Bear Defense Round....

JSH1 said:

Your 40 lb 7 year old son could use bear spray to effectively defend himself (and you). The same can't be said for a .357 magnum.

Take a look at the results from two studies done by Tom Smith looking at bear attacks in Alaska. The study involving pepper spray was done in 2008, the one with firearms in 2012. Spoiler: Pepper spray has a lower percentage of injuries and deaths.

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Not sure I'm on board with this data. I know of at least 30 confrontations, first hand, mostly warning shots that scared the bear away. And I can't recall not ONE of my friends scaring a bear off with pepper spray.

Like I said before, the gun is a far more effective tool at scaring the animal away. A noise that cannot be duplicated with a can of pepper spray.

None of our experiences were ever asked about or published. Gun fire is a common tool where I'm from for scaring off moose, cats, and bear.

JSH1 said:

Yes, there are lottery winners but you are more likely to win the lottery than be killed by a bear. Per the article you linked 63 people have been killed by black bears in the last 110 years in the USA and Canada combined.

If you think that level of risk requires you to carry a handgun, that's fine. I'll use the limited room in my pack for other things.

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I don't dispute that is a small number of deaths, but being killed by a bear wasn't really my point. It's that attacks can and do happen. I should have been more clear on that. Notice also that the linked article talks about deaths, not total attacks. So even though the chance is very small, the chance exists. Personally, people are ALWAYS a bigger worry in my mind. It's the same as my short drive to work. The threat of getting in a wreck are small, but I'd wear a seatbelt regardless no matter the legalities, because weird things do happen. I think carrying a gun in the back country is a good idea, bears or no.

Noise and situational awareness are the absolute best defense. Avoid problems all together!

However, none of the discussions about likelihood, statistics, or bear spray effectiveness invalidates the OP's question.

And I agree with you. If you keep a gun in your pack, you're definately better off saving the weight, as a gun you can't get to quickly is pretty useless.

460Kodiak said:

If you keep a gun in your pack, you're definately better off saving the weight, as a gun you can't get to quickly is pretty useless.

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I'm guilty of that at times and I agree with you. It is the lazy man approach. About the only good with the method is to have the gun should a plinking session develop. Been experimenting again with different holsters for woods carry, but I tend to go with the basic belt carry and mostly unconcealed except in parks.

It is kind of like keeping a gun in the car.

JSH1 said:

Yes, there are lottery winners but you are more likely to win the lottery than be killed by a bear. Per the article you linked 63 people have been killed by black bears in the last 110 years in the USA and Canada combined.

If you think that level of risk requires you to carry a handgun, that's fine. I'll use the limited room in my pack for other things.

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The OPs 7 year old son is more likely to be attacked and killed by the neighbor's dog. Yet one never sees "what ammo/gun for the neighborhood dog?" threads, nor is he concerned about letting the boy play in the yard without some form of firearm protection. Is there a threat from Back Bears? Of course there is and one needs to be concerned. But as I said, being aware of your surroundings and knowing Black Bear habits will do more to protect one than carrying a little used handgun with high priced bullets. For over 50 years I have walked in Bear country and never carried a sidearm specifically for bear defense. This includes back when I was 12 years old and walking in and out of bear woods in the dark on my way in and out of deer stands with nuttin' more than a 40# recurve bow for protection. This includes years of picking wild blueberries while stepping in fresh bear poop and seeing them only yards away in pursuit of the same fruit I was.

One needs to do what they believe is in the best interest of themselves and their loved ones. If one feels safer carrying a handgun for defense in the lower 48 against Black Bears, so be it. Odds are they will use it against one of their own kind or man's best friend, before they need it for bear.

ok, folks, we're still debating the likelihood of a bear attack in the first place, which I noted earlier wasn't the OP's question. After 5 pages, and over 100 replies, I think the OP got the info they were looking for.