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Heading out for the long weekend!!!!/bearbangers?

Calebklyne

Calebklyne

Joined
Aug 5, 2009
Messages
1,117
hey folks im pretty new here but there seems to be a good crowd in here so i figured id let you all know im going for a two night backpacking trip in kananaskis country and i was wondering if anybody here has ever used bearbangers? if so do they work or is it best to stick with bear spray and more conventional tactics?
 
I have carried and tested them but never had the opportunity to use them on a bear. The floatplane pilot who loaned it to me said there's one critical thing to remember: Don't shoot too high and land the cracker behind the bear.

I think they could be useful for driving off a pesky bear hanging around camp at a moderate distance, if you didn't have a 12 gauge noisemaker with you. For close up, I'd definitely prefer a good spray. If I were carrying only one, it would be the spray.

With regard to conventional tactics, I have found that kicking gravel seems to work better on curious Western Alaska brownies than throwing rocks. I don't know why but I've tried it when camping on several gravel banked salmon streams and it seems to annoy the bears more than tossing rocks.

DancesWithKnives
 
thanks dwk i can only hope i never have to use either but i like to know i have something should it come down to it

i really wanted to test them last time i was out but since i was in a national park the rangers might not have been to pleased
 
In brown bear country I always carry a 12 gauge Mossberg 590 Mariner with slugs from www.dixieslugs.com. I've been lucky in that I haven't had to fire a warning shot in nearly 20 years of river trips to AK, the Yukon, and NWT (although friends have done so). So far the traditional techniques for keeping a clean camp and carefully securing food have done the trick.

Best of success to you,

DancesWithKnives
 
Calebklyne said:
I was wondering if anybody here has ever used bearbangers? if so do they work or is it best to stick with bear spray and more conventional tactics?
Click to expand...

I've been carrying them for years. It's so easy to keep a couple cartridges and a pen launcher in a front pocket. You can also do practice shots to get a feel for them. And yes, I have used them a couple times with black bears at 25' - 50' from me. Scares the crap out of them, and every other living thing around. I consider their use to be conventional. They are very effective in clearing the space around you. They make a great addition to the basic tactics you use to diffuse a bear situation.

I used to carry spray, but there are downsides to it I don't care for. It's meant to repel an attack – not scare a bear away. I would definitely carry spray if I was in griz country or NYC. Black bear country, I don't bother.
 
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Bear bangers ? How do they work ? I am familiar with rounds ,12 gage, that go out to about 75 yds then go off with a loud bang. They work well to chase the deer from your garden !!
People working near polar bears use bangers backed up with slugs.
 
Very good subject folks. I love learning new stuff. Where do you get these bearbangers?
 
What is a bear banger? It's an explosive cartridge. You remove the protective cap and thread it onto the end of a simple pen-sized launcher. Pulling back on a spring loaded pin, then releasing it, will fire the cartridge. It travels 100+ feet, then explodes with a BANG. You then unthread the spent shell from the launcher and reload if necessary.

SAFETY: Never aim these at the animal. Aim them up in the air. Ensure that the banger does not travel behind animal which can have the effect of scaring it towards you.

Tru Flare

Here's mine...

bearbanger.gif
 
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It's like a "bear zip gun".:D

If you are carrying a shotgun, another option is rubber ball ammo. Sellier & Bellot (and others) make it. Folks who do salmon counting say they use it effectively. I carry some but haven't had to use it.

DancesWithKnives
 
Hassilov said:
I used to carry spray, but there are downsides to it I don't care for. It's meant to repel an attack – not scare a bear away. I would definitely carry spray if I was in griz country. Black bear country, I don't bother.
Click to expand...

i will definatley have spray with me too cause there was a bear kill last time i was up there

thanks for the vid bushman its nice to know what it will do visually before using one myself
 
Hassilov, thanks for the bearbanger info.
I think I'll stick to bearspray when I go into New York City. :)
 
notice where i am aiming in the video? Standard firing practice for a bearbanger as taught by BC Conservation Officers, RCMP, and Wilderness Animal Control Instructors.

aim at target when USING A BEARBANGER (not a firearm) means slightly above the animals location.

nuff said.
 
point is: the BANG needs to go off at a point between you and the bear. not sail past him or set the forest ablaze. if you can determine that it will travel exactly 101 feet, then explode 7 feet in front of the bear, my hat is off to you.
 
I haven't played with bear popper's they sound cool. Like pocket flares though, I'd be afraid of starting the woods on fire.

I do frequent black bear country and I've laid out a four tier system for black bear encounters in camp that I'll share.

Scenario: A bear comes into camp being a general pain the the @$$.

T-1. Me yelling and screaming looking all big and pissed./If bear stays and gets all big and pissed, see two.

T-2. Start blasting the small marine air horn, LOUD is a under statement for these things./Bear starts dancing to the sound of the air horn and decides to stay, see three.

T-3. Bear spray, this is third because you can't always pick if you and your gear are down wind or not./:eek: please be gone, if not see four.

T-4. Not as straight forward as the rest but has to do with a quick prayer, knife, hatchet, and frying pan./Assuming I live through tier four I'll be hungry.:D

Every tier has been proven reliable by people over the years so I'm comfortable with the plan, until tier four that is.:foot:

I can't stress enough the importance of keeping a clean camp. I'm personally a bit over the top with camp cleanliness, I haven't had an encounter while in camp though either. I'll also keep moving if I find a site that has food scraps and trash spread about.:grumpy: Always look before you unload.

I don't worry about bear encounters on portage trails. I have a 17.5 foot canoe over my head and a big pack on so my eyes are only looking at where my feet are going. I suppose one could walk in front of me, that'd be interesting.:eek:

I love guns too, but I find myself on the wrong side of the border from time to time while canoeing and don't want to spend anymore time in Canada then I have to.;)

I know your backpacking but you may find some of it useful.

Have fun and stay safe.
 
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