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Video: The (Mock) Polar Bear Charge Shootout
March 11, 2011
Video: The (Mock) Polar Bear Charge Shootout
In today’s video I’m practicing my aim in a drill that simulates a charging animal. For the test I rigged a target on a pulley and had it come “charging” toward me. The goal was to hit the target three times before it reached me—or else, I’m bear food. Although this was a good way to practice, it’s impossible to prepare for the kind of fear I’d experience if a bear were really to charge me.
During my upcoming adventure, when I pass the Arctic coast to venture onto the ice, I’ll be in prime polar bear country. An encounter would most likely happen while I’m around camp cooking or even asleep in the tent. Polar bears, attracted to the fish and food rations we'll have, might see us as a food source. (A polar bear can smell a seal on the ice 20 miles away.) We will leave our food several hundred feet from camp at night, but in the morning when we retrieve it, a bear could greet us. They’re massive creatures and can reach a running speed of 25 miles per hour. They're also smart: I’ve heard accounts from people who have been stalked by polar bears say the bears will use a paw to cover their black noses to camouflage against the white snow. That being said, I have also been told that most of the time, if you leave them alone, they will leave you alone. I hope that’s true.
What I Learned:
1. Next time, I’ll practice picking my gun up off the ground before firing. How often will you have a gun shouldered and loaded with the safety off before a bear charges?
2. Don’t rush the pump and to make sure my gun is in good shape. I jammed up once during the drill and that could mean my life in a real attack.
3. It’s not easy to fire a gun while wearing mittens. If a bear comes at me in the arctic I’ll have to be an extra step ahead so I can throw my mitten off before firing.
4. It’s tough to line up the second and third shots. My last two shots were usually on instinct.
5. If this were to happen for real, I would have to remain as calm as possible and make my shots count.
6. I became more confident that if I were charged and I had a loaded weapon, I would come out on top. It’s a good feeling.
7. I really hope a polar bear doesn’t charge me.
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Comments (12)
Your upcoming trip sounds AMAZING!! We will definitely be following your blog during your trip. Good luck!
Hey Jim,
Great drill and idea, looks pretty fun too! Would be nice to have 5 instead of 3 shells just in case. Do you know if you can remove the plug from the gun on your trip being as far North as you are?
Good luck shootin that bear in the face, I would go for the chest. Just trying to keep you alive.
Thanks for looking out for me. I’ve been told that a charging Polar Bear, or Grizzly won't slow down if you shoot it in the chest. Sure it will die, but so will you. From what I have heard the face/head is where you want to aim. Have you seen the size of the heads on these things? Its not a small target.
Living (& hunting) in Zambia 1973-75 I did similar practice: 375 Ackley against a weighted paint-bucket bouncing & rolling rapidly down a steep slope on a remote steep hillside road, while I popped away as it “charged”. Hunting, a situation arose when at ~ ten yards range a big lion was running straight away in the grass. Having practiced, I probably could have dropped it with a “Texas Heart Shot”-- but I held fire, being without backup. Thanks for sharing your preparation practice. Good Luck on the Hunt.
Question about plugging your shotgun was VERY GOOD ONE. Do you know if you HAVE to do that, limit to 3 shells, with your DEFENSIVE shotgun? I'd say you owe it to yourself to find out and you'd be providing excellent service to your readers.
On another note, you didn't say which size shells your using, 2 3/4", 3" or 3 1/2". Humble suggestion, stick to the 2 3/4" as there's less chance of "short stroking" the pump. The extra power of the magnums will do you no good if you fail to chamber them in panic stricken rush to stop polar bear charge. Also the lighter recoil will make it easier to get back on target faster. In a situation like this one quantity is definitely better than quality.
I had to shoot a brown bear IN MY APARTMENT BUILDING in Alaska. It took multiple slugs to the head to stop it.
Enjoy the trip, stay safe and let us know how it went! PLEASE let us know about shell limit.
Three shells is the legal limit all over Canada. Not to say that the rule is not broken when people are in remote areas where there is a serious bear threat. It is illegal though.
I was using 2 3/4 shells, good point on the 3" jamming up easier. That sounds like a pretty scary experience you had! Wow
Je vous remercie pour votre sharing.then vous invitons à visiter notre site Webchaussures Puma
Hi Jim Baird, while I'm not 100% on this I believe the three shell limit to a shotgun only applies when hunting migratory birds. You can remove the plug to hunt deer, rabbit, and for skeet. I could be wrong I'll look into this a little further.
Jimmy goodluck on your adventure to the north. Dont forget your touque! Love the videos, good stuff! I will be following your blog...Glenn (tire depot #2)
Thanks Glenn! I’m just finishing off the last few things before I head north on Sunday.
Hey roger8 you might be right about that. I may be getting confused with a reg for semi-auto, let me know if you look into it.
semi auto rifles are limited to 5 shot magazines; the 3 shot rule is only for migratory waterfowl. If you're not carrying a waterfowl liscence, and are loaded with slugs or buck to stop a bear, I don't know how enforcement could extrapolate that you were trying to poach waterfowl :P. I'd go for 2 3/4 slugs, personally.
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Your upcoming trip sounds AMAZING!! We will definitely be following your blog during your trip. Good luck!
Question about plugging your shotgun was VERY GOOD ONE. Do you know if you HAVE to do that, limit to 3 shells, with your DEFENSIVE shotgun? I'd say you owe it to yourself to find out and you'd be providing excellent service to your readers.
On another note, you didn't say which size shells your using, 2 3/4", 3" or 3 1/2". Humble suggestion, stick to the 2 3/4" as there's less chance of "short stroking" the pump. The extra power of the magnums will do you no good if you fail to chamber them in panic stricken rush to stop polar bear charge. Also the lighter recoil will make it easier to get back on target faster. In a situation like this one quantity is definitely better than quality.
I had to shoot a brown bear IN MY APARTMENT BUILDING in Alaska. It took multiple slugs to the head to stop it.
Enjoy the trip, stay safe and let us know how it went! PLEASE let us know about shell limit.
Jimmy goodluck on your adventure to the north. Dont forget your touque! Love the videos, good stuff! I will be following your blog...Glenn (tire depot #2)
Hey Jim,
Great drill and idea, looks pretty fun too! Would be nice to have 5 instead of 3 shells just in case. Do you know if you can remove the plug from the gun on your trip being as far North as you are?
Good luck shootin that bear in the face, I would go for the chest. Just trying to keep you alive.
Thanks for looking out for me. I’ve been told that a charging Polar Bear, or Grizzly won't slow down if you shoot it in the chest. Sure it will die, but so will you. From what I have heard the face/head is where you want to aim. Have you seen the size of the heads on these things? Its not a small target.
Living (& hunting) in Zambia 1973-75 I did similar practice: 375 Ackley against a weighted paint-bucket bouncing & rolling rapidly down a steep slope on a remote steep hillside road, while I popped away as it “charged”. Hunting, a situation arose when at ~ ten yards range a big lion was running straight away in the grass. Having practiced, I probably could have dropped it with a “Texas Heart Shot”-- but I held fire, being without backup. Thanks for sharing your preparation practice. Good Luck on the Hunt.
Three shells is the legal limit all over Canada. Not to say that the rule is not broken when people are in remote areas where there is a serious bear threat. It is illegal though.
I was using 2 3/4 shells, good point on the 3" jamming up easier. That sounds like a pretty scary experience you had! Wow
Je vous remercie pour votre sharing.then vous invitons à visiter notre site Webchaussures Puma
Hi Jim Baird, while I'm not 100% on this I believe the three shell limit to a shotgun only applies when hunting migratory birds. You can remove the plug to hunt deer, rabbit, and for skeet. I could be wrong I'll look into this a little further.
Thanks Glenn! I’m just finishing off the last few things before I head north on Sunday.
Hey roger8 you might be right about that. I may be getting confused with a reg for semi-auto, let me know if you look into it.
semi auto rifles are limited to 5 shot magazines; the 3 shot rule is only for migratory waterfowl. If you're not carrying a waterfowl liscence, and are loaded with slugs or buck to stop a bear, I don't know how enforcement could extrapolate that you were trying to poach waterfowl :P. I'd go for 2 3/4 slugs, personally.
Post a Comment