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Carrying a gun when canoe traveling just because

I generally root for the bears over subdivisions but DanG I think at a minnimum that bear needs a serious hazing.
 
I generally root for the bears over subdivisions but DanG I think at a minnimum that bear needs a serious hazing.
Yes, I agree. These bears were not originally found in the San Gabriels. They were transplanted there in the 1930s from Yosemite. Black bears were not very numerous in California before the grizzlies were extirpated. In the last decade or so, they've moved down to foothill communities and become nuisances and potentially dangerous. I worry more about the mountains lions which also prowl the area. One of my daughter's neighbors has a game camera set up in the backyard and regularly gets a photo of them. California banned hunting for mountains lions in 1990 and since that time the cats have become less afraid of humans. While I probably wouldn't hunt them, I'd be in favor of harassing them, tracking them with dog packs and tasering them, just to remind them to avoid people.
 
been hiking, camping, paddling, and snowshoeing all over Canada for 60 years, and haven't seen the need for a gun yet. Even when paddling the Athabasca, which has inarguably one of the highest rate of encounters with brown and black bears in the country, a simple bear banger was more than sufficient. My bangers ride in a neck pouch loaded and with the safety on ready to pop one off in an instant. I really don't want to take the time to uncase, load one in the chamber, and aim and shoot at such a small target as the chest or a limb(headshots tend to bounce off it's skull because of it's density and curvature) when a critter that can cover a football field in 4 seconds is charging...
and yes, I was tracked by a griz on the above trip UNTIL I fired off a couple of bangers, then it took off so fast it's butt passed it's head in it's hurry to get away from the crazy 2 legged creature...
Showing my ignorance, but what is a bear banger?
 
Glenn, good clip except it doesn't really do the bangers justice- they are LOUD, think flashbang loud... If you're too close they'll make your ears ring for hours.They can also be fired straight up as a sound signal in an emergency.
 
While we have no resident bears or panthers, they do come through our property. They have been caught on game cameras and also have left tracks and scat.

A panther passed along our unimproved road two days ago.
 
One bit of bad advice in that video. Don't keep a banger screwed together in your pocket. Those firing pin/trigger mechanisms are extremely mobile, you could accidentally set off a banger in your pocket, which could result in some nasty consequences.
 
One bit of bad advice in that video. Don't keep a banger screwed together in your pocket. Those firing pin/trigger mechanisms are extremely mobile, you could accidentally set off a banger in your pocket, which could result in some nasty consequences.
It' really depends on the model of launcher- mine has the ring pull and safety pin, you need to actually cock it to fire, with the safety holding it in the cocked position, just like a single- action revolver, you just release the ring (slowly) while holding the safety pin- essentially dropping the hammer. to fire it you still need to pull the ring to cock it, and then release the safety pin, unlike cheaper models where there is no safety.I further improve on this by simply using a padded camera pouch that keeps anything from being able to snag the ring.
 
Just a thought: Doesn't a banger present a higher risk of starting a wildfire than a handgun would?
A few years ago, we had a friend visiting, who had never heard of a bear banger. We went outside to demonstrate how it worked. Came back in to enjoy more tea. Went out again about 10 minutes later, to see a fire spreading through our grassland. Ran to the garage where all three of us grabbed shovels, and other implements of destruction. Ran back out, and beat the fire to death. That was a close one.

The instructions with the bear banger do warn against the possibility of starting a fire. But who pays any attention at all to warnings that come with instructions?
 
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One bit of bad advice in that video. Don't keep a banger screwed together in your pocket. Those firing pin/trigger mechanisms are extremely mobile, you could accidentally set off a banger in your pocket, which could result in some nasty consequences.

A few years ago, we had a friend visiting, who had never heard of a bear banger. We went outside to demonstrate how it worked. Came back in to enjoy more tea. Went out again about 10 minutes later, to see a fire spreading through our grassland. Ran to the garage where all three of us grabbed shovels, and other implements of destruction. Ran back out, and beat the fire to death. That was a close one.

The instructions with the bear banger do warn against the possibility of starting a fire. But who pays any attention at all to warnings that come with instructions?
The more problems I read about bear bangers, the more I think I should just carry a large white cat for bear defense, which mem has proven to be effective. Of course I wouldn't put one of those down my pants, either.
 
Just a thought: Doesn't a banger present a higher risk of starting a wildfire than a handgun would?
Not necessarily, even shotguns can send a burning wad down range, in fire season I tend to aim directly overhead to let the charge burn out before landing or if the bear is less than about 20 yards away, you're supposed to send it above and in front of the bear, not at it- you want to scare it away, not pi** it off and have a scorched, angry bear coming at you.
 
I had a Colt 1911 when a bear came into camp. Had the gun in my hand ready to go. But seriously, looking at the size of the bear, my pistol suddenly felt like a kids squirt gun. I just knew if I shot him he would take the gun away and beat me to death with it. As the bear ate everything he wanted, we were able to move back slowly and get in the cab of the truck.
I think for hungry bears a 50 caliber or 12 gauge with slugs is "bear"minimum.
 
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