jquigley
Active member
I've got a buddy selling a .45 cheap and debated about carrying it as a backup in grizzly country when solo hunting. With other guys around, I'm comfortable with spray. Alone, the redundancy eases a little anxiety.
sidearm caliber in bear country
- Thread starter okie archer
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I've got a buddy selling a .45 cheap and debated about carrying it as a backup in grizzly country when solo hunting. With other guys around, I'm comfortable with spray. Alone, the redundancy eases a little anxiety.
MinnesotaHunter
Well-known member
More is always better. If I carry both, mine is a five shot 357. I plan on mounting my spray on my bino harness going forward, and if I carry a pistol it will be on the waist belt of my pack.
A rule I subscribe to for the best use of a pistol in combat, is to use it to fight your way to a rifle. In this case, spray the hell out of them and use it to buy time to get your $hit together and ready if they keep coming.
T Bone
Well-known member
rifle.
The Hedgehog
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Spray is likely a better idea.
For a gun to save your life from a bear that's dead set on killing/mauling you, it will take a CNS shot. either skull or spine. I believe you could plug a bear in the body with a 300 mag and it would likely still have enough in it to kill you before it died. I sometimes take a small .357 with solid bullets, mostly for peace of mind inside a tent. A 9mm would do the trick if your shot has to hit it in the skull.
For a gun to save your life from a bear that's dead set on killing/mauling you, it will take a CNS shot. either skull or spine. I believe you could plug a bear in the body with a 300 mag and it would likely still have enough in it to kill you before it died. I sometimes take a small .357 with solid bullets, mostly for peace of mind inside a tent. A 9mm would do the trick if your shot has to hit it in the skull.
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Hem
Well-known member
Every year the same thread.
99 percent of the replies are from people with no actual experience being charged/mauled.
Therefore nobody is an authority.
Be prepared in bear country but hope like hell you aren't tested...chances are you are $ucked.
Spray first, shoot second...better odds.
99 percent of the replies are from people with no actual experience being charged/mauled.
Therefore nobody is an authority.
Be prepared in bear country but hope like hell you aren't tested...chances are you are $ucked.
Spray first, shoot second...better odds.
The Hedgehog
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I've been charged hard once by a sow, and have had over a dozen close encounters with sow grizzles, with cubs. I hope I don't have to shoot or spray, or get chewed on.
2 springs ago, I (accidently) pepper sprayed myself TWICE while spring bear hunting.
True story.if you can't laugh at the dumb things you do, oh well.
I've been bluff charged by black bears twice, both small sows.
Those two experiences make me realize that if a grizzly ever really did really come at me, I'd be screwed regardless of what I was carrying for deterrent. If a grizzly's going to try to kill me, he's probably going to succeed.
When rifle hunting, I don't carry anything other than the rifle. If archery hunting or hiking I carry spray, but realize the chances of it helping are very slim. I'm a joke of a shot with a pistol at the range, can't even imagine how bad I'd be under stress.
Those two experiences make me realize that if a grizzly ever really did really come at me, I'd be screwed regardless of what I was carrying for deterrent. If a grizzly's going to try to kill me, he's probably going to succeed.
When rifle hunting, I don't carry anything other than the rifle. If archery hunting or hiking I carry spray, but realize the chances of it helping are very slim. I'm a joke of a shot with a pistol at the range, can't even imagine how bad I'd be under stress.
Idahoarcheryhunter
Well-known member
had a can of spray not go off this year, thankfully it was not during an attack type of situation from now on the 10mm gets the nod when I go not saying a gun won't have malfunctions but its what I am confident carrying.
Highground
Member
I know I carry my 10mm if I dont have a rifle. Also have spray, but feel less confident in it even tho the stats say....
The guide and client who were both mauled near Cody last fall were both carrying spray. The guide also had a .44 mag. pistol, and the client had her rifle. Things happened so fast, in the dark, they were never able to react and use any defensive measure. I had a nasty run in with a sow black bear with three cubs in Colorado once, while packing out an elk. During that encounter, there was no way I was going to drop my rifle in favor of spray. However, I will be carrying spray this fall if I get drawn in Wyoming. There is always a chance that a situation could be resolved with spray.
gotur6
New member
44 mag is what I carry. Best advice I have been given was by my uncle. He said " make sure you can outrun your hunting partner, no need trying to outrun the bear." I found it comical, but also realized that he was joking.
I'm looking to buy a glock 10mm or a sig. I will share this among friends. OMG. I once lost a 44mag while hunting and never found it. It fell from the shoulder holster when I was crawling thru a very thick swamp and I never noticed it fell out.
Tradewind
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I had a can of bear spray go off on me this fall. I carry it where I can reach it on the outside of my pack waist belt. I took off my heavy pack to go play n the drk timber and it landed on the belt side with the spray and managed to
dislodge the safety catch and depress the level to discharge. I heard the shhhhhhh and looked down to see it spray. Reached over and grabbed it and got it to stop spraying. Put the safety catch back on it,
which fit rather loosely. Brand new can I just bot the day before on my way out for the opener.
I wiped the spray off the pack with paper towel. Managed to get some on my hands. Didn't notice anything until I started wiping sweat off my face abt 15 minutes later. Eventually everything started to burn.
wiped snow on my hands and face. did not help. Dumped water on everything, which did not help. fortunately i did not touch anything else.
Last half of the day the spray on the pack worked through my shirt and my hip burned the rest of the day.
A friend of mine told me (once he got done laughing), that there are wipes you can buy specifically for spray. i haven't found them yet. But they would make for a less miserable day.
dislodge the safety catch and depress the level to discharge. I heard the shhhhhhh and looked down to see it spray. Reached over and grabbed it and got it to stop spraying. Put the safety catch back on it,
which fit rather loosely. Brand new can I just bot the day before on my way out for the opener.
I wiped the spray off the pack with paper towel. Managed to get some on my hands. Didn't notice anything until I started wiping sweat off my face abt 15 minutes later. Eventually everything started to burn.
wiped snow on my hands and face. did not help. Dumped water on everything, which did not help. fortunately i did not touch anything else.
Last half of the day the spray on the pack worked through my shirt and my hip burned the rest of the day.
A friend of mine told me (once he got done laughing), that there are wipes you can buy specifically for spray. i haven't found them yet. But they would make for a less miserable day.
Don Fischer
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No need to be able to our run him. Carry a 44 mag and when the chase start's shoot your partner in the foot!
I saw a video (years ago) - a guy was "testing" bear spray to see what reaction the bears (grizzly, in this case) had. He set up in an area that had a good population. Bears he sprayed ran away. Just to get an reaction, he emptied a can along the beach. The next bear through just LOVED the sprayed area. Spent a lot of time sniffing & licking, rolled all over the sprayed ground. You might want to make SURE your pack gets a really through cleaning.
