A joke that went around Alaska, & probably any number of other backcountry areas awhile back : Guy comes up to Alaska to take a guided hunting trip, & is wearing a pistol on his hip, (don’t remember if a caliber was specified). Guide asks him “What’s that for?” Customer replies : “It’s’s so if Kodiak/Polar/Grizzley bear attacks, I can kill him!” Guide shakes his head & says : “Well, better file off the site.” Customer says “Why?”
Guide goes: “So when the bear shoves it up your ass it won’t hurt as much!” 
I saw a nice harness for fishermen to clip the spray to the front of their waders. Right in front, easy to get at quickly.
In Norway, I’ve heard the people who radio-tag bears carry fire-crackers - some claim that they’re flashbangs, but the person who told me that isn’t very reliable. The thought is that if they have to discourage it, the loud bang can either scare them away or make them flinch enough to aim properly if they’re charging.
Me, I’d probably take my bet with a can of bear spray. I’m a semi-marksman with a rifle and good with a shotgun, but those things can run fast. (Up towards 45km/h - or 28mph) And any weapon I’d use against a bear would probably disintegrate whatever I was actually hunting. (I hunt grouse, mostly.)