# Will a regular person with a chainsaw kill a charging Grizzly bear? Who wins and dies? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 23, 2023, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-a-regular-person-with-a-chainsaw-kill-a-charging-grizzly-bear-who-wins-and-dies/981524 "2023-03-23T00:40:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 9
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2023, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-a-regular-person-with-a-chainsaw-kill-a-charging-grizzly-bear-who-wins-and-dies/981524/161 "2023-07-17T22:04:23Z")
This guy should have had a chainsaw. > **[Watch a Black Bear Attack and Body Slam a Bowhunter](https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/watch-black-bear-attack-body-180000970.html)** > > This vintage wildlife video shows what can go wrong when recreating in bear country — the monet a bruin decided to charge a bowhunter. (ETA apparently the video is “vintage” according to the preview box? The article was new.) ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2023, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-a-regular-person-with-a-chainsaw-kill-a-charging-grizzly-bear-who-wins-and-dies/981524/162 "2023-07-17T22:18:26Z")
> That’s what makes this video, recorded by Richard Wesley **back in 2017** , so exceptional. That’s, like, 6 years ago. Like, almost the Stone Age. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2023, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-a-regular-person-with-a-chainsaw-kill-a-charging-grizzly-bear-who-wins-and-dies/981524/163 "2023-07-18T16:30:30Z")
That’s why you don’t bring a bow and arrow to a chainsaw fight. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2025, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-a-regular-person-with-a-chainsaw-kill-a-charging-grizzly-bear-who-wins-and-dies/981524/164 "2025-11-07T17:09:05Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > There is nothing new under the Sun (that involves chainsaw wielding bears). > **[Video captures black bear waltzing off with man's chainsaw in Gatlinburg area](https://www.wbir.com/article/news/local/gatlinburg-bear-steals-chainsaw/51-7cc88bd9-35e2-408e-822b-c9be641841c4)** > > Maybe the bear had to clear the downed trees in front of its den? Whatever the reason, the owner wants his chainsaw back! ---
**Author:** ![mixdenny](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mixdenny/32/2962_2.png) [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2025, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-a-regular-person-with-a-chainsaw-kill-a-charging-grizzly-bear-who-wins-and-dies/981524/165 "2025-11-08T05:17:47Z")
Cool. Do bears take trinkets to suitable mates to attract them like some other animals do? This guy is getting a trophy wife. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2025, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-a-regular-person-with-a-chainsaw-kill-a-charging-grizzly-bear-who-wins-and-dies/981524/166 "2025-11-08T13:42:28Z")
I’ve lot’s of experience with both chainsaws, and bears. Not at the same time though. Bears on my property, bears in my cars. Still have scratches on my 4Runner. Your best bet would be to make the bear think your not worth the trouble. But I’ve had bears that would not be scared off of my property unless I shoot a large caliber rifle in their general direction, banging pots and pans did not work. Note that these where timid Black Bears. A chainsaw would be better than nothing, but I think your screwed if the bear is determained. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2025, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-a-regular-person-with-a-chainsaw-kill-a-charging-grizzly-bear-who-wins-and-dies/981524/167 "2025-11-08T18:37:09Z")
> [@mixdenny](#): > > This guy is getting a trophy wife. Or a trophy husband. Women use power tools, too! ---
**Author:** ![moes\_lotion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ba0ec/32.png) [@moes\_lotion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moes_lotion)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2025, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-a-regular-person-with-a-chainsaw-kill-a-charging-grizzly-bear-who-wins-and-dies/981524/168 "2025-11-11T00:28:07Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > Your best bet would be to make the bear think your not worth the trouble. But I’ve had bears that would not be scared off of my property unless I shoot a large caliber rifle in their general direction, banging pots and pans did not work. Note that these where timid Black Bears I didn’t participate in this thread back when it started, but I have to wonder if having a loud and smelly running gas-powered chainsaw in your hands wouldn’t be enough to tip the bear’s “worth the trouble” scale quite a ways in your favour, especially if you pump the throttle erratically. ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2025, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-a-regular-person-with-a-chainsaw-kill-a-charging-grizzly-bear-who-wins-and-dies/981524/169 "2025-11-11T00:44:18Z")
It’s possible the bear is (very sensibly) seizing the chainsaw to keep the noisy human from using it and ruining the peace and quiet and fresh air. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2025, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-a-regular-person-with-a-chainsaw-kill-a-charging-grizzly-bear-who-wins-and-dies/981524/171 "2025-11-11T01:01:28Z")
I ran into a tough guy when we were staying at the North Face Lodge in Denali National Park. He said his dream was kill a Kodiak brown with an axe. I told him that I would buy his plane ticket and pay for the axe if I could watch him try. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2025, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-a-regular-person-with-a-chainsaw-kill-a-charging-grizzly-bear-who-wins-and-dies/981524/172 "2025-11-11T06:06:52Z")
I’d help buy the axe and plane ticket. I’d love to watch that. He might get one swing, but that’s it, then he’d be done. If his one swing was a good one then the bear would be royally pissed off. He’d be mauled in nothing flat. Yeah I’d pay to watch that. ---
**Author:** ![moes\_lotion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ba0ec/32.png) [@moes\_lotion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moes_lotion)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2025, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-a-regular-person-with-a-chainsaw-kill-a-charging-grizzly-bear-who-wins-and-dies/981524/173 "2025-11-11T20:44:40Z")
> [@On another topic](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1024796/64): > > Provided that the bear is lazy enough you could saw down some trees and build a log cabin and escape the bear. Or, if you were always prepared like the Batman, you would have used the chainsaw to make a dead-fall trap to lure the bear into. > [@Chefguy](#): > > He said his dream was kill a Kodiak brown with an axe. Ditto, use the axe instead of a chainsaw to build a trap. ---
**Author:** ![Stratocaster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stratocaster/32/16393_2.png) [@Stratocaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stratocaster)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2025, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-a-regular-person-with-a-chainsaw-kill-a-charging-grizzly-bear-who-wins-and-dies/981524/174 "2025-11-12T20:55:12Z")
Sell the chainsaw and buy a hand grenade. Think, people! ---
**Author:** ![moes\_lotion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ba0ec/32.png) [@moes\_lotion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moes_lotion)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2025, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-a-regular-person-with-a-chainsaw-kill-a-charging-grizzly-bear-who-wins-and-dies/981524/175 "2025-11-13T03:16:45Z")
My father grew up in the 1930’s in southern British Columbia and worked a couple of summers as a volunteer smoke chaser, a fire-fighter for wild fires up in the mountains. One of the veteran fire-fighters joked that they should be issued hand grenades as standard equipment in case they ran into any Grizzly Bears. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2025, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-a-regular-person-with-a-chainsaw-kill-a-charging-grizzly-bear-who-wins-and-dies/981524/176 "2025-11-13T13:07:19Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > While the Grizzly bear has his Visa in the machine waiting for verification, you’ll have more than enough time to sever his spine with the chainsaw. _However,_ since this was posted, the spread of tap-to-pay technology has made charging bears much harder to get the drop on. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2025, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-a-regular-person-with-a-chainsaw-kill-a-charging-grizzly-bear-who-wins-and-dies/981524/177 "2025-11-13T15:19:15Z")
I suspect trying to defeat a bear with a chainsaw would be about as effective as trying to defeat one with Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. [![](https://i.redd.it/s3dh7yofw6001.jpg) ](https://i.redd.it/s3dh7yofw6001.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2025, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-a-regular-person-with-a-chainsaw-kill-a-charging-grizzly-bear-who-wins-and-dies/981524/178 "2025-11-13T15:24:58Z")
A chain saw is a fucking terrible weapon. They look great in movies. In real life they are excellent weapons if you’re in a fight against a tree or a log, and are otherwise worse than useless. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2025, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-a-regular-person-with-a-chainsaw-kill-a-charging-grizzly-bear-who-wins-and-dies/981524/179 "2025-11-13T15:29:03Z")
Actually attacking an animal with a chain saw sounds like a terrible idea. But standing up and starting a chain saw, and trying to look large and threatening, may be a good way to encourage a bear to wander off. Just make sure you aren’t near a sow’s cubs when you do this. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2025, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-a-regular-person-with-a-chainsaw-kill-a-charging-grizzly-bear-who-wins-and-dies/981524/180 "2025-11-13T15:29:14Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > A chain saw is a fucking terrible weapon. They look great in movies. In real life they are excellent weapons if you’re in a fight against a tree or a log, and are otherwise worse than useless. Why would would you fight a log? [Everyone loves Log!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FR-REDevAzk) ---
**Author:** ![Marvin\_the\_Martian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/marvin_the_martian/32/2898_2.png) [@Marvin\_the\_Martian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marvin_the_Martian)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2025, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-a-regular-person-with-a-chainsaw-kill-a-charging-grizzly-bear-who-wins-and-dies/981524/181 "2025-11-14T22:05:53Z")
Start the chainsaw, set it on the ground, then back slowly away keeping the chainsaw between you and the bear. Best case is the saw distracts the bear long enough for you to get away. Worst case is you now have a chainsaw-armed bear, which isn’t a whole lot worse than an unarmed bear. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-a-regular-person-with-a-chainsaw-kill-a-charging-grizzly-bear-who-wins-and-dies/981524.md?page=8) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-a-regular-person-with-a-chainsaw-kill-a-charging-grizzly-bear-who-wins-and-dies/981524.md?page=10)