Sidearm or bear spray?

[OXN939]

IMHO, more important than what weapon is to have a plan.

Very valid point.

Another angle that's worth mentioning here is that if you use a gun to kill a grizz in self defense, whatever kind of trip you're doing is almost certainly over immediately and you get to spend the rest of it doing paperwork. If you use spray, which, again, is the most effective way to handle the majority of bear encounters, then the bear walks off having learned a lesson and you get to enjoy the rest of your trip.

Just something to think about.

 

[cnelk]

Here's an interesting link - if you decide to carry a sidearm, what caliber?

Defense Against Bears with Pistols: 97% Success rate, 37 Incidents

Using a pistol to defend against bear attacks seems to be a viable option.

www.ammoland.com

 

[North61]

I live in the Yukon and this weekend went up into the mountains by myself to scout sheep. I am not allowed to carry a sidearm here so went with spray. The wind was blowing so hard out of tree cover that the bear spray would have been pretty sketchy, for sure I would have hit myself with windblown spray at 60% of the potential angles of contact. I think the bear would handle the spray way better than I can. If I could I'd be carrying a 10mm. As is next time I go I am taking the 600 in 350 Rem Mag.

 

[eddielasvegas]

…I am not allowed to carry a sidearm here...

Why not?


Eddie

 

[North61]

Why not?


Eddie

It's a Canadian thing.

 

[eddielasvegas]

It's a Canadian thing.

I see said the blind man who picked up a hammer and saw.


Eddie

 

[Marmots]

I used to teach bear safety classes when I worked on the North Slope and I shot through dozens of cans of the stuff. I put a lot of trust in bear spray but did notice something that unnerved me so much that I will spam every bear spray thread with it until Counter-Assault gets their shit together:

Bear spray expires!

Most of the spray manufacturers are, in my opinion, being recklessly negligent by not printing a manufacture or expiration date on their cans. Expired bear spray can have the same range and consistency as hacking and spitting. Cans are good for about four years after manufacture, depending on how they were stored. I don't know if retailers manage inventory with that in mind. I used to mark cans in sharpie with the date we bought them and use them for training when they got to be three years old.

 

[AK Troutbum]

Very valid point.

Another angle that's worth mentioning here is that if you use a gun to kill a grizz in self defense, whatever kind of trip you're doing is almost certainly over immediately and you get to spend the rest of it doing paperwork. If you use spray, which, again, is the most effective way to handle the majority of bear encounters, then the bear walks off having learned a lesson and you get to enjoy the rest of your trip.

Just something to think about.

No, not necessarily. We killed two in camp one night and continued to hunt for another week, then went ahead and dealt with the interrogation and paperwork when we got back to town.

 

[AKDoc]

No, not necessarily. We killed two in camp one night and continued to hunt for another week, then went ahead and dealt with the interrogation and paperwork when we got back to town.

Agreed AKTB.

If given the option to take both (bear spray and pistol), I will take both. If forced to choose just one, it will be my pistol each and every time.

I do not want to shoot a bear as a DLP moment, but if I must do so to protect myself and/or others, I will...and deal with the paperwork later.

I will not trust my life nor those with me to bear spray.

(FYI...I handload my pistol rounds and practice at the range).

 

[OXN939]

No, not necessarily. We killed two in camp one night and continued to hunt for another week, then went ahead and dealt with the interrogation and paperwork when we got back to town.

Check. That explanation was from an ADFG trooper who actually had to spray a bear while we were watching in Coldfoot a few years ago. Guess your mileage may vary.

 

[Misplacedinnebraska]

Clay Newcomb has a video on YouTube that I found my answer in. He interviewed a fella that had been mauled twice by the same bear. He had a 1911 and a can of bear spray attached to a bino pack in the video. I think his actions speak very loudly here and I feel his right to an opinion has been earned.

 

[FLATHEAD]

Hunting this upcoming archery elk season in grizzly country, would you pack a canister of bear spray or bring the sidearm?

Sidearm ; doesnt care which way the wind blows.

 

[Jim2914]

When we were Salmon fishing in Alaska the fishing guides all carried spray. I had asked and he said they like it better and easy to use in a emergency situation

 

[mcseal2]

I carry a handgun and not spray in grizzly country. When not in grizzly country I don’t carry a handgun if I’ll have a rifle.

For fly in hunts I like multipurpose items. An accurate handgun is a back-up to my rifle if I have a gun or optic failure.

 

[Andouille]

...
Bear spray expires!
...Cans are good for about four years after manufacture, depending on how they were stored. I don't know if retailers manage inventory with that in mind. I used to mark cans in sharpie with the date we bought them and use them for training when they got to be three years old.

I can elaborate on this- the reason bear spray cans "expire" is that the propellant gas slowly leaks out of the can, resulting in reduced effective range over time. This is very obvious if you test a 5+ year old can of spray, which will probably spray some fraction of the advertised ~30 ft range. Here's my suggestion for bear spray users:

1. Write the expiration of the spray on the concave base of the spray can where it cannot rub off.
2. Weigh the bear spray and write the weight on the base of the can. Weigh your spray cans annually and replace those that have lost more than ~5 grams; that means propellant has been lost.
3. Clear packing tape over the expiration date on the can label, just as a backup.

 

[Eyeman]

So I have had spray in my eyes.
Everybody has that one buddy right.
We were on a bear Hunt in Idaho where there were no grizz BUT were told to have a sidearm or spray. We had both. We arrived at camp after purchasing supplies in town.
The directions on the spray said do a quick test shot.
So he is fiddling with his and course it goes off and in slow motion I see the cloud heading my way and in slow motion I try to run the other way and then I caught a small corner of the cloud. Again in slow motion I feel what feels like 5 to 7 droplets his my eyes. I felt each individual drop hitting.
I did not get or could not imagine getting a full blast.
Just that small amount had me down for about 30 or 40 minutes and cleaned out every bit of mucus from my head. [If you have a head cold it may help]....lol.
He said he felt bad but I could tell otherwise.

 

[AK Troutbum]

A buddy of mine sprayed a brown bear right in the face from about 10 feet away, and he said that it just went up into the grass and rolled around a little bit then came right back down to where he was fishing, so he left.


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[Where's Bruce?]

Smart people carry both.

 

[AK Troutbum]

Smart people carry both.

I only carry a pistol, but I never considered myself smart.


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[Where's Bruce?]

I would prefer an option that provides...
a) ...a possible alternative to killing a momma with cubs.
b) ...slow the attacking bear down so I can get lead into the CNS. (A charging grizzly can reach a speed of around 30 miles an hour and at full gait. That translates into about 44 feet per second.)