Sleeping with your rifle in your tent?

[Harvest the Land]

Hey guys,

The wife and I are going hunting this weekend for the first time - pretty stoked! Anyway, we will be pitching a tent right next to our truck and I was just wondering if some of you sleep with your rifle in your tent (protection from bears, cougars etc.)? or do you just leave it in the truck? I will be carrying bear spray and a whistle (which I've used before to stop a bear from getting into my tent before), so I know the whistle works well. Should I also sleep with the rifle in the tent or leave it in the truck?

What do you guys do?

Thanks in advance!

[ditch donkey]

i sleep beside my gun, im usually big spoon though

[Sharpish]

I usually hang it up right outside the entrance to the tent in the vestibule. If you bring it in and out the temperature difference (cold gun, warm humid tent) makes it collect condensation and rust. If there's meat hanging from the pole and its grizz country the gun is loaded and within reach of my sleeping bag.

[Sofa King]

gun sleeps with me.
condensation or not, the gun ain't much good to you if it ain't in your hands.

[albravo2]

This thread reminds me why I like to sleep under a tarp instead of a tent. My son and I were up Tuchodi a couple years ago, spiked out in our tent. Middle of the night something big was snorting and snuffling just outside the tent. I had my gun but had no sense of the threat level and I just waited for the tent fabric to ripple, but it didn't. Under a tarp I would have been able to see.

But to answer your question... of course take a gun with you in the tent. Unless you have one that works on voice command;-)

[M.Dean]

Lets pretend a bear starts ripping your tent apart, and once he finds you and your wife are made of meat, he decides to eat both of you well your still alive, your rifle in the truck might as well be back home in your gun safe! And, just for fun get inside your tent at home, have your rifle beside you when your in your sleeping bag, now, well you have 2 or 3 big guys jumping all over the tent and hitting you with base ball bats, try to load your rifle, better yet, try to find the box of bullets you had neatly beside your rifle in the tent? If I have even a inkling there's bear or bad people near where I'm sleeping in a tent, my rifle has 3 rounds in the breach, or the magazine is loaded and in the rifle, and the bolt is open, ready to be closed in a second making the rifle a weapon again and not a club, like it is when it's unloaded! Have fun out there!

[Harvest the Land]

Lets pretend a bear starts ripping your tent apart, and once he finds you and your wife are made of meat, he decides to eat both of you well your still alive, your rifle in the truck might as well be back home in your gun safe! And, just for fun get inside your tent at home, have your rifle beside you when your in your sleeping bag, now, well you have 2 or 3 big guys jumping all over the tent and hitting you with base ball bats, try to load your rifle, better yet, try to find the box of bullets you had neatly beside your rifle in the tent? If I have even a inkling there's bear or bad people near where I'm sleeping in a tent, my rifle has 3 rounds in the breach, or the magazine is loaded and in the rifle, and the bolt is open, ready to be closed in a second making the rifle a weapon again and not a club, like it is when it's unloaded! Have fun out there!

Got it - you couldn't have been more clear M. Dean! That's pretty much what I figured. Thanks for all replies

[teelt]

Rifle loaded in tent anytime in bear country and always close by. If I'm truck camping I have my shotgun with slugs and rifle loaded. It's no good if it's in the truck or a vestibule as it happens quick and you won't have time to grab it if a bear is on the tent.

[warnniklz]

I always... well not always... but if I'm tenting in a rdmote location, rifle gets the tent treatment. Just gotta push the bolt forward and lock it In place. A quick "flash" or "thunder" just to make sure it's not your budfy hitting snooze on their indian alarm clock.

Have had yogi's meander through camp more than once... luckily I haven't had to chuck lead. Rather my pea shooter ten inches from me than ten feet from me.

And who doesn't like to spoon their rifle.

[M.Dean]

And a side note while I'm thinking about being ripped apart by a bear in my tent, my Brother picked me up a motion light for my front yard, it's a solar powered motion light, has 100 LED bulbs and is real bright. It's rechargeable and simply screws to anything, like a tree a few feet away from your tent in bear country. I know I've had the odd time camping when you hear that growl or some other dam noise and you have to get up and go outside the tent to see what it was, sure be nice with that big light, and if you did have to shoot at something, it would make it alot easier for sure!

[Jagermeister]

All I can say is, "Where's your Pack Alarm"? And if the wife has the "sniffles", best leave her home.

[Krico]

If it's your first time sleeping with a rifle my advice is to make sure it's well lubed.

On a serious note just make sure neither of you does any crazy sleepwalking stuff. Buddy of mine does on occasion so our rule is only I have rifle with me in tent. Don't need to wake up to him acting out his dreams waving a gun around!

[Busterpayton54]

A pistol in a chest rig, accessible with either hand is the best option imo but this is banada so 12g beside me, wearing a big fixed blade knife accessible with either hand

[thedougler]

I sleep with a 12ga pistol grip chambered with a 00 buck shot, slug and more 00 buck. Hanging beside my cot on a horsemans hitch around the grip, so it's always in the same spot and pointing down and close to the ground. If the game pole isn't sleeping alone I sleep with a hand lamp on my wrist as we'll, hate to Chaney a friend.

[REMINGTON JIM]

My Rem M870 Defender fully loaded including one in the chamber if sleeping out in a Tent for me ! :wink: RJ

[BCbillies]

Let's see . . . so far this year:

Spring grizz hunt - 375 Ruger in tent
Fall grizz hunt - slept under the stars but 375 Ruger close by
Fall goat hunt - 270 Win in tent (lots of grizz in the high country)
Fall bighorn hunt - 270 Win in tent
Fall muley hunting - no overnighting so far

Yup! Basically don't sleep without it. Finally bought eye glasses this year after 20 years of wearing only contacts . . . nice to throw on a pair of glasses when things heat up around the tent. Really sucks when wolverines and bears come in to camp at night and I can't see them!

[itsy bitsy xj]

My question to the o/p is...? You want to sleep with a loaded gun in the tent (good idea) but how well do you like your wife?

[ACE]

In G-bear country ...... rifle loaded across my chest, sleeping bag fully un-zipped, me ..... fully clothed, including clean running shoes on.
Rifle is useless in the truck ......

[skibum]

I sleep with my gun bolt ready to close, but...

you have a better chance wrestling a bear alone, than some fool freaking out winging bullets at you wrestling a bear

[Stone Sheep Steve]

You'll be fine with just your wife.....but make her read this first

http://www.huntingbc.ca/forum/showthread.php?40606-Brambles-and-Rattler-GRIZZLY-ATTACK-sheep-adventure

[Citori54]

Same as thedougler , shotgun with 00buck, slug, 00buck. The most experienced shot gunner sleeps closest to the door of the tent with the shot gun ready. Nobody else in the tent has a ready firearm....don't need shots in multiple directions in a panic.

[wideopenthrottle]

and make sure everyone in camp knows the score if you have a loaded gun..... MAKE SURE THEY ARE VERY CLEAR....

[DarekG]

The problem is, someone inexperienced, maybe just tired and hazy, or plain old scared isn't going to know what is outside of the tent. It could be your buddy grumbling around at night finding somewhere to piss, tripping over something or breaking branches.

If you start blindly firing out of a tent, you could hit an unintended target. Or piss off a big one who will simply bulldoze your tent with you inside of it.

[Glenny]

I snuggle up with my shot gun when in tents. Loaded with buckshot with the action cracked.

[avadad]

I usually hunt alone so my rifle is next to me in the tent and ready to go. Not sure if it has been mentioned yet but if its that "time of the month" for your wife please leave her in town...

[180grainer]

Gun always in the tent. If I'm close to my truck like you, then it's a shotgun, so no worry about condensation.

[180grainer]

Same as thedougler , shotgun with 00buck, slug, 00buck. The most experienced shot gunner sleeps closest to the door of the tent with the shot gun ready. Nobody else in the tent has a ready firearm....don't need shots in multiple directions in a panic.
Get rid of the 00 buck and keep the slugs.

[hoochie]

I will be carrying bear spray and a whistle (which I've used before to stop a bear from getting into my tent before), so I know the whistle works well. Should I also sleep with the rifle in the tent or leave it in the truck?


Whistle... Not trying to be an ass.. must have been a long day. When I read this I got the noise of a squeaky toy in my head while a grizzly rag dolls someone.

[elkhunterette]

Keep the gun in the tent, your wife will feel safer.

[GotaGun]

Usually a shot gun in the tent.
Shells in the tube.
Chamber empty.
Even in the dark. It's easy to grab gun give it a pump and your ready to go.

[hoochie]

lights on it help too

~[URL=http://s800.photobucket.com/user/mrmabley/media/Mobile%20Uploads/20151026_185138_zpshogtohuz.jpg.html]http://i800.photobucket.com/albums/yy284/mrmabley/Mobile%20Uploads/20151026_185138_zpshogtohuz.jpg[/URL

[Glenny]

Whistle... Not trying to be an ass.. must have been a long day. When I read this I got the noise of a squeaky toy in my head while a grizzly rag dolls someone.

Now that's funny. lol

[Big Lew]

And a side note while I'm thinking about being ripped apart by a bear in my tent, my Brother picked me up a motion light for my front yard, it's a solar powered motion light, has 100 LED bulbs and is real bright. It's rechargeable and simply screws to anything, like a tree a few feet away from your tent in bear country. I know I've had the odd time camping when you hear that growl or some other dam noise and you have to get up and go outside the tent to see what it was, sure be nice with that big light, and if you did have to shoot at something, it would make it alot easier for sure!

I really like that 'motion detector' light idea...for many reasons other than just predator spotting.
I've done a lot of tent camping and only had my gun loaded beside me a couple of times. Many of
my tent camping nights haven't been while hunting or carrying a gun. I'm very paranoid of having
a loaded gun in the sleeping area if camping with others. I don't know how many times I've been
wakened by a camping companion making noise while outside for a pee break. When you consider
the number of people out tenting all year long throughout the wilderness in relation to the very few
nasty predator incidents, the actual risks are very low, especially if you exercise good camping
protocol.

[srupp]

Hmmm slept in some incredibly remote locations with very high concentrations of grizzly or coastal brown bears for almost 4 decades...my advice..
Gun gets brought into the tent magazines loaded but non in the chamber.
A good strong reliable flashlite..
A fixed blade knife..

The flashlite is to see what the night time disturbance is..
The rifle is to deal with a menacing bear..all bear encounters at night in your tent are predatory. .defend your life..
The knife is to make a secondary exit anywhere you may need it..cant rip a tent...

I also advocate a NEW white t shirt for sleeping only..no eating while wearing it..it stays in the tent..
Should the worst case scenario happen..it is really easy to spot hunting partners at 3am in the white t shirt. .no confusion of what or where..

Cheers
Srupp

[Island Idiots]

Hmmm slept in some incredibly remote locations with very high concentrations of grizzly or coastal brown bears for almost 4 decades...my advice..
Gun gets brought into the tent magazines loaded but non in the chamber.
A good strong reliable flashlite..
A fixed blade knife..

The flashlite is to see what the night time disturbance is..
The rifle is to deal with a menacing bear..all bear encounters at night in your tent are predatory. .defend your life..
The knife is to make a secondary exit anywhere you may need it..cant rip a tent...

I also advocate a NEW white t shirt for sleeping only..no eating while wearing it..it stays in the tent..
Should the worst case scenario happen..it is really easy to spot hunting partners at 3am in the white t shirt. .no confusion of what or where..

Cheers
Srupp

Now that is great advice right there. Nothing like experience to provide the knowledge. Thanks Srupp.

[srupp]

Hmm knew I missed something...senility...
If you are by yourself..do what you think best..however

In my camp, or with a hunting partner..rethink the shotgun with 00..
If you prefer a shotgun..slugs only, please..it will be up close and dirty..too much chance for pellet to hit hunting partner.
Worst case bear pulls your partner out of the tent..aim for the bears ass end..from the side....rear quarters..quickly reload while keeping the rifle aimed at the same exact location..
Upon your first shot..the bear will drop your hunting partner the bear will swap ends and where his ass was..his head is..shoot again..keep shooting but keep side stepping now towards the bears hind quarters so shots are angled away from your partner.
Maulings are survivable..shot at close range..not so much..
No food items of any sort. .even gum..in the tent..wash before bed..remember your clean white sleep shirt.
Be safe..
Steven

[ruger#1]

What happened to the Pack Alarm.

[604ksmith]

Thanks SRUPP, sounds like great advice!

[bucket]

This thread reminds me why I like to sleep under a tarp instead of a tent. My son and I were up Tuchodi a couple years ago, spiked out in our tent. Middle of the night something big was snorting and snuffling just outside the tent. I had my gun but had no sense of the threat level and I just waited for the tent fabric to ripple, but it didn't. Under a tarp I would have been able to see.

But to answer your question... of course take a gun with you in the tent. Unless you have one that works on voice command;-)

I had a night like this too up in the mountains near Golden. -15, trying to sleep in a tiny tent and there is whoomfing and rumaging and heavy steps 50 feet away by our fire from the night before. Was a Grizz no 2 ways about it. Lay there clutching the cold steel of my rifle trying to kick my brother awake next to me. He finally woke up and we lay there in the pitch dark holding these rather useless long guns in a tent with NO idea which way to point them.

It was a long restless night than ended up totally uneventful. I built a camping trailer this year haha.

[hoochie]

I wear one of those head band flash lights. Hands free to see where I'm taking a leak. If someone shoots me with that on...
Plus I have a voice. "Hey I'm gunnaa take a leak"... works great

[HarryToolips]

I would never sleep with bear spray in the tent, but i always sleep with my rifle within arms reach in the bush, and I always have a loaded clip in, but nothin in the chamber..I don't wantto be loaded safety on, roll over or something and knock my safety off..

[250 sav]

I don't sleep alone in a tent always have a gun

[adriaticum]

Take it with you in the tent.
It's not going to ask to pee in the middle of the night.

[hoochie]

adriaticum uses his rifle barrel to hold the Toilet paper

[srupp]

Havnt sorted out all the bear alarms..but will try to sort them out for experiment..
Cheers
Srupp

[hoochie]

trip wire to an air horn. Oh ya.. the bear would run and everyone in camp would be wide awake.

[buck nash]

Highly unlikely you could get a bear in the dark through your tent. All you'll do is make noise that will likely scare it off. But if that's the best you can do then why not a pack alarm rigged on trip wire which you don't have to fumble around in the dark to find and then trigger.

No offence to the rest of you but shooting a gun through your tent is just stupid. You're gonna have no idea what you're pointed at until it's on top of you and at that point you won't be able to shoot.

If I'm feeling bearanoid i have a rape alarm in my tent, hanging from the roof with a glow stick attached to the pin. That way i can see it in the dark and pull the pin if needed. But apart from the brambles' story and a very few others i don't hear very many accounts of bears attacking tents.

Ask brambles if he figures he could've gotten a shot of in all the commotion and I'll bet he'll say probably not. Our ask around, has any one ever even heard of a case where a person successfully shot a bear that attacked their tent while they slept in it.

As a side note i also heard a story from a few years back where a guy shot his buddy in the face. Apparently his smart assed buddy thought it would be funny to try to drag his bearanoid friend from his tent in the middle of the night, while growling like a bear. If i recall correctly the guy lived but clearly his ass was smarter than him.

[buck nash]

Also an alarm isn't gonna leave holes in my expensive tent.

[The Hermit]

I grew up in Ontario, got married and headed west! On our first trip to the mountains about 44 years ago my wife (#1) and I were sleeping in a pup tent in a Banff campground. We had been warned about bears and to be extra cautious as they seemed to be prowling the campground every night. That night we were awoken by major huffing and puffing and grunting REALLY close by... I really thought we were going to die... of laughter once we realized it was the couple in the next tent over!

Yes I generally sleep with my rifle or a shotgun loaded in my tent. I really like the white tee shirt idea!

[180grainer]

I wonder how many sleep with a firearm at home.........now that's crazy unless you live in Newton.

[ruger#1]

I wonder how many sleep with a firearm at home.........now that's crazy unless you live in Newton.I do. But they are in my Gun safe . I do not want them to be stolen.

[Big Lew]

Highly unlikely you could get a bear in the dark through your tent. All you'll do is make noise that will likely scare it off. But if that's the best you can do then why not a pack alarm rigged on trip wire which you don't have to fumble around in the dark to find and then trigger.

No offence to the rest of you but shooting a gun through your tent is just stupid. You're gonna have no idea what you're pointed at until it's on top of you and at that point you won't be able to shoot.

If I'm feeling bearanoid i have a rape alarm in my tent, hanging from the roof with a glow stick attached to the pin. That way i can see it in the dark and pull the pin if needed. But apart from the brambles' story and a very few others i don't hear very many accounts of bears attacking tents.

Ask brambles if he figures he could've gotten a shot of in all the commotion and I'll bet he'll say probably not. Our ask around, has any one ever even heard of a case where a person successfully shot a bear that attacked their tent while they slept in it.

As a side note i also heard a story from a few years back where a guy shot his buddy in the face. Apparently his smart assed buddy thought it would be funny to try to drag his bearanoid friend from his tent in the middle of the night, while growling like a bear. If i recall correctly the guy lived but clearly his ass was smarter than him.

I agree, good post.
I have a lot of respect for many of the other posters, and I value their experience and related comments, but unless
someone has that experience, especially in handling their firearms very quickly and efficiently, I think most others,
including me, should seriously consider alternate methods such as the motion lights or alarms, trigger wires, or even
electric fencing (although some guides swear by them, others say they don't always work)
As a side note, although I've seen bear tracks outside my tent a couple of times over many years, most of the huffing,
snorting, and noise from a large animal has been from cattle or horses. Someone that's a bit paranoid could easily
think they were bears and shoot through their tent toward them which might account for some of the dead cattle I've
seen near campsites.

[BCBRAD]

While not light or portable, when we set up the 'wall tent' camp we use a Coleman stick on a 20 lb. propane bottle with a lantern , its on all night, its like a street lamp and placed out side. There is enough light that you don't need a flashlight inside the tent, you can see shadows if something is near by. Also, a portable shotgun with a pressure activated switch for the light, loaded and ready to go.

[gunsandhoses]

My best bear defence is my Dog!

last year we camped in an area where we had bears walking past our camp every other night.

Fast asleep in our cots, shotgun loaded with Breneke slugs, we didn't have a care in the world - our heeler was on guard.

Everytime a bear got within earshot of the pooch - he'd let us know - a good blast on an air horn or a couple of firecrackers out the rear tent door, kept them far away from us.

A half decent dog will know that something is in the area way before the best human ear can detect it!

[wideopenthrottle]

While not light or portable, when we set up the 'wall tent' camp we use a Coleman stick on a 20 lb. propane bottle with a lantern , its on all night, its like a street lamp and placed out side. There is enough light that you don't need a flashlight inside the tent, you can see shadows if something is near by. Also, a portable shotgun with a pressure activated switch for the light, loaded and ready to go.

after we lost one deer this trip we ran the coleman light all night every night near the meat pole

[wideopenthrottle]

My best bear defence is my Dog!

last year we camped in an area where we had bears walking past our camp every other night.

Fast asleep in our cots, shotgun loaded with Breneke slugs, we didn't have a care in the world - our heeler was on guard.

Everytime a bear got within earshot of the pooch - he'd let us know - a good blast on an air horn or a couple of firecrackers out the rear tent door, kept them far away from us.

A half decent dog will know that something is in the area way before the best human ear can detect it!
X2...we had a trail cam set up also and every time the cam came on there was dog barks in the background...other than the night we lost the deer, when it poured like hell and she snuck in the tent, she barked every time the griz came to our camp..

[Sleep Robber]

I also have an air horn with me in the wall tent, along with my 30-30 loaded and close by as sometimes shooting from the hip {so to speak}will be the only shot you'll get off....if any !!

I think that an electric fence is a good purchase if you know that the area you are going to has more bear population than say others do.

[Downtown]

For those whom may think to leave a loaded Firearm in the Vehicle I say don't do it. (A) It,s illegal in BC therefore you could be charged and (B) the Firearm is out of your reach if a Grizzly got hold of you while you are still in your Tent.

Myself I prefer a good Tarp instead of a Sack (Tent) so I can get out anyplace and yes I always have my Firearm beside me and wear my headlamp even while sleeping.

Cheers

[hoochie]

............

[GotaGun]

Hmmm slept in some incredibly remote locations with very high concentrations of grizzly or coastal brown bears for almost 4 decades...my advice..
Gun gets brought into the tent magazines loaded but non in the chamber.
A good strong reliable flashlite..
A fixed blade knife..

The flashlite is to see what the night time disturbance is..
The rifle is to deal with a menacing bear..all bear encounters at night in your tent are predatory. .defend your life..
The knife is to make a secondary exit anywhere you may need it..cant rip a tent...

I also advocate a NEW white t shirt for sleeping only..no eating while wearing it..it stays in the tent..
Should the worst case scenario happen..it is really easy to spot hunting partners at 3am in the white t shirt. .no confusion of what or where..

Cheers
Srupp
Like the white shirt idea. it's getting added next year...:smile:

[adriaticum]

Well if you are going hunting with your wife and sleeping with your rifle, your wife might get a little jealous.

[Bear Chaser]

I sleep with my rifle beside me no bullet in the chamber. Keep a headlamp or flashlight handy as well.

The most important thing I do is rub bacon grease at the bottom of my hunting partners bedrolls. I figure that should buy me enough time to deal with any problems that may come in.

[kgs]

gun sleeps with me.
condensation or not, the gun ain't much good to you if it ain't in your hands.
\

I agree gun ain't much good to you if it ain't in your hands

[longstonec]

Had some snow drop onto the pack alarm wire last year late in november. After a week I was a little twitchy. I sleep with a headlamp on and 45-70 leaned up nearby. When it went off and shattered my peaceful sleep. I managed a pretty sweet ninja roll out of cot followed by the trip over sleeping bag move, grab rifle, and then when nothing came charging through the tent wall i went out to see what was up. 130AM... had a big whisky while unwinding and went back to bed.

[mpotzold]

Couple trigger-happy Canadian guys!:roll:


Boy mistaken for bear shot, killed in campsite
http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/boy-mistaken-for-bear-shot-killed-in-campsite-210040201.html (http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/boy-mistaken-for-bear-shot-killed-in-campsite-210040201.html)

Camper who thought he heard a bear shoots woman relieving herself
http://www.riderfans.com/forum/showthread.php?100291-Notice-to-Sask-campers-please-do-not-shoot-peeing-Danish-tourists (http://www.riderfans.com/forum/showthread.php?100291-Notice-to-Sask-campers-please-do-not-shoot-peeing-Danish-tourists)

[eaglesnester]

depends on where I am and the size of the tent. I have a tent big enough to walk around in. I sleep on a cot so i am not helpless on the ground. the rifle is locked and loaded on the ground beside the cot. The coleman lantern is turned down as low as possible giving heat and just enough light to see by. The sleeping bag is unzipped and thrown over me. Do not zip myself up like a burrito. I am fully dressed when I sleep in the bush, shoes and all. The cot and open sleeping bag allow me to quickly deploy myself to meet any threat. Not paranoid or anything I do not want to wake up finding myself turned into bear skat in the morning.

[srupp]

Lol 25 years ago was in Cariboo mts with twin brother, shot an awesome blond black bear..Gerry set up2 tents..I skinned out bear..supper and for a joke I put a package of BACON under Gerries pillow in Gerries tent..wwaited for him to discover it..
I hear WT HELL.. and then Gerry came over to my tent..not a happy camper. .and forcefully exchanged tents for the night...never did sleep that night.


Srupp

[180grainer]

\

I agree gun ain't much good to you if it ain't in your hands
ppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppp

[180grainer]

Couple trigger-happy Canadian guys!:roll:


Boy mistaken for bear shot, killed in campsite
http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/boy-mistaken-for-bear-shot-killed-in-campsite-210040201.html (http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/boy-mistaken-for-bear-shot-killed-in-campsite-210040201.html)

Camper who thought he heard a bear shoots woman relieving herself
http://www.riderfans.com/forum/showthread.php?100291-Notice-to-Sask-campers-please-do-not-shoot-peeing-Danish-tourists (http://www.riderfans.com/forum/showthread.php?100291-Notice-to-Sask-campers-please-do-not-shoot-peeing-Danish-tourists)I guess the lesson here is....don't hunt with morons.....

[coyotebc]

Back in 1991 some hunters set up their camp not far from mine, 50 yards or so
I keep a clean camp, they didn't
Third or fourth night that they were there, I heard 3 shots in the middle of the night

They claimed a bear was trying to get in their tent
At first light they showed me the huge paw print on the side of their tent

[ACB]

When I'm camping close to my truck my rifle is locked inside but my defender shotgun sleeps with me loaded to the teeth,(not one in the tube). My rife shoots 1 30cal. bullet my shotgun shoots nine from 1 shell, only 1 180gr. bullet from my rife, almost 2oz. of lead out of my shotgun each shot. Not much of a contest at close range.

[harley1]

Question - sounds like most of you wait quietly in tent waiting to see if bear wants to join you. Is this considered best, or is the get out and investigate, or make some noise option best?

[monasheemountainman]

I like to sleep at night so I just do that and if something comes to eat me I shoot it in the face

[Angus]

I like to sleep at night so I just do that and if something comes to eat me I shoot it in the face

LOL! Best advice yet!

[scotty30-06]

Bahahahha Amen to that....too funny but very true

[takla1]

lets see..1 yr big bear,not sure if it was a griz or large blacky bit into the side on my wall tent and tried pulling me outwards in my sleeping bag /another time we were back in camp after an late evening hunting and just got dinner started on the 45 gal oil drum stove and a large black boar charged from behind and beside the tent,shot and killed a couple from the tent entrance/another time we were comeing back to camp after the morning hunt to see a large boar pushing over the tent and tearing it up at around 11 am in the morning.. another dead boar this one over 400 lbs/another time we had shot a bull and my dumb asz brother was cooking /eating fresh backstrap and throwing bits of fat into the fire,large black came into camp and tore shit up ....yup..guns always loaded ,Knives stashed everywhere.it could be a life and death deal realy

takla

takla

[2tins]

Having bear spray in your tent is a bad idea. Sure you might get the bear to re-think being in your tent by spraying him but the bear will be gone and you will feel like you are on fire. Bear spray is naaaasty stuff. Oh and if you are so unlucky as to spray your wife with that stuff......well I'll bet you would rather have a grizzly in there with you.

Keep your gun close but keep your wife closer. Good luck.

[RiverOtter]

To the guy who mentioned Brambles, I'm pretty sure he would have got a bullet into the bear, as he bad the barrel stuffed into her ribs and pulled the trigger, but nothing happened. Forget if it was the safety or the bolt wasn't closed as it's been quite some time since I read his and Rattlers story.

Personally, I always sleep with a loaded rifle in the tent; round chambered, but bolt lifted and slightly pulled back. Not into blasting holes in my Hilleberg, shooting at sounds, so the rule is, sit/lay at the ready until it is close enough to touch with the barrel.

[scoutlt1]

Always tent with a buddy. Make sure he goes to sleep in his tent before you do.
Once he's asleep open a can of tuna on the far side of his tent.
Costco sells tins of tuna cheap.
Even with a fresh can every night you're looking at less than 20 bucks for a week long trip.
Best bear insurance out there.



Just kidding of course :)

[firstshot]

Same as thedougler , shotgun with 00buck, slug, 00buck. The most experienced shot gunner sleeps closest to the door of the tent with the shot gun ready. Nobody else in the tent has a ready firearm....don't need shots in multiple directions in a panic.


Hopefully the bear uses the door !

[Big Lew]

Always tent with a buddy. Make sure he goes to sleep in his tent before you do.
Once he's asleep open a can of tuna on the far side of his tent.
Costco sells tins of tuna cheap.
Even with a fresh can every night you're looking at less than 20 bucks for a week long trip.
Best bear insurance out there.



Just kidding of course :)

When kids, my brothers and I used to camp in the timber by Rolley Lake. We wouldn't use the
campground built for the city slickers. Our great grandfather had the lake named after him because
he had homesteaded by the side of the lake, so we country ragamuffins considered them and the
campgrounds intruders and would go out of our way to scare them at night. We would bring along
tins of sardines in oil, pour the oil all over a rotten stump, and then drop the sardines into the hollow
center. You could hear the bears growling and carrying on during the night as they tried to get those
sardines. Our camp was set inside a massive windfall above the trail to the falls, well away from those
stumps, so we never were bothered by anyone or the bears. If I could re-wind the clock, I would do it
again just to see how scared those city campers would get.

[harley1]

All these stories have got me scared LOL. I often just take my Hammock in the woods - Not much room for rifle in there and they say another word for Hammock is bear Taco :{

[guest]

I always have mine ready on self pack in hunts if remote hunting, came in handy on a sheep hunt in a couple of the GO territories when Grizz game in twice, scary but still here to remember it all to well . but also at my side ever since the allocation BS started over a year ago. The lazer beams and red dots had me concerned. Now with gun at bed side even at home ....... I just fire toward any intense beam ....... Worked so far

[brian]

All these stories have got me scared LOL. I often just take my Hammock in the woods - Not much room for rifle in there and they say another word for Hammock is bear Taco :{

Just lay it on a tarp under your hammock.

[Walksalot]

I sleep with my rifle in the tent. I am not paranoid I am just cautious. The clip is loaded and in the rifle but nothing in the chamber. In the wild predators are always looking for an easy meal. I do not want to be an easy meal.

[Singleshotneeded]

All I'll add is for a camp gun get a light for it, for instance in camp I have my 870 with 00buck first then slugs...first shot in the face to mess with it's sight and smell, then slam slugs into the bear. Brownells and other places sell a light mount that mounts to the front of the mag tube, and keeps the powerful gun light to the left of the fore-end. Push the button in the light's base that faces you with your left hand, and it turns on...then shoot after you've identified the target! I really like the 14" open cylinder barrel I got from Dlask Arms in Delta for the 870, makes it very handy for camp use...

[HarryToolips]

I sleep with my rifle in the tent. I am not paranoid I am just cautious. The clip is loaded and in the rifle but nothing in the chamber. In the wild predators are always looking for an easy meal. I do not want to be an easy meal.
I do the same....

[MikeH]

In a tent my rifle will be loaded and ready.

[Useyourfeet]

At my side loaded, Safety on.