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Sorry I missed the original thread. I checked your site and it loaded fine. The immages were a shade slow, but since the text loaded first folks could get the information and view the excellent pictures as they loaded.
I spend some years in Alaska - both in the pan handle area and interior as well as the Arctic. I agree with you that the chances of a bear aggression are very low. I camped a lot in a number of areas with bear populations and never worried about it particularly. In some areas there was a good population of "thin skinned medium weight" animals that I worried a lot more about.
As I was "into guns" a lot of folks would ask me what kind of hand gun would I recommend for bear. Based on my experience on some occassions watching bears in their daily activities and talking to a half dozen or so folks who had game appropreaited by large grumpy folks in fur coats - I generally recommended the following:
If, from the leather, you can hit a playing card sized target which is moving in a random pattern at about 50 fps in less than 1.5 seconds - then a .22 would probably be sufficient. Though bigger would be better.(Having looked at a number of bear skulls - You're absolutely correct - they ain't that thick over the brain pan.)
Absent that - then carry a short, handy shotgun or heavy rifle. I recommended number 4 buck - since we are not talking hunting here - but rather like any other BG senario - stopping.
The least you have to think about when the SHTF is best. My preferred shotgun was (is) an Ithaca Police 37 without the trigger disconnect. (Hold the trigger back and pump like hell. If you happen to think to release and re-pull the trigger - fine - otherwise, that's OK too.)
A handgun might be functional, as you indicate, if you can get at it while the bear is playing with you. Something that can be acquired and pressed (litterly) into service - preferably in the head/neck area.
As far as I know, there are two individuals who have been known to have permanently stopped a brown bear with a knife - Hugh Glass(sp?) in the early 1800s and a gentlemen from Anchorage within the last month or so. (Interestingly both were in their 50s or 60s - so much for AARP's claim that we seniors need protection.) I don't know of any incidents where a handgun made the difference when it got to the growl and wrestle stage. That isn't to say there aren't any - and your data base is no doubt far better than mine. But I'd think the ability to get at a handgun and operate it, would be equal, or more, critical than the caliber. At that point I'd think the issue is surviving the incident - not immediately stopping it. (Give it your best and then play dead and pray your opponent bleeds out and/loses interest.)
My guess, if it got to the growl and grovel (guess who is in which role) stage, the pepper spray would be as effective as anything else - if you can get at it and then use it.
Good site and good advice to those who go a-wandering. And I'd like to re-affirm your note about the risk being low, low, low - but there.
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Jim Fox
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