Would the bear have been stopped by bear spray, or the handgun? Dunno--and neither does Phil. But I would bet he has seen far more charging brown bears than anybody who has so far posted on this thread, and also has stopped more of them, not only with a 9mm mini-handgun but rifles from .30-06 up to .505 Gibbs. And bear spray.
His experience not only involves guiding bear hunters, but several months of guiding fishing clients on exactly the sort of bear-crowded, brush-bordered streams I just described If he has enough confidence to carry bear spray, along with a firearm, then I feel kinda okay with doing so too. Which is exactly what I do in Montana--where I've encountered far more grizzlies than most of the posters here.
Thanks for the weigh-in on that, JB. Breath of fresh air amidst all the bloviating here.
Like you, I've encountered far more grizzlies (and blacks) in routine backcountry activities in Alberta and B.C. than most people ever see in a lifetime. I studied under Stephen Herrero at UofC back in the late Triassic period, have worked with and hunted/fished with bear biologists and bear hunters many times. Some of these experienced people believe in and carry bear spray (most do, I'd estimate), and most also believe in and carry firearms when they can.
But the plain fact is that most moderately close bear encounters don't require a gun or a can of spray, just a watchful eye and non-threatening behavior and a healthy dose of animal-sense. This doesn't apply to situations with mama bears with cubs, mating season boars, or carrion/kill defense situations (none of which I've had to deal with) but those are not the majority of bear encounters.
I have carried bear spray since the late 80's in the mountain parks where firearms aren't allowed, never used it, but came close a few times and was glad I had it. I carried a firearm outside of the parks since the late 70's and only used it once, and I'm guessing would probably have been transmogrified into bear scat if I hadn't had it that day. I don't get into bear country much in recent years, but when I do I tend to have both bear spray and a heavy-duty handgun on my belt. When I head to the Bighorns in June for an upcoming flyfishing expedition, that's how I'll ramble, again, as will my wife.
