ORIGINAL: bjanakos
Have a back up plan!
ALWAYS have a buddy, friend, guide, someone to back you up with a good firearm. Also, carry a side arm! .357 or better. .45 if you can and use magum rounds. Semi-Auto!
Chances are your first shot, although it is a leathal hit will just piss him off. Also, if it is a sow with cubs near by, and she scents you, she might charge and she can close that 30 yards in a blink of an eye.
A bears nose it just as good as a white tail, but you have, at best, a 50/50 chance i it turninh tail and running, or deciding that YOU are thnksgivving dinner!
Personally, I have never hunted bears, but once I was hunting deer in the smokeys. My friend was packing heat and we both had a muzzle loader. We surprised a bear and he dropped the muzzle loader in exchange for the .45. We stared each other down and I started to back off. The bear did the same.
Sorry for the long story, but that situation made me reallize the irony of the hunter becoming the hunted!
If you are looking to go to Canada, handguns are illegal.
As a bear hunting guide myself, I never carry a gun with me while baiting. I only carry a large can of pepper spray, also known as bear spray.Spraying a bear with a can of pepper spray will knock them down as fast, or faster, than any gun.
As for black bear being dangerous, very very unlikely. I have walked up on a number of bears at the bait. They eitherrun off or walk farenough away while I refillthe bait.
I would invite you my camp, but we no longer have a spring bear hunt.
If you have any questions about what to expect from the outfitter, just ask, I will be glad to answer any questions.