First Canadian Sheep Hunt - Bear Safety

[djsam]

Question: Are non-coastal Canadian bears a concern for safety conscious hunters? Should we rely on one rifle in the group to keep us safe or should every person be armed?

Headed to Canada this fall to assist a buddy in our first sheep hunting adventure near Banff. My number one gear item was a 12 gauge slug gun for bear protection. Not looking for recommendations on other bear guns and I'm not necessarily sold on the reliability/safety of bear spray. It seems many folks don't share my level of concern for these large carnivores and suggest minimizing weight. I grew up south of I-10. I'm at the point I'd sacrifice speed and comfort for the idea I'd be able to protect myself. We understand basic bear safety measures, but it seems like some encounters may be unavoidable...

 

[wildwilderness]

I have a low level of concern! And see bears a lot

For your purposes with multiple people, spray will be sufficient for the lightest option if you are worried.

I do live in AK and often bowhunt solo- those cases I carrry a G20 in a kenai gunfighter holster.

 

[ljalberta]

If I’m solo hunting in grizz country. I have spray along with my rifle or bow. If I’m in a group with others who have a rifle, I still carry a spray for myself.

 

[cbeard64]

The “spray or gun?” debate can get worse than caliber debates.

Many experienced folks swear by one or the other but IMO it is totally dependent on the circumstances of the particular encounter. I opt for spray because it is lighter and easy to keep handy at all times. I am almost always a hunter and I have a rifle also but sometimes it is strapped to my pack.

In your situation I would probably just carry spray. The key is having whatever you carry ready for quick deployment.

Just my 2 cents.