Alaska Bear Protection
What
about Bear Protection?
Many
times during the course of planning trips for my clients, I get the
question as to whether they should be concerned about bears and if they
should bring a firearm. While most people that visit and fish the Kenai
Peninsula and other parts of Alaska do not venture out into the bush
or away from the more populated fishing areas, some do plan to hike
to more secluded locations where there are less humans, and yes, more
bears. A good friend and fellow guide Greg Brush offered the following
explanation for the question of "should I carry a gun or pepper
spray on my trip to Alaska" and I found his explanation very sensible
and worth sharing:"As for informing clients, like you, I tell them
to carry 'protection' only IF they feel very uncomfortable about bears
being in our area, which they should not. The odds of an encounter are
very very slim, and 99% of bears are more afraid/leery/cautious of us
humans than we are of them! The other big IF is if they are participating
in camping, hiking, drop hunts/fish trips, in which case they might
then consider carrying some protection for peace of mind. Finally, I
tell them by far the best 'protection' there is available is knowledge,
i.e. do some reading on what to look for, beware of and avoid, how to
respond etc. (this info is available thru ADF&G in a very nice little
pamphlet.) The second best 'protection' is bear spray-I tell them not
to even carry a gun unless they are really proficient in its use and
it is a very large caliber rifle (.338 or bigger) or better yet a 12
Gauge with slugs. In my opinion, hand guns are a joke in any REAL situation
(unless one is again very proficient and one has a monster caliber .454
Casull) increasing odds of an accident, false sense of security, or
injuring/irritating a bear that may otherwise have just been bluff charging,
in which case now the shooter is in very BIG trouble with a serious
Fish and Wildlife Protection investigation (and charges!) pending! Just
FYI, I always carry bear spray when in the field bow hunting, and do
so with total confidence. I have encountered literally hundreds of brown
bears over the years of hunting with nary a close call. I always pay
attention, and think about the situation I am in as well as how I will
react when surprised (which I have been several times!) by a sudden
brownie close by. If I am in a situation that makes me nervous, such
as very fresh sign, super thick cover, wind going the WRONG way, I make
lots of noise so as not to surprise one suddenly. This works for me,
but of course could be in the wrong spot at the wrong time on my very
next outing, which is why I carry the spray. In all honesty, I love
to see brown bears and respect them totally, but I do NOT fear them.
After all, it is their home and I am simply a guest!"
Thanks
to Greg for this excellent explanation!
