Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Alaska, Bears, & Defense

I don't live in bear country and have spent very, very little time in bear country, so I'm looking for guidance from those with experience/knowledge in this arena...please review my thoughts below and give me your thoughts.

My Father, Brother, and I are going to Soldotna, Alaska on a fishing trip in July. Most of the time we'll be in a boat, but we would like to do some bank fishing and sight seeing while we're there. While I understand the chances of bear attack are extremely thin, I'm a "I'd rather have it and not need it, than need it and not have it" kind of guy...thus, I'm thinking we should have our pistols on us if venturing out on our own.

I have a .40 and .357 mag and my Father has a .45 colt. I know these pistols are not ideal for bear defense, but it is what we have.

First thing I'd do is try to avoid any confrontation, but if a bear was charging me and I couldn't reach anything I thought was safe enough, I think I'd have a better chance of surviving if I pumped some lead into him/her than any alternative I can think of...and I think I'd feel better pulling a pistol than a can of bear spray. Obviously if my aim isn't good (hopefully the Lord will help me), with the pistols we have the lead won't do much good as I wouldn't expect a bear to turn around b/c it felt something stinging his/her shoulder, etc.

Note: I don't want this to turn into a debate on which caliber would be best if limited to pistols, etc. We have what we have and I'm thinking it is better than nothing.

Your thoughts?

Simplify your trip logistics, airport screening and lost luggage.
Buy a can of bear spray when you get up there.

Yup!

Go for the bear spray.

First of all, don't do stupid things around bears. The sort of stupid things that will get you in trouble would be carrying a stringer full of fish through a narrow alder laden trail at 11:30 at night.

If you'll be fishing the Kenai/Russian river confluence, there have been several human/bear encounters the last few years. The bears have gotten more brazen, and ADF&G isn't shooting them or relocating them, so that is an area you should either avoid, or pay paticular attention to.

Air travel is already a PITA, Airlines make checking backage a PITA and expensive, and I just can't see bringing firearms on aircraft unless you're hunting. Use the backage that would be occupied by the gun for a 50# waxed box of fillets on the return trip and get can of pepper spray when you pickup your fishing license.

Another vote for buying bear spray when you get to Alaska

I would buy a SS Taurus Mod 415 ported snubnosed in .41 Mag. Federal 250gr Hardcores are short enough to fit the cylinder. Some heavy loads are too long. Send it to yourself in AK and sell it before you leave or have it sent home. At 28oz with a 2 3/4" ported barrel, it's a handful, but not unmanagable. And will fit in your jacket pocket. I have one. Good luck.

.45 LC in strong frame with a heavy hard cast is a good bear pistol.

Phil
I have seen bear spray fail to "save" a bear's life twice now... So I am a little surprised that you would suggest spray... I do realize the bear in both cases did not do any damage, so the spray "worked" to some degree... Have you seen a sprayed bear leave an area completely?

I also worry about bear spray ADs and trying to use it in windy condtions. I have considered it a joke.

Your more complete thoughts on these points would be much appreciated.
art

Let me ask this a little different way�

What would you rather have in your hands, a pistol that would take very good shot placement (and possibly multiple rounds) to take a Bear out OR a can of Bear Spray?

Take inconvenience, cost, and lost luggage out of the equation.

And I�ll add another question:

We have friends that have offered to let us borrow their .45 LC�s, so those combined with my Father�s .45 LC would give all 3 of us a .45 LC (all Taurus Judges).

How much better would the .45 LC be than a .40 S&W and/or .357 Mag?

I handload for rifles, but not for pistols�so we�re talking about factory ammo selections.

A friend on mine,Bob Estey, in Anchorage has a couple mining claims out of Hope. Bob used to work for and do guiding work for one of the Alaska outfitters and his wife is retired from the Alaska Fish and game. Bob has a small cabin close to his claims. They hear a lot of noise on the roof one early evening and Bob went out and saw it was a bear. He said this was a chance to try his big container of bear spray. He said he pretty well emptied it from about 10-12 feet. He said the bear danced and growled and did come off the roof. He went to a tree about 10 yards away and turned. Bob sprayed him with the last of the spray. He made a movement toward Bob. Bob did have his old Winchester in 338 Mag over his shoulder. His wife was yelling at him not to shoot the bear. He put one shot over his head and the bear left. Bob said he would never put his self in the position of having bear spray only.
On a side note, my Bro in Law and I bought 5 acres on the Kenai river in 1976. We built an A frame cabin and kept a small fishing boat there. We were there a lot and never saw a bear. We sold it in 1980 when we moved Outside.
Butch

Take my Wife.She would talk the bear to death.

I would find a way to carry a .45-70 Marlin with me.

That and heed 458 Lotts advice "not to do stupid things in bear country".

No way would I trust my life with a can of bear spray. Anytime I visit the Russian River to fish, I carry my BH 44 mag. I do everything I can to not have a confrontation with a bear but every bear is different and you don't know how they will react.

I've seen fisherman run with their fish when they see a bear, that IMO, is asking to get mauled. If a bear wants my fish, he can have them, there are usually plenty more where those came from.

if you're fishing with a guide, he will have a bear stopper. if you're not......take whatever you can shoot well and fast under extreme stress. if you can't do that, go with the spray.

I would think that if a bear really WANTS you, that you're not stopping him with spray-n-pray from can nor gun.

It sounds to me mostly like a fisherman's fantasy. Leave it all behind and enjoy yourself, using your brains to keep you out of the trouble that can be avoided, and simply accept what cannot.

That one is the tough one -

in between the stomps, clawings and bites, accepting, that the only reason for a suitable firearm not to be present being laws and regulations...

As to suitable -

for this application, a gun, light and short enough to be with you at all times, yet out of the way, and yet quick enough into action, steady to aim and speaking with authority -

pics say more than words -