Camping in Upstate SC this weekend, advice please

11B3XCIB

Well-Known Fanatic
Joined
May 6, 2012
Messages
960
Location
Lexington, SC
I'll be camping on private property this weekend in the Upstate between Lake Keowee and the NC border. I usually take a revolver with me on camping/hiking trips depending on where I'm going. I'm curious if bears are out and active this time of year and if I'd be better suited with a .357 or a .44 in the tent just in case. I know it's a 1 in a million likelihood of an encounter with a bear, I just want to be prepared. I have never really lived in places bears are common, so I'm sorry if the question sounds naive.
 
Register to hide this ad
I don't know what the weather is like in the upstate but I still see active bear family tracks outside of Jamestown bordering USFS.

I've never shot a bear with a handgun but I would definitely recommend 44 Magnum with heavy bullets.
The muscles are dense and hides are thick, I would not use hollow points but Jacketed Soft Points.
 
I usually alternate hollow points and jacketed soft points in the cylinder so I have three of each, with an extra fifty round box nearby.

I was up in Asheville last weekend and saw a black bear near Biltmore.
 
dreamerofdreams said:
Get some bear mace. Then back it up with the.44.

Concur. Handguns tend to piss off bears, and then they try to eat you before they die. At least that's how bears in Alaska often work.

The bear spray is highly effective at deterring the vast majority of bears, it doesn't enrage the animal, it still conditions it properly ("HUMANS = BAD!!! STAY AWAY!"), and you don't have to clean up the mess of a messily killed bear. It is light, cheap, and easy to carry. Make sure you get something which is properly certified by the Dep't of Ag and stick with a major brand like UDAP, Counter Assault, etc.
 
still too warm for bear to den up, so yes they are still out and about. chances of seeing one is slim, but when camping in bear country ALWAYS maintain a clean camp, keeping food put away in sealed containers and hung from a tree when possible.

For defense... bear spray works but I always feel a lil under protected with spray, this is why I also carry the .44. In the past I carried a 10mm and felt pretty safe when combined with spray and basic common sense precautions.
 
Lol. Every time I see this question or one similar posted, I feel the need to repeat something I read a while back. Don't know if it holds true or not, but I think it's funny.

If you're going to carry a handgun for bear defense, regardless of the caliber, always make sure you shave the front sight off. That way it doesn't hurt as bad when the bear shoves it up your a$$
 
Had just such a run with a bear a few years back while camping up on the NC/SC border. We were in a group camp with family. The bear wandered into our campsite and all our kids went a little bit crazy. So the bear alerted and stood up. And one of my cousins cold cocked the bear with a small log he had picked up during his own panic. We were castigated by some neighboring campers for being so cruel and unsympathetic, they called the rangers who then threatened to arrest us for assaulting the bear. By this time the bear woke up got up and staggered off. Where upon we were let off with a warning. If we had shot the thing we may still be serving time for bear- murder or some such. :D
 
Mikesull: I wasn't fearing a Grizzly, just a black bear. A .44 magnum with a solid load, 6 rounds in the cylinder, is plenty.

Hillbluffer: I wouldn't pull the trigger on one unless I felt threatened, and if that's the case, the most it'd set me back is some attorneys fees proving it in court. Pretty ridiculous of the neighboring campers for calling the rangers. I'm sure if it had been their campsite they would have sang a different tune.

We're good about packing our things up and not leaving food out. Our dogs leave a nice scent in the surrounding woods, so I figured a bear might steer clear.
 
11B3XCIB said:
Mikesull: I wasn't fearing a Grizzly, just a black bear.

I think the folks at the Columbia Zoo would be upset about you camping inside the grizzly exhibit. :)
 
Riverbanks Zoo has been waging a large campaign against freeloaders and trespassers lately; not into the park and exhibits, but around the river front access they own. River people use (or used) the zoo's free parking to go down and drink beer and litter and make messes of the natural water front, and then complained when Riverbanks fenced it all off saying there was no where else to enjoy the river. Common sense says the zoo owns the land and if they want unfettered access... BUY LAND, but anyhow, way off point.

Didn't see any bear, but saw hundreds of deer prints, even a couple large deer. The temperatures were great and all in all, good camping trip.
 
Back
Top