My friend hunts deer and elk in Idaho and Montana, and besides his rifle, he and his friends carry 15 round Glock 10mm just in case a bear or other large critter gets up close and personal.
These kids should have had something similar.
No griz in Cali.
Recommend Buffalo Bore for your friends. Gets 4.5 feet of penetration through Mr. Griz’s hide, bones and muscle without fragmenting before stopping in .357. Ymmv with 10mm.
Calling in the professional (Mark Twain) for review of the thread.
My commander on the USAF base in Alaska (1958) did not allow us to leave the base unarmed. Minimum requirement was an M1 carbine and it had better be loaded.
Recently, I decided I had better get good on bear defense. So I put my .357 revolver in a chest rig, ran around the parking lot to get my heart rate up, came back to the firing line at 15 yards, spun around until I was dizzy ... and missed 6 for 6 on small plate sized targets. Not good.
It took three outings, but now I can run, spin, hit 2 for 3, reholster, spin again until dizzy, draw, and 2 for 3 again at 25 yards.
I think I’m now competent for Mr. Griz.
Some of the old timers up here in the back country of Connecticutt say they’ve seen big cats in the woods.