My dad used to own a cabin on the Salcha River in Alaska. It was about an hour drive from Fairbanks, then about a 2 hour ride upriver in an airboat to get there. Very remote to say the least. We were enjoying a fall day up there years ago when a big bear came close to the cabin; aware but careless about our presence. We all got inside, but the bear got onto the porch and started pushing on the windows. After several radio calls up and down the river the consensus was to dispatch the bear. We let it get off the porch a little way (15 yards) and my dad shot it with a 12 ga 870 18.5" shotgun using 2-3/4" 00 buckshot. The bear dropped in its tracks, lifeless. My dad shot it one more time for good measure. Based on its size, coloring, and behavior we all thought it was a grizz. It was the first bear any of us had ever seen in the wild. It turned out to be a very large black bear. I think it was 9ft from paw to paw measured around it's back.
I have no doubt in my mind that a SG loaded with 00 buck would be an excellent choice in defense in many camping/hiking/hunting/hd situations. So long as you are not already in a scuffle. That's where a holstered pistol could possibly be your best bet and likely your last option.
“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”
- Mark Twain
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