[repost]
Back in (I think) 1972 in Yellowstone Natl. Park, a grizzly dragged a girl out of a sleeping bag, carried her back into the woods and ate her. Made world wide news, including a big article in Life magazine. No one's sure why, but some think she may have been on her period and the smell of blood triggered the attack. A friend of mine, Jim King, was with the party of rangers assigned to track down the bear. As Jim told it, they were about 2 hours out with Jim bringing up the rear. He had an 870-P loaded with slugs. Grizzly have a nasty habit of attacking from the rear, and Jim said he just got "that feeling" and turned around just as the bear started its charge from about 20 meters. Jim told me he fired, with his first shot hitting the bear square in the chest. He said it knocked the bear back on his haunches, but it immediately got up and charged again. Jim put four more slugs into that bear before it finally dropped, almost at Jim's feet. I remember him telling me, "you know those stories about people needing a skivy change? Trust me, they're true!
" At any rate, an autopsy revealed human remains in the bear's stomach, but the biggest surprise was that it appeared that Jim's first shot basically ripped the bear's heart to shreds. That meant that the bear had continued to charge another 15 meters or so without a heart! Not to mention being hit 4 more times! Pure adrenalin! So, I don't think I'd bet all my marbles on any gun to solve the problem.