Dominion arms grizzly vs akkar Churchill

[BC7stw]

Spooked a sleeping black bear while deer hunting. It got up at about 20 yards and in a blink was standing in front of me at about 12-15 feet. Rifle was pointed at it from the hip because I didn’t even have enough time to get it to my shoulder. After a bit of a stare down bear spun and left.

Big black bear boar came busting through the alders at me from about 25 yards. I only had time to swing my gun and shoot from the hip. Missed the bear but the shot spooked it and it ran off.

About 35 years ago a friend was calling moose near Prince George. Younger grizzly stepped onto the trail. As soon as he spoke the bear charged. He already had his gun particularly raised. From 85 yards he said all he had time to do was find it in the scope and fire. Killed the bear at about 15 yards.

We have a lot of bears here. Both kinds. Bush is thick with alders etc. Most encounters are at close range. I know a few folks who have had to protect themselves from aggressive animals.

In my experience, and the experiences of the folks I know that have had these types of problems it often happens with little warning, they are usually close when they charge or show aggressive behaviour. What ever you carry, it needs to be easy to grab, not on the back of your pack. Practice to gain speed/accuracy as there isn’t much time to fumble around once it starts.

Grizzly population here is exploding. I too am shopping for a short scattergun. Shorter the better. Neighbor shot a cougar a few years ago at 8 feet in his carport. Classic defender 12 gauge with a folding stock. Shot it from the hip with the stock folded.

I’ve seen a lot of posts over the years about bear protection. Practice, set up what ever you chose to be quick to put into action. Both of my experiences, I only had a few seconds to react. Both times I had a gun in my hands, neither time I had time to put it on my shoulder, only swing it to the charging bear. I know others who have had more time as the bear circled, or moved much more slowly. I guess it is prepare for the worst, hope for the best.