I had read on another site sometime back about a guy who had been mauled by a Grizz, he lives, I think, on Kodiak. Said he carries a 45/70 when fishing, but doesn't believe a pistola should be a first line of defense. Said, if given a choice between a handgun or pepper spray, he would take the pepper spray. Probably because of "how" an attack usually goes down. Me, I have my trusty ole.45.