Well, I live in a place with one of the greatest concentrations of grizz in the lower 48 out my back door, and deal with the possibility of an encounter every time I go for a hike or hunt, so I’ll take a stab. I think it’s worth, first and foremost, taking a look at the commonalities in most grizz attacks. And when you do, a couple big trends stand out:
1) The vast majority of bad encounters with grizz happen with the victim barely having time to say “oh #$&*!” before the bear is on them. They are usually very close-range, surprise encounters – not situations where one sees a bear coming at them from a 100 yards away and has plenty of time to draw and accurately acquire a target. Things tend to happen very, very fast in bear attacks.
2) Statistically, the majority of grizz attacks involve a sow with cubs, and a hiker, hunter, etc. unknowingly getting too close, or between them.
3) Another common attack scenario is bumping into a bear on its day bed. Again – by nature, these tend to be very close-range, surprise encounters.
It’s also worth remembering that as bowhunters, we tend to be doing everything exactly the opposite of what is strongly recommended in grizz country – we move quietly, we hunt the wind, we tend to hunt alone, or with only one other person (groups of at least 4 are considered a standard minimum “safe” number when hiking in grizz country).
For many, a handgun provides great peace of mind when hiking/hunting in bear country. But, I think a lot of people are fooling themselves when it comes down to the likely grizz attack scenario. As you hint at Jim, being proficient with a large-bore handgun under controlled conditions at the range is one thing. Being proficient from a holstered start in a surprise, high-stress encounter in which one likely only has a few seconds to react and be extremely accurate on a fast moving target, is an entirely different matter. And in the case where one is unsuccessful at the above? You now have a wounded and pissed-off bear – an even worse scenario than you started with.
I think the #1 bear defense that one can have in grizz country is really good, continual situational awareness. A lot of bad encounters can be avoided simply by being aware of bear behavior and always having your radar “on,” especially in limited-visibility scenarios. And if you’re in a particular place where your radar is going off and that 6th sense is telling you something, forget about the hunt and make some noise – most bears don’t want to attack anyone, and will go the other way. Combine this with understanding bear behavior, and knowing what to do if/when you see one – not every sighted bear is necessarily a bear that is agressive and intent on attacking you, especially at a distance.
Though nothing is fail-safe, bear spray has been demonstrated, time and time again, to be a really good option. It has deterrred many attacks. And one of the big advantages of bear spray is that it doesn’t require being accurate in a quick surprise situation, since it sprays a cloud.
All of the above notwithstanding, there are times when I don’t think that having a firearm in grizz country is necessarily a bad idea, though personally I consider it a last resort, which is why I’m mentioning it last. There can be some situations where you actually do have time to react properly with a handgun and where it may be the necessary tool, but you better be very well-practiced with it in realistic scanarios. Hunting alone, as I often do, I don’t mind having options – I always carry bear spray at the ready, and if I’m choosing to also carry a firearm, it’s a .44 mag loaded with 300gr. flatnose rounds (I wouldn’t recommend carrying anything less for grizz). And I hope I never find myself in a situation where I have to use it.
