Bino set up for bear country

[Velo Dog]

Sounds like that dog was just using you for practice or sport and would of quite likely stopped chasing you once he realized that he wasn't going to catch you.

I figure that anything, mean dog or otherwise, upon realizing it’s not going to catch whatever it’s been chasing, will then stop chasing it’s intended victim.
However, it’s way more fun to injure your attacker, even if it’s only a temporary injury.

 

[Foxi]

in the Carpathians there are many bears and not a few accidents .
Farmers often go into the forest only several to make wood.
In the valleys they sit in autumn in large numbers in the small cornfields and as Velo Dog described it, not angry when they meet a man, only they can not be driven away, or only very difficult and that is very risky.
I have seen fat ones, they are as fast as a cat when they have to be.
Except for an axe, the people there are unarmed.
Bear spray is not available, but some farmers have a fire extinguisher and hope for the best.
No fun at all.
Shoot straight

 

[BRICKBURN]

I agree that spray is not for wounded bears.

I understand that spray can be faster to deploy than a rifle. In Canada where you cannot carry a pistol, it makes more sense.
Canadian expert opinions are limited by the lack of a sidearm being considered.

However, spray also has potential problems such as wind direction and winds can be quite strong in bear country. Spray is not lethal and it takes a direct dose of spray at a reasonable distance to be effective. Just as with firearms, it can be hard to deploy effectively during a chaotic attack. Additionally, if the bear gets you down on the ground, it’s too late for spray and you’ll end up spraying yourself as well. Down on the ground, a sidearm shot to the ear or between or slightly above the eyes could kill the bear but is still difficult to accomplish. I hope to never be in such a bad predicament but would want a sidearm, not a spray can.

Better to avoid the attack in the first place. Hands down.

It has been a couple of decades now that Grizzly bears have not been hunted here. What do you think that does to the alignment of the forest food chain for us humans? They are no longer scared of humans. It makes for much more interesting excursions into the woods!

I hope you never have to deal with an attack either.

Todd actually investigates bear attacks across North America, not just here.

Stay safe, I hope the OPs rig works and he never has to deploy anything but the Binos

 

[Bullthrower338]

When hunting I generally carry a .22 pistol, Bearcat. If I can't stop the bear with my rifle, I don't imagine I'll do it with a pistol. The .22 is for signaling people who can't find their way back to camp.

The bearcat would be the perfect sidearm for a bear attack as long as you are with your buddy, just kneecap him with the bearcat and you shouldn’t have a problem out running his ass!

 

[Muskox]

I have wondered if an enraged grizzly could continue his / her attack after being pepper sprayed.

I went to the Alaska State Trooper Academy about 20 years ago. The first week or two of the academy we got sprayed with pepper spray and then had to accomplish task.
1. Get your radio out and call dispatch to let them know your location and what had happened to you.
2. Draw your ASP and fight an attacker in a redman suit.
3. Run about 200 yards to your vehicle and draw your weapon
4. Do a bunch of jumping jacks and pushups.

About 2-3 minutes after getting through the stuff when they told me to stand down, I went blind as the adrenaline wore off. About 30 minutes after getting out of the shower and getting my eye balls flushed out I could see normally again.

If a bear is rocked up on adrenaline there is not a pepper spray made that will change his mind.

If a fat bald pussy like me can fight through it, a bear will too. To say the least I don't have a lot of faith in pepper spray.

 

[Scott CWO]

I went to the Alaska State Trooper Academy about 20 years ago. The first week or two of the academy we got sprayed with pepper spray and then had to accomplish task.
1. Get your radio out and call dispatch to let them know your location and what had happened to you.
2. Draw your ASP and fight an attacker in a redman suit.
3. Run about 200 yards to your vehicle and draw your weapon
4. Do a bunch of jumping jacks and pushups.

About 2-3 minutes after getting through the stuff when they told me to stand down, I went blind as the adrenaline wore off. About 30 minutes after getting out of the shower and getting my eye balls flushed out I could see normally again.

If a bear is rocked up on adrenaline there is not a pepper spray made that will change his mind.

If a fat bald pussy like me can fight through it, a bear will too. To say the least I don't have a lot of faith in pepper spray.

Yeah, it didn’t work for my friend, Dan. Bear spray can was empty. His dog also wasn’t enough help. Nobody knows if the bear went after Dan only or the dog first. I feel bad for his wife. He was clearing a trail that he used to go caribou hunting. He killed some big bulls back in there. He hunted with me twice in Colorado. He was a very accomplished hunter and woodsman. Such a tragedy.

 

[freefall]

The bearcat would be the perfect sidearm for a bear attack as long as you are with your buddy, just kneecap him with the bearcat and you shouldn’t have a problem out running his ass!

That's very clever. I've never heard that before.
Did nobody understand that I have a rifle when hunting, therefore regard a sidearm as superfluous?
yeesh.
Plus, I'm an old phart. I'm already carrying more than I want in a daypack, why strap on another 3 lbs of handgun when I have a perfectly good rifle in hand.

 

[revturbo9967]

I carry both the spray and handgun on my bino rig when in bear country. I've never hunted Alaska, but around griz in Wyoming when elk hunting. Thankfully I've never had a run in with a griz. My spray is vertical on my right side and my handgun is right below drawn from the right as well. Ive carried a 3.5 inch 44 mag most of the time but may jump into something larger soon.

 

[Scott CWO]

T

I carry both the spray and handgun on my bino rig when in bear country. I've never hunted Alaska, but around griz in Wyoming when elk hunting. Thankfully I've never had a run in with a griz. My spray is vertical on my right side and my handgun is right below drawn from the right as well. Ive carried a 3.5 inch 44 mag most of the time but may jump into something larger soon.

The risk is real in WY, especially once an elk is down. The antihunters and liberal judges have literally created a monster that’s not afraid of humans. A WY guide was killed a couple years ago when a grizzly came in to claim the elk. There’s no biological reason to not be hunting WY grizzlies. Too many of them now.

 

[Challer]

Depending on what I'm doing, M4 with slugs or R8 with 375 H&H on the shoulder and FK 7.5 or 10mm in a chest holster. If I had to have spray as well, it'd be in a hip holster carried in such a way that it could be deployed without taking it out of the holster. If the first two don't get you out of trouble, I doubt spray will - and you may well spray yourself due to wind.

 

[revturbo9967]

T

The risk is real in WY, especially once an elk is down. The antihunters and liberal judges have literally created a monster that’s not afraid of humans. A WY guide was killed a couple years ago when a grizzly came in to claim the elk. There’s no biological reason to not be hunting WY grizzlies. Too many of them now.

I remember this when it happened . From my knowledge the hunter was a bow hunter and took a elk. While quartering they had a sow and cub come in and attack the guide. He tried to draw his handgun (glock) but couldn’t get a shot off. I guess the hunter also tried to shoot with the pistol but couldn’t get it to go off. He then got attacked and ran off to the horses, climbing to an elevation where he could get cell service and called for help. When they came in they could only find faint remains of the guide. They killed both the sow and cub and confirmed they both fed on the guide.

Now about the handgun, it seems the only story I’ve heard on why it didn’t go off was there wasn’t a round in the chamber and the hunter didn’t know how to operate it otherwise. Sad story all around.