Never done it to date but have possible in the works.

Any special precautions needed? And I don’t want to hear “ carry bear spray”

Make sure you are not on the rag while you are there.

Take a slow friend with you…….

Gunshots are dinner bells, just be smart and expect one to be on your kill… when you come back. Do your best to get meat a good distance away for carcass.

Out side of that’s it’s be aware,

Outfitted or DIY?
For sure bear spray and a pistol you can get shots off fast with.

^^^^ what he said as well.

Had several buddies in the AF that were stationed in Anchorage and fished and hunted up there. They said the rule for grizzlies was to put the first shot in the dirt in front of their face. Hopefully the noise and dirt blowing up will scare them off. If not, empty everything you have into the chest, not the head.

I had a run in with a huge coastal brown bear while black bear hunting in Alaska few years ago. She had two grown cubs with her and even they looked gigantic. All I will say is that all of my prior thoughts on how I would react went right out the window when I got eyes on them on that beach. They never got closer that 100 yards and even at that range the hair on my arms was standing up.

The only advice I have is to have a big back up gun that you are very comfortable shooting fast from muscle memory. I have two I like. My go to is a Colt Delta Elite 10mm loaded with lead cast buffalo bore ammo. The second is a Ruger Alaskan revolver in .44

I can shoot both fast and accurate. I like the Ruger, it's just really heavy. Forget bear spray. Carry something that goes boom.

I’ve done a lot of hunting in bear country. Never even seen one.

Just be bear aware, carry bear spray on you and make sure some one has a bear stopping firearm.
Always be looking but not possed with "your in bear country". I've hunted Wyoming for years and have come across 3 of them and they didn't want anything do with us.
If horseback hunting the horses will know there is a bear close by long before you do.

Enjoy your hunt.

Keeping a clean camp and being vigilant are the two biggest things. They aren't out there hunting people, but sneaking through the woods and coming back to a kill are two pretty good ways to get an encounter. Rather than rely on a handgun, which is at best a last resort, I carry a rifle of an appropriate size for bears, and bear spray. Planning on your first line of defense being a handgun while you are carrying a long gun anyway is missing the forest for the trees. Handguns are great because you can have them on you when making dinner, walking to the privy, etc., but their only advantage is convenience.

Be honest with yourself about your comfort level. Some folks simply can't think about anything but bears and it ruins a trip for them. Better to acknowledge that beforehand and hunt somewhere else. Seeing bears is a cool experience if you have the right mindset.

From experience with a big kitty, if carrying spray or pistol, don’t attach it to pack, use a chest rig, that way it’s always on you.

Great advice.

Here's what I've done every time I've gone to grizzly/brown bear country and will continue to do so.

Remember that they can cover 10 yards in 1 second while moving in 3D and they can also be ninja quiet.

1) Check your ego. Very few of us are actually as good as we pretend to be. Seriously.
2) Be realistic with your expectations of what you actually can do. For example, most of us tend to be better served with a 9mm than a 454 Casul.
3) Practice getting off very fast, very accurate (CNS), and (eventually) multiple shots with your primary weapon. Laser trainers are excellent for this (at least shot 1) especially when combined with a charging grizzly target. This includes un-shouldering the primary weapon, loading a round, acquiring the target and getting an accurate shot off. Do multiple variants of this (including turning around to find the target) and record your time. Ultimately this will tell you what your minimum buffer zone will be in the event that you surprise a grizzly. Hard to tell the GW that you were being charged and in fear when shooting the bear 100 yards away; we're talking 10-30 yards tops before you even have a thought of needing a weapon. Don't forget to send real bullets down range using multiple targets and shot timers. You should quickly identify which part of the shooting process is taking the longest and focus on reducing that time but never put accuracy on the back burner.
4) Repeat #3 with bear spray and/or handgun and adjust accordingly (ex: holster and not sling). Don't forget to send real bullets down range using multiple targets and shot timers. You should quickly identify which part of the shooting process is taking the longest and focus on reducing that time but never put accuracy on the back burner.
5) Use purpose built ammo if using a handgun. Forget your HP or ball ammo; use Buffalo Bore hard cast or comparable. Very important to ensure that your gun will shoot it. It's all about penetration to the CNS here.
6) Just like 2 legged boogey men, grizzly are not behind every tree. Be aware and respectful but do not be overtly fearful.
7) If you have to come back to a carcass, place a few tree branches in a vertical position over the carcass. If something of size came in, the branches will likely no longer be vertical and give you a heads up.
8) Always have a weapon on you or within arms reach. Doesn't matter if you are sleeping, taking a leak, taking a dump, cleaning an animal, packing an animal, etc. Remember 10 yards in 1 second. That weapon "over there" is worthless if a situation arises.
9) Understand that they literally can go from peaceful (ex: golden retriever mode) to full-blown apex predator hell bent on your destruction in a blink of an eye. Seen this first hand and is something that I will never forget. Never underestimate their ability to take damage when they are pissed; this is why the focus on CNS. They can be dead on their feet and still maul you to death or worse before they eventually give up the ghost.

Practice, practice, practice. My target timing for #3 is 1.5 seconds with 1 shot and #4 is 2 seconds with 3 shots; all at 90% CNS hit on the first shot while wearing a 50# pack over my binocular harness while wearing a Razco holster on my chest.

If you want an idea if bears can be an issue just Google bear attacks on Wyoming hunters.
We have some encounters every year.
Some years are worse than others.
If their forage is down they are way more active in hunting season.


Be bear aware is great advice but have a plan for what you will do if needed.
I would check with WG&F prior to your trip and ask about activity in your area, they are more than willing to share that info. Call the local office near to where you are hunting.

Good points from AZ^^^^.

I'm an admitted scaredy cat so no grizz country for me unless I draw a bison tag again.

Sounds like you have already decided what you will and won't do. So, the only advice I can give without telling you what you don't want to hear is roll around in a big pile of cow poo. It works for my dog!

Keep all food and game meat at least 100 yards from where you intend to sleep and do your cooking away from the camp as well. Keep a clean camp. Bears are basically a life support system for a stomach. When they smell food they tend to ignore everything else.

Don't sleep in the clothes you cooked in. Otherwise, youre just a soft shell burrito to them!!

Only thing I've decided is that I want more info other than "carry bear spray".


Several good and important points and information have been presented and that's what I was looking for. Rolling in cow chit isn't on the list either.

I don't expect to encounter a grizzly but I also don't expect to not encounter one either. Just want to prepare properly and avoid an encounter if possible. Wouldn't mind seeing one at a distance but that's it.

Honestly was going to carry my .40 s&w with buffalo bore or cor-bon ammo....better to have 13 rds than 6. I shoot the pistol pretty good and since I'm rifle hunting, it would be a secondary weapon regardless.

Placing trees vertically is a great idea to give you a marker. I've heard peeing around the carcass works too. We do that to ward off black bears.

Really want to concentrate on avoiding an encounter period so sounds like I need to keep a clean camp and get the animal out in one load.

Found this article and thought it useful:

https://www.buffalobore.com/index.php?l=product_list&c=108

Again, this wasn’t really a question of what gun to carry for bears but to get general tips on avoiding/lessening the odds of an encounter with a grizzly or even black bears.