Bear county and protection...

[Wapiti1]

It is VERY possible that your transporter will not allow bear spray in the plane. Ask them. A canister exploding in a small plane cockpit would be unpleasant. If you can take it, do so, but know you might not be able to.

You can't fly commercially with it in your luggage either, same reason. An exploded can would be bad. https://www.tsa.gov/travel/security-screening/whatcanibring/items/bear-spray

I look at spray as the first step. Try it. If it works, great. If it doesn't, it is going to buy you time to aim and shoot.

Jeremy

 

[Salmonchaser]

I carry both and why I train my guides that if a bear has a client they need to close, find an angle that works and start poking 45 caliber holes. (Or 10mm) Using the mannequin I get them thinking about angles and actually closing with the bear. Instead of standing there, what about crouching down, what we used to call “ rice paddie prone” will that give you an angle, away from the victims torso and head, how about anything along the spine? Blow his pelvis up, his butt drops, his head should come up, giving you a shot. I teach them not to expect a one shot stop, they need to be moving and realize the bear may come for them. Towards the end of things I set up the barrel bear with legs or arms around the bears head, I remind them they have tourniquets in their first aid kit, the victim has a good chance of surviving a gunshot wound to a lower extremity, they have no chance if the bear rips their guts out.
A lot of attention is paid on these events. How many times has the partner been unable to shoot for fear of shooting his buddy? Actually very common. We would all want to deliver a one shot stop, it may not be there. Spray, maybe, certainly if it’s all you have. Guns can work once the bear has made contact but you have to be willing to close and find the angles.
The recent events in Montana leave a lot of unanswered questions in my mind and I certainly won’t rely on the press to find the answers. I’d be looking for the police reports.
The odds are very long any of us will have a problem with grizz. The one thing that is often missing from the conversation about bears and cartridges and holsters and spray is an actual consideration of bear behavior other than a sow with cubs can be dangerous. Do some reading this winter, might help you avoid a problem.
So long story short Wyosam I think you’re a long way towards surviving a deadly bear encounter; you’re actively thinking about it and crossed the first hurdle. The body can’t go where the brain has never been.

 

[Salmonchaser]

We fly almost every day during the summer. Bear spray goes in a dry bag and then into the floats or the belly pod. Never get in a small plane with an unsecured can of spray.

 

[AK Troutbum]

I'm not at all on the fence regarding what I carry for bear protection. Currently, and for the last 8 years or so, my most packable deterrent of choice is a 2 3/4" S&W .500 w/440gr hard cast, and for a camp gun, when on the river, it's a 18" 12ga. mariner w/3" magnum slugs. I've never owned a can of spray and probably never will, if I'm faced with a DLP situation, I'd rather just use lethal force and be done with it. I don't bear hunt, because I don't really enjoy the taste of bear meat, and I don't really care for bears in general (I much prefer hunting animals that make good table fare and ones that I highly admire), that's just me. If it's a charging or very aggressively acting bear, I'd rather trust my life to a heavy hitting piece of lead, and carrying two deterrents (gun and spray), which IMO is not really practical, since deploying one form of deterrent in time can be very difficult at best, not to mention trying to deploy two, if the first one fails. In my 28 years living in Alaska, I've been involved in 3 DLP killings of grizzly's/brown bears, and I absolutely don't regret using lethal force. One of the situations involved a bear that charged and stopped about 10-12 yards from me and my buddy, then started walking stiff legged, growling, and popping his jaws. There was a steady, approx. 40mph wind blowing directly in our face, so no chance of the bear winding us, and deploying spray (not that we had any), would have only incapacitated us. Within about 10 seconds, give or take, of this behavior, the bear quickly turned in our direction, lowered his head, and initiated a charge at which time I fired. To say the 440gr. hard cast was an attitude adjuster would be a massive understatement, and even if there would have been zero wind, and spray was our preferred choice of deterrent, I don't believe the outcome would have been nearly as positive for us. I do believe that spray can be an effective means of deterrent for curious bears, but in a serious/charging situation, I feel much more comfortable with a firearm.

 

[forestpaper223]

Wonder why a lot of people feel threatened by bears, i have seen and live and bear countries a lot and i will tell y'all those animals are very peaceful. they don't attack humans that don't act a fool in front of them, remember they are scared of us then we are of them. a fence is nice but i will never shot a bear else i am out hunting for it.

 

[Beendare]

Simple fact: body can’t go where the brain has never been.

Exactly....training matters. If you are going to go with spray make sure you have trained with it prior to your trip. A charging Grizzly is a bad time to learn how to use your can of spray.......

I typically run 3 cases of ammo a summer through my pistols....so I'm sticking with what I know.


...

 

[forestpaper223]

Exactly....training matters. If you are going to go with spray make sure you have trained with it prior to your trip. A charging Grizzly is a bad time to learn how to use your can of spray.......

I typically run 3 cases of ammo a summer through my pistols....so I'm sticking with what I know.


...

I tell people this all the time and i will say it again, don't confront a bear, run as fast as you can towards the fattest people around.

 

[AKBorn]

I'm not at all on the fence regarding what I carry for bear protection. Currently, and for the last 8 years or so, my most packable deterrent of choice is a 2 3/4" S&W .500 w/440gr hard cast, and for a camp gun, when on the river, it's a 18" 12ga. mariner w/3" magnum slugs. I've never owned a can of spray and probably never will, if I'm faced with a DLP situation, I'd rather just use lethal force and be done with it. I don't bear hunt, because I don't really enjoy the taste of bear meat, and I don't really care for bears in general (I much prefer hunting animals that make good table fare and ones that I highly admire), that's just me. If it's a charging or very aggressively acting bear, I'd rather trust my life to a heavy hitting piece of lead, and carrying two deterrents (gun and spray), which IMO is not really practical, since deploying one form of deterrent in time can be very difficult at best, not to mention trying to deploy two, if the first one fails. In my 28 years living in Alaska, I've been involved in 3 DLP killings of grizzly's/brown bears, and I absolutely don't regret using lethal force. One of the situations involved a bear that charged and stopped about 10-12 yards from me and my buddy, then started walking stiff legged, growling, and popping his jaws. There was a steady, approx. 40mph wind blowing directly in our face, so no chance of the bear winding us, and deploying spray (not that we had any), would have only incapacitated us. Within about 10 seconds, give or take, of this behavior, the bear quickly turned in our direction, lowered his head, and initiated a charge at which time I fired. To say the 440gr. hard cast was an attitude adjuster would be a massive understatement, and even if there would have been zero wind, and spray was our preferred choice of deterrent, I don't believe the outcome would have been nearly as positive for us. I do believe that spray can be an effective means of deterrent for curious bears, but in a serious/charging situation, I feel much more comfortable with a firearm.

Trout,

Curious what the recoil is like on that .500 S&W with a 2 3/4" barrel? My S&W .44 mag revolver with a 5" barrel is not fun to shoot with 325 grain hardcasts, I can't imagine what that short barrel .500 is like...

 

[AKBorn]

Wonder why a lot of people feel threatened by bears, i have seen and live and bear countries a lot and i will tell y'all those animals are very peaceful. they don't attack humans that don't act a fool in front of them, remember they are scared of us then we are of them. a fence is nice but i will never shot a bear else i am out hunting for it.

1) EVERY bear is different. To say that a bear is a peaceful animal and won't attack a human, is factually incorrect and a recipe for trouble. Most of us don;t feel threatened by bears, but a certain level of respect for them is highly recommended.

2) EVERY bear is different. Act accordingly.

3) Reread #1 and #2.

 

[NJDiverDan]

I can't speak for the 2 3/4" barrel, but I have the 4" version with the vented compensator and I find the recoil much softer than from my .44 4" redhawk, my S&W 329PD is MUCH worse yet. The .44s seem to have much more snap and a sharper recoil than the .500. It probably has a lot to do with the mass of the revolver as well as the compensator.

Trout,

Curious what the recoil is like on that .500 S&W with a 2 3/4" barrel? My S&W .44 mag revolver with a 5" barrel is not fun to shoot with 325 grain hardcasts, I can't imagine what that short barrel .500 is like...

 

[AK Troutbum]

Trout,

Curious what the recoil is like on that .500 S&W with a 2 3/4" barrel? My S&W .44 mag revolver with a 5" barrel is not fun to shoot with 325 grain hardcasts, I can't imagine what that short barrel .500 is like...

Surprisingly it's not too bad. My range time periods with it are always pretty short, but that's more so because of the cost to shoot it. I also always wear a thin leather glove, which helps considerably with the friction that is created against the palm/base of the thumb.

 

[forestpaper223]

Okay ignore my previous pot, bear dont attack people miding their own business but if anything might spark his anger. shotgun/handgun/PRS might not be the answer. a shot placement is key. taking it don or wounding it so its unable to move. if you can take it down at one shot then there's a chance you can still be messed up by the bear.

 

[SWOHTR]

If anyone here has ever been OC sprayed, you’ll know what it’s like to be exposed to. Nasty stuff. Reason I bring it up is because, if you do carry both spray and gun, it may benefit you to know what the spray feels like (hint: f’ing miserable). The next step could very well be fighting the bear with a handgun when YOU are contaminated. Can you do that - maintain composure enough to fight the bear with a gun, knife, etc while you can’t see?

Can you do that? Food for thought.

I’ve been sprayed and ran a riot control course where you have to fight/take people down with a baton, no handgun. Twice. It never gets better.

I only half joke when I say shove the can of spray into the bear’s mouth and let them bite it. A grenade of pepper spray.

 

[Panhandler80]

Was

I carry both and why I train my guides that if a bear has a client they need to close, find an angle that works and start poking 45 caliber holes. (Or 10mm) Using the mannequin I get them thinking about angles and actually closing with the bear. Instead of standing there, what about crouching down, what we used to call “ rice paddie prone” will that give you an angle, away from the victims torso and head, how about anything along the spine? Blow his pelvis up, his butt drops, his head should come up, giving you a shot. I teach them not to expect a one shot stop, they need to be moving and realize the bear may come for them. Towards the end of things I set up the barrel bear with legs or arms around the bears head, I remind them they have tourniquets in their first aid kit, the victim has a good chance of surviving a gunshot wound to a lower extremity, they have no chance if the bear rips their guts out.
A lot of attention is paid on these events. How many times has the partner been unable to shoot for fear of shooting his buddy? Actually very common. We would all want to deliver a one shot stop, it may not be there. Spray, maybe, certainly if it’s all you have. Guns can work once the bear has made contact but you have to be willing to close and find the angles.
The recent events in Montana leave a lot of unanswered questions in my mind and I certainly won’t rely on the press to find the answers. I’d be looking for the police reports.
The odds are very long any of us will have a problem with grizz. The one thing that is often missing from the conversation about bears and cartridges and holsters and spray is an actual consideration of bear behavior other than a sow with cubs can be dangerous. Do some reading this winter, might help you avoid a problem.
So long story short Wyosam I think you’re a long way towards surviving a deadly bear encounter; you’re actively thinking about it and crossed the first hurdle. The body can’t go where the brain has never been.

My concern doesn't come from a bear and me in passing. It would come from a hooved carcass and meat pile near my bull shit pillow.

Talking out every side of my mouth, i guess.

I'll lay it out there, my fears ....

1. Stumbling up on one

2. Meat hanging near camp, carcass gone in field and wx sets in.... Wind swirls. .... M a bait pile. Plane 3 days out.

 

[Beendare]

Surprisingly it's not too bad. My range time periods with it are always pretty short, but that's more so because of the cost to shoot it. I also always wear a thin leather glove, which helps considerably with the friction that is created against the palm/base of the thumb.

Well that ^ comment only tells me how tough AK Trout is....
Its like asking one of the Hispanic guys that works for me about hot sauce, "Is it hot?" When they tell you its not that hot....its a mistake to try it...you're wife will be knocking on the bathroom door the next day asking ,"What is all that screaming about?"

I've shot all of one round from a SW500 with a 4" Barrel. It was shocking..to say the least.

AND I own a SW 629 in .44- its not bad at all- and I don't mind shooting my buddies lightweight 329PD though its got some recoil, it shoots well. That 500 is in a whole different league.....

..

..

 

[AKDoc]

Take your pistol sir...you're comfortable with it, and you feel better having it with you. I'm the same way, and I have a pistol with me all the time when I'm in the field here at home in Alaska. The only time that I don't have a pistol with me is when I'm in the Yukon...then it's spray.

For many years, I strong-side carried a 5" RSRH in 454 Casull (360gr HCGC handloads of mine). Never had to use it for DLP. Two years ago I switched over to a Glock 20 with 220gr HC's. It's much lighter to carry, and I have it in a shoulder holster, which is always on me when I do not have my rifle in hand. Last fall I got charged by an adolescent grizzly when on a remote packraft float. He was huffing at me just outside my tent at barely first light. When I stood up to unzip the door of my tipi from the top (pistol in hand), I quickly saw that he was squared off directly facing me huffing just 12-13 yards away. I did not want to shoot him, but I had the sites on him as I told him to get the F---K out of here. He did a quick three or four yard bluff charge towards me. I was in the motor process of pulling the trigger when he stopped and I quickly lowered the site picture to shoot the ground in front of him. That 10mm sounded like a child's toy pop-gun when it went off. He didn't flinch or jump at the shot, so I put the sites on him and was pulling back the trigger when he turned and left so I didn't shoot. Time gets distorted in moments like that, so it was likely seconds for the entire encounter, although it felt longer. Ended well for me and the bear. BTW, don't get me wrong, I've enjoyed hunting and taking my share of black bears and grizzlies up here.

One last thing...a moment like that for me as a resident in that particular GMU would not have a been a DLP moment had I shot him. I would have just harvested the bear. Not true for all GMU's, but for that one it's one bear every year for residents and no tag required. As a nonresident, you would be going down a different path of DLP with the troopers and turning over the hide and skull after all that work.

 

[Panhandler80]

Again..... Last thing on my mind is effort turned over if I had to fire. And of course if I did fire, it's to kill.

Having never been up there, I'm just thinking out loud. Appreciate the constructive comments.

Bear last likely cause of not seeing my kid or wife. I get that. Just still something to think about when being dropped off for 10-20 days wx dependent.

I run offshore on short trips from hill for 20-40 hrs, but even then there's a float plan, sat phone, epirp and ditch bag.

This AK prospect is more like a commercial trip and I'm just trying to be smart and efficient