This is literally the most gun that anyone needs in the woods, unless you’re in bear country. Even then, if you can aim then you’ll be fine.

>>2833143 (OP)
Counterpoint
You're a fag and I carry what I want
Discuss

doubbel barrel 12ga is the best choice. you can carry a 3"+ slug in one pipe for brown bear protection and a small pellet mini shell in the other for hunting large insects.

>>2833147
Bear spray has been found to be more consistently effective in deterring bears. But if one’s insecurity deems non-lethal force as gay then a .22 to the brain will put ‘er down quicker than a slug to the lungs.

>>2833152
it's got nothing to do with ego but survival. I'm not trusting some fucking pepper spray on a brown bear. I'm not one of these retards who will shoot at a bear just because it's 20ft away from me and looking at me, but if it comes within 10ft I'm not taking my chances. have fun getting raped then slowly chewed on by a pissed off bear with watery eyes and the sniffles.

>>2833161
From the bear’s perspective, here’s this fuckin human, looks tasty, maybe I’ll take a closer look holy fuck that is the most pain I have ever experienced or could have even comprehended holy fuck I’m out. A bear gets shot and its reaction is “alright fucker lets go” so you better aim well

A study in Alaska of > 200 grizzly bear encounters found a success rate of 92% for bear spray, and 80% for firearms. 60% of shootings killed the bear. If your reaction to that is “well I’m better at aiming my gun I could bump up that higher” then a sprayer says “with my spray aim I can get a higher success rate too”.

>>2833161
You don't have to kill it, only convince it that there are less painful places to be and since it is an intelligent predator it will probably leave. But moose are stupid and angry and horny so maybe you would have to shoot them if they charged you.

>>2833143 (OP)
so this thread was just SO important, that /k/ literally laughed you /out/?

>>2833171
Study is flawed because "80% of (firearms)" is meaningless.
I have an EMT friend that worked Atlanta for a decade and has encountered more gunshot victims than 99.98% of soldiers.
>had a fat guy on a park bench that thought he got stung by a bee. Blood pressure dropped every time EMT lifted his arm. Found a .22 hole in his side.
>gang banger gets transported with (10) 9mm rounds in his torso. Walks out of the hospital 2 weeks later.
>car jacker with a single .357 to the chest- just call the morgue.

Im not sayimg.i shoot at bears, I think bear spray is the proper choice. But I guarantee if every one of those >200 grizzly attacks had encountered someone with 12ga slugs or a .44mag, the success rate would be 100%.

>>2833186
The truth must be spread

>>2833189
I dunno there’s a lot of bear that can get hit with a 12 gauge or .44 that wouldn’t stop it in time before it mauls your face off. Lethal wound does not mean stopping

>>2833203
Ahhh, so then, you decide to use something non-lethal instead. Why not skip the bear spray and just take some pots and pans?

>>2833213
Making noise before you see the bear is indeed a good way of deterring bears, probably the best, but not as effective as bear spray if you do run into a bear, however pots and pans are quite heavy.

>>2833256
I honestly do not believe the whole "most attacks happen when you sneak up on x animal" bullshit. I tend to immediately discredit anyone who thinks that way. Most animals have extremely good senses, not even just one good sense. The entire reason you rarely see large predators in most places in their range is because they are masters of going undetected. They also are mostly crepuscular in response to human presence, and the fact that most of their prey is also. The only way I could imagine someone "sneaking up on a bear and spooking it" is if it's in a fucking den. 9/10 times the fucker senses you coming and just pretends it doesn't because it's probably waiting to ambush you or it's curious/unafraid of humans. Especially true with big cats. Half of the instances of people claiming bear spray is effective(as well as bullets) are probably just people spraying juvenile bears that are simply curious. If a large predator isa ctually in attack mode and charging full speed 5 ft from you, it's too fucking late unless you hit a skilled quick draw killshot. People even miss shots when a hog is charging them. kek. the entire reason black bears often spook from loud noise is because they are completely used to humans and are like a scolded dog when getting caught ruffling through the trash can. the safest way to avoid bear attacks (and plenty of other large animals) is to stay the fuck out of their habitat especially when they have offspring. moose kill more people than any predator combined each year.

>>2833263
If a human is walking along a river into the wind it’s very possible to sneak up on a bear. Sneak up in this instance means the bear only senses you when you’re less than 50 yards from it, which then the bear must decide what to do. Yes if a bear hears you coming from far away he’ll mozy on the other direction. But they’re not super apex predators. Moose on the other hand are retarded and horny so shooting them dead is often the best course of action

>>2833263
>moose kill more people than any predator combined each year
Here's a thought, have you considered that moose are predators, like a vegan hunter, they're not killing for food but for fun.
Lions have been well documented killing for sport and not eating their kills. What's to say a herbivore can't do the same....

>>2833263
I've startled animals plenty of times just walking around. They may have better senses but that doesn't make them perfect. The worst is people's stupid dogs that will harass you because you got unexpectedly close and they're embarrassed they couldn't protect their gay owner.

>>2833271
>>2833263
> moose kill more people than any predator combined each year.
Deadly moose attacks are extremely rare. The only reason this is true is because of people crashing into them on highways.

>>2833143 (OP)
Do bears really just show up in American woods? We don't have that in the uk so I can't envision going to a forest and a giant ass bear just appears. Do you just run or blast them?

>>2833189
Retard boomer take.

Bullets kill by hitting vitals or incapacitate by severing the CNS. Does a .357 magnum change the size or location of the vitals or your spinal cord?

Any bullet to the chest where the heart is - call the morgue you dumb fuck.

>t. carries 9mm G17 in grizzly country during elk hunts, filled with 17+1 G9 penetrator bullets.
>t. carries PMR-30 22 mag to non-grizz country for softer targets like humans, Mt. Lions etc

>>2833278
in most areas, no. 75% of the US has no large predators. we killed them all just like europeans do. their natural range now is limited compared to generations ago. black bears are probably the most common, but they aren't really a turbo predator like brown bears. and they don't have extremely high numbers in most of their range, only in specific regions. so for most people, they will never even see a black bear in their lifetime. out west, there are more large predators, but most are not where people live unless you're in wyoming or something near a national park. alaska is a whole different animal.

>>2833278
You guys used to have wolves. But you fucked everything up.

>>2833161
If I provoke a bear then kill it do I get to recycle the parts by consuming its muscles and innards, making work instruments from bones, and keep its peel for fashioning cowl?

>>2833146
Fpbp

>>2833143 (OP)
I would(and do) just carry a lightweight AR with me when I want a rifle and a pistol if I want something smaller. I've got a long ass(28") 22 rifle that I would use only if I specifically wanted to hunt with a 22 or something, otherwise I just carry an AR because I like it