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Old May 26, 2021, 05:45 PM   #26
Scorch
Senior Member
 
Join Date: February 13, 2006
Location: Washington state
Posts: 15,247
Man, this is going to be a long answer.
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Scorch, might a moose hunter possibly run into a bear?
Sure! And you might run into a bear when going to take a dump, or when you are gutting a downed animal, or while you are fishing (which is most common because bears hang out where the food is). But apex predators are few and far between usually. You've seen the food pyramid, the bear is at the top (that's why they're called "apex predators"). A customer of mine was a guide in AK for 13 years, and he said you never know where you might run into a bear. Usually, they are just as surprised as you are and run away. Sounds to me like you are afraid of bears!
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Over in Africa, the most dangerous animals and the hardest ones to gun down are: the cape buffalo, the elephant, the charging lion in thick savanna bush and the rhino.
Over in Africa, the most dangerous animals other than mosquitos and snakes are hippos and crocs, they kill more people than anything except the insects. Why? Because they live close to where people live (close to water), so there are many times more opportunities to run into them while going about your daily work. Sure, elephants, rhino, Cape buffalo and lions are nothing to sneer at, but the chances of running into one are very slim unless you are out sneaking through the bush. And again, they want to get away from you as quickly as possible. Unless you sneak up on one, in which case you better have a rifle.
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One might want to dispatch a wounded game animal with a sidearm. There might be a defensive situation while out hunting where a sidearm is quicker to handle than a long gun.
OK, let me put down this fully capable rifle and draw my cumbersome handgun to put down an animal I knocked down with my rifle. Nope, not me. Oh, it's not dead? Bang. Done. I've actually done it. Or just grab it by the ear and use a knife on the brain stem.
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Any one heard any credible reports about grizzly bears harassing deer hunters? I've heard unsubstantiated reports that in areas where both bear and elk share habitat, a rifle shot has become a dinner bell for bears.
I have heard reports of bears coming to the sound of a gunshot. They are predators and scavengers and have learned that there is food where that sound comes from. But I have also spoken with game biologists that say the bears approach carefully because they understand that noise means death to them as well. The hunters usually never know they're there. Once the hunters leave, the gut pile disappears pretty fast.
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However, 50 yards could be too small a distance to deploy it.
Can I accurately deploy a rifle at 50 yds? Sure, done it several times. And a lot more accurately than a handgun. Especially when hunting. There are no shooting benches out in the field, so you learn to shoot without a rest.
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Keep in mind that people with hunting rifles often get mauled when they have to put the rifle down for whatever reason (most often field dressing an animal). In addition, hunting rifles are/should be carried WITHOUT a round in the chamber (when there is no shooting opportunity) which adds time to their use for self defense.
Yes, I've read about people getting jumped while field dressing game, but if were a common thing it would be written about more. If I'm hunting, that rifle is carried with a round in the chamber. In fact, unless I'm just out to shoot a Bambi, the rifle is ready at all times, even if I just shot my deer. I unload it when I get back to camp or the vehicle.

Now if you're camping and you want a sidearm, sure, go ahead and carry. If I'm hunting with a rifle in hand, I'm not carrying around an extra 3-4 pounds of handgun I would have to set my rifle down to use. I'll carry another 20 rounds of ammo for the same weight, just in case I get mass frontal attacked by tactical varmints.
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