• IninewCrow@lemmy.ca
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      3 months ago

      Yes, dad taught us that a shot gun wouldn’t defend against a bear. He said if we were ever in that situation to aim for the face, eyes and nose and hope to blind it and give you a chance to run.

      But with a bear as powerful as polar bear, chances are still high that that won’t work.

      A 303 rifle shot in the mud is like an explosion, it’s very dramatic, loud and visual. It does scare a bear.

      A shotgun blast in the mud is not as dramatic, unless you fire it about 20 feet away from you … which is too close to you and the bear.

      • shalafi@lemmy.world
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        3 months ago

        First time I fired my AR-15 (NOT a high powered rifle) in the swamp it was raining mud. On my brand new white gun. LOL, I felt like an idiot.

      • nickwitha_k (he/him)@lemmy.sdf.org
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        3 months ago

        Polar bears, unlike other bears, will actively prey upon humans, given the opportunity. Such an encounter is a “do everything that you can to dissuade it” sort of situation. Food is hard to come by in the North, if a polar bear gets within shotgun range, it’s almost certainly going for a snack.