re: Wyoming hunting guide fatally mauled by grizzly bears

quote:

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It absolutely is true, you notice that I didn’t say hunters right? I have my CCW and don’t carry while in the backcountry once I realized that everyone but the hunters were carrying bear spray and leaving the sidearms at home.

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You missed my point. I agree the vast majority of people use bear spray. But I'm saying its a heck of a lot easier for some lib from San Fransisco to buy a $30 can of bear spray than it is to buy a $800 .44 mag, practice, and carry it and use it properly.

As said, bear spray is also a lot lighter and easier to deploy for an amateur.

The vast majority of people that hike don't own a good bear gun, so they therefore use bear spray. I wasn't saying hunters when they hunt. I'm saying people that do own a decent gun for bear protection, almost always bring it if its handy especially if they are local.

I have a .44 mag and I just got back from Jackson hole. I carried bear spray because I was with my wife and kids and left my .44 mag at home because we weren't going to do any big hiking away from lots of people. If we were I would have absolutely brought my gun.

I'm simply saying that going by the average hiker from California that you see in Grizzly bear country in the lower 48 is not really the best way to say "what's the best thing". Best and most convenient are two different things.