July 17 & 18 – Bear Gun Training

Joined: 23 Mar 2004 Posts: 74 Location: Barrow, AK

Yesterday and today were primarily taken up with Bear Gun Training Class. Kim, Dora and I needed to take a gun safety and education class so that we could carry a gun when we are out on the tundra. Guns are carried by researchers when they go out in the field as a measure of protection against polar bears. Our training was done by Harris Stuermer, who is the Deputy Fire Chief for the North Slope Borough Fire Department and a National Rifle Association certified instructor. He has lived in Barrow for 22 years.

Harris Stuermer, our gun safety instructor

Encounters with polar bears, though unlikely, could occur at any time of the year on the tundra. It is fairly unusual to see bears at this time of year; it is much more typical for them to be around when the sea ice is close shore. Polar bears live on the sea ice, hunting seals, and rarely spend any time on the land. They are very well adapted to living on the ice. Their skin is actually black and their hairs are able to filter light to their skin, much like tiny fiber optic strings. This brings the warmth to their body where it is absorbed by their black skin, while they still appear white for camouflage. Their fur is very oily to keep water out when they are swimming so that they can dry off very fast by shaking. Also, they have thick layers of fat, or blubber, for insulation. In fact, polar bears are so well adapted to keeping warm on the cold sea ice, that they can become overheated, especially if they are stranded on land. You can learn more about polar bears at either of these links:

http://www.polarbearsalive.org/facts.htm

http://www.bear.org/Polar/Polar_Bear_Facts.html

Polar bear picture (Source: Polar Bear Central WWF Canada © 2001 WWF-Canada)

Polar bear attacks on humans are rare, but it is always wise to be informed and prepared. The rules for avoiding polar bear encounters as described by Harris are:
1. Be Alert
2. Don’t camp on bear trails
3. Carry a powerful firearm and know how to use it
4. Be Alert

As you can see, being alert so that you can avoid the encounter is a good course of action. Smile

We spent yesterday morning learning basic firearm facts, like the components and nomenclature of the gun parts, fundamentals of firearm safety, operation of firearms, like loading and unloading, and we did some classroom practice. In the classroom we do not use live ammunition (it is not even allowed to be in the same room as a precaution), but use dummy plastic cartridges to practice loading, unloading and dry firing of the shotgun from three positions, standing, kneeling and supported by a stable object. BASC provides 12-gauge shotguns and shells with a 1 ounce slug for bear protection.

The three rules of firearm safety are:
1. Always point the firearm in a safe direction
2. Always keep your finger off of the trigger until you are ready to shoot
3. Always keep the firearm unloaded until you are ready to shoot.

Dry firing in the classroom from a standing position (Photo by Dora Nelson)

We also learned more about polar bear behavior, which is fairly unpredictable, and what parts of the bear you would want to shoot at if it was a question of you or the bear. Avoidance of the encounter and the need to shoot the bear is the first course of action, but if you were in immediate danger, then being ready and able to shoot the bear is important for your own safety.

Since the weather was poor yesterday, we waited until today to go to the gravel pit south of town to practice actual shooting of the rifles. Harris set up the targets, paper plates thumb-tacked to pieces of cardboard held up by stands made of two-by-fours, and we went over the rules for firearm safety again. Equipped with our earmuffs and safety glasses we practiced firing at the targets standing at 7 yards (about the closest that you would ever want to get to a threatening bear), kneeling at 20 yards and supported by large tractor tires at 30 yards.

Shooting at a paper plate target at the gravel pit (Photo by Dora Nelson)

The guns have quite a kick, but as long as we kept them pulled in tight to our shoulders then it wasn’t too bad. We practiced at each of the distances in pairs and then did a series of shots as we moved from the nearest line to the furthest, to practice moving and getting into position to shoot in a more fluid motion.

By the end we all felt fairly confident that if the need arose we were at least competent at hitting an area the size of a paper plate on the bear, though we hoped that we would never need to do so. Polar bears are wonderful, powerful creatures and unfortunately to do our work we need to be in their homes. It is always hoped that we can do our work without disturbing them or the tragic need to destroy such a tremendous animal.

Thank-you, Harris, for being such a knowledgable, encouraging and patient instructor.