Farmer's Shotgun Blast Halts Rabid Bear

Some marvel at the terminal energy of the .338 Lapua. Others do the same for the .50 BMG. Personally it's the versatility and power of the 12-gauge shotgun that most intrigues me. Its close-range energy is just devastating—the equivalent of about four simultaneous rounds of .45 ACP.

And a story in the news right now proves a perfect example of its potency. According to The News Virginian, two men were working on a farm outside Rockfish Gap, Va., when a rabid black bear spotted their movement. The bear initially attacked their Gator ATV, biting its tire. The men fled atop the vehicle, but they quickly became the targets of the bear's aggression. Fortunately they had stashed a shotgun loaded with birdshot (that's as specific as the story gets) inside the Gator.

According to The News Virginian, this is what happened next:

The bear ... was climbing into the bed when the man atop the Gator put his shotgun to its head and pulled the trigger. ... The bear was decapitated, and its head sent to a state lab, where it tested positive for rabies.

This certainly isn't the first time a shotgun has halted a bear attack. Did you hear about the duck hunters who were attacked by a grizzly?