• Friends, our 2nd Amendment rights are always under attack and the NRA has been a constant for decades in helping fight that fight.

    We have partnered with the NRA to offer you a discount on membership and Muzzleloading Forum gets a small percentage too of each membership, so you are supporting both the NRA and us.

    Use this link to sign up please; https://membership.nra.org/recruiters/join/XR045103

Trade gun for grizzlies

Muzzleloading Forum

Help Support Muzzleloading Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
we need to consider the fact that 24/7/365 wild critters are faced with staying alive in conditions that would eventually kill most of us. anywhere there are multiple predators, the predators are tough and hard to disable let alone kill. At the same time the prey species toughen up from the pressure.
people like to think they are apex predators. there are tougher critters by far than us, even when we arm ourselves with the latest tyrannosaurus popper.
I have a young friend that was out hunting. had his dog with him. dog was 40 yards ahead and suddenly charged back past said buddy and tackled a mountain lion that was less than 6 feet behind. buddy had no idea he was being stalked. the odds in the game of us vs wildlife on their turf are on their side.
I have been in the woods hunting since I was 5. I completely agree with your post. In Northern VT there are black bear, mountain lions, a few wolves, and don't overlook cyoties
we need to consider the fact that 24/7/365 wild critters are faced with staying alive in conditions that would eventually kill most of us. anywhere there are multiple predators, the predators are tough and hard to disable let alone kill. At the same time the prey species toughen up from the pressure.
people like to think they are apex predators. there are tougher critters by far than us, even when we arm ourselves with the latest tyrannosaurus popper.
I have a young friend that was out hunting. had his dog with him. dog was 40 yards ahead and suddenly charged back past said buddy and tackled a mountain lion that was less than 6 feet behind. buddy had no idea he was being stalked. the odds in the game of us vs wildlife on their turf are on their side.
 


Not the video I was looking for.

I'm not a ground hog and he dug that up and got it.

The squirrels not fast enough.. like that thing lol I can't run like a squirrels.

For some reason grizzly bears love gofers and to your first guestion you wouldnt have time to say good by .Grizzlies are fast and very often take a long time to die no matter what they are shot with .But generally unless there’s cubs involved you have to worry about grizzlies it the black bears you gotta watch real close.
 
I have a friend living in out in griz. country. His young family , three kids under 12 yrs. , and wife , frequently go hiking together. He explained the regimen used by the family for grizz. safety out in the wild places they visit. His wife walks first in line with a 12 ga.3 1/2 mag. shotgun using six rounds 00 buck shot. Next , the three kids in line follow mom , with dad at the end of the line packing a .35 cal. magnum modern ctg. rifle. Dad told me this process gives good protection against bears. Even a 12 ga. trade gun with a large slug , just doesn't engender proper feelings of safety to me.
 
I have a friend living in out in griz. country. His young family , three kids under 12 yrs. , and wife , frequently go hiking together. He explained the regimen used by the family for grizz. safety out in the wild places they visit. His wife walks first in line with a 12 ga.3 1/2 mag. shotgun using six rounds 00 buck shot. Next , the three kids in line follow mom , with dad at the end of the line packing a .35 cal. magnum modern ctg. rifle. Dad told me this process gives good protection against bears. Even a 12 ga. trade gun with a large slug , just doesn't engender proper feelings of safety to me.
If I was at the front of that parade I would prefer a flame thrower.
 
Random thought..

If you were out there. You know grizzly wants to eat you.

Is running at you. You have One shot.

Do you take the 20 yard or so shot when you see the bear coming

Or

Hold it. Holding Hold it till that thing is the length of the gun away or closer.. like your going to powder burn that thing.

Could you Hold it.

I’d probably be thinking why didn’t i bring me .357 magnum with me, while the bear is tearing me to shreds.
 
I have posted this before and received flak for it but will again..

If you can find a copy there is an excellent story told of shooting a bear with a trade gun in Penicaut's Diary.

Written by Andre Joseph Penicaut born 1680 died ????, During a trip up the Mississippi he shot a bear in what is now the Grand Tower area with a trade gun loaded with shot, luckily for him he shot the bear in the face and it was partially blinded and while it was still trying to find him he was able to load with roundball and kill the bear after a couple of more shots.
This does not give me confidence that a trade gun loaded with roundball is the way to go as it still took a couple of shots even after partially blinding the bear.

Anyway, a good read, some critics of the book complain that his dates are incorrect but I have trouble remembering dates except for my anniversary and kids birthdays.....I get reminded of those!!!

Read lots!
 
Last edited:
I have a friend living in out in griz. country. His young family , three kids under 12 yrs. , and wife , frequently go hiking together. He explained the regimen used by the family for grizz. safety out in the wild places they visit. His wife walks first in line with a 12 ga.3 1/2 mag. shotgun using six rounds 00 buck shot. Next , the three kids in line follow mom , with dad at the end of the line packing a .35 cal. magnum modern ctg. rifle. Dad told me this process gives good protection against bears. Even a 12 ga. trade gun with a large slug , just doesn't engender proper feelings of safety to me.
I live in griz country, and actually am more worried about moose and mountain lions.
A mountain lion will snatch a kid or dog if they get a chance. A moose will stomp a person into an unrecognizable puddle. Just blood stains and scraps of clothes.
We seldom hear of a bear attack here outside of Glacier National Park. People feeding them causes most of the outside problems.
 
Random thought..

If you were out there. You know grizzly wants to eat you.

Is running at you. You have One shot.

Do you take the 20 yard or so shot when you see the bear coming

Or

Hold it. Holding Hold it till that thing is the length of the gun away or closer.. like your going to powder burn that thing.

Could you Hold it.

For me the question would be how fast I could line up the shot, and how confident I was with it being an incapacitation shot. GREAT "I kilt the bar that done kilt me" (Hatchet Jack) but I'd still be dead if it didn't stop the bear's charge and it mortally mauled me a bit. The shot needs to prevent a renewed attack by a mortally wounded bear. IF I wait, better chance the bear will get a lethal shot, but if it reaches me, and dies on top of me..., how do I get a 600 lb. bear carcass off of me? Will it smother me instead of eating me? When it lands on me does it break me in any way ?? "He would've survived if that thigh wasn't broken." NAH

Which is why LD carries something modern along with the flinter when in bear country, even when it's black bears. I hunt with my son and regs be damned if the DNR says I need to leave something at home that I could use to save my son. 😶

LD
 
For me the question would be how fast I could line up the shot, and how confident I was with it being an incapacitation shot. GREAT "I kilt the bar that done kilt me" (Hatchet Jack) but I'd still be dead if it didn't stop the bear's charge and it mortally mauled me a bit. The shot needs to prevent a renewed attack by a mortally wounded bear. IF I wait, better chance the bear will get a lethal shot, but if it reaches me, and dies on top of me..., how do I get a 600 lb. bear carcass off of me? Will it smother me instead of eating me? When it lands on me does it break me in any way ?? "He would've survived if that thigh wasn't broken." NAH

Which is why LD carries something modern along with the flinter when in bear country, even when it's black bears. I hunt with my son and regs be damned if the DNR says I need to leave something at home that I could use to save my son. 😶

LD

I agree with concealed carry. Concealed means concealed..

There bums and kaka living out there somtimes too.

Up north.. where our vacation home is..
There was one year were I think it's meth they were cookn out there way in the woods or something.. they got caught because it exploded.

I remember they put out warnings to be on the look out for them.
 
Last edited:
A few years ago I had a Sheriff Deputy stop over. He was a good friend of my BIL. He was taking his family on a camping trip to Montana in bear country. He wanted my advice on what pistol I would recommend. I told him none period. Unless he could draw an fire and put his shots in a five inch circle under stress.
Otherwise carry a 12 or 20 gauge pump with slug buck shot slug. When they got back home. He said it was the best advice he got..!
 

Latest posts

Back
Top