Is it possible? Can you in self defense kill a brown bear or grizzly with a handgun or knife. Let's take a close look at the cross section of a bear skull and find out what makes these amazing creatures so darn tough.
While hiking I met a bear on the trail. Carrying my 30 Spl J frame revolver, I immediately felt out gunned. The black bear walked away while I was backing up.
Its NOT! Nor is it bulletproof. Frontal plate is only very thin bone chambers filled w bone foam & VERY EASILY punctured. Even a 22 L.R. will easily punch right through it into the brain. The MYTH about bear skull invincibility was started way back in flintlock/ roundball, smooth bore days when someone put a ball right up the glance of the upper skull & that LIE has been circulated since. Bears skulls are no tougher than ours is & a 22 will easily punch through that.
And - if Griddley is coming for you, he probably has a full load of adrenaline going, so he’s going to ignore anything that doesn’t have an *immediate turn-him-off-right-now! effect.*
Bolt action is a poor choice for every type of hunting imo. Always ½-auto 1+2 minimum. (Thats the rule around here for all hunting) Pump actions may have more, but they are easily only ½ as fast for an average user.
had to fire on an attacking brown, 40 yrs back. turned scoped rifle sideways, from down on a knee. sighted down rifle BARREL. fired at 10 feet, into full-charging (350 lbs) bears right eye. bear SLID up to me, let out last breath, nose touching my boot. I see now, the freakish luck I had that day, the 140 gr 7x57 bullet was recovered from brain, skull was fractured.
@@aesopstortoise how is anyone really going to know ! bears are unpredictable wild animals. the one thing you can predict is that there is a chance it can turn dangerous or deadly.
I always heard the frontal bone was like armor and avoid shooting there, however the presentation on other vulnerable areas was a tremendous learning curve for anyone in the woods where bear habitates. Thank you for sharing this information.
As you stated, a charging bear`s head is bobbing up & down as it charges straight at you. Dr. Stephen Herrero (Bear Expert) suggests your aim point be between the lower jaw & where the lower throat & chest meet. A high powered hunting rifle or 12 bore pump-action shotgun, with slugs or double/triple-ought buckshot, would be good choices for this task. James Gary Shelton, of British Columbia, is also an expert on Black & Brown Bears, & prefers a short barreled 12 bore pump-action shotgun loaded with 'heavy slugs.' Both gentlemen have written definitive books on bear attacks & bear defense.
@@sward13x Over the last 200 years the English & Americans have been using the term(s) interchangeably. I have used the term 'bore,' in reference to shotguns, for the last 60 years & this is the first time someone has gotten (prissy) about it...
Thank you I live and hike in Grizzly areas in MT. This is actually very helpful if you are in a desperate situation and can remember it. I remember reading about a really old skull of a grizzly found maybe the early 1900's 1930ish period. It was a very old skull so sometime in the late 1800's??? When they found it, it had a hole in the upper part of its mouth and inside the skull between the brain and the fangs (as I learned from your video) was a hole and an old bullet of some sort still in the bears head. The wound had healed so the bear had lived a few years after the wound... But it meant some human had at one point been in the bear's arms likely with a rifle of the period and taken his last shot into the bear's open mouth from below. It appears it might have been the last thing that human ever did... The Bear lived beyond that point in time, likely in great pain for quite awhile. Now that I see the skull, you can see that if the round had been at a different angle going more backward, it might have hit the brain, human wins, but if a bear has its arms around or is even right on top of you getting ready to swipe and bite with its mouth open and you have a long gun, your choice of aim is already slim to none... And the bear won... And we wonder... Here's a journal excerpt from Lewis and Clark... "Capt. Clark & Drewyer killed the largest brown bear this evening which we have yet seen. it was a most tremendious looking anamal, and extreemly hard to kill notwithstanding he had five balls through his lungs and five others in various parts he swam more than half the distance across the river to a sandbar & it was at least twenty minutes before he died; he did not attempt to attact, but fled and made the most tremendous roaring from the moment he was shot." The weapons of yesteryear weren't of the same...caliber...as today's, but I've seen emergency room pics of what they have done to hunters who got shots off with long guns and survived because they were in pairs or more. I used to run the state program that gave rabies prophylaxis recommendations for animal exposures to local health departments and hospitals. Pretty much the worst one I saw of one situation had the bottom half of a man's face gone... Lower jaw gone, ripped off, side of head ear gone skull visible. The guy was sitting on an examination table looking pretty normal from the head down. I saw a few like this but none like that one. The hunter had been with his father and they were only a few feet apart with hunting rifles. They were in brush and surprised a mother bear and cubs and within seconds all the above happened before the father could put the bear down... What I learned was, I will carry a large caliber weapon when in grizzly country. I also always have a small air horn and bear spray... If I know there is one around I will sound off the air horn. Bells can be an attractor by the way and you really do NOT want to be in a situation where they know where you are but you are unaware of them... A loud boat horn is something that repels. I hear noises in the woods like the crack of a big dead branch, I blow the horn. I've done this twice. It works on moose also... Then I have the bear spray out. IF, IF a grizzly gets past those then I will pull the big "revolver" if I have time with bear loads and make the decision on whether to shoot at the grizzly or put it up to my own head and cut to the chase... Those pics have scared me greatly. This video is actually very helpful to me. Knowing the anatomy of a creature in certain situations can make a difference between death and survival. Much appreciated. They scare the living poo out of me after what' I"ve seen. PS, And then I hear about the brown bears in like Siberia/Kamchatka that make our Grizzlies look small weighing in as much as 1700 lbs vs our grizzlies maxing out in the 900 lb range. Now, that...is...a...bear... Grizzlies are a smaller sub-species of the same bear adapted to different environments... 1700 lbs, that's like a small car... And they supposedly have a worse attitude than grizzlies since they seldom have ever seen a human and have zero fear of...well...anything...
I always win against the Kodiak. Haven’t lost against them ever. I just substitute the water with buttermilk and those pancakes come out great. Kodiak Pancakes are awesome. The closest I’ll ever come to a Kodiak Bear is the picture on the box! 🤗
I used to get that brand, but they pretty much exclusively sell the extra protein mixes now at all the stores here…all I really cared for was the regular pancakes
Your concern with bears is justified. I have surprised a black bear before, they are surprisingly quick. The knife is a last chance at defense. The selection of a knife for such a situation would be critical. I was in law enforcement and one of my training officers talked with me about knives. He selected a good qualify Bowie knife. It was carried between to front seat of the patrol car. For a last chance if he was overpowered by a perpetrator while he was behind the wheel. For the use you are exploring, a knife like a KaBar or Cold Steels Leatherneck would have a more effective penitrating tip, and longer knife blade.
Excellent advice thanks! I often carry a Cold Steel Tai Pan now especially if I'm flying commercial. It's a 7" double edged dagger. But I always use a firearm or bear spray if I can.
Geesh about time someone post up a more informative video of a bear skull. Now I have a better clue. Thanks. Some say they have like ten inch thick skull which I cannot come to believe it.
I tend to agree with you but note, the guy in the video shows a two inch thick skull on a "small" skull. What about a 900 pounder male (about the biggest American grizzly)? OR, worst case, a 1700 lb brown bear (biggest one of those) in Kamchatka Russia. Imagine being attacked by something the size of a small car and a bad attitude six inch claws and four inch fangs... An American Grizzly would probably last about 10 seconds against one of those for perspective. They were first documented in a believable way by Lewis and Clark (large American Grizzlies) and I posted this in another place but an excerpt from their journal notes: "Capt. Clark & Drewyer killed the largest brown bear this evening which we have yet seen. it was a most tremendious looking anamal, and extreemly hard to kill notwithstanding he had five balls through his lungs and five others in various parts he swam more than half the distance across the river to a sandbar & it was at least twenty minutes before he died; he did not attempt to attact, but fled and made the most tremendous roaring from the moment he was shot."
The hunter in your movie example has a really slow reaction time. It took him a full second to start to move after he saw the bear charging him from behind. He also neglected the opportunity to duck behind the tree and make the bear have to turn around it to get him, gaining him another second to get his rifle on target. Yeah, I know. It's a movie and the action was set up that way. Still. Good information overall.
That's a tactic called "off-lining"; works well to disrupt committed incoming attacks, but needs to be quick if close or timed right, if further away. But, yes, that would've been a good move to not get steamrolled. Might've made a good opportunity for the side-skull shot, too.
Good video, I had not seen a bear skull cross-section before. I believe it's not only the thickness, but the slope angle of the forehead that also contributes to bullets bouncing off the front/top of the skull. Lewis and Clark documented many interesting encounters with brown bears. In one case, one of the party shot what was probably a grizzly in the center of the lungs with a .49 cal lead ball. Despite being mortally wounded, the bear was able to pursue the man for half a mile before the man was able to escape. The rest of the party found the bear still alive some time later and killed it with a couple of head shots. Other stories I've read have confirmed that brown bears can continue an attack with mortal wounds. In my non-expert opinion, an animal that will continue an attack with a 0.5" hole in the center of the lungs isn't going to pay much attention to bear spray. Bear spray may deter a casually curious bear, but I think if a brown bear intends to attack, a well-aimed high-power repeating firearm is your best friend.
Statistically bear spray out performs firearms for bear defense in all situations except for open tundra. Mortally wounded bears frequently continue attacks because their central nervous system isn't immediately compromised. Properly deployed bear spray on the other hand instantly blinds all of a bear's senses while also causing it to struggle to breath. Firearms are a great tool for hunting bears, but bear spray is the ultimate defensive weapon.
@@nowamajormotionpictureeven3797 Yes, I have read this, yet there are quite a few recorded cases of empty bear spray cans found alongside fatal attacks. I think there are 2 factors to consider: 1) sample sizes are low and fatal attacks often result in no living human witnesses to explain how a firearm (or bear spray for that matter) was or wasn't used. Someone is likely to use bear spray (a perceived safer alternative) before a firearm, or firearms may be more likely carried in a pack and harder to get to, many people aren't well trained with a firearm or aim at the wrong place, the type of firearm or caliber used, etc. The statistics can't account for things like this. 2) Bear spray has such a limited range and efficacy. It doesn't work beyond 20 ft. or so (ever seen how quickly a charging bear can cover 20 ft?), doesn't work in strong wind, won't work in heavy rain, won't work if there were a minor undetected leak in the nozzle, has a good chance of temporarily blinding the person doing the spraying, etc. There are many reasons a bear may attack; they often perform fake charges as well. Sometimes they're just curious, sometimes protecting cubs, and sometimes starving and desperate. All these factors play a role, and I think if it were possible to perform an ethical scientific study, you would find that a proper firearm carried in the proper way and in the hands of a skilled shooter would easily outperform bear spray in most or all cases. And if I'm wrong, then the military should immediately forego lead and steel armaments in preference to dried red peppers.
@@outdoorsinoregonThe military doesn't use pepper spray because it's banned by the Geneva convention, (Russia has recently been breaking these rules) and also because chemical weapons can be countered by PPE. As far as I know there are no gas masks designed for bears. Ever seen how fast a bear can cover 25 feet? Bear spray works well at zero range. If all you have time to do is fire your spray straight up in the air after the bear has already knocked you down the spray still has a good chance of filling the immediate area blinding both you and the bear, and successfully ending an attack. If you are hiking with a friend, they can also easily deploy their spray while the bear is attacking you without any worry about hitting you.
I live in Alaska. Been her almost 30 years. I tell people that bears and I have an agreement, I won't F with you if you don't F with me. I've never had a bad bear encounter...yet. I'm terrified to be honest if it happens.
Very underestimated tactic watch African phs defending hunter from wounded lion charges lots of times down on one knee or both or sitting on butt there is something to it I call it I guess trigonometry the closer they get when standing the worse the angle or chance for a deadly cns hit
I've hear at least one story using this tactic and besides being a better angle to avoid deflecting off the scull, the point was made that it made for a more stable shooting position.
@@robertmarshall6508 one more reasons - when low on level with your target charging at you, you do not have to lead the shot as angle is rapidly changing. That can be life saver. Think I saw video about leopard hunt when this was greatly emphasized as almost absolute "must" in case of the charge
Also while kneeling down, your urine won't have as far to fall, and if you survive you may be able to play your wet pants off as "I kneeled in a puddle and took the shot"
Actually even smaller caliber handguns are highly successful at stopping a bear attack. Not that I want to chance it, but the numbers make a strong case. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-B53Wd_IaybQ.html
I know a guy who killed a charging grizzly with 2 shots of .41 Magnum (Taurus Tracker IIRC) to the chest, as the guy was packing out an elk quarter. Then the government had to decide if his shoot was legitimate!
Very interesting video! That bear attack scene from the Revenant is probably the best ever . Very realistic. That knife of yours, without a hilt, finger guard, I think you would badly slice your hand stabbing with it. Nice knife, but I'd trade for something with a finger guard. Great video, I learned something here.
Could be! Especially if the grip has blood on it from cleaning a deer. Let's hope I never find out. One guy that was attacked shoved his knife and entire hand into the bears mouth. He survived but was mauled badly. Thanks for watching.
That is a great scene! People really don't understand just how fast bears are and just how fast they are on you. I've been there and that scene always gives me just a little PTSD!
@@argonaught5666 I bet it does! I had PTSD from a moose charge for a couple of years after being charged and stopping him with bear spray. Everytime I saw a moose my heart would start beating hard.
I love the story of the way KaBar got it’s name. I have often held my KaBar and wondered about jabbing into the brain of a bear trying to end my life. As he says in the video most knives carried by hunters aren’t as long as the scandi grind orange one he has. A KaBar is significantly longer still. KaBars are cool but not easy to carry comfortably. Maybe a good old Morakniv is actually a sensible knife to carry into bear country? Light. Sharp as shit. Just the right length to penetrate into a bears brain. What a FABULOUS video man. You are too kind for posting this along with your thoughts. Very good work.
"wondered about" is the key part of your comment. In 1971 a 17 year old girl fell almost two miles into the Amazon jungle from a plane that had come apart after a lightning strike. She survived,still strapped to the seat, and spent 11 days in the jungle, swimming downriver with the crocodiles and piranhas, until she came across a fishing camp. I would put killing a bear with a knife in the same category. Possible. Has been done. Not something to hope for though. Also, Mora blade lengths range from 3 12" to 4 1/4". Kabars imo are too heavy to use as a regular belt knife and the blade width makes them clumsy for a lot of things. As a camp knife, you're better off with an axe for heavy work and a thinner knife for everything else. I bought one mostly on the hype and it sits in the drawer unused. The Mora companion is my regular belt knife in the bush. Not the best but good enough for my budget and needs. Killing bears just isn't a practical use for knives, OK?
my Mora companion lives in my truck door pocket. My KaBar lives in a drawer and rarely sees the daylight. My Mora is incredibly sharp. And it is easy to keep sharp. I just used it the other day to scrape old varnish off a door! It worked like magic. Handy little knife. Impressive for that money.
@@armedmariner Yes! I have several moras and have never broken one despite the abuse I've given them. My favorite is actually the 120 carving knife. I purchase just the blade and make my own handle.
Ditto. Regularly in bear country, heck even saw a couple a few days ago. Carry 10mm Hardcast Or solid penetrators if not the 10mm in a pinch. Better than a sharp stick at least
Great visual representation... Magnum buckshot, slug, buckshot, slug, backshot (repeat) in an automatic Benelli M4... Not a bit scared as long as I have a second to get the shotgun up... I also carry a G20 w/underwood xtreme on my chest in an Alaskan rig.. I never ever go into brown bear territory without it.. Shot placement and knowing how you handle high stress situations is a must... P.S. for those who are thinking bear spray is a good option.. Bear spray works quite well on curious bears, but almost never on pissed off sows with cubs when they want you...
It looks like a 45 degree angle through the eye would have a chance at reaching the brain, with the added bonus of at least taking an eye. Glad to see this - I thought aiming for the forehead would be useful, but it looks like the mouth area is valid; soft tissue to the heart with potential access to the brain and jaw disablement. Considerations for firearm type.
Thanks for this! I've always wondered how to protect myself from a bear if I was ever in close combat. It's great to know the vulnerable spots. Who would have known that their foreheads were that thick? Unless you sawed through their skull of course! :)
@@CampfireKodiak Yes, I read about that in the NYT. Very sad indeed. Snuck up on them. You really have to maintain your situational awareness out there at all times. In my years in the bush, I was very lucky not to have had any close encounters - very happy about that.
I usually carry a 5-inch skining knife and a 12-inch bowie knife. Both are razor-sharp. The Bowie is large enough to make an excellent defensive weapon that can reach vital areas, the heart, lungs, and major arteries. Bear anatomy is very similar to a humans anatomy. Arteries run through the same areas. A long blade can easily create a lethal cut that is devastating. I used to hunt wild boar. After seeing several very large ones, I decided to start carrying the Bowie knife because of their vengeful nature. I have also Archery hunted bears. In the states that I have hunted in, you can't carry a firearm of any sort during archery hunting season. A sword was too cumbersome, but the Bowie was good. Being prepared for whatever nature throws at you is how you have your best chances to get home alive and in one piece. Some of my friends used to give me a hard time about my Bowie knife. After we brought back a large Razorback hog, they stopped saying anything about it. The next time we went hog hunting, a couple of them were sporting new Bowie knives. Lol. Learn from experience.
You way over estimated how tough the skull is on the forehead. That thickness is not solid bone, it's a hollow cavity, and the walls of that cavity are not very thick.
No no no! When the bear open it's mouth you quickly stick down your whole arm and pull the tail out so that the bear is turned inside out. The teeth will then point at opposite directions and can not harm you.
@@G-S-D He grabbed her by the tongue & pussy. She ran off a few different times only to return from this method. It made her squeal. Really was a amazing story though.
@@Ve-suviusI read about an old Eskimo woman who was attacked in an Alaskan town by and old & sick polar bear. Her response was to punch it and by her good fortune, her hand went into the bear's mouth. Her mitten became lodged in the bear's throat and it suffocated.
i think the original swords were just really long knives for stuffing up a bear's mouth or nose into the brain. And battle axes were for swinging sideways to crush the side of a bear's skull. So, defense.
The idea that a high powered rifle wouldn't punch through that skull is laughable. In fact the largest grizzly killed in North America (at the time, I don't know if it still holds the record or not) was shot in the head with a .22
the big point was, that bullets slide off if you hit it from the front on that side skull. but if a bullet hits broadside it will work better. and if you hit it from the right angle in front it will work better.
In Alaska my grandmother was chased by two bears, both times she was saved by a dog. The first she was walking a trail all she had was her trusted dog Axel and a 22. Just like you said she could see the bullets ricocheting off the bears scull. She was a very good shot. The dog took all the attention away from her and she was able to run to the cabin. Axel eventually made it home safe too. The second time she was chased, a chained sled dog was able to distract the bear. The bear lost interest and left. I wonder if anyone else has had a similar experience.
Case knives has a recorded account of a 60 year-old hunter who kilked a grizzly with one of their lock blades by severing its jugular vein. The knife had a 3.75 inch blade.
Only for an idiot. This is nonsence Misinformation. Bears frontal bone is thin bone chambers filled w bone foam. It is NOT bulletproof & does NOT ricochet modern bullets. Eskimos have been killing polar bears forever w a 22 L.R. shot into the magic triangle. Across the eyes down to the nose or at the base of the ear shot sideways is an instant drop brain shot. Americas Indians killed grizzlies by ramming a sharped stick into their eyes, up the nose or ear base sideways when they got attacked. There is so much myth & accepted bullshit about bear skull invincibility its sickening. The roof of the mouth is paper thin & also easily punctured right up into the brain. Natives grew their thumbnails out 1/4-1/2 inch & could ram their hand down the bears throat & drive their thumbs up into a bears brain or ram it into their eyes popping their eyeballs. The biggest griz in Canada was shot by a native girl w a 22 LONG. Not an L.R. but a LONG. Basically a 22 short in a long case. Shot em right between the eyes from on top of a big rock shed climbed as the bear was slow stalking her. 1st shot dropped it & then she put a few more into its face just to be sure. A lil ol Kentucky hillbilly granny running a trapline killed a huge grizzly with her short bbl 22 pump filled w shorts. Shoved the bbl into its mouth & fired up into its brain. Bear fell on her pinning her underneath its weight all night & she was mad as hell her kin didnt come check on her sooner.
Very good anatomy lesson on brain shot placement. In the past I was in a bear camp in Ontario where I heard another hunter from Michigan, state that he intended to take a head shot. I asked him first why? Then with what? For all the world all that I could understand was stupid macho bragging rights for why. And of all things he intended to use a 12 gage with a foster slug. I asked why go for such a small target and advised that I personally would not pick that shot at anything less than point blank and then only to save a dog. Guess what we came back with a report of a wounded bear and an impossible tracking job. Just foolishness.
Thanks that explains so much. Especially why you have to have a deep penetrating calibre. But actually the forehead is build like a tank. And the only points with possible success are way to close for comfort. For best self defence hiking in Japan I have to trust bear spray alone and extreme hot California Reaper chilli powder. And only may be a camping axe because knives aren't allowed in a usable size in Japan. But actually even with a guy seeing this perfect natural armour I would use bear spray as my best option. Because you have to be lucky to get a bullseye nose shot to the brain.
@@CampfireKodiak Actually my country Germany does allow bigger knives if you're in woods but with a very high probability not Japan. So I have to think about bear protection for my solo hikes I have planned. I Germany bears are distinct even when there was one immigrant that came in from from Austria. Actually if in the US I would do bear spray with a FK 7.5 Brno in combination to be on the safe side. But this is no option for Japan where even registered hunters are only allowed two guns maximum. The first will be a shotgun and the second if you have been a law abiding hunter for 10 years you allowed to get rilfe. This sounds even to restrictive for me as a German three years should be enough especially when rural Japan seems to have a bear problem. And the average age of hunters in Japan is way above 60 years. By the way this is a drone shot of the castle in my home town it is in my opinion the second prettiest castle in Germany. Castle Lichtenstein ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-UiLBiCqCVeI.html
@@abelgerli I have been to that castle and many others in Germany. Very nice thank you! I enjoyed living there while I was stationed in the USAF at Semback AB many years ago. The more people you have the more laws you need apparently.
G.K. USA A Fairbourne style fighting knife or a 10"-12" double bladed. Bayonette on the outside of one's outer garments would be added . Field dressing knives could be carried in a pocket, backpack or belt.
I've often wondered if a bear would attack a stream of fire. Aim hair spray at the bear and ignite it with a lighter. The ultimate flame would be Engine Starter.
Italy maybe? I do know of a guy jogging in the mountains who got killed by a bear. There's was a lot of discussion due to that case , whether the bears have to 'go'. Nice to see you here also. I see you often on bladeforums and bushcraft usa forums also.
Thanks for the video. If one fired into the bear's mouth, would the bullet be somewhat in line to hit the spinal cord? As I look at that skull, the spinal cord seems to come out the bottom of the skull at the end of the mouth. Maybe several pellets of 00 buckshot into the mouth would have a chance of hitting the spinal cord. Would a single 00 buckshot pellet that entered the nose have enough momentum to penetrate the brain as you showed or would one need something with a little more energy.
hope i would never have to do that..but throat cut larnyx and main artery i would think might be effective..choking on blood i dont think would last long
JHC! Talk about a thick skull ...the bear has it. I'm surprised how narrow the actual skull is when I think of a bear's wide head. I prefer never,ever again see a bear up close.
Colt delta elite Winchester silvertip 1 shot through heart and lungs, jacket was stuck on exit wound on top of back in hide. 300lb black bear on top of me
A guy here in grande prairie Alberta was attacked by a grizzly sow with cubs and managed to kill her with a fish filleting knife of all things. Only she bled out and not quick like to the brain, he was lucky and only got a few puncture wounds from bites but nothing broken or crushed
I say if the bear has it's mouth open you could shoot right through that upper pallet through the back. Also I might add, that knife you showed is for cutting and not really stabbing. The hilt is not great and with blood on it it will slip your hand right onto the blade next stab. So.. maybe get a proper hilt
I say there, my fuzzy friend, would you mind awfully, turning your head to the left? I must say that IS your best profile. Now, biiig smile and wait for the flash...
All true, and information is good. However I've always heard a slug at the shoulder breaking it so the ear cannot continue the charge is a higher percentage. Also if the bear presents its side four shots in the lungs right behind the leg.Just repeating what I've heard, it becomes important with impending trips to Alaska
