You've said it to me twice before.
I'd give the bear a lap dance and charge that nikka double!
Back in the '80s, when we lived in Norway, my dad was an exploration geologist for big oil and went on multiple expeditions to Svalbard, a Norwegian archipelago in the Arctic circle. Longyearbyen, their base of operations and also the largest city in Svalbard, located on the island of Spitsbergen, is 12 degrees from the North Pole to give you an idea of how far north it is. (You may know Svalbard as being the location of the Svalbard Global Seed Vault, the subterranean doomsday bunker which holds the seeds of numerous plants from around the world.)
Svalbard is heavily populated by polar bears and numerous denning areas. They are voracious carnivores, and while they are protected by law from hunting in Svalbard, you are encouraged to be armed at all times while on the islands and are permitted to shoot them in self defense.
Everyone in my dad's geological expeditions carried a minimum of .308, though many, including my dad, carried .375 H&H, which is a massive big game round favored for years by professional hunters. You don't have long to take down a polar bear when you need to, and you need something meaty to punch through not only the thick fur and blubber that insulates them but also the bones beneath.
Polar bears are both relentless and brave. On one expedition a lone bear stalked my dad's group for 14 miles before being scared off by warning shots. There is a large photograph of that bear in his office, standing on a rocky hillside above their camp, staring down at them. It's fairly rare to be attacked by one, but its determined behavior suggested something other than mere curiosity. He said it's a very creepy thing to be silently stalked by a massive predator.
On one of his expeditions an Oklahoman geologist was part of the group. The man brought his prized .44 Magnum handgun to protect him in his tent at night. One of the Norwegian guides at camp on the first night asked him what he intended to do with it if they were ever ambushed by a polar bear, and he responded with "Shoot him right in the eye." The guide sternly advised him to file off the barrel site before morning. When asked why, the guide replied "So it doesn't hurt as much when the bear sticks it up your ass."
Sounds cool , Ill have to read it
Back in the '80s, when we lived in Norway, my dad was an exploration geologist for big oil and went on multiple expeditions to Svalbard, a Norwegian archipelago in the Arctic circle. Longyearbyen, their base of operations and also the largest city in Svalbard, located on the island of Spitsbergen, is 12 degrees from the North Pole to give you an idea of how far north it is. (You may know Svalbard as being the location of the Svalbard Global Seed Vault, the subterranean doomsday bunker which holds the seeds of numerous plants from around the world.)
Svalbard is heavily populated by polar bears and numerous denning areas. They are voracious carnivores, and while they are protected by law from hunting in Svalbard, you are encouraged to be armed at all times while on the islands and are permitted to shoot them in self defense.
Everyone in my dad's geological expeditions carried a minimum of .308, though many, including my dad, carried .375 H&H, which is a massive big game round favored for years by professional hunters. You don't have long to take down a polar bear when you need to, and you need something meaty to punch through not only the thick fur and blubber that insulates them but also the bones beneath.
Polar bears are both relentless and brave. On one expedition a lone bear stalked my dad's group for 14 miles before being scared off by warning shots. There is a large photograph of that bear in his office, standing on a rocky hillside above their camp, staring down at them. It's fairly rare to be attacked by one, but its determined behavior suggested something other than mere curiosity. He said it's a very creepy thing to be silently stalked by a massive predator.
On one of his expeditions an Oklahoman geologist was part of the group. The man brought his prized .44 Magnum handgun to protect him in his tent at night. One of the Norwegian guides at camp on the first night asked him what he intended to do with it if they were ever ambushed by a polar bear, and he responded with "Shoot him right in the eye." The guide sternly advised him to file off the barrel site before morning. When asked why, the guide replied "So it doesn't hurt as much when the bear sticks it up your ass."