What do you carry in woods? Pa bears & other threats? Where are grizzlies?

[FloridaState]

What type of bears are in Pa? What other threatening animals are in the Pa area woods? What pistol do you carry? Would a .45 drop the threats in PA? What states are Grizzlies in?

[thefirstndsecond]

Black Bear.

Look it up here - http://www.pgc.state.pa.us/portal/se...unity/pgc/9106

Any animal can be a threat, depends on situation.

[scott_hess556]

Pa only has black bear, yes well placed .45 shots should drop it with no doubt. other "dangers" in the woods would include rabid animals such as racoons or foxes. also venemouse snakes scare some people also. (I'm a herpetologist, I love reptiles). Grizzlie bears are vast spread through northwestern canada into alaska, and on occasion could pop up in north or south dakota area.

I personally carry my Colt M1991A1, with speer gold dot's. when i am hunting. just because my rifle may not be the easyest shot if something is right infront of me.

hope I helped.

[knight0334]

Grizzlies and brown bear are far out west, ...like Rocky Mountains to the Pacific Ocean.

PA has black bear upto 600-700lbs max. Most run in the 300-450 area for large ones. We have coyote too. There are the occasional sightings of puma/mountain lion too - but officially they "dont exist in the wild" here. We have some wild/feral dog packs, and some wild cattle.

Thats about it for mean critters in PA.

I personally witnessed a blackbear being taken with a .357mag loaded with hardcasts. A 45acp may deter or incapacitate a bear. However I wouldn't be too worried about blackies, all I've stumbled upon took off faster in the opposite direction than I was fleeing in.

Edit: I carry my .44spl or .45Colt in the woods.

[bionicskip]

I have spent many hours in the "woods" of Pennsylvania, mostly in NW area and have never encountered a threatening animal. The native bear in PA is the black bear, of which there is a very large population. I would hate to count the number of bears that I have seen, some up close and personal, and have never felt that I was in any danger. The bears and I have a working relationship, I don't bother them and they don't bother me. Simple but it works,
Grizzly bears are primarily found out West, there are none in the East.

[TommyG]

I can't ever remember hearing of anyone here having to shoot wildlife to fend them off. Some of the human wildlife you run into in the boonies here is another matter. I have never been afraid enough of an animal to think I needed to shoot it. I have run into a number of people over the years that made the hair on the back of my neck stand up.

You should be OK here with your every day carry setup.

[max384]

The chances of needing a gun to fend off an animal in PA is pretty slim... that being said, I like being prepared (and I never go anywhere without my gun anyway ). In the woods, I either carry a 10mm or if I'm feeling froggy my .500 mag... overkill for anything here in PA, but comforting nonetheless... but it gets heavy to carry regularly... and pretty impractical.

[Emptymag]

Grizzlies and brown bear are far out west, ...like Rocky Mountains to the Pacific Ocean.

PA has black bear upto 600-700lbs max. Most run in the 300-450 area for large ones. We have coyote too. There are the occasional sightings of puma/mountain lion too - but officially they "dont exist in the wild" here. We have some wild/feral dog packs, and some wild cattle.

Thats about it for mean critters in PA.

I personally witnessed a blackbear being taken with a .357mag loaded with hardcasts. A 45acp may deter or incapacitate a bear. However I wouldn't be too worried about blackies, all I've stumbled upon took off faster in the opposite direction than I was fleeing in.

Edit: I carry my .44spl or .45Colt in the woods.

I have spent many hours in the "woods" of Pennsylvania, mostly in NW area and have never encountered a threatening animal. The native bear in PA is the black bear, of which there is a very large population. I would hate to count the number of bears that I have seen, some up close and personal, and have never felt that I was in any danger. The bears and I have a working relationship, I don't bother them and they don't bother me. Simple but it works,
Grizzly bears are primarily found out West, there are none in the East.

I can't ever remember hearing of anyone here having to shoot wildlife to fend them off. Some of the human wildlife you run into in the boonies here is another matter. I have never been afraid enough of an animal to think I needed to shoot it. I have run into a number of people over the years that made the hair on the back of my neck stand up.

You should be OK here with your every day carry setup.

Read these posts again.
Humans and wild dogs are the only things I'd be concerned with.

Enjoy your trek into the forest, and please don't blindly shoot at the first thing that makes "growling noises" in the bushes - it might be me trying to scare you.

[Triggerh4ppy]

black bears around here...Ive heard they can be very agressive somtimes.
If you can get away with it an ak would be a good choice but not in 5.45x39 its gotta be in 7.62x39.to crack the bears skull

[Steve_NEPhila]

Pa only has black bear, yes well placed .45 shots should drop it with no doubt. other "dangers" in the woods would include rabid animals such as racoons or foxes. also venemouse snakes scare some people also. (I'm a herpetologist, I love reptiles). Grizzlie bears are vast spread through northwestern canada into alaska, and on occasion could pop up in north or south dakota area.

I personally carry my Colt M1991A1, with speer gold dot's. when i am hunting. just because my rifle may not be the easyest shot if something is right infront of me.

hope I helped.

I really hope you do not intend nor insinuate that you would take game in Pennsylvania with an autoloader. As of now, and in the past that is an illegal practice.

Sec. 2308. Unlawful devices and methods.

(a) General rule. - Except as otherwise provided in this title, it is unlawful for any person to hunt or aid, abet, assist or conspire to hunt any game or wildlife through the use of:

(1) An automatic firearm or similar device.

(2) A semiautomatic rifle or pistol.


See the bold above. I would question the judgment of anyone using the .45 ACP to take big game unless it was a survival situation. I am sure you misrepresented what you really meant...