02-24-2010, 01:45 PM
Thanks for your replies. I know that most any caliber gun is too small for grizzles and moose for that matter.
I am really not that worried about bears etc it is a calculated risk, and most won't bother you. I just like to keep the calculations weighed more on my side in a problem situation.
My comment on cougars was more in the line of a light hearted remark. Most animals will give you a wide berth if you don't surprise them.. I have had cougars in my yard and even on my back deck. They are bad news on my barn cats. But if one is stalking you-- you can be pretty sure that it means business, where as with bears they might just be bluffing or checking you out.
I have had a number of encounters with moose and they are very unpredictable. Most of the time they will just move on or spook. Just this last summer I had a nasty "brush" with a moose in Copper Basin. I was on a very small creek fishing up through the willows. I was moving very quietly and I surprised a moose. She was only about 20 feet away across the creek in the willows. I calmly spoke to her and slowly backed up. She glared and advance toward me. I spoke nice, drew gun, and backed up a bunch more. She glared harder and advanced more. This continued until I got down around a beaver pond that was below me. When she stopped, I got out of her sight, and I booked it a lot faster out of her area. She never completely charged me, and I never fired as I wasn't too sure that a warning shot might not just provoke her. I knew that if I had to shoot at her it didn't have much chance of stopping her. It was late summer and I am sure she probably had a calf somewhere there in the bushes.
I had scratches all over my arms and legs from going through the brush, that I never noticed at the time!!
This incident in what really got me to thinking that I need to carry bear spray or a larger caliber. I think I will go with the bear spray and hold my breath for a loooonnnnng time. That is a calculated risk also.
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I am really not that worried about bears etc it is a calculated risk, and most won't bother you. I just like to keep the calculations weighed more on my side in a problem situation.
My comment on cougars was more in the line of a light hearted remark. Most animals will give you a wide berth if you don't surprise them.. I have had cougars in my yard and even on my back deck. They are bad news on my barn cats. But if one is stalking you-- you can be pretty sure that it means business, where as with bears they might just be bluffing or checking you out.
I have had a number of encounters with moose and they are very unpredictable. Most of the time they will just move on or spook. Just this last summer I had a nasty "brush" with a moose in Copper Basin. I was on a very small creek fishing up through the willows. I was moving very quietly and I surprised a moose. She was only about 20 feet away across the creek in the willows. I calmly spoke to her and slowly backed up. She glared and advance toward me. I spoke nice, drew gun, and backed up a bunch more. She glared harder and advanced more. This continued until I got down around a beaver pond that was below me. When she stopped, I got out of her sight, and I booked it a lot faster out of her area. She never completely charged me, and I never fired as I wasn't too sure that a warning shot might not just provoke her. I knew that if I had to shoot at her it didn't have much chance of stopping her. It was late summer and I am sure she probably had a calf somewhere there in the bushes.
I had scratches all over my arms and legs from going through the brush, that I never noticed at the time!!
This incident in what really got me to thinking that I need to carry bear spray or a larger caliber. I think I will go with the bear spray and hold my breath for a loooonnnnng time. That is a calculated risk also.
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