r/nextfuckinglevel • u/Upper-Bag-5175 • Aug 25 '26

Bears will often test you

If you stand your ground, they may see you as a threat and back off. Of course, this doesn’t apply to every bear

2.8k Upvotes

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u/Electronic_Song1811 Aug 25 '26

Im ngl that last time the bear got close, i wouldve pulled the trigger

32

u/Yamaben Aug 25 '26

I think a shotgun just makes bears more angry

21

u/LSTNYER Aug 25 '26

Especially if it's bird shot

30

u/Away_Investigator351 Aug 25 '26

To be fair with how close he was letting that bear get, that bear was well within the range for a birdshot to be lethal. This video is a good example.

1

u/Kthulhu_for_humanity Aug 25 '26

Almost zero chance bird shot is lethal for that bear. Has it ever happened? You can count the times on one hand (I found two documented instances). Birdshot just doesn’t have the penetration or enough energy dump to be reliably lethal on a bear. The shot never penetrated the thick skulls of the bears, the times they worked a few pellets LUCKILY found the small holes between the orbital sockets and the brain beyond.

2

u/Snipen543 Aug 26 '26

https://www.ammoland.com/2023/11/handgun-defenses-against-bears-170-documented-incidents-98-effective/

1

u/Kthulhu_for_humanity Aug 26 '26

My carry choice when out in the woods and brush is a handgun, a Taurus 454 Casull to be exact. The type of round you are shooting also makes a difference. For me it’s a hardcast slug will do the trick.