Glad there was a happy ending....

I wonder how the outlawing of hunting bear with dogs in the mid 1990s in Oregon has affected things. I'm not a hunter, so I'm not advocating either way...just wondering.

I'm in the woods alot and have decided to carry a .357 mag revolver with me with the hottest hardcast ammo I can find as my "bear" gun. Not necessarily the most affective caliber, but it will push a 180 grain bullet out the 3" barrel at almost 1400 ft/sec so it's not bad either. I pack a rifle too in my rig. I've seen a few bear myself. Ironicly, Cougar is said to be the bigger threat, but have yet to see one of those.

The gun is really just a crutch. If I actually thought I would encouter bear, I'd probably rather have pepper spray. I just dont' like a packing a bunch of gear and the gun sort of covers more contingencies.

EB, you've mentioned your pistol a number of times. What kind do you carry. I think you mentioned a long time ago that you have a .22LR Revolver?