Wyoming Outdoorsmen Say In Grizzly Country, Have A Round Chambered In Your Handgun

When a grizzly is charging and milliseconds count, it’s best to have a round already chambered in a defensive handgun, some Wyoming outdoorsmen said. 

“The idea of carrying a semiautomatic pistol without a round in the chamber is just dangerous foolishness. Properly holstered handguns do not discharge on their own,” Cody firearms instructor Bill Tallen told Cowboy State Daily.

Hunter Says Chambered Round Saved Him, Dad

Garrett Kalkowski of Cody told Cowboy State Daily that having a round already chambered in his Glock 10 mm pistol likely saved him and his father, Vince, from a mauling. 

A female grizzly came out of thick timber about 4 yards from them while they were hunting elk in the Meeteetse area Oct. 3, and he shot to bear to death.  

Noted Wyoming outdoorsman Paul Ulrich said he doesn’t always carry his sidearm with a round chambered. But he racks one into the chamber if he’s going into an area where cover is thick and a grizzly encounter is likely. 

In other words, just the sort of situation that the Kalkowskis were in. 

Garrett Kalkowski “obviously knows that area, knows the risk and mitigated that risk by having a round in the chamber,” Ulrich said. 

Avid Wyoming hunter and mule deer conservationist Josh Coursey told Cowboy State Daily that it’s best to have a round chambered. 

But it’s safe only if hunters are familiar and well-practiced with their handguns, he said. 

“For me, carrying a round in the chamber is not just regular practice but an all-the-time practice,” Coursey said. “The time to rack a slide to chamber a round and the fine motor skills that it takes could prove to be the difference for a successful defense and not.

“This is, again, only gained by repetition and practice. There are those who advocate that this is unsafe, and I would agree, if one is not a master of one's tool and its function.”

Old Fears Shouldn’t Apply To New Handguns

The standard of never having a round the chamber might come from the days of the Old West. 

Folks back then were in the habit of carrying their revolvers with the hammer resting over an empty chamber on their six-shooters, with five live rounds in the other chambers. 

That’s because those old revolvers were notorious for accidently firing if “even the hammer has bumped a little too hard,” Tallen said. 

Modern revolvers are safer and won’t accidentally discharge like that, he said. 

Tallen added that he knows a hunting guide who, years ago, was in the habit of carrying a modern .44 magnum revolver with one empty chamber, and five chambers loaded. But during a nasty encounter with a grizzly, the guide realized that having all six shots would be better than having only five. 

Likewise, newer semiautomatic pistols have built-in safety features that will keep them from firing accidentally if they’re bumped or dropped, Tallen said. 

The 1911 pistol design was, as the name suggests, introduced all the way back in 1911. But it still has great features, such as a manual safety switch, plus a lever on the back of the grip that must be fully depressed by the shooter’s palm before the pistol will fire.  

Newer designs, such the Glock 20 10 mm pistol, might not have manual safety switches. But it has features such as levers built into the trigger that must be engaged before the trigger will go all the way back and fire the pistol, Tallen said. 

Modern pistols have “multiple, redundant safety features that prevent them from firing until all the safeties are disengaged and the trigger is pulled,” Tallen said. 

“You could put them in a vice and beat on them with a hammer, and they still won’t go off,” he said. 

Coursey said he’s a fan of the Glock 20 10mm, and that’s what he carries in grizzly country. 

“It has been proven on several encounters,” he said. “The bullet and its velocity, coupled with the increased ammunition capacity that this model affords over a traditional revolver, has been shown in several grizzly encounters to be the difference between life and death.”

Situational Awareness

Despite the safety features on modern handguns, Ulrich said he sometimes carries his without a round in the chamber. 

If he’s in open country where the ground is uneven, “and there’s the increased risk of a fall,” he said he likes to play it extra-safe by leaving his pistol’s firing chamber empty. 

Safety in bear country is a matter of situational awareness, Ulrich said. 

So in thick cover where a surprise encounter with a bear might happen, Ulrich said he might not only chamber a round, but also have his pistol out and at the ready. 

Kalkowski told Cowboy State Daily that on Oct. 3, he started drawing his pistol from the holster the second he started hearing crashing noises coming from the thick timber near where he and his father were. 

Tallen said that was good thinking. 

“That was very, very smart on his part to do that,” Tallen said. “That bear first appeared 4 yards away. That means that bear’s going to be on top of you in a second or two.”

Which might not have been enough time to draw if Kalkowski’s pistol had been holstered, Tallen said. 

Tallen said he once had his own surprise encounter with a grizzly, at about 7 yards, and his pistol remained in its holster. 

The bear wasn’t aggressive and just walked away. Had the bear charged, Tallen wonders if he could have drawn his pistol in time. 

But he’s glad that he didn’t have to put that to the test. 

“I didn’t want to shoot him,” he said. 

Quick Draw Drills

Selection of the proper holster is just as important as selecting a handgun, if not even more so, Tallen said. 

A holster should have “good retention” of the handgun to keep it from flying out unexpectedly, Tallen said.

“And having a holster that completely covers the trigger guard is an absolute must,” he said.

Whether bear spray or a handgun is better for grizzly defense is hotly debated. Some favor one or the other, while some outdoor adventurers advocate carrying both.

For those who choose handguns, practice drills are a must, Tallen and Coursey said. 

That includes not only shooting accurately, but being able to draw the handgun quickly and safely, Tallen said. 

“How often to you practice coming out of that holster you carry in the field?” Tallen asked. “Because if you can’t get that weapon out of the holster and get a round downrange within about two seconds, you’re kidding yourself.”

Coursey said it’s a good idea to replicate conditions in the field when hunters practice on the shooting range. 

“Adrenaline has an enormous impact on one's muscle memory, aim and target accuracy,” he said. “Practice, practice, practice cannot be overstated.

“Dry firing and practice scenarios of unholstering and holstering your weapon are essential in developing this skill set. Doing this with your 60-pound pack and bino harness on adds an element for one’s training as well.”

Mark Heinz can be reached at mark@cowboystatedaily.com.