I don't doubt that a bear of that size would probably have reacted by disappearing had it been unwounded. But based on my experience with the bears we have out on the west side - largely unhabituated to people-animals, hollering as well as gunfire for the sake of noise is not very reliable as a method of warding off bears. That's not to say I blame the guide but I have had exactly zero results in trying to sound large and mean when bears have approached or been roused nearby. IOW, I wouldn't attempt a warning shot either. I did spray a bear's legs one time with rock particles when he approached way too close and didn't appear to be done 'examining' us. (That was after we - there were two of us- both tried to make as much noise as we possibly could vocally.) I already knew that rocks or water near a bear were the best hope for bullet placement short of poking the animal, and I figured I probably had only one opportunity if I tried to poke him in the very dim light- he was too close to get two shots, very likely, so I decided to gamble on the 'spray and pray' method. (Bears have consistently shown an aversion to having 300 grain slugs- regardless of their source- splattered against rocks or boulders in their immediate vicinity. laugh )


Sometimes, the air you 'let in'matters less than the air you 'let out'.