[Tenkara Elevated]

When I went away to fly fishing guide school in Idaho, all the guides that help teach the class had different stories about bears, wolves and even mountain lions. The owner of the lodge even told me of how wolves came right up to his house and killed his dog on the back porch. One day while on the river, my instructor pointed at what looked like a bush to me. He said keep looking and to my surprise a big as mountain lion was just laying there. He of course was a crazy Idaho boy and kept saying he wish he had his gun.
As for myself, I have gone fishing in the back country a lot in Utah and have never had any problem from any animal besides a sheep herder's dog or two. In Hawaii however I have been chased up trees many times while backpacking. Those wild pigs in Hawaii are big, nasty and not afraid of people. The only thing that sent pigs running were packs of a hunters dogs. Laugh if you want to but seriously those pigs are mean.
BC

[Pieguy56]

Just now catching up on some reading here. I carry while in the backcountry, and I'm in the backcountry a LOT. That means I'm carrying at the trailhead, where there's probably the highest likelihood that you'll be hassled. That also means I'm carrying when I'm WAY out there, where there's no law enforcement anywhere reasonably close and there are black bears about. I'd rather carry my whole lifetime and never need to use it than not carry and have even one situation when I really needed it. Carrying a firearm is no substitute for keeping a leave-no-trace camp, and I don't use it for such. However, I've bumped black bears at 30 yards while out on the trail or off-trail, away from camp. It always ended well, but I was also ready.

I'm with Sawtooth. The trail head concerns also, me especially when I'm closer to town. This world is getting crazier every day. We need to be aware of our surroundings when out in the woods as well as going to our cars at Walmart. Being prepared and having a plan when faced with a situation is our best defense.

[camelcarlson]

I have been a Wilderness Ranger in the Mission Mountains Wilderness in NW Montana for over 5 years now, and as much as people would like to argue about this the best protection for bears is keeping a clean camp, making noise while hiking, hanging food (at least 10 ft up and 4 ft out), and carry bear spray. There is no need for a firearm. It has been well documented that bear spray is MUCH more effective than a firearm, unless of course you are carrying some type of elephant gun. Even if you are carrying a .44 or other realitively high caliber handgun, you would have to hit the bear just right numerous times, try doing that when you surprise a bear with an adrenaline surge and a large charging mammal coming at you. Bear spray will create a cloud of mist that will deter even the most rambuncious of bears and won't permenately harm the bear. I would be devestated if I ended up killing a grizzly bear.
By the way, I have never had to use my bear spray, and it would be pretty damn effective at stopping wackos too!
Cheers

[Colonel Panic]

Bear spray will dissuade both 2 and 4 legged varmints.

If you are not comfortable with a small firearm or can't carry due to regulations then you may consider a LuxuryLite Big Stick with his Needle Knife added as one of the sections. Great walking stick and and a couple of sections works well for blowing on the campfire.

http://www.luxurylite.com/ssindex.html

They also have some cool cots. If I hadn't taken up swinging between trees I'd probably own one.

[erik.ostrander]

I don't know about you guys, but I prefer to use a condom as opposed to bear spray, a gun, or a knife. Bear spray burns my junk too much, and I've never been a fan of the Bobbit, chop-it, lob-it approach either.

[adventureR]

I've been twenty foot away from a bobcat on the shore. He didn't hear me drifting up on him. The Bobcat was following the different trails and tunnels in the roots on the side of the river. The cat did a double take, was surprised to say the least and watched me trying to see if I moved or was a log floating by. I was in awe of the sight. Finally I went for my camera, only my movement brought on a hiss and the Cat disappeared in the muddy labyrinth. While this was a fantastic encounter I couldn't help but think what if it was a mountain lion, or a grizzly. Now that's a different story. Depending on where you are in this crazy world the conditions and situations can vary drastically. Who's to say what's the best way to do this or that. If you feel the need to arm for protection do it. If you are against it don't. I just like the quiet escape that fishing Tenkara provides from my Kayak. And love to watch all the animals. Just remember in some places the out in nature we are not on the top of the food chain. We could become a snack to hungry animals. Against giant teeth and claws and creatures who can easily leap twenty feet after stalking you for an hour without your knowledge sometimes it's best to be prepared. If you think about it there are some crazy places to go out there. I just think you need to be prepared the best way you can if at all possible. What Great Adventures we can all get into out there. Enjoy and be safe in this beautiful crazy world is what I say.

[tntom]

Glock 22 with 180 grain hollow points in a not covered shoulder holster. A gun you can't get to is of no use. I fish the back country in the Smokey's I see lots of bears never had a problem. It's people you need to keep your eyes on they will do more harm than any bear. A gun free building is the most dangerous place you can be.

Tom

[achilles38]

I haven't ventured too far into the wilderness, yet, but I'd imagine taking a handgun just in case wouldn't be a problem. I have some friends that hike all over the Sierra Nevadas and a few take handguns, others don't feel the need. When I'm fishing local mountains in Southern CA I take my knife, which is a very sharp fixed blade about 6" in length for the blade. It's only slightly for protection from animals (mountain lions are nearby, but I've never seen one), more for protection from the idiots from the base of the mountain. I know guys that have had to draw handguns on people while fishing because little gang thugs left the valley and thought they could rob some fisherman, or throw rocks at them. Some have had cars stolen while fishing, others have had cars broken into, but again this is Southern CA, fishing about an hour drive from Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino, and other cities.

Just last Sunday I was fishing a small creek in the San Gorgonio Mtns and ran into a guy western fly fishing. He said some guy decided it was a good idea to sit down with his case of beer, wife, and kids directly in the back cast. The fly guy had been there for about 30 minutes fishing a large pool with his friend. He politely asked the beer dude if he'd move a little because he didn't want his fly to hit any of them. The beer dude said "We're here now, so make do". Then the fly guy asked politely if they could move because he really didn't want to hit the kids or any of them with his hook and the beer dude replied "oh, if anybody get hits with a fly, we gonna have a serious problem." haha, ignorant moron. So the fly guys politely collected his stuff and headed downstream for some piece and quiet. My buddy and I later found the beer guy and got a chuckle out of it. Unfortunately we also found several of his beer cans and other trash him and his family left behind. I'll never understand why some people drive and hour or so to nature and trash it.

[tntom]

I haven't ventured too far into the wilderness, yet, but I'd imagine taking a handgun just in case wouldn't be a problem. I have some friends that hike all over the Sierra Nevadas and a few take handguns, others don't feel the need. When I'm fishing local mountains in Southern CA I take my knife, which is a very sharp fixed blade about 6" in length for the blade. It's only slightly for protection from animals (mountain lions are nearby, but I've never seen one), more for protection from the idiots from the base of the mountain. I know guys that have had to draw handguns on people while fishing because little gang thugs left the valley and thought they could rob some fisherman, or throw rocks at them. Some have had cars stolen while fishing, others have had cars broken into, but again this is Southern CA, fishing about an hour drive from Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino, and other cities.

Just last Sunday I was fishing a small creek in the San Gorgonio Mtns and ran into a guy western fly fishing. He said some guy decided it was a good idea to sit down with his case of beer, wife, and kids directly in the back cast. The fly guy had been there for about 30 minutes fishing a large pool with his friend. He politely asked the beer dude if he'd move a little because he didn't want his fly to hit any of them. The beer dude said "We're here now, so make do". Then the fly guy asked politely if they could move because he really didn't want to hit the kids or any of them with his hook and the beer dude replied "oh, if anybody get hits with a fly, we gonna have a serious problem." haha, ignorant moron. So the fly guys politely collected his stuff and headed downstream for some piece and quiet. My buddy and I later found the beer guy and got a chuckle out of it. Unfortunately we also found several of his beer cans and other trash him and his family left behind. I'll never understand why some people drive and hour or so to nature and trash it.

"You can't fix STUPID"

[Xorremana]

I apologize for bumping this old thread, but i want to say few words. In this topic I read about people who sad that weapon is better than spray. But why do you think so?

As for me using of a bear spray is humane, and also prevents you from killing an innocent bear that might seem aggressive just from appearance. Add to this the fact, that even when shooting a bear, you might only wound it and that will make it go all grizzly over your hide.

Pepper spray is the best way to go; it will repel any bear, from an attacking grizzly to a docile black bear. A statistical (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service report) fact is that when using a bear spray, 100% of the humans escape intact and without damage, while when using a gun, 50% of the time both the human and the bear will suffer injury or death.

So it's better if you will have bear spray than weapon. I bought Counter Assault Bear Deterrent 10.2 oz. https://bestoutdooritems.com/best-bear-spray/ it's very good bear spray. It comes with a holster, so you get a larger sized canister with an easy to reach the application.

One video for you https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RlaJsnEzjNE