What is the best weapon if you have to guard against a bear?

Question

I don`t want to kill anything but just to save myself if it become necessary.

Answer 1

Your common sense is the best kind of weapon against bear attacks. You can also get bear spray, but I am unsure of it's effectiveness.

Answer 2

12ga shotgun loaded with slugs for close in protection is the ticket.

Answer 3

They make a large canister like a fire extinguisher that is filled with material that will repel a bear.  It's non lethal but it does the trick.

Answer 4

A good 30 cal rifle or 12 ga shotgun . you can make noise with bells and air horns, fire pepper spray, all kinds of things, at the end of the day, if its hungry, and you look like dinner, you have to shoot it before it kills you.

Some recommendations:

A Marlin Model 336 in 30-30 or 35 Remington: can be had for $300 or less used

A decent NE Firearms 12 ga single shot with a smooth bore slug barrel

A New England Firearms Handy-Rifle: you can get it in anything from 30-06 to 22. I would recommend buying one chambered in .308

All three of these pack well and are easy to operate.

Answer 5

Get the Bear Facts!

Everything you need to know concerning Bears.

From the people who deal with lots of bears, and DON'T have bear problems.

Philmont Scout Ranch --  in 214 sq. miles of bear country.

Answer 6

First, you need to understand that encounters with aggressive bears are extremely rare.

That being said, the best defense is to avoid attracting them in the first place. Never store food in a tent. Don't eat in your tent. Try to avoid having food odors in the tent. Instead, keep your food away from your immediate camping area in a stuff sack suspended well above the ground by a rope thrown over a branch. Preferably a branch too small to hold the weight of a hungry bear (they can be excellent climbers).

If you are approached by a hungry bear, you can try to scare him away. Noise is good, but numbers are better! Three shouting, jumping people are more intimidating than one. Usually, a good show of shouting and jumping will discourage the bear. If it's dark, I've heard that a camera's flash accompanied by shouting can be quite effective. But if the bear persist, or appears aggressive, let 'em have the groceries.

I've been camping and backpacking for over thirty years and have NEVER had a bad experience with a bear.

Answer 7

The best weapon is common sense and knowledge. A $2000 .454 Casul handgun won't protect you if you spill food all over yourself, eat inside your tent, and when a grizzly comes and starts ripping into your tent you're paralyzed with overwhelming panic while it drags you away into the brush to kill you. And in the Sierra your $30 waist holstered Counter Assault bear spray won't protect you as well as meticulously keeping all your food in a bear proof canister, cooking away from your camp, and never leaving your pack unattended.

http://www.freedomarms.com/

http://www.wild-ideas.net/products.html

Answer 8

Verrrrrrry  fast legs

Answer 9

Wearing bells so the bear can hear you coming and get out of the way works with most black bears. Cap Stun hot sauce spray works for those that stumble into your camp.

Remember, a bear is higher up the food chain than you. If he is hungry, you are food. We have had 3 bear attacks this summer from black bears. Try to roll into a ball and protect the vulnerable spots such as face, throat and stomach.

The way to tell the difference between black bear and grizzly bear f***s is black bear f***s will have Berry's and bugs in it. Grizzly bear f***s will have bells in it and be orange from Cap Stun hot sauce spray.

Answer 10

I don't know a lot about grizzly bears, but if it's a black bear anything that makes a loud noise.

You can buy bear bangers (kinda like a fire cracker) you can hear it for many km, surprises the c**p out of  'em.  Or wear something that jingles.

My impression, if you're too close for any of these to work, back away slowly and get to a safe place (not a tree).

Answer 11

The best weapon to use is your brain.  Shooting a bear, especially if you are not an experienced hunter, can be very dangerous.

The best thing to do is to avoid anything which would draw the bear to you, which is usually food.  Never keep food out, and never keep it anywhere a bear can smell it (they have excellent noses).  A bear will leave you alone if you do not have food, or stumble into the path of a bear cub.  If confronted by a bear the best thing to do is to remain calm.  Shouting and stomping your feet when confronted by a black bear can work, but if it is a grizzly you should turn very slowly and walk away from the bear.  Do not do anything that can be perceived as a threat to the bear.

Keep in mind that bears are wild creatures and sometimes even your best attempts at being cautious can still fail.  Bears can sometimes be unpredictable.  The good news is that your chances of encountering a bear are fairly slim.  There are many bear where I live and I am out in the woods all of the time.  I have only encountered one bear in the wild in my entire life (I am over 39), and it was at a fairly good distance.

Answer 12

Use your head....

You don't say what type of bear, or why this bear would want to attack you.

Don't sleep with your food or anything that has a smell

If the bear has something of yours it it now belongs to the bear

But yelling, banging pans throwing rocks can work

Most black bears just want your food they are not interested in harming  you

I have encountered dozens of bears and have never had a problem

Answer 13

well, first off, an unprovoked bear attack is extremely rare, and a 12 guage shotgun chambering slugs would be more than effective. and remember, 3 repeated gunshots signals a need for help

Answer 14

one way is to scare them with a loud noice wheter it be with a gun shot in the air or a tin can banged on a rock but encounters with an agresive bear are rare unless you aprouch it.  one other way is to not surrise them this can be done by making exes noice when you are on the trail by talking to your self  

Answer 15

All other answers are good information.

If you do a lot of research on bears, you'll find that you are very unlikely to stop a charging bear with a firearm.  The most effective weapon on a charging bear is a large canister of bear spray.  It doesn't need to be aimed accurately and will disorient and confuse the bear, either causing it to flee or giving you time to escape.

Unlikely that you would have such an encounter, but better safe than sorry.