r/canadaguns • u/dke783 • May 07 '26

Shooting Have you ever had a bear incident?

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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? ​​

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u/fuckbitingflies May 07 '26

One that was actually aggressive. I was doing remote research work and had a grizzly bear in camp in the night. No warning at all and it approached silently. I used a bear banger shot straight in the air and it worked as intended. The whole thing lasted less than 30 seconds from first growl and teeth popping to silence (except for ringing ears due to the banger). Nearly pitch black.

I see them (black and brown) often enough that I’m pretty desensitized, but that was quite a reality check for how quickly it can happen.

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u/dke783 May 07 '26

Which bear banger round did you use?

What are those rounds like for recoil and muzzle flash?

And do banger rounds cycle a semi-auto successfully?

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u/fuckbitingflies May 07 '26

I used it from a pen launcher in that instance, but I have tried them in 12G as well. They have a significant muzzle flash and no recoil. No chance they would cycle a semi, but I’ve never seen anyone using a semi for wildlife defense anyway. Usually a pump with a loaded tube and empty chamber. Sometimes with the tube loaded in order of lethality.