My go to guy for bears is Steven Herrero,particularly his publication "Bear Attacks: Their Causes and Avoidance." It isn't very macho,but the number one factor in bear country is keeping a scrupulously clean camp. I don't have the figures at hand, but the statistics demonstrate that bear spray is more effective at warding off bear attacks than firearms; again, not very macho. Frankly,I,too, feel more secure when packing a firearm, compared to carrying around a spray can, but that doesn't mean that I am actually more protected.

According to one recent study 63 people have been killed in bear attacks in 109 years, so death by bear is certainly a possibility, and worth preparing for, but that number of fatalities pales in significance to the number lost to falls,drownings, and extreme weather, both heat and cold, while in the outdoors.

Annually, there are something like fifty deaths from honey bees in the United States. What caliber is effective against this clearly dangerous animal?

Equipping ourselves against the threat we face in the outdoors is a very personal process; it is not surprising that we will make different choices. I haven't been in bear country lately, but when I am, I will probably do it with a can of bear spray, keep a clean camp, and use a bear can or hang my chow. My S&W will most likely stay home, because a good climbing rope will be more effective in the face of the threats I will be confronting.

Here's hoping we all make good choices.....
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Geezer in Chief