Choice of weapon and caliber whilst carrying in the Blue Mountains is made more complex by the existence of wolf packs there.
Had the gentleman been surrounded by a dozen plus wolves, he may well have lost the fight due to insufficient rounds.
Further, as Dean Weingarten ably documents, a black bear (non-grizzly) can be defeated by virtually any human-deadly round.
Finally, the mix of predators in the Blues runs from coyotes (known to attack in rare instances), cougar, and bears to wolves.
Therefore, in that general area, I carry 9mm semi-auto with hot loads in a 16+1 magazine, and two extra magazines (16 and 13) in my pocket. Virtually all black bear attacks will be broken with that round (see Weingarten). Shot speed is improved (for me, at least), putting more lead in the critter sooner, and you have plenty of rounds (46 9mm in my case, plus 5 in my .30-06 rifle) to handle the potential wolf pack.
In Griz country, 9mm will also (but less often) break off the attack. Lacking a 44 magnum in my collection, I opt for the .357 magnum Ruger Blackhawk Flattop that I own, loaded with Buffalo Bore hard cast bullets in a chest rig. That round is reputed to crash through 4.5 feet of muscle and bone without fragmenting or stopping. And with Griz, you’ll be lucky to get off three shots before he’s on you, so round count doesn’t matter so much.
Did have a wild dog (escaped pets a generation or two ago) go ape on me from the brush at 70 feet in the gloaming twilight this fall. That thing was crazy. I drew the 9, and slowly backed down the ravine. That critter kept howling while I retreated 1/4 mile to the truck and left. That’s the first time I’ve ever drawn my sidearm in the field.
Anyhow, that’s my program. Opinions vary.
Read more: https://www.ammoland.com/2019/10/grizzly-bear-attack-in-montana-stopped-with-9mm-pistols/#ixzz8L820MTX9
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Grizzly Bear Attack in Montana Stopped with 9mm Pistols
New wolf ‘pack’ could spell more pressure on Blue Mountains big-game (2017)