bear repelant pistol vs pepper spray

[turner1978]

I hunt in south east Idaho and Over the past few years I have seen and heard of grizzly bears in the area. I always pack a 44mag with me as a side arm wile I am hunting and I was just wondering if anybody had any experience with that sort of stuff and if they think that pepper spray is the better way to go. The only thing that wories me about the spray is wind problems. Any coments would be appreciated. Is a 44mag big enoughe to kill a grizz?

[hunter1992]

Heard of grizzly bears? No bears near me in Washington but from alot of the storys I have heard most of victims never had time to even get there gun/pepper spy out before the bear was on them but of course if they had there weapons out would there be much of an attack?

[Deerslayer243]

In my opinion i'd rather give it some extra holes in its head than **** it off.

[turner1978]

A skunk basicaly uses the same technique as the peper spray and it seams to work wonders for them. But I still feel safer packing something that can kill whatever is trying to kill me.

[Yooper]

As someone who has had some up-close experiences with bears, I'll throw in my two cents.

1. It's rare that you ever actually get into a situation where you'd have to kill a bear in a life and death situation. 99% of the time, you're dealing with a false charge. Can you be sure you're making the right call? Are you good enough with your .44 to make the first shot a killing shot? One poster said he'd rather put some extra holes n a bear's head than p*ss him off... A wound will do much more to "p*ss" off a bear than anything.

2. Most bear spray repellants have a good 30 foot range. I've seen video of ticked off sow's with cubs on Kodiak being turned back by spray. Something to consider.

If a .44 makes you feel safer, then carry it. Just accept the resposibility to make a killing shot ONLY when you have to. It's not only a waste of a bear, but it'll be your butt in a sling if you're wrong.

I just recently heard of a guy who had to shoot a brown bear in Alaska and it was caught on video. In his shoes, I'd b pretty glad to have a .375 H&H instead of pepper spray...

Will a .44 do the trick? Sure. ARe there better options? Sure. But if you've got the .44 and are comfortable with it...

[turner1978]

I have a 454 cassull but it si so heavy that I find myself leaving it in the truck after the first couple of days of walking the mountains here in Idaho. My 44 mag is one of those light weight titanium ones and is so light that I forget that it is there untill I need it. I also have the pepper spray which my fiance usually packs with her.

[cbearw]

I lived in grizz country for many years but never had a bad encounter or had to use spray on bears. My job was to walk rivers and count fish. It was commom to see grizzlies every day in the Central Coast of BC. Always carried a pump shotgun with alternated slugs and SSG's. Always, always watched out for them and took every step to avoid them in the first place. Always look for their tracks, beds, trails, and dung and any other clues that may suggest there are bears in the area. A fellow creek walker told me of his encounter using bear spray at about 30 feet and for the most part in this instance it was ineffective. He told me that some sprays and brands were much better than others so get the best. In a pinch use it and whatever else you have. It cost a bit but do a few dry runs. Know your weapons .The previous advice with regard to grizzlies false charging is true. If you feel the bear means busines and (there are different indicators to tell weather it is territorial or predatory), be ready and have your gun or spray handy. I knew another creekwalker. He left his shotgun at home and elected to take his 357 mag. He was charged and dropped the grizz at his feet with his last shot. Apparently he crapped his pants.
In the day I would simply watch out for them and try to spot or hear them first. If it grew dark before I got out of there I made lots of noise. Stay clear of them. Thats your best defence!!!!!