if a bear is a black bear or a grizzly:
Poke the bear with a sharp stick, then climb a tree. If the bear follows you up the tree and mauls you, it’s a black bear. If the bear uproots the tree to get to you, it’s a grizzly. (Grizzly bears don’t climb trees.)
You’re an Eagle Scout and you don’t know how to deal with bears? Maybe hiking the Sierras spoiled me, but that’s pretty basic stuff.
Don’t worry about coming between a ma bear and her cub. You’ll be making lots of noise as you hike and canoe. The bears will hear you and go somewhere else so as not to be bothered. Keep your mess gear hanging on the outside of your pack so it clanks as you walk.
If you catch a bear rummaging around in your campsite, make lots of noise to shoo it off. Some people say to throw rocks, but frankly, I didn’t have the guts to throw stuff at the bear that wandered into our campsite in Yosemite. And, of course, we slept under the stars on a different hike one night and I awoke to find a black bear snuffling near my feet. Basically, in that situation, I froze and tried not to crap my pants.
Hey, i know how to handle a bear, not what’s best to shoot him with OK? Granted, NJ (home state) has more bears per sq. mile than montana, but i never ran across one.
No bringing guns into Canada huh? What about flare guns? God forbid someone break their leg and we gotta radio in help and signal the chopper. Although a smokey fire might work just as well, I’m just asking.
I see black bears all the time in the San Gabriels, and was even the victim of an “attack” (the bear was more interested in my pack than me). These creatures aren’t aggressive toward people. I’ve surprised them a couple of times, coming over a hill or around a corner, including one incident with a sow and two cubs. She yelled at them to climb a tree and then climbed another one and preceded to bark, chuff, and moan at me to go away.
What a day for bears. Here’s another post I made in the other “bear” thread today with more references.
Now that’s absolutely true, and they’re clever bastards about it, too. People often hang food, but they’re strong and smart enough to bring it down if they’re determined. You’re better off with a bear-proof canister (and they are required in some places), which you can find in any outdoor store.
Oh, and by the way, you don’t mention if you are American, but you can’t carry a handgun into Canada at all. I believe you can carry a rifle with the appropriate paperwork (though the forest you’re camping in might have restrictions depending on season), but it probably won’t do you much good at “attack” range. Pepper spray is highly effective against bears. If you’re really worried, but I think if you read up on the subject you’ll see there’s very little to be concerned about. You are literally more likely to be struck by lightning, and far more likely to drown, fall and break a leg, get in a car accident on the way to the trailhead, or any other number of calamities than attacked by a bear.
sigh I missed over this post in my first read-through. Even though I already addressed this in the other post, I feel the need to go through these misconceptions.
I’m not against owning and carrying firearms, but…whisky tango foxtrot, here?
I’m not clear how a gun is going to come in handy if someone or everyone gets lost. The idea that you can locate each other by signal shots is iffy, at best, especially in mountainous or forested country. To fire enough signal shots to guide someone you’re going to be carrying seveal pounds of ammuntion, on top of the weight of the gun. If it’s getting lost you’re worried about, well, a good topo map and a couple of compasses (plus maybe a set of compact binocs) are quite enough to keep you from being terminally disoriented. People who get lost in the woods are people who don’t carry or know how to use maps, period.
As far as “kill[ing] our own food…”, if you’re really concerned about getting lost or being delayed, a few days of extra provisions or a fieldbook on edible plants is going to weight a lot less than an 8 lb rifle plus ammo. Living off the land, even with a rifle, is a game for the experienced, and vegetation is your best bet from a cost-benefits standpoint.
You’re an Eagle Scout? I don’t mean to flame here, and maybe you’ve done a lot of hiking, but, uh, have you been in the backcountry? Preparation is about selecting supplies and training skills that are most likely to come up. You know, stuff like first aid, orienteering, plant ID, firestarting, et cetera. Bears are way down on the list, and frankly aren’t worth worrying about beyond taking basic preparations to protect your food source.
I once knew a guy who actually got between a mama bear and her cub. He had the claw-scars to prove it; he said he and the mama played “tag” for a while, circling and dodging around a tree.
Of course it’s unlikely that a normal person could get between a mama bear and her cub. My friend was many things- normal was not one of them.
