"The Deer Hunter"1978という映画を見た時、映画の設定、セリフ、文化などについて無知な、若い時でした。もしその映画からkey wordをひとつだけ抜くとしたら、それは分別あるハンターは相手（獲物）に敬意を表すために一撃(one shot)で仕留めなければならない、というもの。この映画は、ベトナム戦争当時のアメリカの製鉄所で働く東欧系移民の子孫の、ブルーカラーの男性の若者たちを描いております。徴兵されて現地に行きます。州は忘れましたがおそらくペンシルベニアだったかと。つまり、典型的な労働者階級の話です。ドン・トランプは徴兵されなかったようですが、おそらく徴兵されても、親の口利きで、サイゴン（今のホーチミン）の補給廠辺りで楽な生活をしていたはず。親はおそらく相当な金を使って徴兵を免れさせたのだろうと私は思っております。トランプをUPennに入れるだけの金を使った男ですので、徴兵対策でも大枚を使ったはず。これは言わばただの娯楽作品ですので、あまり深みはありません。ですが、アメリカ文化の一端を見ることができます。ここでも、重い照準器付きのライフルを抱えて山の奥地で鹿を逐う若者がいます。
アメリカではライフルで鹿を。では日本では熊には何を？それは散弾銃なのだそうです。私はTVニュースを見ていて驚きました。通常の小粒の鉛玉の散弾銃ではないようですが、ライフルではないので、散弾銃になるそうです。散弾銃で安全な距離から熊をone shotで仕留めることができるものなのでしょうか。one shotかどうかは別にしても、外国でも散弾銃で熊を、という国があるのかをGeminiに訊きましたら、答はyes。私にはちょっと意外な答えですね。ただ、森林保護などの目的で鹿の頭数コントロールのために、一定数の鹿討のためのライセンスが発行されますが、そのライセンスには使って良い銃器が明示されているはず。
That TV news show accurate—shotguns are widely used in Japan for dealing with "man-eating" or nuisance bears (specifically Asian black bears and Ussuri brown bears). Because Japan heavily restricts rifle ownership—requiring citizens to continuously own a shotgun for 10 years before they can even apply for a rifle license—local hunters and nuisance control teams almost exclusively rely on shotguns.
However, Japan is far from the only country where this happens.
Where Else is Bear Hunting Done with Shotguns?
While high-powered rifles are the global standard for long-range bear hunting, shotguns loaded with heavy slugs are legal and heavily used for bear hunting and defense in several regions:
The United States & Canada (Eastern/Northwoods Regions): In states like New Jersey, Maryland, New York, and parts of Ontario, heavy timber and dense brush mean hunters rarely see a bear beyond 50 yards. Many jurisdictions in the eastern US actually mandate "shotgun-only" or "shotgun/muzzleloader-only" seasons for big game to prevent high-powered rifle bullets from traveling into populated areas.
Alaska (For Defense & Backup): While Alaskans prefer magnum rifles for hunting massive grizzly and brown bears, Alaskan wildlife troopers, park rangers, and hunting guides rely on short-barreled 12-gauge shotguns loaded with specialized, hardened "dangerous game" slugs (like Brenneke slugs) as their ultimate close-quarters defense weapon.
Russia & Eastern Europe: Similar to Japan, historical and current firearm regulations in Russia make smoothbore shotguns much easier to obtain than rifles. For centuries, traditional forest hunters (taiga hunters) have used shotguns with heavy lead slugs to hunt Eurasian brown bears at close range or over bait.
Pros & Cons of Using a Shotgun for Bear Hunting
When hunting an animal as tough and potentially dangerous as a bear, a shotgun changes the strategy completely. Hunters do not use standard birdshot or buckshot (which lacks the penetration to pierce a bear’s thick skull or heavy shoulder muscles); they use slugs—solid blocks of lead or copper.
The Pros: What Makes it Effective
Massive Knockdown Power at Close Range: A 12-gauge shotgun slug is incredibly wide and heavy.
At close range (under 50 yards), it delivers immense kinetic energy, punching a massive hole that creates an immediate drop in blood pressure, frequently stopping a charging bear in its tracks. Excellent in Thick Brush: In dense forests where visibility is low, a short, fast-handling shotgun is much easier to point and shoot quickly than a long, heavy scoped rifle.
Easier Target Acquisition: Shotguns allow for rapid sight alignment—often utilizing simple iron sights or red-dot optics—which is critical when a bear surprises a hunter in the thick woods.
The Cons: The Major Drawbacks
Severely Limited Range: Shotgun slugs lose velocity and drop drastically after 75 to 100 yards. They are practically useless for spot-and-stalk hunting in wide-open areas like the Western US mountains or the Arctic tundra.
Poor Accuracy at Distance: Because shotgun barrels lack the tight rifling spiral of a dedicated rifle, stretching a shot out to 100 yards turns into a guessing game compared to the laser-like precision of a high-powered hunting rifle.
Brutal Recoil: Firing a heavy, 3-inch magnum bear slug produces massive recoil.
This can cause less-experienced shooters to "flinch," resulting in poor shot placement—which is incredibly dangerous when tracking a wounded bear.
In short, while a rifle is a surgical tool for taking a bear from a distance, a shotgun is a close-quarters sledgehammer. It’s highly effective in thick woods, but requires the hunter to get up close and personal. Unquote.
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