Brown bears

[MickAK]

Thanks a bunch for your time in writing this post! With any luck I will be spending a bunch of time I your country in the future. I have one question. You mention "putting one in the dirt" when you talk about drawing your pistol and spray. Are you saying you fire a warning shot?

Sometimes, although I wouldn't call it that. More of a flash and noisemaker. It depends on where you are, on how much right the bear has to behave that way. If you're fishing a salmon stream, or in a nice berry patch, well, don't be rude. If you're close to your camp, or just hiking through a general piece of territory, it should have ran. The flash and noise of a shot will reinforce that man-smell means bad news, without resorting to spray. If it's on a kill, or if it's a mother that has chased her cubs up a tree, it's not going anywhere, and you're in for a long and tiring detour. Just part of the game. It's generally pretty easy to tell. You can often see the commotion of momma chasing the cubs up a tree, and there will be birds on a kill. If you see these things might as well turn around and start figuring out how the hell to get where you're going, because it won't move.

Keep in mind most of these things are for bushwacking in remote territory. If you're in a popular fishing spot, or a highly traveled bear viewing spot, they will be used to people, and that is that. Just follow the rules and you'll be fine.

[JHC]

+1 I've taken GJM's counsel to heart that reliability and total familiarity of the handgun are top priorities.

[GJM]

I believe the stats are +/- 33 percent of the time the warning shot causes a charge, but in the instances it works, it is the most effective handgun round you will fire. I have used a warning shot twice to turn bears, in each instance with a sow and two cubs.