This is an often discussed topic over the years in various venues. Whether it's a decision to carry bear-spray, a rifle, shotgun, or hand-gun...or combinations of the aforementioned...it always comes down to personal preference, a personal decision, and then actually doing it. I think we all share in common that we'd rather not do a DLP if avoidable. That said, whatever one chooses, your protective choice has to be on you or always within arms reach when you need it. The one thing that most bear attack stories share in common are the first few words of the story, "It all happened so fast..."
When I am in the field up here in non-hunting scenarios, e.g., remote pack-rafting, fishing and hiking, I ALWAYS have a handgun with me and on me at minimum, and I often also add bear-spray when I can. It's never a rifle or shotgun or bear-spray without a pistol in these scenarios. It's very easy to have the pistol on me at all times, whereas slinging a rifle or shotgun for primary defense (without a pistol) when not hunting can get old fast, and then unslung and sat down for a break...and now it's twenty-feet from you when you need it right now. There are some non-hunting scenarios when I also want/take a rifle or shot-gun along. When so, I'll bring one of my hunting rifles or a short barrel extended tube 870, but I always have a pistol on me. I used to carry a Ruger SRH in 454 Casull, which I hand-load 360grn hard-casts...I've driven those loads completely through the trunk of a tree that I could not wrap my arms fully round. More recently I have come to like a G-20 in 10mm...it is so much more comfortable to carry fully loaded all day when on long and multi-day remote pack-raft floats, even though it has nowhere near the punch of that 454.
When I am in the field up here hunting I pretty much always have a pistol with me, but it may be back in the tent when I am actively hunting with my rifle at hand.
I'll close by saying that I've taken my fair share of bears up here when hunting over the years, so I'm really not looking to take another. I have also had many bear encounters in the field when hunting for other animals as well as non-hunting activities, and fortunately they have all ended well for both me and the bear...one was an adolescent grizzly that I heard huffing at first light one morning 15 yards outside my tent. I was camped on a wide and open shore-line spot along a western AK river on a hundred-mile pack-raft fishing float (the fishing was out of this world!). He bluff-charged me when I stood in the tipi door with pistol in hand, stopping at 8 yards and then turning away and running off into the alder. I had my pistol sighted on him and was a half-second away from shooting when he did the quick-stop, turn away, and run off. BTW, my rifle was along for that trip, but it all happened so quick that I didn't have time to get it out of the dry-bag case...my pistol is always in a quick-draw position near me when I sleep.
One last thing that's kind of related. I NEVER camp on Kodiak when fishing or black-tail or mountain goat hunting without bringing my electric fence...once again, a personal choice...and I sleep so much better (perhaps with a false sense of security!).
I apologize mcseal for my long-winded and at times off-topic post...it's my day off and it's winter up here!
