Sidearm or bear spray?

[Beendare]

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[Where's Bruce?]

I am far more afraid of dying in Hospice, death by bear would be a good death. That said, you seem to believe nobody else's opinion or research on bear behavior has any merit...even those who have tagged bears which just seems (insert term of your choice here). Give it a rest.

 

[doc holiday13]

I’ve been compiling the stats for you from the last 30 threads on this topic; (grin)

BTW, Only 2% of guys have ever seen a G Bear in the wild at close range…so most opionions are from what they have read.


60% carry a pistol for bear protection.... but only 15% of those guys have shot more than one box of ammo through it. Not good, practice is everything.

The remaining 40% carry bear spray.... but only two of those guys have ever actually tested a can.
Grin
—

That might be accurate
I bought 2 cans of inert spray to practice with before heading to the Tetons a couple months back. If those actual sprays work the same as the inert, I think the manufacturer likes to overstate the range or I guess you'd need at least 3 full seconds of spray deployed before teh bear is within 20 ft of you .

That said.. I carried my 357mag w/buffalo bore 180g hardcast and a can of bear spray

 

[NorthIdahogunr]

Yea I hunt in high grizzly areas for sure. I carry bear spray and I always have my rifle. When we do camp we arent backpacking so I take a pistol as well

 

[Beendare]

I am far more afraid of dying in Hospice, death by bear would be a good death. That said, you seem to believe nobody else's opinion or research on bear behavior has any merit...even those who have tagged bears which just seems (insert term of your choice here). Give it a rest.

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[Where's Bruce?]

Journalists are not the source...the agency that was formed to study the bears in the wake of open pit garbage dump closures in Yellowstone is. They didn't go looking for this, it was discovered after decades of monitoring. The Interagency Grizzly Bear Study Team has no political arm, no clout, they cannot vote, they are merely advisors so they have no reason to "manufacture" data. They just put the monitors into the field and reported the findings. I have no reason to question their discovery, it makes sense to me. They post a massive library of data at

https://www.usgs.gov/science/interagency-grizzly-bear-study-team?qt-science_center_objects=0#qt-science_center_objects

stretching back 48 years.

Doesn't mean all bears everywhere do this...clearly some do in certain locations as demonstrated by the actual encounters between hunters and bears. Did you even read the findings? How tracked bears (moving towards a fresh kill) were seen to move off because a dominant bruin got in the way? Bears have been stealing fish from anglers for a long time, what makes an elk, bison or some other game any less appetizing?

Dismiss it if you like...I don't really care. To me their findings are interesting and reflect the very adaptive nature of bears from 1973 on. Just a bit of data to stick in my quiver.

Go ahead and post the last word...I know you need to. I'm done here.

 

[Wy_elk_hunter]

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

sidearm for sure. If the wind is in your face and you have to deploy bear spray, now your blind trying to defend yourself. 10mm is the best way to go.

 

[Wy_elk_hunter]

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

sidearm for sure. If the wind is in your face and you have to deploy bear spray, now your blind trying to defend yourself. 10mm is the best way to go.

 

[Bad habit]

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

large caliber pistol will do the job

 

[7MMMAG]

Lead spray

 

[peterbozeman]

This is The Lightweight Zone so I gotta go with my S&W 360PD. Unloaded it is less than 12oz.

 

[Wyobohunter]

That’s more or less what I was looking to hear, is the canister worth the weight savings, or is it best to say the hell With the weight on this one item. I’m trying to stay very light weight and the 10mm is about 39oz loaded. It’ll be well worth the weight if I’m staring down an angry bear and not worth it at all if we don’t encounter any bears

I count ounces and carry both. If given the choice I’d rather use the spray and stay out of court. Spray can’t shoot through tent walls.