Fixed blade suitable for defending against a bear attack?

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gdaddy

gdaddy

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I will be traveling to a densely populated black bear area and would like to have a recommendation
for a fixed blade knife; i.e... blade material, length. etc... just in case.
I have little to no experience / knowledge about fixed blade knives.
Thanks
PS: Budget would be under $300 if that helps.
 
Use that budget to buy a bell, hang it from your gear or belt. Bears hate to be surprised. Get a can of bear mace, and hang it from your belt where you can get at it.
 
Take the $300 & buy a 12ga pumpgun & some slugs. If a bear, black or brown, is close enough to fight off with a knife, you already screwed up. Bear spray will most likely do more good than a knife.
 
I agree with the above! Knife against bear = Very Bad Day, get as big a gun as possible, wear a bell, and carry bear spray.

And if it has to be a knife you want a Bowie it worked for Davie Crockett, lmao
 
On sale for $299.00 :D

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Thank to you all for your advice.
Never thought of a bell or mace, so it's good I asked for help.
Harold
 
Use the $300 to pay the way for a friend who runs much more slowly than you.
 
I am an outdoor guide (backpacking, climbing, etc.) working mainly in black bear country. The others are correct. Bear spray is by far your best option. Next up would be a pistol. A knife in a bear fight would be a last ditch type of thing, and probably just as likely to end up stuck in you. Honestly, your best defense against a bear is to be smart. Don't put anything that might have any kind of odor in your tent. No food, toothpaste, deodorant, medicine, food wrappers, etc. All of that needs to be hung in a bear bag. Practice hanging a bear bag before you go. It needs to be at least 10ft off the ground and 4ft from any tree or branch. Be careful not to spill food on your clothing, and if you do, don't sleep in it. Don't cook or eat near your tent. While hiking, a bell or just talking will help keep you from surprising a bear. Don't approach any bear, and certainly don't feed them. Don't turn your back on a bear, or run from them. Just back up slowly. If one follows you or stares you down, make yourself look big. Wave your arms, throw rocks, and yell. If you do get mauled, FIGHT BACK!!! Do not listen to people that tell you to play dead! That is the strategy with brown bears. With black bears, it's recommended that you fight back. Stay far away from mothers with cubs.

I will tell you though, in 20 years of backpacking and guiding, I have only had one bad experience with a black bear, and it was because he already had someone's food. Other than that, seeing bears in the wild is a cool thing, not something to be scared of. They are generally skittish, and will bolt as soon as you yell or throw a rock their way. Remember, they live in the wild. There is no bear hospital. To them, a fight means possibly getting hurt, which could be a death sentence. They will generally only fight if they feel like they have to, or if they're starving. Be smart, you'll be fine.
 
Alfazulu said:
I am an outdoor guide (backpacking, climbing, etc.) working mainly in black bear country. The others are correct. Bear spray is by far your best option. Next up would be a pistol. A knife in a bear fight would be a last ditch type of thing, and probably just as likely to end up stuck in you. Honestly, your best defense against a bear is to be smart. Don't put anything that might have any kind of odor in your tent. No food, toothpaste, deodorant, medicine, food wrappers, etc. All of that needs to be hung in a bear bag. Practice hanging a bear bag before you go. It needs to be at least 10ft off the ground and 4ft from any tree or branch. Be careful not to spill food on your clothing, and if you do, don't sleep in it. Don't cook or eat near your tent. While hiking, a bell or just talking will help keep you from surprising a bear. Don't approach any bear, and certainly don't feed them. Don't turn your back on a bear, or run from them. Just back up slowly. If one follows you or stares you down, make yourself look big. Wave your arms, throw rocks, and yell. If you do get mauled, FIGHT BACK!!! Do not listen to people that tell you to play dead! That is the strategy with brown bears. With black bears, it's recommended that you fight back. Stay far away from mothers with cubs.

I will tell you though, in 20 years of backpacking and guiding, I have only had one bad experience with a black bear, and it was because he already had someone's food. Other than that, seeing bears in the wild is a cool thing, not something to be scared of. They are generally skittish, and will bolt as soon as you yell or throw a rock their way. Remember, they live in the wild. There is no bear hospital. To them, a fight means possibly getting hurt, which could be a death sentence. They will generally only fight if they feel like they have to, or if they're starving. Be smart, you'll be fine.
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Assuming that this is all good advice, I'm glad to have stumbled upon this thread (or at least this post ^ ).
 


The National Park Rangers are advising hikers in Glacier National Park and other Rocky Mountain parks to be alert for bears and take extra precautions to avoid an encounter.
They advise park visitors to wear little bells on their clothes so they make noise when hiking. The bell noise allows bears to hear them coming from a distance and not be startled by a hiker accidentally sneaking up on them. This might cause a bear to charge.
Visitors should also carry a pepper spray can just in case a bear is encountered. Spraying the pepper into the air will irritate the bear's sensitive nose and it will run away.
It is also a good idea to keep an eye out for fresh bear scat so you have an idea if bears are in the area. People should be able to recognize the difference between black bear and grizzly bear scat.
Black bear droppings are smaller and often contain berries, leaves, and possibly bits of fur. Grizzly bear droppings tend to contain small bells and smell of pepper spray.
 
The average black bear weighs about 300 pounds, so I would definitely skip a knife or bear spray as your first line of defense and would only resort to them as a last line of defense if everything went to shit. Instead try buying a used 12 gauge shotgun like a Remington 870, Winchester 1200, Mossberg 500 or a Mossberg Maverick 88 and load that sucker up with .00 Buckshot. If you don't want to carry around a shotgun, your best bet is a revolver chambered in .357 or .44 Magnum with a barrell that is 4" to 6" long for better accuracy and ballistics.
 
Alfazulu said:
I am an outdoor guide (backpacking, climbing, etc.) working mainly in black bear country. The others are correct. Bear spray is by far your best option. Next up would be a pistol. A knife in a bear fight would be a last ditch type of thing, and probably just as likely to end up stuck in you. Honestly, your best defense against a bear is to be smart. Don't put anything that might have any kind of odor in your tent. No food, toothpaste, deodorant, medicine, food wrappers, etc. All of that needs to be hung in a bear bag. Practice hanging a bear bag before you go. It needs to be at least 10ft off the ground and 4ft from any tree or branch. Be careful not to spill food on your clothing, and if you do, don't sleep in it. Don't cook or eat near your tent. While hiking, a bell or just talking will help keep you from surprising a bear. Don't approach any bear, and certainly don't feed them. Don't turn your back on a bear, or run from them. Just back up slowly. If one follows you or stares you down, make yourself look big. Wave your arms, throw rocks, and yell. If you do get mauled, FIGHT BACK!!! Do not listen to people that tell you to play dead! That is the strategy with brown bears. With black bears, it's recommended that you fight back. Stay far away from mothers with cubs.

I will tell you though, in 20 years of backpacking and guiding, I have only had one bad experience with a black bear, and it was because he already had someone's food. Other than that, seeing bears in the wild is a cool thing, not something to be scared of. They are generally skittish, and will bolt as soon as you yell or throw a rock their way. Remember, they live in the wild. There is no bear hospital. To them, a fight means possibly getting hurt, which could be a death sentence. They will generally only fight if they feel like they have to, or if they're starving. Be smart, you'll be fine.
Click to expand...

This is GREAT advice. I am a field biologist. Bear spray is your best tool, but situational awareness and a basic understanding of bear behavior is your best defense. But skip the bells. They do not make enough noise. Human voice is a much better deterrent. Sing or talk loud. Hey bear! Don't travel faster than you can observe your surroundings. As a mtn biker and trail runner myself, this can be annoying, but you don't want to surprise bears - give them a chance to clear out. Never get between a bear and food/prey/its kill, and never ever between momma and cubs. How do you avoid that - be as aware as you can be. Head phones off, no texting while hiking, ;)
 
gdaddy said:
I will be traveling to a densely populated black bear area and would like to have a recommendation
for a fixed blade knife; i.e... blade material, length. etc... just in case.
I have little to no experience / knowledge about fixed blade knives.
Thanks
PS: Budget would be under $300 if that helps.
Click to expand...

I'd trust bear spray before any knife in a bear attack. My BIL lives in Alaska, and can personally attest to Bear sprays effectiveness. While it the spray can become somewhat impotent in cold Alaskan winters it is a moot point, because the critters are in hibernation.

A knife in a bear attack is almost as ineffective as a toddler attacking a heavyweight boxer with a roofing nail.

If you want a more permanent means to put a bear down, I would suggest a revolver in nothing smaller than .357 158 gr. Full Magnum JSP if in Black Bear Country, and .454 Casull 300 gr JSP if in Grizzly or Polar Bear country.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
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alachner said:
The average black bear weighs about 300 pounds, so I would definitely skip a knife or bear spray as your first line of defense and would only resort to them as a last line of defense if everything went to shit. Instead try buying a used 12 gauge shotgun like a Remington 870, Winchester 1200, Mossberg 500 or a Mossberg Maverick 88 and load that sucker up with .00 Buckshot. If you don't want to carry around a shotgun, your best bet is a revolver chambered in .357 or .44 Magnum with a barrell that is 4" to 6" long for better accuracy and ballistics.
Click to expand...

Bear spray is actually very effective against black and brown bears if you get charged and they are close enough. If they are not charging or that close, no reason to kill. I'm all for being armed and by choice I will be in bear country (Rem 870 with HC slugs, or my trusty Marlin 45-70), but shooting should not be your first response. And carrying a firearm may not be an option in all locations.
 
Alfazulu said:
I am an outdoor guide (backpacking, climbing, etc.) working mainly in black bear country. The others are correct. Bear spray is by far your best option. Next up would be a pistol. A knife in a bear fight would be a last ditch type of thing, and probably just as likely to end up stuck in you. Honestly, your best defense against a bear is to be smart. Don't put anything that might have any kind of odor in your tent. No food, toothpaste, deodorant, medicine, food wrappers, etc. All of that needs to be hung in a bear bag. Practice hanging a bear bag before you go. It needs to be at least 10ft off the ground and 4ft from any tree or branch. Be careful not to spill food on your clothing, and if you do, don't sleep in it. Don't cook or eat near your tent. While hiking, a bell or just talking will help keep you from surprising a bear. Don't approach any bear, and certainly don't feed them. Don't turn your back on a bear, or run from them. Just back up slowly. If one follows you or stares you down, make yourself look big. Wave your arms, throw rocks, and yell. If you do get mauled, FIGHT BACK!!! Do not listen to people that tell you to play dead! That is the strategy with brown bears. With black bears, it's recommended that you fight back. Stay far away from mothers with cubs.

I will tell you though, in 20 years of backpacking and guiding, I have only had one bad experience with a black bear, and it was because he already had someone's food. Other than that, seeing bears in the wild is a cool thing, not something to be scared of. They are generally skittish, and will bolt as soon as you yell or throw a rock their way. Remember, they live in the wild. There is no bear hospital. To them, a fight means possibly getting hurt, which could be a death sentence. They will generally only fight if they feel like they have to, or if they're starving. Be smart, you'll be fine.
Click to expand...

I do agree about Bear Spray, but a .454 would have helped this guy out more.

https://www.google.com/amp/www.cbsn...todd-orr-montana-twice-bloody-facebook-video/

A modern day Hugh Glass.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
In addition to bear spray, I would get a cold steel boar spear. The spear is a great offensive weapon and has even recently been used to dispatch a mountain lion that was attacking a woman in Canada and save her life.
 
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1. Bear spray.
2. Service-size (4"+ barrel) revolver in .357 magnum minimum with hard-cast lead SWC bullets.
3. Long gun, either shotgun or lever rifle.
4. ... and if you absolutely must have a knife to defend yourself against bears, I would recommend it be a large one and that you attach it securely to the end of a long, heavy, hardwood shaft, preferably with langets and a steel crossguard to help defend against a charge.

But between 1 and 2 you should be fine. Actually the odds are excellent that you'd be fine without any of them.
 
Ironbut said:
Take the $300 & buy a 12ga pumpgun & some slugs. If a bear, black or brown, is close enough to fight off with a knife, you already screwed up. Bear spray will most likely do more good than a knife.
Click to expand...

This!! You will NEVER win against a bear, with a knife.
 
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