Fair enough.
I can't help but wonder how you'll be able to both be ready to take a shot with a bow, and ready to defend yourself with a shotgun though? Keep the shotgun slung over your shoulder, and throw the bow in the dirt if you need the shotgun? At what point do you decide its time for the shotgun? Will you have time to get it in hand and rack one into the chamber?
Sounds like something that would require a fair amount of practice to be proficient?
The stand I hunt out of has room to set the shotgun down. I will likely get a shotgun scabbard though as well. As for when to defend myself the would be if the bear started acting noticeably aggressive. That said, the odds of me using the shotgun with an arrow nocked are really low. Hopefully I will never need it at all. Basically a couple of scenarios could come up where a shotgun could come in handy. 1. I shoot a bear with an arrow but it is a bad shot I would need to track the thing. I would leave the bow and track it with a shotgun as wounded bears attack more often. 2. I shoot a bear and it a good shot but another bear won't leave I would not be comfortable gutting with another bear around a warning shot would likely suffice but either way it is handy to have a shotgun around. 3. Wolves and cougars are moving the area last fall I came across a cougar when I was pushing a bush thankfully it ran off but I didn't feel comfortable as I had nothing to defend myself with.




















































