LOL. No polar bears here but my dad goes fly-in fishing way up north every year. They won't even let you on the plane unless you have at least a .308 rifle or a shotgun in case of unfriendly polar bears.

Mentioning OC made me remember our drive to Alaska from Washington a few years ago. I took a 12ga shotgun into Canada with no problem, just filled out the form and gave them $25. But I had to toss any OC I had. But once in B.C. I could buy and carry Bear Spray. Sooo confusing...

A friend of ours barely survived a grizzly attack. It wasn't exactly unprovoked. He was bow-hunting (which most people can't believe) and took a shot he shouldn't have. The bear was on him in a flash, opening him up and taking off some body parts. Even though he lost part of his right hand, he managed to get his .357 mag out and emptied it into the bear before he passed out. His hunting buddy heard the revolver and got to him in time to keep him alive. Then they managed to get him out of the woods and flown to the right hospital(s). All in the days before cell phones.

He was lucky. I've heard stories of bears taking 6 rounds from a .357 mag and still having enough oomph to get a swipe and/or a bite in.

I've even heard that a Griz had enough energy stored in it's muscles and enough muscle/nervous system memory to continue mauling for up to 20 seconds after it's heart has stopped. I'm not sure if that's true of how you could prove it but it's interesting and scary all at the same time.

I have to remember to pick up more OC pomade for my hair...

Welcome Newguy!

I can skip the pomade stuff myself...