I love how at the mention of bears people immediately start talking about how unlikely an attack is and how bear spray is preferred. It's totally irrelevant to the question asked by the OP, and personally I don't carry based on likelihood of attack? I carry a gun because there is a possibility, however small, that I will need one. I don't need any stats to tell me it's better to have a gun and never need it than to rely on mathematics to protect myself and my family.
No where did I state anything about not taking a gun....actually I said just the opposite.
Odds are you will be at more of a risk from two legged predators than from Black Bear......so take what you need for them.
My statement was that folks tend to inflate the minuscule risk factor of a Black Bear attack to a level where they think they need a special gun and special ammo. Ammo and gun makers love it. This somehow justifies to many, payin' a buck and a half a pop for boutique .357 ammo.
Yosemite Park, of which the OP is asking about, has been around for over 150 years. In just the last 20 years, approximately 75 million people have recreated there. Since it's inception, there have been no fatal attacks from Black Bears, or even a serious injury from a Black Bear attack. Not one. Ever. So what does this realistically tell us about the possibility of someone needing a special gun and ammo while visiting there? Yes, I know there is a first time and I know one should be prepared. Still, with the risk from a Black Bear attack being so close to zero, why is it the first thing folks worry about when going there? Truth be told, one is at more risk of being injured by a bear by hitting it with their car while at Yosemite. Thus if one is being realistic, they'd be more prepared to prevent an injury from a black bear there by installing a re-enforced bumper on their vehicle, as opposed to taking a gun. All the guns in the world won't avoid an attack, at the most, they might deter it. Knowledge of Black Bear habits, how to not attract them to your food sources and what to do first if one encounters one, is what will avoid an attack and will have a larger impact on keeping
most folks alive than the gun they carry. If one is backpacking or traveling into the backcountry of Yosemite, food canisters are required. This is the knowledge folks need to give to the OP, not what their personal preference in handguns is. I think this was addressed at the beginning of this thread by
Drail
You clearly have a great deal to learn about bears if you have to ask this question.
Talking about Grizzlies or Alaska has nuttin' to do with folks takin' a family trip to Yosemite Park in California. There are no Grizzlies there anymore. Park officials deal with millions of visitors and the 3-500 Black Bears that reside there, and what is it they advise? Buying high recoiling ammo that will have a POI that will differ greatly from what one's standard ammo does is not much help unless one is going to practice and get very proficient with it. How many of those folks that buy special "bear defense" ammo practice with it on kill zone sized targets while that target is moving towards them @ 30 MPH? Otherwise you are just hoping the noise will drive the bear away. As far as the noise level of specific ammo and the risk of permanent ear damage from it's use in a real Bear Defense scenario.....do you really care about minor hearing damage as long as you live thru the episode and your ears are not permanently removed from your head?
