Knife to carry in Bear country

Status
Not open for further replies.
JC972 said:
As far as a knife goes, my choice would either be a good size Bowie or a machete. Maybe. I’ve hiked and camped for years in bear and mountain Lion country and always carried a .357 magnum 180 grain JSP or hard cast lead (Ruger SP101 or GP100 for me), .45acp with 230 grain FMJ in a 1911 or Glock 21, or a .40S&W with 180 grain FMJ in a Glock 27. I want penetration. I’d rather be illegally alive than legal beagle in a body bag. That’s just me though. If you’re limited to a knife I think maybe Buck 120, marine corps KaBar, or cold steel Bowie, at the bare minimum. I’d think you need Enough blade for good penetration from different angles because he’s not just gonna hold still and let you stab him without a fight to say the least.

I’ve killed a couple bears and quite a few wild hogs with knives but there were several good hunting dogs latched on to them and all I had to do was stick them behind the armpit into the chest cavity and get the heart and preferably lungs as well. Stab deep, and then a sweeping cut out on the withdrawal. It used to be en-vogue in these parts to take more dangerous game with a knife. But that was hunting with dogs and other guys with rifles ready to smoke Yogi if things went to crap, not defending my life with a big bruin on top of me trying to put me on a T shirt. If I’m ever in that situation I hope I’ve got one of my .30-06’s in my hands and see it coming.

Edited to add, the knife I used was a Buck 119 and a Buck 120 on at least one bear and couple or three bigger size hogs.
Click to expand...
Generally the black bears around here aren't as aggressive as grizzlies. Black bears invade my work occasionally. We yell at them and approach them to chase them away. I've done that maybe a dozen times. Without a knife, gun or bear spray. They have all retreated. Usually not as far as I'd like, but they fall back. I wouldn't do that to a grizzly.

With a grizzly I'd want at least a .44 mag and possibly more. Penetrating a bear's skull takes a significant amount of fire power. If it's charging you and it's head is bobbing around while it runs, I hope you shoot better than I do. It would take precision timing, nerves of steel, and the ability to quickly acquire your target.
 
There is a jaguar from north Mexico that has been found in the mountainous areas of west Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona, and it's preferred diet is black bear. I figure you should be relatively safe from bears in those regions. You shouldn't need a gun or a knife for bear protection. Jaguar protection? I don't even want to contemplate, especially given his name is El Jefe.

Now I live in northern Illinois, and the only bears around here can't make it more than 5 yards without falling down.
 
Err, my longest knife of QUALITY is the XL Espada which would also be of good heavy slashing use. 7.5" blade but the extreme handle grip options, you can easily extend that to 11" by holding it with subhilt.

However, I was looking at a 10in chopper like the SP10. I would imagine those huge "Scrapyard" fixed blades would be good in the role, though you can have the camp knife tip, or a tip like a Carothers... what I wonder is, what the technical process is like. Lets say you have 10 seconds to ready, and there's equally skilled guys in the same scenario with... a 9" dagger, a 10-13in bowie knife, and a long spear. What is the most likely win and why?

I probably am not going to mess with daggers in an SD role like this. I want a little mass for swinging. Only dagger I carry is for utility, UTX-70 is a true EDC.

While I think exactly 0 people here are planning on betting on winning, old men have won with a Buck 110 on a bear. I would not exactly say you're done for.
 
I think I would just stick with the suit.

ProjectGrizPoster.jpg
 
dryflytrout said:
With a grizzly I'd want at least a .44 mag and possibly more. Penetrating a bear's skull takes a significant amount of fire power. If it's charging you and it's head is bobbing around while it runs, I hope you shoot better than I do. It would take precision timing, nerves of steel, and the ability to quickly acquire your target.
Click to expand...
That’s been my experience with late summer blacks in huckleberry thickets, too.

Please don’t shoot a charging brown in the skull. It’s about an inch thick bone plate, sloped away from you. Try for a shoulder, hoping he’ll turn and you can get one into his heart/lung from the side.

Google up “Keith Rogan bear mauling”. Quite a story, he’s a tough old boy and got lucky too.

Parker
 
Something with dice on the lanyard??...Ive heard, "That in battle luck often will save a man, if his courage holds" SAK, sharp stick, or .50 cal belt fed machine gun, I dont like your chances. We have rightly feared bears since the dawn of time, even the anglo/ germanic name I beleive means "brown", because to even speak it's name might invite predation.
 
catspa said:
That’s been my experience with late summer blacks in huckleberry thickets, too.

Please don’t shoot a charging brown in the skull. It’s about an inch thick bone plate, sloped away from you. Try for a shoulder, hoping he’ll turn and you can get one into his heart/lung from the side.

Google up “Keith Rogan bear mauling”. Quite a story, he’s a tough old boy and got lucky too.

Parker
Click to expand...
You just need a bigger gun...
IMG_19102021_205018.jpg
 
When I'm out in remote areas, like the local observatory and wandering around outside at night in the dark, I do keep a BFK on hand as well as bear spray for peace of mind. It's especially handy when I'm escorting someone nervous about being eaten by critters up to the admin buildings or wandering between groups of observers I'm responsible for to check on them. I knew another guy who kept a golf iron handy for cougars. One time, when I was at the controls of a telescope inside a shed, the guy outside yelled for help because he thought a bear was in the bushes. It didn't sound right and sure enough when I listened it was just a rabbit. When the grass and twigs get bone dry in the summer, a tiny animals sound like King Kong moving through the bush and I've heard some nesting birds take advantage of that to scare off predators. Most of the time up at the observatory, I just hear deer moving around at night, but I'm honestly more concerned with sketchy, two-legged trespassers.

When I hike it's bear bangers, bear spray, and a knife (not plan C, more like Plan it's been nice to know you). I've come across quite a few black bears and cougars in the wilderness, but only seen grizzlies from a vehicle, despite camping a lot on their turf. They mostly want nothing to do with us, unless we act like food or don't police our food very well (or the idiots there before you were feeding them). A lot of this thread reminds me of something else I came across a while back:

 
You are far, far better off with a long handled axe. That said, I carry a home made Kephart, along with a Gransfors Bruks Scandinavian Forest Axe, particularly in spring when they come out of hibernation.
 
And that's why you wouldn't catch me wondering thru the woods in bear country without a gun. And then I would have at least my 10 mm Glock 40 and a high powered rifle at the least my Ruger mini 14. My family is from far Eastern Kentucky and I've witnessed plenty of bears, rattle snakes, copperhead and plenty of other things to mess your day up. No way would I wonder around with only a knife.
 
It’s fun to read & think about, but in the woods man is way down on the list of bad azzes.
Even heavily armed, there are no guarantees it will go your way.
Never underestimate your opponent.
Your best bet in bear country, is making a lot of human noise.
Prayer & having your estate in order is also good.
 
dryflytrout said:
Generally the black bears around here aren't as aggressive as grizzlies. Black bears invade my work occasionally. We yell at them and approach them to chase them away. I've done that maybe a dozen times. Without a knife, gun or bear spray. They have all retreated. Usually not as far as I'd like, but they fall back. I wouldn't do that to a grizzly.

With a grizzly I'd want at least a .44 mag and possibly more. Penetrating a bear's skull takes a significant amount of fire power. If it's charging you and it's head is bobbing around while it runs, I hope you shoot better than I do. It would take precision timing, nerves of steel, and the ability to quickly acquire your target.
Click to expand...
Naw. These here around home might as well be tame compared to them big ones out there. The normal size here is 2-450 pounds. When I was about 18 a bunch of us was camping/partying up the river and a bear woke us up by getting in the cooler and eating our beers. If it was 275 pounds I’d be shocked. Me being a still drunk moron, I ran up behind it and kicked it right in its ass. It ran one way and I made out like I was chasing him. Now had there not been a lot of alcohol involved and my new girlfriend to show off for I probably wouldn’t have went that far. Being a drunk teenager didn’t help I guess. The best part was the bear taking off and running slap over one of the tents with other drunk people in it after I kicked it. They thought it was trying to attack their tent and I chased it away heroically in my fruit of the looms and cowboy hat! Those was good times!
 
I assume with the limitations imposed for hiking in bear country that you are hiking with someone who runs slower than you do. Maybe hiking with a girlfriend, etc. that you are trying to ditch. And perhaps with your four German Shepards. As far as a knife the Victorinox Fibrox 8" Chef Knife would be my choice, along with a holstered 44 Mag pistol.

 
Last edited:
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top