Bear Country Safety

[dangerousD]

I know the majority of guys say 357 mag or 10mm as minimum for sidearm protection, but last year I carried my XDM in .40 cal. for peace of mind even though I know it's under sized for what is recommended. I was in black bear country and wasn't too worried, but I did see a black bear close up (5 yards one day). Scared the tar out of both of us, but he quickly turned tail and ran! Haven't decided whether to carry anything this year. It's a pain to lug it around and haven't put in the effort to try to change my setup or buy a bigger caliber, but I'm not in grizzly country. Anyone else carry a .40 cal?

 

[Nick Muche]

I talked with Roy Roth about this over the weekend with regards to Kodiak this fall. He said to cook in your tent and store meat in the vestibule, otherwise you are sure to lose it

And that is exactly what they do...

I don't plan on doing that though! haha

 

[Coyote Commander]

I think there is a difference between AK big bears, and lower 48 ones.

In fact, I ran into a guy from AK last fall who has a lot more experience with big bears than I do, and he flat out said "I dont like your guys' big bears". Bears down here have absolutely zero fear as they never get shot. They give humans little to no respect (why would they?).

He said the only bears up there that may give you grief are older bears, loosing teeth, getting crochety and cranky with age and hunger (excluding extenuating circumstances like close quarters with cubs and sows, and such).

 

[Becca]

We hike and hunt in interior AK grizz country for most of the summer and fall, and do at least one fly in trip to Kodiak each year...we cook and store food in the tent and have never had any trouble. On Kodiak we do typically use an electric bear fence around camp when we leave for the day, but I have bivied out without one on several occasions (sometimes with goat meat and or hides in the tent) and lived to tell the tale. My limited experience with AK bears of the brown variety is that they take off pretty much as soon as they wind you, and give you wide berth if they know you are there. I am a lot more afraid of surprising one in the brush along a creek (where the noise of the water can obscure your sound) than I am of having one try to join me in the tent. Most often we have a rifle or two along anyway, so we don't carry anything extra besides that. Having a grizz tag with you virtually ensures you won't see one

Only bear we ever had real trouble with was a juvenile black bear in a heavily travelled area that had grown accustomed to enjoying trash and camping debris left behind by humans. He woke us up when he noisily destroyed the 6L water bladder we had hung up near the tent. The season was open and we had a tag, so Luke let him have it with a broad head and we gave him a free trip home with us. We figured it was a public service, that guy had learned enough bad habits already become a real nuisance...