Now I do have to ask...
And having absolutely zero bear experience slaying undead grizzly laser bears save what I read on this forum (at least I'm honest here)...
...What's with this layered defense methodology again? When people go on about how you should have both a firearm and bearspray, I can't help but to envision this person dual wielding a can in one hand and a pistol in the other aimed at the bear and waiting for his move.
Frankly, once the bear is inside your bear spray's 18-30ft effective range, you have some decisions to make; decisions you probably should have made well before that point. This isn't a layered defense no matter how much people say it is. You aren't going to try the bear spray, then fumble for your pistol as the sauced bear shrugs it off and decides you're dinner. You like bear spray and that's fine, but don't delude yourself into thinking you'll get a do-over. If you've let Sir 30mph Meat Tank inside bear spray range and it decides you're a threat, I really hope you made the right choice.
This isn't layered defense. The terminology is flat out misleading. You probably won't get to change your mind. Unless you're Quick Draw Mcgraw- and most of us ain't -I don't see it happening.
Best of luck in any event.
Well, since I believe I am the person that mentioned a "layered defense," I guess I will answer your response. If someone else mentioned it first, please refresh my memory.
What I mean by a layered defense is starting with the basics. From a study a couple of years ago looking back at a century of bear attacks in Alaska, a couple of important issues were evident. First, most attacks occur with one or two people walking, hiking or working alone. When you go to four or more people in a group, bear attacks drop precipitously. Second, most attacks occur in dense brush as opposed to open areas. If it is possible to avoid dense brush, the chance of a bear attack likewise drops greatly.
Thus the first layer of defense is recognizing how terrain and group strength affects your risk before you even leave the door of your house. The next layer of defense is understanding bear behavior should you encounter a bear in the woods and what actions you should take. Most bear experts recommend standing your ground in almost all situations and then slowly retreating to safety if possible.
After all of these considerations, having BOTH bear spray as your usual first choice most often carried in a chest holster ready for use immediately is the next layer of defense. For the case mentioned a bit ago, when the bear spray canister is spent, what is your next layer of defense? That is when lethal deterrence is mandatory for proper preparation.
Many people prefer guns as their primary bear deterrence and fortunately, there are studies from DLPs in Alaska showing them equally effective to bear spray despite the concerted propaganda we have heard to the contrary for the last decade at least. If a gun is your primary bear defense, then practice at moving targets if possible to gain the proficiency needed. Thus practice and proficiency is another layer of bear defense.
Next is the bear safety protocols used in camps to prevent attacks while sleeping including separate food preparation and eating areas from the sleeping area. Many in bear country consider a standard layer of protection using a portable electric fence and some sort of perimeter warning systems in addition to camp hygiene.
When you add all of these factors together, you still are well below a 100% effective plan. That is what I meant by a layered defense. Perhaps the most important aspect of that is having at least one other person prepared to be your back up should your primary defense measures fail.
If you look at the majority of bear attacks noted in the news, there are very few cases where all of these measures failed. Most attacks are against people that didn't give much thought at all to bear defense before heading into the woods. That just isn't a smart way to camp, hike or hunt any longer. I point to the Canadian case where the man above chose to bring a large hunting knife as his lethal deterrent since he couldn't carry a gun legally. His planning in advance saved his life and his dog's.
Once again, there truly are multiple layers of bear defense. If you take issue with my term, so be it, but that is what I meant by a layered defense. For Christine Courtney, a layered defense including a gun or even a large knife above and beyond their one canister of bear spray would have gone a long way to surviving her attack by a juvenile bear.
, perhaps the tendency to discuss "What gun?" just might make more sense than some here might want to admit 
