9mm Grizzly
It Can Be Done — But Don’t Try It Yourself!
Phil Shoemaker’s S&W 3953 DAO used to kill the bear in
the article with the ammo he used, Buffalo Bore Outdoorsman
+p 9mm 147-grain hard cast bullets.
You never know who you’re going to bump into at the Whittington Center outside Raton, NM. Imagine my surprise and eagerness when I spotted Phil Shoemaker. I’ve read Phil’s exploits as an Alaskan Grizzly Guide for years. He’s no stranger to danger and has good common sense when it comes to the guns he uses.
One of my favorite articles Phil wrote involved a Mauser chambered in .458 Winchester he calls Ol’ Ugly. He routinely uses spray paint on the rifle to keep the metal protected from the elements to prevent rust. But Ol’ Ugly functions just as smooth as could be and is fitted with an old Weaver fixed 2.5X scope. It was this observation that caused me to mount at least a dozen of these very scopes over the years. As Phil observed, the scopes have never changed zero or let me down.
Reading a bear’s body language is vital. What looks like a
charge is actually a bear with cubs running to a school of fish.
What would you do?
A Bear Encounter
Back in 2016, Phil was involved in a shooting with a hostile grizzly bear charging some of his fishing clients. He stopped the attack cold with no one getting hurt except Ursus Arcto Horribilis. The encounter went viral and still generates lots of debate seven years later. The real interest and topic of debate is the gun Phil used to kill the enraged grizzly.
I remember an article Phil wrote several years ago stating his everyday backup/carry gun was a stainless .357 Magnum loaded with 180-grain full metal jackets. He stated he wanted a gun he could shoot fast, with minimal muzzle flip and blast.
Flashback
A competitive shooter in college, Phil met Bill Jordan — yes, that Bill Jordan — the famous Border Patrol agent and exhibition shooter. Jordan told Phil even he couldn’t control a .44 Magnum in a gunfight and it’s why he carried a .357. Phil took this to heart, saying if the much larger six-foot six-inch Jordan had problems controlling a .44 Magnum in a gunfight, how could he do it? So, he used the .357 as his backup gun.
Years later, when daughter Tia started guiding for the family business, he gave her his .357 and started carrying a .44 Magnum Mountain gun.
The picture above shows just how close the encounter was a
nd how thick the area is. The client on right is standing where he
and his wife were.
Perfect Timing
Tim Sundles, owner of Buffalo Bore Ammo sent Shoemaker some samples of his Outdoorsman line featuring flat-nosed cast bullets loaded to full velocity. Phil experimented with them and liked them, shooting them through wood planks to test penetration. The 9mm performed well when shot from Phil’s S&W 3953 DAO pistol.
On the day of the attack, Phil’s daughter borrowed his .44 Magnum, leaving Phil with his 9mm. “I figured no big deal; it’s light and we’re going fishing. Everything will be okay.” Headed for an overgrown, brushy creek, Phil suddenly heard a bear running toward him from about 12 to 15 feet away. Being so thick, Phil could barely make the bear out.
The agitated bear went straight for the couple, his clients. The husband did the right thing, grabbing his wife and falling to the ground. This gave Phil time to draw and shoot the bear six times, all hits. The first shot was in the heart/lung area. The second was near the first, with the bear roaring and biting at the bullets’ impact. Four of the shots were in the heart/lung region. Distance was 12 to 15 feet. The last two shots were in the torso and neck region. The bear had enough and retreated.
Phil heard the bear breathing heavily and knew death was near. Wanting to put the bear out of his misery, he checked his gun. He had one cartridge left and wisely decided to leave the bear alone. He gathered his clients and went back to camp.
Seeing Tia, she knew something happened. Phil told her he had a DLP incident (Defense Life & Property). After notifying Game & Fish, Phil returned with Tia to skin the grizzly, with ole ugly, his famed .458 Magnum rifle, in tow. The bear was dead. Tia skinned the critter; the hide and skull was turned over to Game & Fish.
Here's a grizzly bear skull with another skull in its mouth to illustrate the size and scale of what Shoemaker was facing.
Why?
After fishing for decades alongside these bears, why did this one decide to attack? Phil stated the bear showed signs of fighting other bears with wounds on its face and body. Phil surmises the bear was licking its wounds, recovering when he and his clients stumbled on it and was tired of being pushed around.
Killing the bear was the last thing Phil wanted to do, but it was necessary. He stated if the bear went for him first, the bear probably would have killed him and then the clients. Phil said the last thing he wants to do is cause “bearanoia” or glamorize what he had done. Phil and Tia routinely fish next to bears also fishing. They’re experts at reading the body language of the bears.
As to his choice of gun and caliber, Phil simply states, “hunting and self-defense are two different things. You need to be able to shoot and hit what you’re shooting at.”
Points To Ponder
Just as one sip doesn’t make a drunkard, one incident surely doesn’t set standards. Remember, Phil has been guiding bear hunters for over 30+ years, was a competitive shooter, shoots regularly, was an army veteran and is familiar with being within spitting distance of bears on a regular basis.
Phil used hard cast, flat-nosed ammunition from Buffalo Bore Ammo and a favorite pistol with an action smoothed by repetitive shooting. Like W.D.M. Bell, killing elephants with a .275 Rigby, shot placement is vital. Shooting a gun accurately and placing your shots is more important than what you shoot. It’s an age-old recipe followed by those who know.
