Hell carry a .50, that will stop that bear right in his tracks.

As far as I go no, the only thing I have ever carried was a Ka-Bar fighting knife for the occasional run in with a tangle of 100 pound test mono from some anglers (Not calling anyone names) that has nearly caused me to go down while wearing waders. Plus it works well to keep those jerks from casting too close to me (There is a good story to this) which for them, if they snag me (Yes, I have had some jerks plant a few 4/0 hooks in me while they were snagging carp where I was fishing) there gear becomes mine.

Yes i carry a Machete and a Ka-Bar fighting knife and two pocket knifes and a switchblade too. But i'm just a knife person. That's my thing.

KD, as I have faced this same problem, I'll add my 2 cents.

1. Carrying a gun is almost a guarantee you won't see a bear, which is a good thing. It will, however, guarantee a sore shoulder. I know man, I lugged a shotgun around AK for a week and only saw a few chipmunks.

2. If you've got to carry, go shotgun with slugs. That's what was recommend by contacts prior to the trip and even by AK Fish & Wildlife on their website. If you think about it, you better be a damn good shot with a pistol regardless of caliber. You're not going to shoot a bear at 50 yards, so a rifle doesn't make much sense. Slugs are big, do a lot of damage, don't need particularly good aim and will stop a brute in very close range, which is the only range in which you'd need the gun, right?

i would have to go with a 500 magnum or a 460. but if you want somthing a little lighter a 454 is just fine.

Never fished in bear country, but I have fished in some downtown city areas that you would warrant some conceal carry. Around about when I was 12 my dad started packing his .357 in his creel after we heard about a older fisherman being mugged at knifepoint near a bridge trout loved to hang around.

I fish in the hood for carp...

bear mase/spray is garbage... have you ever used it? tested it?
the spray is only like 15', and thats with no wind
i want something with a bit more stopping distance

Bear mace is not garbage, and yes, i have tested it and used it numerous times in the 15 years i have guided and the 7 years i have been carrying it. In fact, on that particular moose for one example.

Yes, it only goes a max of 30', that is why you don't let it go until the animal is within striking distance - generally about 12-15'. And yes, you must account for wind. There is a skill that goes into using bear spray properly, you cannot just pick it up and fire and expect it to make proper connection.

Often animals charge simply because humans are not paying proper attention to their surroundings and startle it/them, or they stumble upon a female/child, mating male/female, or an animal on a kill.

Killing an animal is not always the answer. In my situation, if i kill an animal it creates a much larger problem, as then many other carnivores will come to eat that animal - which makes a huge problem in relation to guiding and proper safety practices for my clients while on the river - not to mention its fairly hard to dispose of a 800 lb+ animal when you don't have access to any modern amenities.

Yes, guns kill and bear spray does not. But, just like anything else, guns are not a foolproof answer. Really, the item chosen is only able to operate as good as the person handling it.

I think a lot of this argument has to do with experience. I know guides who work in serious grizz country and laugh off the idea of carrying a gun. But to them, encounters are almost a normal, everyday thing. They can read the animal and are confident with spray or nothing at all.

Coming to AK (on a self-exploratory trip) for a week from the east having never encountered a bear, I decided the shotgun would offer needed peace of mind, even though the last thing I would have ever wanted to do was use it. That's why we carried spray too. I know there are great books on grizz attacks/encounters, and I read up on it before heading out, but in truth, I think you could read all you want and it probably won't make a ton of difference in the split seconds it can take to get attacked.

I just met a guy last week who got chased by a juvenile brown bear while fly-fishing in AK this past summer. He didn't carry anything and felt himself very lucky to have gotten away. Apparently, the bear got within 10 feet or so before the guy jumped/fell into the river and was able swim a short distance into the current and be swept downstream and out of immediate danger.

Anyway, our discussion about carrying weapons basically resulted in the idea that you have to have it immediately accessible, be proficient, and be willing. Strangely, I'm not sure that everyone would meet all three conditions. I've never been to big-bear country, but I think I'd like a short-barreled tactical-type shotgun on a sling that I could keep out of the way but swing around easily enough. Just my uneducated thoughts.

During my 4 years living in AK I carried a mdl 629 S&W loaded with 240 gr hard cast SWC's the first year. Realizing the pistol had shortcomings I went to a mdl 600 Remington rifle in 350 Rem Magnum. Easy to carry with it's 18 in barrel and light weight and powerful enough for any bear. Did kill one grizzly and one black bear each with only 1 shot. That was while hunting. Never had to shoot while fishing. The pump shotgun with slugs is heavier but probably would work. I knew a fellow that shot a charging grizzley on Byer's creek with a Marlin 45-70 lever-action with good results. The spray was not around back then but it makes sense to have it whether you carry a gun or not.

I'm a commissioned officer in Colorado, so I have a sidearm nearly everywhere I go. I try to take a gun with me whenever I'm in the field as well. In some instances, depending on the type of water and the amount of walking I'll be doing, I may put the gun in my vest rather than wear it, but it is always accessible if needed.

I live in Griz country and spend a lot of in the Bob Marshall, which is as thick with bear as anywhere in the lower 48.
The going theory out here is you want as many options as possible. First and foremost, everyone in the group should have bear spray. I also carry a gloc 10 whenever i'm in the backcountry. In addition to this, if we're packing in stock and floating I bring the 12 gauge in the boat, alternating slugs and buck shot as others have mentioned.

The only time I've ever fired in self defense was when I encountered a small griz on a kill. It seemed rather aggressive and started to approach me. When hooting and hollering didn't turn him around, I fired a shot into the air while it was still about 30 yards away. This was successful in scaring him off and I was able to cross the creek and get by on the other side.

I think Cermele is right - carry and you never see a thing. There's always the two legged critters out there, too, though. Just watch Deliverance again before heading for remote waters.

Titanium is nice, too.

This one is easy, go get a Remington 870 pump with the 20" Slug barrel with Iron Sights and a Pistol Grip. Your Choice of 12 or 20 Gauge, I would opt for the 12 Gauge 3" Magnum with Slugs, no buck shot as it spreads too much after 15 feet out of the barrel and just makes the bear mad. Don't do the "Scarface" hold where you shoot from the hip, Shoot it with a sling from the pistol grip and hold it up like you're going to shoot a real shotgun. If you can, get an Aimpoint for it, the dot puts it where you are shooting.

Yes it's heavier than a pistol, but 5+1 of 1 1/4 ounce slugs just under 3/4" in diameter will stop just about anything that moves.

Second Choice would be a Marlin Guide Gun in 45-70, preferably in Stainelss Steel.

Handguns are nice, but when push comes to shove, I'll take a street howitzer anyday.

Why would you want to wound a hungry/angry bear? The S&W 500 will do the trick!

I think one of the biggest advantages firearms has over bear spray is illustrated by Mike Kaptur's story. Guns double up as bear bangers to scare suspicious bears before they attack. With bear bangers and bear spray, you would have to fumble around with two items if the bear you're trying to scare off with the bear bangers gets aggressive. Having been charged by a bear before, I understand the quickness of these attacks. I would not want to be fumbling with different items and/or taking my eyes off an agressive bear. I've never shot a bear before so I don't have an opinion about caliber. A revolver seems to make sense as it can stay with you no matter what you are doing. Get familiar with it and the holster. You don't want to have to figure out how to operate the safety if the moment of truth comes.

It seems that people are split on this as though they are voting for the president! I believe both are useful, both have plus/minus factors. I am a big believer in multi-task tools, and pepperspray is not one of them. it is also a one time use item, and hopefuly you only run into one bear, so then it is fine, but you can re-load a gun.a gun(large cal. sidearm or shotgun) can also be used as a signal device, and opened shells can be used to start a fire.As to the urban deterent, I have seen meth-heads take mace to the face and not blink. Whatever you use, practice using it!!! you can't read the directions on a canister of pepperspray when a big brownie is charging you at 30mph+!!!!

Deeter:

Whether you carry a firearm depends mostly upon how comfortable and capable you are with them. Can you pull off a killing or stopping shot in a high-pressure situation with an aggressive brown bear? Weigh those odds with the likelihood of seeing a bear, and use them to decide the firearm vs. pepper spray decision.

That said, if you choose a firearm, you will have to balance effectiveness against convenience. The overall best bear protection firearm? A high-power rifle in .338 caliber or greater. Short barrel for ease of handling. Stainless metal parts, with man-made stock to handle abuse. Second best: short-barreled .12 ga pump shotgun; 3" magnum slugs. Last and lowest I'd go: .44 mag, with heavy loads. I carry any of them (and yes, sometimes I only carry pepper spray), depending upon what I'm doing and the relative risk (number of aggressive bears) that I might likely encounter.

I've never killed a bear, but my father killed one with a .44 while fishing. Another friend also had to kill a bear, but he was packing a .375 rifle. And yet another friend killed a charging bear while hiking a stream doing biological work: he used his .44 but his partner also hit it with a .338.

bear spray work and has been proven. look back to a field and stream issue there was a debate on whether to use a shotgun or bear spray. mace is probably the more ethical thing to do though

Unless you're a damn good shot with your revolver, you might want to leave it at home and bring the Bear Spray. It's a lot more effective at the ranges you're likely to encounter bears at and it requires less accuracy under extremely stressful conditions. But if you absolutely positively have to bring a gun... my advice is a pump action shotgun loaded with 00 Remington Express Magnum Buckshot Shells. 12 pellets with a Velocity of 1290 ft/sec. Not great a long ranges... but I'll take 12 pieces of lead over 1 bullet from a handgun when you have a bear a 10 yrds. Or stick to bear spray... a lot less paper work!!! Tight lines

My choice is a .44 mag (hot .45 as good or better) with good 265-300 gr. handloads in single or double action revolver whichever you are used to handling and can instantly hit your target with. Bigger pistol is slow on repeat shots which will be more than likely necessary for one reason or another. I always carry a pepper sprayer but in my heart I feel I will reach for the revolver if in any way I believe the charge is more than a bluff. My son and I had 27 bear encounters while flyfishing between May and September of 2003. Five bears in one day and at least one of them saw us first. The truth is we never had a problem because we walked away from the bear(s) and never threatened it or them. It is difficult to concentrate on flyfishing plus the water makes so much noise that it is a distinct possibility to find yourself uncomfortably close to a bear(s). Forget the shotgun as most fisherman seem to get tired of hauling it around with them, lean it against a boulder, and guess who is watching? Ole Mr. Griz is on the other side of the boulder. A revolver and a sprayer might not be the best insurance but it sure is better than a 9 foot Sage rod with a #6 line attached to even a #8 wooly booger for defence purposes.

tuff question for sure