Likes pretty much everything in every caliber.
I believe the underlying theory is you will have JHP for a humanoid threat and penetrators for bears. Suboptimal for either but it give you more flexibility without needing to try and swap magazines. Kinda like the folks that insist on loading the first couple of rounds in their home defense handgun as snake shot for an ability to de-escalate prior to lethal force. Can't say I agree with either one, but those are some of the theories I've heard over the years.
Honestly, I consider ea. of those two items a prerequisite to stepping off pavement regardless of any potential for wildlife encounters.
I have a thumb bell on my MTB bars. I use it for EXACTLY that reason. I ring it before entering a blind curve and 97 times out of 100, any hikers are stopped standing off to the trail side. (…the other 3 times are not cuz, you know,.. a$$holes exist everywhere.) 🤣🤷*♂️
The whistles I use for emergencies. I have them on my pack straps. I have them on my hydration packs, etc. I use them hiking, MTB’ing, Snowboarding. Whatever,.. I figure If im down & injured,.. good chance I might not have the energy or even ability to yell for help. But If im still breathing? I can probably use a whistle to attract attention.
And even in my neighborhood & on paved tesils,.. my micro 9 is in my waistband. Just my 2¢ on your preparedness. 😉
Lucky break with the bear,..
A real argument for never being alone in bear country is that a .22 short is enough gun.
Yep, they are usually the ones on bikes that don't know basic trail etiquette and expect everyone to get out of their way when that's not the case.
Hikers have the right away over bikers on a shared trail.
https://gearjunkie.com/biking/trail-...e-right-of-way
https://www.52trails.org/posts/trail...ogs-and-horses
and plenty more references.
Not to mention:
https://www.cbsnews.com/colorado/new...trail-hit-run/
Having said that, I get out of the way/yield to bikers when I know they are coming to avoid injury, but I have been passed, and almost hit, many times by bikers coming from behind with no announcement on narrow trails.The Jefferson County Sheriff's Office is now asking for help tracking that cyslist down. He is described as being a white man in his 20s or 30s, and he wasn't wearing a bike helmet. If caught he could face a felony assault charge.
Last edited by SiriusBlunder; 10-05-2022 at 01:42 AM.
Everything I have ever read says 10mm is more powerful than 9mm assuming similar make, model, bullet type. I have seen intermixing round types recommended for certain situations. My thought would be in the context of Shawn's bear encounter time is critical. With a mixed load mag a person would have something for a bear and also for other 4 and 2 legged creatures w/o a need to do a reload. I am not a woodsman, but I know in our local idpa matches I can do a standard reload reasonably quickly when I drop the mag out of the gun. My quickness drops way off if I need to retain the old mag. Maybe I didn't construct my sentences properly but I have no illusions that I am an expert on any of this. My intent was just to throw some thoughts into the discussion that might be worth considering.
Great story and thank you very much for sharing! Lots of pertinent information for the large number of mountain bikers on this forum.
I agree with others in keeping the gloves. They are just too important to keep your hands safe in the more likely even of a a spill. I wear the exact same gloves as you do and they have safe my fingers from branches more than once. That said your post will prompt me to spend some time on the range with them on!
I was riding in the forest behind North Mason High School, off highway 302. The area is a great mix of terrain, ranging from level, park-like canopy covered trails to intermediate inclines and descents. There's one place I have to dismount and walk my bike up the path about 200 feet or so because it's an incline out of a ravine that's too steep to pedal up without popping a wheelie and flipping over no matter how far forward I lean.
I've lived in the general area, off and on, since 1983. This is the first bear I've seen. I've only seen deer and quail, but my neighbors along the edge of the forest are the ones who've seen and reported about the cougar, bobcat, and coyotes, sometimes posting photos on the neighborhood Facebook page.
Looks like you have lots of experience with bears in your neck of the woods.
The last time I had this much excitement (an "Oh, F**K!" moment) in the woods was when I discovered I'd walked into somebody's marijuana grow in a clearcut north of Quilcene when I was out scouting a couple weeks before deer season in 1986. This was back when marijuana grows were guarded by booby traps and armed guards.
When doing fieldwork in bear country I’d have a spare mag of underwood 9 or 380. I wouldn’t have to admin load and unload and if the carry ammo wasn’t working then I had something else. Maybe I would of never got there but it made things simple in my NPE work environment.
A little off topic, but I thought some of you might enjoy these photos taken recently in the Great Bear Rainforest in BC by a high school classmate of mine. He is a hobbyist/semipro wildlife photographer, but I think these put him in the big leagues.
Last edited by Kanye Wyoming; 10-07-2022 at 10:37 PM.