The National Park folk say pepper spray works almost every time. It’s that “almost” word which concerns me.
A 12 gauge loaded with slug or #4 shot is recommended, but do you carry a shotgun at the ready? Can one unlimber a shotgun before the bear-er is atop the bear-ee and the shotgunner-er finds the shotgun is of little use against the shotgun-ee?
It seems to me that the best defense is a big bore revolver, as big as one can get. I don’t believe follow up shots are going to be of much use, unless straight up from an inverted prone position into the bear’s belly.
I'll stop just short of calling the Nazi Park Circus uh.....folks liars and say their statements are probably true under certain circumstances and conditions.
However, in places like the AKPEN, more often than not, the wind is howling at 20+ knots nearly all the time. Good luck in getting that pepper spray deployed on target in a cross-wind or heaven forbid, downwind of an upwind bear where you can't circle above it.
I've had to deal with dumpster-diving coastal browns every year for the last 9years now and dumpster-diving black bears for about 7+ years before that. I have about a half-dozen DLP brown bear kills and finally this year, a 9 footer that I could actually keep during the spring hunting season (BTW not a dumpster diver). I've learned several things and made several observations during that time.
Rule 1: We don't screw around with pepper spray. The climate/weather conditions aren't conducive to it here or anywhere else on the AKPEN as the wind is usually howling in its normal fashion. It's even rare that we can use pepper spray against two-legged miscreants. Nor do we bother with less-lethal munitions like fin-stabilized and sock monkeys. We tried that, they always return.
The first attempt at deterrence is a load of #4 Nitro Steel up the tailpipe from 25 to 35 yrds away if we can get them to turn away. Everything else in the magazine is a Brenneke slug just in case they take exception to getting burned in the arse. All but a couple of the DLP kills were done with Brennekes. They do kill deader than they need to.
However, those methods are used in my professional life and working as a team with at least one other person..........most of the time. I have used the same methods the few times I had bears sniffing around my windows, chewing on my house and trying to hug my smokehouse full of drying or smoking salmon.
I don't recommend other folks going about their business to try them unless they know what they're doing. If you are out and about with a shotgun as bear defense, stack the mag with slugs and call it good.
I also don't feel undergunned or at a disadvantage carrying a big-bore revolver stuffed with heavy hardcast flat-nosed bullet loads. Federal Castcore is pretty decent for factory loads and can be shot out of any revolver. Chances are the revolver is more likely to be with me when I need it than a long gun is when I need it.
In a tent at night snugged up in my sleeping bag, it helps me sleep better.
If I'm expecting bear encounters then it's no contest, I'll have a long gun in my hands at the ready.
Some of the observations I've made are:
Most troublesome bears are young misfits 2-3 yoa that just got kicked away from mom and don't quite know how to function on their own or they've been territorially displaced by a larger, stronger bear.
A 3 yo brown bear can push down on a 600+ pound dumpster, fish out a bag of garbage and ease the dumpster back on the ground without making a sound. Kids sneaking into cookie jars make more noise.
Hostile encounters with sows and cubs are actually pretty rare unless they are truely surprised. All the sows with cubs that I've seen that were aware of mine or someone else's presence really try to leave the area and avoid a conflict. This may be due to the fact that mature boars are always trying to kill cubs.
Coastal browns tend to have a more docile disposition than their interior grizzly brethern.
Coastal bears are more scavenger-like being well-fed on salmon and whatever marine mammals from seals to sea lions to whales that happen to wash up on the beaches.
Interior grizzlies are predatory and have to fight, scrap, steal and kill just about every bite they eat. They're always walking around half-hungry and ******-off. Their smaller sizes reflect the lack of abundance of food for them.
Black bears are delicious and absolutely, totally unpredictable.
Your best first line of defense is always going to be awareness of your surroundings.
Doubtful I'll ever visit Alaska though, unless on the deck of a cruise ship.