r/canadaguns • u/dke783 • May 07 '26

Shooting Have you ever had a bear incident?

Post image

Honest question: have you ever had to fend off an aggressive bear in Canada? (hunting or otherwise) What happened,​ and what worked for your response? ​​

131 Upvotes

97% Upvoted

115 comments sorted by

View all comments

4

u/numbdigits May 07 '26

I've been bluff charged a few times, each time the bears backed off after posturing, sometimes aggressively. This is far and away the most common ending to a bear charge. That said, if it's a grizzly sow and it has cubs nearby chances are that you are going to get stomped if you aren't quick enough to deter it/shoot it, and chances are you won't be so be aware because avoidance is your best protection. Much like carrying avalanche gear, bear spray or a gun may save your life, but if you have to use it then you already fucked up. If you have time to shoot it then you likely don't need to because it probably isn't going to attack you.