Key piece of gear for Bear Country.

[Hilldweller]

Hunted bears take off like rockets,campground bears are another story!!!!

Besides meth cookers, campground bears are the most dangerous things in the woods around here.

 

[kcernest]

Being from the interior of AK, most carry a shorty shotgun in the woods. I recommend the same, a 460 Rowland or bigger if you insist on a pistol and spray as well.
I don't know how many here have shot a bear but I got one black bear about 15yrs ago. Shot it with a 304 and when we dressed it it's lungs and heart were just clumps of jelly. I tell you these gruesome details because after I shot it it sprinted about 50 yards until it ran head first into a tree. Just because you shoot it doesn't mean it's going to stop.

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[Hilldweller]

... Just because you shoot it doesn't mean it's going to stop.

Same goes for those meth-heads...

 

[skip371]

I read somewhere about using household ammonia to encircle your campsite. Any truth to that???


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[Kerensky97]

I read somewhere about using household ammonia to encircle your campsite. Any truth to that???

I don't know about ammonia, but I do know that urine does NOT work.
I used to do the old "Mark my territory" around the outside of camp whenever I had to go, but it turns out that it's just a new smell that makes bears curious.
They say you should do your business 200ft from camp; which is a good idea for a lot of reasons. Now we can add "keeping bears away from camp" as one of them.

 

[jpachard]

I forgot the air horn; that's on the headboard in our teardrop. Haven't had to use it.
Almost all black bears seem to avoid us when we've got the dog along. Bears are hunted around here like crazy and I don't think that makes the bears overly fond of dogs.

^^^this.
As long as your definition of a dog is not Fifi the wonder snackerdoodle you should be fine. I’ve got a nice ~350lb black bear in my neighborhood and anytime I’ve encountered him with my Labrador one woof from her sends the bear running.


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[rruff]

Bears generally aren't fond of people either. IME black bears turn and run as soon as they see me. But these aren't campground or dumpster diving bears.

 

[Madbodhi]

A Glock 10mm with a KKM barrel loaded with Underwood hardcast 220 grain rounds is my walkabout woods gun and my cut down 870 Wingmaster mainly just around camp loaded with Brenneke special forces maximum barrier penetration slugs . Wife and son both carry bear spray. My daughter carries flares. The plan we have practiced is to have the wife deploy bear spray with my son as back up if the bear is aggressively moving towards us. A charging bear is getting sprayed and lead outbound if it doesn't immediately t, sorry but I can't take the chance that its a bluff. The flares are for if a bear doesnt appear aggresive but is maybe on the same trail and getting too close as we try to back away. Pop a flare and drop it on the trail to dissuade the bear from continuing. My son will soon trade in the bearspray for a 30-30 loaded with homerolled hardcast rounds and my daughter will take over the backup bear spray role.

 

[XJINTX]

OK, heading to Montana for a couple weeks. Will be with others and multiple vehicles at most campsites. After splitting up will be alone for a week or so. I see some recommend Spray, handgun, shotgun, air horn and Dog or all of them. I will have my dog (110 lb) but not real mean I have my CHL and carry most all the time but only a 9mm. The biggest pistol I currently own is a 357 revolver. No shotgun but I can buy.

Not being an arsehole but those that carry all of above how do you know which to grab first? Campsite you may have time to choose a bit and scare away... but hiking it may require fast decision... seems pistol or spray may be fastest? Sorry OP's ink not working so could not read

 

[rruff]

The plan we have practiced is to have the wife deploy bear spray with my son as back up if the bear is aggressively moving towards us. A charging bear is getting sprayed and lead outbound if it doesn't immediately t, sorry but I can't take the chance that its a bluff.

Where are you hiking/camping and how many encounters have you had?

 

[LandCruiserPhil]

OK, heading to Montana for a couple weeks. Will be with others and multiple vehicles at most campsites. After splitting up will be alone for a week or so. I see some recommend Spray, handgun, shotgun, air horn and Dog or all of them. I will have my dog (110 lb) but not real mean I have my CHL and carry most all the time but only a 9mm. The biggest pistol I currently own is a 357 revolver. No shotgun but I can buy.

Not being an arsehole but those that carry all of above how do you know which to grab first? Campsite you may have time to choose a bit and scare away... but hiking it may require fast decision... seems pistol or spray may be fastest? Sorry OP's ink not working so could not read

I go for the air horn first only because it works the best from afar. Distance from bears = comfort for me

 

[Madbodhi]

Rruff, we've ranged from the U.P. to Florida and Virginia to S.Dakota. 2 encounters, well, more like sightingsto date. Black bear cub in the U.P. and a very large black bear in Ocala but he wasn't too interested in us. Our travels will be taking us into more western states soon. Beginning with Colorado and Utah in afew weeks and Montana and Wyoming next spring. I researched various Alaska based fishing and hunting websites for tips on keeping a clean camp and avoiding issues as well as what stick to use if conflict is unavoidable. I'm a lifelong shooter with several firearms courses and have competed in matches so I'm confident in my ability to put rounds on target if need be. All the same I'd prefer to avoid it altogether. Some of the reccomendations I got were surprising. Like not brushing your teeth and spitting near your tent. Polytape electric fencing was another.

 

[rruff]

You were probably closest to danger when you saw the cub... if momma was near and in a bad mood. You'll be in grizzly territory when you go to Montana and N Wyoming. Else it's black bears, which IME are always timid in the wild. It's the ones that get habituated to humans that are a problem.

 

[High Country]

OK, heading to Montana for a couple weeks. Will be with others and multiple vehicles at most campsites. After splitting up will be alone for a week or so. I see some recommend Spray, handgun, shotgun, air horn and Dog or all of them. I will have my dog (110 lb) but not real mean I have my CHL and carry most all the time but only a 9mm. The biggest pistol I currently own is a 357 revolver. No shotgun but I can buy.

Not being an arsehole but those that carry all of above how do you know which to grab first? Campsite you may have time to choose a bit and scare away... but hiking it may require fast decision... seems pistol or spray may be fastest? Sorry OP's ink not working so could not read

Just be careful with the dog. If the dog is off leash and away from you and runs into a bear, it could potentially run from the bear and bring the bear back to you.
This is really dog, bear, and scenario dependent, but something to keep in mind when having a dog in bear country.

 

[jadmt]