A different kind of feel-good story
Skin ‘im, Pilgrim!
July 19th a pair of former Green Berets were scouting locations in Alaska to bow-hunt moose in September when they had an interesting experience.
Brett TerBeek and his buddy Andy (no surname given) were pushing through the brush when they caught a whiff of something dead. Not all that unusual when you’re in the woods, but a good reason to be alert as you don’t know what is causing it, right? About a hundred yards further, the smell came back – strongly – and they both drew their pistols. Glock G20s in 10mm – call it one out of two, the caliber started with 4 but plastic guns…well, in this case they worked out OK.
Andy pivoted left, looking past Brett, and said, “Bear, right there!”
Brett told me that as Andy said that, he turned and saw the huge grizzly’s head rise from the brush, only 10 yards away. The boar locked onto them and laid its ears back as it sidestepped the moose carcass he had been on. He came lunging straight through the brush toward both men.
“Andy fired the first shot,” says Brett, “and I remember seeing a perfect sight picture in the center of the bear’s mass as I squeezed the trigger.”
Both Brett and Andy served as Green Berets for a decade before going to PA school together in the Army, and Brett credits his years of service using the 9mm Glock G19 for being able to fire rapid, controlled shots with the larger-but-similar 10mm Glock G20.
The bear was a good-sized griz – the skull length plus width approximated 25″, which makes it damned near a world-class size per the author. The hide squared at 9 feet, which is plenty big enough for my taste. (Heck, from ten yards away I guarantee I wouldn’t taste good, if yaknowwhudImean, Verne… at least the lower end of me wouldn’t.)
“He was crashing through the brush directly at us and, afterward, branches were all broken and plowed over and we found at least two that our bullets struck. When he got to about five yards, he turned to his right to step into a more clear path towards us and we kept shooting. As he moved into that open lane, I knew I had at least one or two of the fifteen rounds left — I hadn’t been counting — and I needed to save those until he got right on top of us.”
Fortunately for the pair, the bear collapsed there, at 5 yards, and the adrenaline still pumped as the big bear’s chest heaved slowly. After the intense barrage, all was silent except for the bruin’s labored final breaths and the sliding and clicking of magazines as the pair checked to see how many cartridges remained. Outdoor Life
A full-grown bear covers ground like a race horse, I am told – but at just 10 yards away even a slow bear will leave you mere seconds to react. As it was, they shot 16 times total and hit the bear 13 times – you may think it impossible to miss a bear that size at that range but I assure you, that was damn fine shooting on their part. For you 10mm users, Andy’s ammo was Federal 200-grain Punch JHP ammo and Brett using a coffee-can mix of Buffalo Bore 180-grain JHP and hard-cast bullets.
You would think this a once-in-a-lifetime story, wouldn’t you? I did – and was wrong. Almost exactly four years ago in September 2021 a fellow named Sam Kezar surprised a momma grizzly at 17 yards outside Yellowstone and had to shoot her (also with a G20 in 10mm.) Outdoor Life II
Used to be an old joke that you could tell black bear scat by the berries in it, and grizzly scat by the hunters’ remains and the smell of bear spray. I notice in the second story the hunter’s buddy tried to use bear spray and it blew back in his face – luckily he also had a gun and hit the bear with it. (With bear spray in his face? Superlative shooting!)
Quick side note – when I saw the first story I looked at the comments on it – you would be astounded at how many people thought the bear should have won, they were evil hunterz, etc. Me, I thinking taking on a grizzly with a handgun is being on the wrong end of the survivability equation, in most cases.
Category: Feel Good Stories, Green Beret, Guns
Those that were pro bear would definitely have been bear lunch.
A problem that solves itself, IMO.
I recall a while back that a man took down a 900 pound charging Kodiak with a five shot 454 Revolver.
https://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2009/08/31/man-kills-charging-bear-with-454-casull/
The discussion on the gun boards back then was a larger revolver round vs. a faster shooting, lighter, higher capacity SA round. Who knew so many people were concerned with bear defense? The 454 is almost twice as powerful in ft/lb as 10mm, which is no slouch. Given such short distances it seems less likely that you would get a full mag dump and the revolver was favored.
But no one considered if you have two of them, with two well trained, experienced shooters.
Reminds me of the story in USCCA’s Concealed Carry magazine a month or two ago. Hunting guide and Bear expert, working on Kodiak Island cleanup. Observes a run off (that isn’t supposed to be there), but because it is a USCG station he can’t have his gun with him. Kodiak, which is bigger than a Grizzly, goes after him. Apparently there is a difference in what you should do when attacked by a Black Bear vs Brown/Grizzly/Kodiak bear and he knew it. Long story short he survived, but now instead of a big .50cal revolver prefers to carry a 10mm. Less kick, more shots, sufficient kinetic energy delivered.
Well, I wouldn’t have thought a 10mm could stop a bear like that. Always bring a buddy with you. The secret sauce seems to be to have two.
I can’t imagine how all our ancestors 100k years ago dealt with these things. A short-nose bear was bigger, as well as the cave bear.
But they did it somehow. We all come from those that survived long enough to pass their genes to the next generation.
Perhaps this weekend we should raise a glass to all our ancestors, skinny fuckers who fought giant predators and fucked like rabbits.
Dammit Joe. You said “genes”. Congratulations. You’re now a notsee.
The 10mm seems to be the cartridge to use for woods carry. My first encounter with a black bear with cubs taught me that you need more than a flashlight in the woods at night. Especially when you’re headed to the outhouse in the dark.
I open the cabin door to see what I thought was a 4 wheeler just outside the door parked. Stepped outside to get a better look. Thinking how did someone park right here and I not hear them. Well, when it moved, turning toward me, I shine the flashlight at the bear. It spooked and ran around my truck. Gave me enough time to step back in the cabin, I didn’t have the door closed yet and I could hear the bear popping its lips. I was 6’ from the bear at this point. So I slid the door shut. My 1911 .45 was in my truck. My two sons 5 & 9 years old were looking out the side window of the cabin. They saw two bear cubs at the deer feeder, was joined by the sow. I tried to scare away the bear with the flashlight a few times. And each time the sow would charge toward the light till I turned it off. I couldn’t get the cabin door open and get to my truck to get my .45, as the sow was watching the cabin door from about 60 feet away. The bears wandered off after about an hour, and I got to my truck and retrieved my .45. Later that night the bears returned. And hung out by the cabin feeding from the corn for the deer feeders. They stayed till first light and wandered off. I carry my 10mm with me all the time as I learned there’s a lot of bear at the cabin. I don’t see them every time I go there. But often enough to be on guard all the time. That was 20 years ago.
Wow. You have a cabin.
Generational wealth!
(Favor word of communists, left wingers, fello travelers, and other scum who don’t want hard working Americans to own property)
Bought and paid for by me. No inheritance here.
But you didn’t start out with negative wealth becaue your parents were disadvantaged by color, religion, nati….shit, I can’t even type that with a straight face.
It was the opportunity from serving in the military that changed my life. Education. I didn’t notice any of that white privilege along the way. Didn’t get any handouts, except for the time I found a hundred dollars at the bar. But I bought a lot beer for my friends that night.
Nothing like spreading the wealth 😁
If that was me, I’d have to just grin and “bear” it.
Slower co-worker
ROFLOL!
Soooo……
WHich has more ft/lbs of stopping power? (in general – one could argue specific bullet round weights all day & go nowhere)
10mm? Or 45LC/454 Casull?
.50 BMG
On a bear? Well, five shot of 454 stopped a bear and 13 of 10mm to stop a different bear. On your average person either round will likely sail right through the target.
With bears you want deep penetration. Hardcast, flat nose bullets. 36” through bone and hide to hit something vital. Definitely would pass through humans, not a good self-defense round in the city.
Some 454 round nose loads will penetrate 48″ of ballistic gel.
Check out the Buffalo Bore Ammo
Neither if you don’t hit the bear
RPG
I was hoping that Andy and Brett’s adventure would include something about how they field dressed and dragged the bear out of the woods and loaded onto their Dodge Ram!
Growing up just outside of Yellowstone / Grand Teton National Parks, we always obeyed the first rule of grizzlies: Stay out of their neighborhood.
It’s amazing the amount of people who think they’re viewing wildlife like they are in a zoo, and fail to realize they are now part of the food chain.
I wonder if the bears think… ” oh goody, fast food for dinner”.
Nature is not a petting zoo. You’re in their house, their rules apply. You’re seen as a predator, competition for food, or food. Do not turn your back on mother nature, she’s a vicious, fickle bitch and will kill you if given the chance.
In the UP of Michigan it’s been reported that cougar cubs have been spotted on game cams. Yet we have been reporting this for over 25 years. So now the MI DNR have confirmed it. There s a new cat in town!
Very cute. I wonder if they make good pets. I had a client once that had a crippled bobcat. He lived in a cabin and said that cat was the best mouser he had ever seen. After the cub became almost full grown, he never saw another mouse in his cabin. He said it was like having a very large house cat.
I worked at a municipal zoo for a while in college, it was more of a refuge for animals that couldn’t make it in the wild. Had a couple of antique black bears that were damn near toothless (loved having their ears rubbed) and a three-legged bobcat that kinda lovable to everyone except the peacocks that roamed the place. They’d get on top of his enclosure and scream, he’d get so pissed he’d jump up to try and snatch them through the wire. I have no doubt that if one of them dropped a leg through, he’d have shredded that bird. And no one would have stopped it.
I don’t think cougars would make good pets. A small house cat at 10 lbs is nice, but a 180 lb cat that can kill deer. Might not be warm and cuddly full grown.
Yeah, I saw a cougar on my way home from work about 8 or 9 years ago. Crossed the road about 40-50 yards in front of me. That was about 30 miles northeast of Grand Rapids, Mi.
But the DNR said there were no cougars, or wolves in Michigan.
I mentioned the sighting to my neighbor and he ducked into his truck and pulled his camera out. He showed me a photo he’d taken about 6 weeks prior to our conversation, it was a very good pic, and it showed a cougar, about 300 yards from home. The DNR again denied we had any cougars, or wolves, in Michigan.
I long ago lost my respect for wildlife “experts”. If the critter didn’t crap in their face, they would claim it wasn’t there.
I had video of a cougar walking on my road 20 years ago. We all knew the cougars were there. The DNR said they were juvenile and just passing thru. Looks like a few stopped along the way for some R&R, and decided to stay. My cabin is near Daggett, MI.
Lots of wolves on the game camera too.
even half a chance
I would pound that lesson in our Scouts’/Venturers’ heads.
Nature doesn’t care about your feelings, dreams, relationships, or plans. One misstep and it will kill you.
OK, I am not gonna go up against those two in any shooting competition.
Also leaves me with a greater respect for a Glock and for the 10mm round.
At this age and stage, I’m not likely to ever need a 10mm round for bears, but it’s good info to have, just in case.
It’s easy to tell the difference between black bears and grizzlies. Clap your hands and yell. If it climbs a tree, it’s a black bear. If it eats you, it’s a grizzly.
You can tell what kind of bears are in the area by looking at the bear scat. The kind with berries in it is black bear. The kind with bells in it and smells like bear spray is grizzly.
So… “a little knowledge IS a dangerous thing…”?
There’s a name for people who go off the beaten path in certain parts of the world (including the USA). That name is lunch.
Exhibit A is that guy and his girlfriend in Alaska that thought he could camp with the friendly Alaskan Brown bears. The authorities say that the sound on his video camera of the two of them being eaten is blood-curdling.
Should be mandatory viewing at any PETA meeting.
Shot placement is everything. Perhaps the most incredible account was an old Inuit woman in Canada that killed a threatening grizzly bear from only a few yards away with one shot into the side of the skull with a single shot 22 rifle (she shot it several more time to make certain).
I think that kill was on a record book size grizzly at the time.
I took a biology class from this guy in 1982:
https://www.deseret.com/utah/2019/10/28/20927782/grizzly-attack-utah-state-university-professor-face-transplant-book/