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I pulled and fired my gun during my bike ride Saturday
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I am not a gun nut, but I purchased a handgun last November for self and family protection.

I was riding my computrainer and watching the tour de' france on Saturday morning. I checked over my left shoulder to see the whereabouts of Contador and Nibili.. And I saw a bear!! The damn bear was harassing my turkeys!

I dismounted the CT, grabbed the gun, and shot three times into the ground (to scare, not to kill)..

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Mr Bear took off like hell (as did the turkeys!)


I got back onto the bike, and crushed both Quintana and Froome on Alp D' Huez....

Austin Hardy -

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Re: I pulled and fired my gun during my bike ride Saturday [Aust1227] [ In reply to ]
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bet ya sagan grabbed second
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Re: I pulled and fired my gun during my bike ride Saturday [Aust1227] [ In reply to ]
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Black Bear? If you would have walked outside unarmed you would have had the same result. I once chased one up the road with just a squeaky pedal.
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Re: I pulled and fired my gun during my bike ride Saturday [Rambler] [ In reply to ]
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Tell that to the families of the two black bear deaths here in Tennessee in the last few years. One was killed trout fishing in the Smokies. The other was a child hiking with family members in the Cherokee National Forest. Don't be foolish in thinking that black bears are harmless.
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Re: I pulled and fired my gun during my bike ride Saturday [Aust1227] [ In reply to ]
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Good shoot, assuming you were 100% on your underground utilities! You wouldn't have been the first guy to blast a water/sewer/electrical connection.

This is without doubt the first "I drew my gun while riding the trainer" story I have ever read. Good show there!

Ironman Certified Coach

Currently accepting limited number of new athletes
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Re: I pulled and fired my gun during my bike ride Saturday [Aust1227] [ In reply to ]
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Wonder what is the your FTP while firing a gun? :-)
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Re: I pulled and fired my gun during my bike ride Saturday [coates_hbk] [ In reply to ]
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coates_hbk wrote:
bet ya sagan grabbed second

Sagan would have hopped on the bear and rode it for 2nd

--------------------------
The secret of a long life is you try not to shorten it.
-Nobody
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Re: I pulled and fired my gun during my bike ride Saturday [Aust1227] [ In reply to ]
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WOW. We have a pile of black bears in Northern Maine but because they get hunted they associate people with danger. In 11 years of living up north we have never had and I have never heard of a "problem bear"

HOWEVER in southern and central Main where there are a lot of people, trash and tasty livestock and not any hunting pressure bears are in people yards, on bird feeders and getting in to chicken coops and goat farms all the time.

If by scaring him away the problem is over then great, BUT my advice to you if he shows up again is to kill him.
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Re: I pulled and fired my gun during my bike ride Saturday [arby] [ In reply to ]
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This is so true. People seem to think that black bears are harmless. They are a fast, agile, and large animal with claws like razor blades and powerful jaws. They can be easily spooked, but also have curious tendencies of people. At the end of the day, they are a large wild animal that has killed people and will continue to kill people. It just blows me away when people scoff at the danger of black bears. Just because they are afraid of you does not mean you are out of harm's way.

arby wrote:
Tell that to the families of the two black bear deaths here in Tennessee in the last few years. One was killed trout fishing in the Smokies. The other was a child hiking with family members in the Cherokee National Forest. Don't be foolish in thinking that black bears are harmless.
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Re: I pulled and fired my gun during my bike ride Saturday [Aust1227] [ In reply to ]
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Looks like a little baby bear. Probably just wanted a hug. And a turkey.
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Re: I pulled and fired my gun during my bike ride Saturday [mwanner1] [ In reply to ]
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I live in black Bear country and am less scared of them than many of the dogs that chase me on my rides. I chase bears off my deck regularly usually with a folding chair and lots of yelling. They have the power to kill you but that's not in there DNA, they are pretty single minded, just look for ez food source which doesn't include humans meat.

BoulderCyclingCoach.com
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Re: I pulled and fired my gun during my bike ride Saturday [Aust1227] [ In reply to ]
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"Strange denizens of the trainer"

“Bloom wherever you are planted"
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Re: I pulled and fired my gun during my bike ride Saturday [Aust1227] [ In reply to ]
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Love it brother!! haha......Great post and pic!!!


.
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Re: I pulled and fired my gun during my bike ride Saturday [rruff] [ In reply to ]
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rruff wrote:
Looks like a little baby bear. Probably just wanted a hug. And a turkey.

Not sure he wanted either.. But I want to make sure he knows that he will not be welcomed with open arms around this homestead!!

The turkeys on the other hand appeared to enjoy the bears company. Rather than running away, they ran straight to the fence and started gobbling. I would love to know what they are thinking inside those tiny little brains (says the spandex clad dude jumping off an indoor trainer to fire a gun into the ground.....)

Austin Hardy -

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Re: I pulled and fired my gun during my bike ride Saturday [Rambler] [ In reply to ]
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You underestimate black bears. Yes, they usually spooked by any kind of human activity, until they aren't. And I'm pretty sure you don't want to be fighting a black bear empty handed. Especially considering they're strong enough to rip the doors off of cars to get at food.


Rambler wrote:
Black Bear? If you would have walked outside unarmed you would have had the same result. I once chased one up the road with just a squeaky pedal.
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Re: I pulled and fired my gun during my bike ride Saturday [Aust1227] [ In reply to ]
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The suns out and it looks nice. Why are your riding a CT. Get outside.
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Re: I pulled and fired my gun during my bike ride Saturday [summitt] [ In reply to ]
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Answer...Bears...

summitt wrote:
The suns out and it looks nice. Why are your riding a CT. Get outside.
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Re: I pulled and fired my gun during my bike ride Saturday [mwanner1] [ In reply to ]
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This is so true. People seem to think that black bears are harmless. They are a fast, agile, and large animal with claws like razor blades and powerful jaws. They can be easily spooked, but also have curious tendencies of people. At the end of the day, they are a large wild animal that has killed people and will continue to kill people. It just blows me away when people scoff at the danger of black bears. Just because they are afraid of you does not mean you are out of harm's way.

Yes they can kill you easily, but they are generally timid, and like most animals they steer clear of confrontations with humans. Since there are so many of them, there will occasionally be one that doesn't fit the pattern of spooking and running away.

To put things into perspective:


Average Number of Deaths per Year in the U.S
Bee/Wasp 53 Dogs 31 Spider 6.5 Rattlesnake 5.5 Mountain lion 1 Shark 1 Alligator 0.3 Bear 0.5 Scorpion 0.5 Centipede 0.5 Elephant 0.25 Wolf 0.1 Horse 20 Bull 3
Last edited by: rruff: Jul 27, 15 11:38
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Re: I pulled and fired my gun during my bike ride Saturday [rruff] [ In reply to ]
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The conclusion I draw from that is helmets save lives.
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Re: I pulled and fired my gun during my bike ride Saturday [rruff] [ In reply to ]
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rruff wrote:



Average Number of Deaths per Year in the U.S
Bee/Wasp 53 Dogs 31 Spider 6.5 Rattlesnake 5.5 Mountain lion 1 Shark 1 Alligator 0.3 Bear 0.5 Scorpion 0.5 Centipede 0.5 Elephant 0.25 Wolf 0.1 Horse 20 Bull 3

Cars: 40,000
Sugar: a million?

Should have gone out and yelled at the bear. It would have ran away. Now next time it comes it may not be afraid of gunshots.

Also, never fire a gun except to hit something. You should know this.

Also2, handgun is ineffective against a bear. What were you to do if it wasn't spooked and it charged at you? Don't shoot at a bear unless you got a high power rifle for fuck's sake. Sure a handgun could kill a bear but it may take a few hours. Meanwhile you'd be long dead.

None of this was well thought out.
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Re: I pulled and fired my gun during my bike ride Saturday [Aust1227] [ In reply to ]
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Did you notice the black bear in your mirror while practicing control and release?



Aust1227 wrote:
I am not a gun nut, but I purchased a handgun last November for self and family protection.

I was riding my computrainer and watching the tour de' france on Saturday morning. I checked over my left shoulder to see the whereabouts of Contador and Nibili.. And I saw a bear!! The damn bear was harassing my turkeys!

I dismounted the CT, grabbed the gun, and shot three times into the ground (to scare, not to kill)..

[/url]

Mr Bear took off like hell (as did the turkeys!)


I got back onto the bike, and crushed both Quintana and Froome on Alp D' Huez....
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Re: I pulled and fired my gun during my bike ride Saturday [Dilbert] [ In reply to ]
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Dilbert wrote:
Also2, handgun is ineffective against a bear.
Depending on your location, most black bears aren't that big and service caliber handguns (9/.40/.45/357SIG) can be effective. Your load choice does matter.

There are plenty of folks that use a .41, .44, or a 10mm as bear protection in Alaska, brown bears are an issue here. Handguns on bears are a compromise, no many would argue with that, but they're not useless.
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Re: I pulled and fired my gun during my bike ride Saturday [Dilbert] [ In reply to ]
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Dilbert wrote:
Should have gone out and yelled at the bear. It would have ran away. Now next time it comes it may not be afraid of gunshots.

Also, never fire a gun except to hit something. You should know this.

Also2, handgun is ineffective against a bear. What were you to do if it wasn't spooked and it charged at you? Don't shoot at a bear unless you got a high power rifle for fuck's sake. Sure a handgun could kill a bear but it may take a few hours. Meanwhile you'd be long dead.

None of this was well thought out.

I think the situation was handled well. Yelling at a bear might be effective but that doesn't mean other methods can't be used as well. And shooting a gun into the ground is completely safe. I don't know why a gun can't be used to scare an animal off. Now next time it comes it may not be afraid of gunshots. I wish that worked with deer. Or any other animal for that matter.

Every situation is different. A baby bear is not the same as an 8 foot mama bear. It appears that the bear charging was probably not a huge threat. And while I'll definitely agree that a high powered rifle would be more effective, those don't kill bears instantly either. Or deer. Maybe if you hit it right in the heart you'll only have to evade it for a minute but that would be a long minute. I use a .300 Winchester magnum to deer hunt and the deer I kill run an average of 50-100 yards without a heart. I have no idea what that translates into with a bear.

What were you to do if it wasn't spooked and it charged at you? This question is valid whether a gun was used or yelling was used. I don't know for sure but I'm guessing a charging bear would be difficult to hit with any weapon should it come to that.

The best pace is a suicide pace, and today is a good day to die. -Steve Prefontaine
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Re: I pulled and fired my gun during my bike ride Saturday [rijndael] [ In reply to ]
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I would also argue that a handgun can be effective. A .45 with appropriate defense cartridges would be more than enough to not only stop a bear but stop it right in its tracks. Realistically, your average person with little to no firearm training would be more successful wielding a firearm like this on a close range, charging animal, than a longer rifle that you have to take more care to aim...
I would also say (and you probably know this) that bear spray is thought to be even more effective than a firearm (with data to prove it....) and you wouldnt be wildly spraying lead into the world.... I carry both when I backpack.
Last edited by: Mizzouvet: Jul 27, 15 12:45
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Re: I pulled and fired my gun during my bike ride Saturday [summitt] [ In reply to ]
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summitt wrote:
The suns out and it looks nice. Why are your riding a CT. Get outside.

Oh no, not this conversation!! It might be more controversial than gun control!!

LOL, I had the tour to keep me entertained, and wifey can keep up with me on the computrainer, not so much on the roads!

Austin Hardy -

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