There is something out there

[LSLGuy]

@Jasmine

I recommend carrying a 12 gauge shotgun with a military style stock so it is compact and easy to handle when engaging close targets. If you hit any part of the attacking animal like even one leg, you’ll blow it off. That will at least drive him off.

This recent thread explores bear management while hiking in some detail:

Carrying firearms for defense against an aggressive bear?

In this post over in this thread, @Broomstick said the following: I have guns, too, but would not use them in self-defense against a bear. The vast majority of firearms are simply not that effective against an attacking or charging bear. The way to safely take on a bear with a firearm is at a distance with a high-powered rifle. A bear attack, on the other hand, is by definition at a much closer range such that a rifle is difficult or impossible to use. And the vast majority of handguns are fa…

You had posted to it once early on, but you may not have followed the entire tale to its end.