Hunting & Fishing Absaroka- beartooth, MT, bears question

[thejeep]

Headed fishing in the aero lakes this summer. Ive been before when i was much younger and with a group and didnt even take notice of any potential bear problems.

Ive spent a summer in denali backpacking with just a .40 and while nervous about not bringing enough gun still had fun.


So with this trip being in a national forest i have the option to bring a 24" 12g that holds 8 + a pistol and spray Or just a .40 And spray??

And what do you recommend to wash fish guts off your hands with dirt or some sort of soap?

 

[rockmyglock]

The pistol in the backcountry is more for critters and two-legged predators in my opinion. Bear spray and proper food safety are better defenses against bears.

Bear spray is your friend. Also hang your food and use a bear can. I use the PCT method.

Re: hygeine. I have a pantyhose bundle with soap flakes I store in a ziploc. It's a non-toxic, hippie friendly soap that doesn't destroy the organisms in the water. Since its hippie grade soap, I use it to clean my knife as well.

Have a great trip!

 

[MountainHunter]

Bear spray is a good idea but make sure you know how it works and practice deploying it. You wouldn't believe how many people either leave it in their pack or have no idea how to quickly get it out of it's holster or get the safety off.

I personally have stopped carrying bear spray and just carry my Glock 20 in a Kenai chest holster at all times.

I did a course with Tactic here in Bozeman that they call "Surviving the Griz". It's a 2 day course that involves getting up close with a real bear and then 2 days of training with both bear spray and a hand gun with a bear target that charges you on a track. It was pretty eye opening. We all think that we're the exception to the rule but you should have seen all of us floundering around trying to get the bear spray while the bear target was charging us at 30 fps. The results were dramatically different after a full 2 days of training.

I don't know that there is a correct answer between bear spray or gun but I do know that if you haven't practiced with either then you'll probably be in deep shit in the event of an attack.

 

[thejeep]

thanks guys.

How does the Kenai holster feel under your back pack? Been thinking about one anyway.

 

[powdahound76]

I would advocate for more gun than the 40. Either 45LC, 44 mag, or more.
Plus bear spray. And using a lot of good sense.
I carry a 460 Rowland in a G21. Its been some work, probably woulda been easier to get a 10mm......
A good friend who lives in AK carries a 475 Linebaugh running a 400 gr flat nose hardcast at 1500 fps....... I shot a full cylinder through it last summer. He has been up close to and killed a few bears. His advice is feeling undergunned is no fun.

 

[bullseye13]

I am doing a similar trip and was thinking a SBR .458 socom. Id run it on a Armageddon gear 2 point carbime sling. I think it would work as a great bear setup

 

[psinclair]

I've spent hundreds of days in the "AB'. One of my favorite places in the entire world.

I carry a Marlin Guide Gun, in 45/70. I've never had to use it, but sure makes me feel good knowing it's right next to me in the tent. Can't imagine deploying bear spray in the dark of the night, inside a backpack tent...

FWIW, I've seen a shit-ton of grizzlies in there...

 

[RNWRKNP]

44mag or better. 12 gage with slug ok. Nothing scarier than what sounds like a 22 going off that is in reality a grizz snapping his teeth?

 

[thejeep]

I did 27miles yesterday and decided i'd take the shotgun too with either brenekke or federal penetrators and some spray. (Really though im just gloating about the 27mi day, it was awesome).

 

[MountainHunter]

That’s a big day! Where and what type of terrain? Not all miles are created equal!

 

[thejeep]

Appalachian trail from i40 to newfound gap. About 10,000ft of gain throughout the day. Its a pretty neat section for TN. Lots of evergreens and a little bit of the ridge walking feel typical of the trail in NH and ME. It was mostly 4-6k in elevation and a storm rolled through in the am so we had 20-30mph wind and rain and 45-50f. It was cold for a bit unill i put on another shirt!

 

[MountainHunter]

That's a solid day, nice work man!!

I've put in some big days here in Montana and in the Sierra Nevada's but I'm typically either scouting, hunting or fishing so big parts of the day get eaten up with those activities. My biggest days have been between 18-20 miles.

27 in one day is a whole lot of just putting one foot in front of the other hahaha

 

[DetroitRearView]

I run into the fearsome grizz several times a year and have had several up close and personal eye popping close calls. I do not carry bear spray unless it is in the form of a 460 gr LBT in my Ruger Toklat .454 (with a lanyard) or my 12 gauge stoked with Brenneke slugs.

I actually prefer the revolver because it is very difficult to determine a bluff change from an actual attack. You only have 2-3 seconds to make that determination.

Hence, my default to the revolver - if the bear decides to take you on you will be on the ground and in trouble. They are unbelievably quick. At least with a revolver I might be able press the flesh and put some hurt on it . The semi auto has a good chance of going out of battery.

Another reason I don’t carry the spray is that I have been disabled with OC on more than one occasion in my LE days while fighting dudes on the ground and some rook decided to pull his canister and almost got us all killed.

On bears which way do you thingk the wind is blowing when you surprise a sow and her cubs? - in your face, exactly where the spray will end up while protective mama comes for you.

Carry what you want...but my experience with these beautiful but powerful creatures requires lead spray.