On the third hand, he had a can of bear spray. I saw that on one of the vids where he was getting ready to pack up his camp and going over his gear.

For me, this brings his firearms choices into question. While a shotgun loaded with slugs is commonly carried for bear defense, when did he plan to employ it? If the bear's close enough that the bear spray has failed, he'd be in close combat with a bear. A heavy caliber revolver would be better suited for use while being chewed on. Or, maybe the bear spray was supposed to be a backup to the shotgun?

I'm not sure what the thought process was. He was carrying a ton of other dead weight. I'd think he'd be better served by a good packable .22LR like a Marlin 39 or Browning auto for food procurement, and ditching either the rifle or shotgun, or possibly both.