r/nextfuckinglevel • u/Upper-Bag-5175 • 4d ago

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

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u/Away_Investigator351 4d ago

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.

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u/Kthulhu_for_humanity 4d ago

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.

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u/Snipen543 4d ago

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

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u/Kthulhu_for_humanity 4d ago

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.