Being retired, I'm looking to do fly-fishing,

[treg]

I cover the area described both fishing and on horseback.
While I have yet to encounter an angry or surprised bear my G23 is loaded with 175 gr HCLSWC / near max load of Power Pistol. Handloading makes it financially possible to use that load as a tin-can plinking and target of opportunity load as well. The more potent commercial loads should do well as long as they are FP of LSWC. As stated above, no HP.
Biggest threat is the 2 leggeds and the ticks.

[Siggy-06]

Get some hardcast .40S&W from underwood or buffalo bore and some bear spray. Black bear arent anywhere near as big as browns, and they aren't bulletproof either. Don't forget the bug repellent.

While we do have black bear down here in FL, I'm always more concerned about the snakes and spiders, not to mention the mosquitos. I pack light with a LCP, a knife, and 50 grams of pepper gel.

[Pathfinder45]

If you don't already have a magnum revolver, I'd recommend that you look at this as a wonderful opportunity/excuse to go out and get one. I like Ruger single action revolvers, so that's what I recommend. Super Blackhawks are nice, if you can manage the 44 Magnum. 357 Magnum is probably a better choice for most folks; but I'm a 45 Colt guy, myself.

[Blindstitch]

I can tell you as a Yooper who has spent 30 years in Baraga, Marquette, Houghton and Keweenaw counties that you probably won't encounter a bear while fishing. You're more likely to run into a bear if you break all camping food rules and even then probably limited. More likely to run into a disgruntle raccoon.

Buy whatever magnum you want. If you see cubs get out. I hunt a lot of things in the U.P. and the only time things feel uncomfortable is when cubs are present during bow season. If the game camera shows cubs i'm packing. Big bears don't care about me. And if they do I call the neighbor who has hunting dogs and he chases them off the property and usually tags out on a bear.

[stinkeypete]

+1

[Scorch]

Black bears are not hard to kill!

I'm glad someone else said it first.

A friend of mine used to hunt black bears with dogs (back when that was the norm), and he carried a 38 Special as his "bear gun". He killed dozens of black bears with a 158 gr lead 38 to the ribs. Will a 40 kill a bear? I have no doubt it will, as will a 357, a 44, a 45, or whatever you happen to poke at one.

About 25 or so years ago, me and a friend were hunting in Oregon outside of Springfield. The area we were hunting was lousy with black bears, and I busted half a dozen out of the brush while walking old skid roads. I scared one and it took off running straight uphill up a slide area, it ran for half a mile before I lost sight of him. I must have scared it half to death.

So no, I don't think you'll have trouble with bears if you go fishing.

[wild cat mccane]

FMJ copper coated rounds get destroyed on steel backstops.

I have never once read or saw online a picture of a destroyed FMJ from someone hunting with a handgun round pulled from the target.

Hardcast, harder or not, can't do anything better if FMJ doesn't deform. They will perform exactly the same--no expansion or change.

So a 124gr FMJ might actually do better than a heavy "outdoor" Buffalo Bore load. Same results, more velocity, may not matter at all..

If that all makes sense.

[wild cat mccane]

Yep. Lyme disease is your greatest risk.

[Blindstitch]

Yep. Lyme disease is your greatest risk.

And the information around it is just as confusing. Go to the doctors, don't go to the doctors, wait till you see a bullseye, under 24 hours attached is fine.

Freaked myself out last year. I was turkey hunting in tick invested areas but I use Sawyers Permethrin clothing spray and after all that most likely picked up a tick in the yard in the city of Milwaukee. The information of what to do is filled with confusing experiences and lack of information. In the end I was fine but have ran into quite a few people who have gotten lyme disease.

https://www.sawyer.com/products/perm...bric-treatment

[shafter]

Why people are so afraid of black bears is a complete mystery to me. Don't leave food out or around, don't get between mama and the cubs. Give respect, it's a wild animal, not a pet. Follow those rules and you're good to go.

I don't get it either. I live in the north in an area where there are a lot of black bears and unless you are baiting them you aren't going to see one. I'm much more worried about an aggressive moose but even then I'm probably much more likely to be killed by a widow maker on a windy day or catch lyme disease.

[Drm50]

It amazes me outdoorsmen type people worry about being attacked by Black Bears, when the yuppie type are walking up and trying to hand feed them. It doesn’t take a custom special bullet to kill Blacks. Poachers been using 22s for years, same as deer. Every once in a while they have to haul a yuppie to Eroom because they didn’t respect the bear. We ain’t dealing with Grizz.

[Reloadron]

Black bears have no interest in you unless as mentioned you manage to get between a mom and her cubs. Yeah, I would be more worried about ticks. Had one show up a few blocks from me a few years back. Once they got the people out of the way the bear came down and wandered off into a wooded area. Hell, hunting whitetail in West Virginia sitting on a ledge with my Ruger 44 carbine. I expect a deer to come out of a wooded area and out comes a black bear. Maybe 10 yards from me. Bear got up on hind quarters, sniffed, looked right at me and dropped down and wandered down towards the river. The bear wanted no more to do with me than I did the bear. The numbers on black bear attacks don't lie. Then too I don't recommend having a pocket with a tuna fish sandwich in it.

Enjoy fly fishing as it's great fun. Had an uncle who fly fished extensively including Michigan. He liked making his own flies too. Great fun the times I went with him, enjoy!

Ron

[4V50 Gary]

Like StinkyPete said, don't leave food out and don't get between mama and her cubs. I have Yogi in my area and it has caused some property damage, but they're mostly timid. I carry b/c of Yogi and snagglepus (one of which stalked my neighbor. He turned around, saw it in time, yelled and even fire a warning shot. The warning shot didn't prompt it to walk away any faster).

[GeauxTide]

I'm also a Ruger Blackhawk fan. Few Bears here, but I do hunt pigs. Killed a 354# mutha a couple of years ago. Took several 223 and 6.5 Grendel hits and finished with 45 Colt throwing a 285 Keith SWC @ 1057. My rule is anything that can hurt me gets a 44 or 45 Caliber with hard cast bullets. The load referenced above will go through 5' of critter, leaving fist sized exits.

[JustJake]

Bears need lunch too. That’s why they always have a plan.

You should too.