A quick update from last year's post (45 ACP Big Bear Medicince ?) . In it I mentioned that a man and woman were hiking in Denali National Park when the woman was charged by a Grizzly that was shot and killed by her male companion armed with a .45 Automatic.You can read the full article here but here is a quick overview of the situation.
- The woman was approximately 25 feet away from the man when the bear emerged from the brush and charged her.
- He fired in quick succession seven to nine rounds into the right side of the bear. The bear stopped several feet from the woman and turned back into the brush (where it subsequently died from the gun shot wounds).
- They marked the location on their GPS, and according to the tracks of the bear coming out of the brush and returning into the brush along with the spent shell casings match the couples account of the situation. Thus the forensic evidence corroborated.
- The bear was injured which may have explained the attack, but none of its injuries life threatening. It was an older male that weighed in at 434lbs.
- The couples names have not been released since they in short committed no crime.
The long and short of it is this. Is the .45 ACP capable of killing a charging bear? Yes.
Most people's first choice? No.
Lastly, shot placement, mental acuity, and gun speed all still matter over caliber.
A quick and interesting aspect I found on this website for hunting in British Columbia show the full decomposed remains of a Grizzly. I point to it because you get a good look at the other wise unseen bone structure of these massive bears. Go Here
