if you truly want an 'outdoorsy' life, use your guns only in actual defense of your family. Better yet, get bear repellant spray. It's $40 and will save a bears' life.
You should look up how effective this is, percentage wise. I think it's actually a pretty good stopper, possibly better than firearms.
I think that once a bear attacks humans, it should be killed, as it might do so again
But this whole thread is getting ridiculous. It's an ANIMAL. Not a human. Why is it okay to kill it for a trophy, or for food, or for fun(would you really hunt if it wasn't fun?) but not because it poses a danger to human life? It's like a cow or a deer. It is just an animal. I'm willing to bet that if it was a human, these same guys would say "shoot it".
Unless hunting is immoral(and even if you think it is.) if a bear is threatening a human, the choice is clear.
And +1 on hunters for the hungry.
And I don't know the laws in your state, but make sure you get the right kind of slugs, I've never used them, but hear they are
for use on bears.
http://www.dixieslugs.com/ One of their products supposedly penetrates more than a .416 rigby
sofpoint, so it's probably not advised for use on elephants . It will probably go completely through a black bear shot from the side, not sure about the head.
The second page especially, it's starting to sound like a PETA meeting.:banghead: