Bear vs. .44

Guns are quite common here, and, to be honest, I considered getting one before I came. Big wildlife is a real threat around here. It's one thing to learn to behave around bears if you do see them, which I've read a lot about, and is always the first line of defense. Beyond that, a gun and/or bear spray is your only hope. I really think guns and bear spray have the potential to just piss the bear off even more, which is never good news. At least with a gun you've got a bit more than piss-off potential - there's incapacitate/kill potential.

I didn't end up doing the gun thing because getting one up here proved to be too much of a pain, especially because I wasn't licensed in MA and I would have had to wait a while to get licensed to carry. Well, I'm in Alaska now, biotch!! I can't legally buy a gun here, but I can legally carry one. It just so happens that Kevin, one of the guys that's building the new cabin, got a gun while up here for the same reason I was thinking of getting one. When he first came down, I was talking about how I want to do more hiking but I don't feel comfortable doing it alone. A few days later I was sitting at his desk fixing his computer when he asked me if I'm comfortable with guns. I told him they didn't bother me in the least, so he said, "top drawer on the left if you ever need it."

Because you need a pretty big gun to cross that line from pissing off a bear to effectively protecting yourself from one, it's .44 calibre or nothing around here. Anyone you ask will say the same thing; you need a .44. The recoil on a gun like that is pretty substantial, which really impedes your control, especially if you're not used to it. The last thing any of us want is to be armed with a weapon we're not comfortable with, especially if we ever need to shoot it. So, what's the solution there, you say? A homemade target and shooting range! Yes, in Alaska your neighbors don't care if you draw circles on a piece of particle board and go to town on it to improve your aim. The noise is a familiar one to them. Heck, they might even join in!