Brian M. lives in Texas. He was visiting Glacier National Park in Montana where it was legal for him to carry his pistol.
Brian was hiking on the Mount Brown Lookout trail when he spotted a grizzly bear about 25 feet away.
He noticed the bear was moving toward another group of hikers, so he yelled to warn them.
That’s when the bear turned its attention to Brian and started moving toward him.
Brian deployed his bear spray to stop the grizzly but it didn’t work.
The grizzly started charging uphill towards Brian who was armed with a .357 revolver.
As the bear came within 10 feet of him, he shot the bear once. The bear fell back down the hill from the single gunshot.
After the shooting, Brian stopped everyone else on the trail. He told the first ranger he saw what had happened, and he voluntarily cooperated with the ranger’s investigation.
Now, Montana law allowed Brian to carry the pistol. But, federal laws say you cannot discharge a gun inside the park.
Brian shot the bear in self-defense after non-lethal options were not effective, but he was still charged with a misdemeanor.
At the first court hearing, Brian’s attorney said his client was in fear for his life and the bear would have attacked him.
He said his argument in court would be that it was a simple case of self-defense.
A motion was submitted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office to dismiss the charges against Brian with prejudice. This means that charges cannot be filed at a later date.
The fact that the charges were even filed is ridiculous.
Brian did what he had to in a self-defense situation.
Now, if you were going to shoot an animal, a handgun isn’t going to be your first choice… but sometimes it’s all you got.
So, here are a few factors to keep in mind if you are ever in a hunting situation and your only weapon is a handgun.
Pros:
The biggest advantage to hunting with a pistol is the fact they are smaller, lighter, and simply easier to carry than rifles.
Many shooters argue that pistol rounds don’t have the stopping power to bring down a large animal.
This is not true. They can, but they won’t be as effective.
Pistol rounds have come a long way, and are more capable than ever before.
Plus, there is even pistol ammo designed for hunting such as Hornady Handgun Hunter.
Cons:
A huge drawback to hunting with a pistol is that long-distance shots will be more difficult.
So, if you plan on using your pistol for hunting be sure to practice long-distance shooting.
Also, be sure you check your local laws before using a handgun for hunting.
Many states require that only certain types of firearms be used, which often excludes handguns.
What types of handguns?
Revolvers make up a huge share of the market for hunting pistols.
One of the reasons that revolvers are better for hunting is because there are magnum load ammo options.
One popular revolver for hunting is the Ruger Blackhawk or Super Blackhawk.
Semi-autos used for hunting are usually chambered in 10mm. These rounds pack enough power to bring down a large animal, but won’t recoil as bad as a .357.
For semi-autos, I would check out the Colt Delta Elite. This is a 1911 style firearm in 10mm.
For the most part, hunting with a pistol is not the best option unless you have larger calibers such as .357 or 10mm.
Hunting small games such as squirrels and rabbits can be done with small calibers such as .22.
Obviously, in a bug-out situation, there is nothing wrong with using your 9mm semi-auto.
Just be aware of the caliber and have realistic expectations of the round.
So, if you plan on hunting with a handgun, I’d stick with a 10mm or .357 or larger round.
