[JTJ]

We will be traveling with our RV this summer and will probably end up in bear country. We kayak, bike and hike. I always keep a 12 gauge next to the bed and in bear country I load slugs. When we hike I carry a pistol but I am trying to figure out which one. My ccw is good where we are going.
Ruger SP101 2" 158gr TMJ 1100-1200fps 5rnds 28 oz loaded
Glock 36 185gr TMJFN 1000fps 7rnds 28 oz loaded
Steyr M40 165gr TMJFN 1150fps 13rnds 35 oz loaded
180gr FMJ 1000fps

A 44mag or bigger would be nice but I dont have one. I will also have bear spray.

[orangello]

Don't forget the reinforced bumper, just in case you see one dining at the Roadkill Cafe. Bumper Tap FTW!

[IGETEVEN]

If a bear is determined enough to attack you, it will most likely be a Brown bear. They seem to be the most aggressive by their nature. Use that bear spray first to distract and blind, then use your choice of handgun, targeting nose, eyes and mouth.

How fast can you run and how are your tree climbing abilities?

[mrm14]

Don't discount the Black Bears either. Usually they are clown like but don't be fooled. They can get your arse too.

[JonM]

only vulnerable point on a bear from the front with a handgun is its nose. the hole in the skull at the nose is about the size of a small fist. i would take whatever gun your the most accurate with and most familiar with. unlike SD vs a goblin, bear encounters tend to start a bit further out with lots of threats by the bear before an actual charge. you will liekly have time to aim and fire a warning shot to scare it off then re-aim if it doesnt run.

LAST thing i would do is wait till its close enough to use a spray device!!!!!

bears like spicy food.

if the bear is diseased or wounded your prolly doomed anyway :/

[IGETEVEN]

Originally Posted by mrm14

Don't discount the Black Bears either. Usually they are clown like but don't be fooled. They can get your arse too.

Some interesting intel about Black bear attacks. Recently published.

Most black bear attacks, though rare, are by males | Biodiversity | EarthSky

As both JonM and I have stated, shoot them preferably in the nose, it leads right to the brain.

Black bear skull nasal cavity.



Grizzly (Brown) bear skull nasal cavity.

[Flat4sti]

Hiking in Bear country is serious business. All family members should where bells somewhere on their clothing. You definitely to not want to startle a mother black bear and her cubs, who if they had heard the jingling bells would have gotten outta the area. You should also carry some from of pepper spray. It is also important to be able to identify the signs that bears are in the area. There are two types of bears to concern yourself with. The black bear and a grizzly. the tracks will look basically the same. but there scat is much different. Black's being mostly herbivorous will have berries and fur from smaller mammals. Now the grizzly **** will smell like pepper and have bells in there..

[ScottA]

In black bear country, I'd be satisfied with the .40, .45, or .357. In grizzly country, .44 mag is probably the smallest I'd be comfortable with. I'd prefer it in a carbine, but that's difficult to carry.

[JTJ]

When I was in Alaska I carried a 12 gauge with slugs. Forest service does not like to see people running around with a rifle or shotgun. I can hide the pistol. I did not know about the nasal cavity. That gives me a little (very little) more confidence in a pistol.

[freefall]

My daughter,The Lovely Miss Freefall, is going to Anvik as a fish counter. F&G provides a shotgun. She is taking her Colt 10mm, stoked with Buffalo Bore 220 gr hardcast alternating with BB 200 gr FMJ. I advocate shooting center line to try to hit the spine. The odds of aligning your bullet path with the nasal channel seem slim unless you kneel to face the charging bear. Which according to law enforcement experiments up here is the best way to hit the vital area of something approaching you at 35 mph.