The handgun option has the advantage that the gun is always with you when you need it. It's not left in the cabin, the tent, or leaning against a rock behind the bear that suddenly appeared out of nowhere. The downside is that it is much more difficult to shoot well, and compared to a long gun it lacks power, so it's bullet must be placed with greater precision. I would sooner see your sister in law armed with a .30/30 she can shoot well under any circumstances, than a big bore she cannot. The implicit danger of the M-305 or the 12 ga is that the guns are heavy enough, and shotgun ammo bulky enough, that the guns get will be left in the tent once she becomes complacent after not seeing a bear after a few days. And she might stay there a month and not see one, or she might see a half dozen within a mile of her camp on the helicopter ride in.
Yes I've committed that, I mean yes I've considered that. I cant speak for her as to how complacant she may be, You know how public opinion sways people into hiding their gun or leaving it at camp. So perhaps as a precuasion she should carry the pistol as well the shotgun, because if anything she can conceal the pistol. Or if nothing else have the pistol in the back pack while she’s hiking, and the shotgun on her shoulder, and vice-versa while she’s working( well the shotgun at the ready atleast.) However I'd advise her to just put up with the shotgun and public opinion and keep it on her at all times, and to hell with the pistol. But you know how people can be...
Problem bears are often the juvenile males who are trying to make a place for themselves in the world, and like human teenagers sometimes have a chip on their shoulder. The chances are, if she doesn't seek out a close range encounter with a bear, she won't have one, but the possibility exits. If she has a problem, the bear she has to shoot might weight 300 pounds, or it might weigh 1500. All bears of all species have distinct personalities, compared to a herd of antelope lets say, who are essentially clones of one another, and who act and react in a predictable manner. That is one of the challenges to knowing how a bear might react in any given situation. When you think he'll do this or that, he'll do something that hasn't occurred to you.
I guess its all just hoping you don’t run into one, and being observant at all times so you don’t get caught off guard. because I would put little faith in a shotgun up against a 1500 poundanimal.
If you haven't already, get the books on bear attacks by James Garry Shelton, he has a set of 3 published, and the book "Bear Attacks, Their Causes and Avoidance" by Stephen Herrero. These 4 should be mandatory ready by anyone who intends to work alone in bear country. Shelton's books might be more suitable to her immediate needs, although he straight up states that he has no polar bear knowledge. Herrero and his son have both been to Churchill.
I dont have them, but I'll be getting them rest assured.
In the meantime, talk to the girl, and find out from her the general area where she will be working, the time of year she will be in camp, the duration of her stay, the number of people involved on the ground, and a rough idea of the budget for the exercise. Will she have helicopter support? Will she have an ATV or Rhino type vehicle? If she is near a lake or river, will she have a boat or canoe? How far inland will she be working, or is she right on the coast? Does she have any idea how bad the bugs will be, how strong the winds can get, or that it can snow in mid July when a storm comes off the bay?
I cant speak for her, but I'd guess she does not currently know about all these things, however that’s just an assumption, but she has done a bit of globe trotting in the past. So she probably researches the area she's headed into, hell that’s what I would do, especially in an environment such as that. I'll advise that she do so in any case.
The biggest problem that I can foresee for her is that once she has become focused on her work, she could be oblivious to what is happening around her. This can result in not only bear problems, but weather and tide problems as well, resulting in being cut off from her camp and food for some period of time, resulting in discomfort, and in extreme cases loss of life, particularly if she gets wet and then the temperature drops.
Well I can only hope she has experienced local (armed) assistance, this doesn’t sound like the sort of place you can understand and survive in, from just reading books and researching on the internet. I'll be damn sure to find out how prepared she is for these things, and how prepared the ones who are arranging the expedition are. I have found such people are not quite as complacent as I often fear them to be, They do this stuff all over the world and come back in one piece for the most part. But theirs a first time for everything.
Thanks for your help, its probably made this thread well worth all the flaming I'm picking up on account.
But it's all in good fun I guess, So I’ll try to rise above it.
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