# Trip to Alaska: Do we need a gun? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 21, 2014, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trip-to-alaska-do-we-need-a-gun/686610 "2014-04-21T14:46:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![PacifistPorcupine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@PacifistPorcupine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PacifistPorcupine)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2014, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trip-to-alaska-do-we-need-a-gun/686610/21 "2014-04-21T20:21:02Z")
I went to Alaske for my honeymoon a couple of years ago and had a great time \*. My closest encounter with a bear in the wild was looking at a mom&cub from across a field, maybe 75 yds. We saw a local pulled over watching through binoculars so we stopped to see what he was looking at. Always do that. \*Never went back to the thread to write a post about it but Chefguy your advice was great! Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![jasg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f0a364/32.png) [@jasg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasg)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2014, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trip-to-alaska-do-we-need-a-gun/686610/22 "2014-04-21T21:17:04Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > This brings to mind that old joke - they recommend that you wear bells so the bears hear you coming, and carry pepper spray so you can spray a bear if you surprise each other. You can tell grizzly bear scat from brown bear scat because it has bells in it, and it smells like pepper. 😃 In a similar vein - I would think that as long as you can run faster than your husband you are fine. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2014, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trip-to-alaska-do-we-need-a-gun/686610/23 "2014-04-21T21:36:14Z")
Oh yeah, you’re not a dummy, **Dung Beetle** , so you’ve probably got this figured out already, but some tourists need to be told - deer, antelope, moose, elk, bighorn sheep, etc. are all wild animals, and they should also be avoided. We hear a story from Banff every year or so about someone getting attacked by an elk, and moose will seriously mess you up if you mess with them at the wrong time of year. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2014, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trip-to-alaska-do-we-need-a-gun/686610/24 "2014-04-21T23:25:15Z")
If you encounter bear on the highway, you should be safe as long as you obey the speed limit and all other traffic laws. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2014, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trip-to-alaska-do-we-need-a-gun/686610/25 "2014-04-22T00:30:43Z")
> [@Dung\_Beetle](#): > > I’m all ears! PM sent. ---
**Author:** ![AtomicDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ac91a4/32.png) [@AtomicDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AtomicDog)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2014, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trip-to-alaska-do-we-need-a-gun/686610/26 "2014-04-22T01:11:28Z")
What about the Drop Bears? ---
**Author:** ![leftfield6](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leftfield6/32/18780_2.png) [@leftfield6](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leftfield6)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2014, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trip-to-alaska-do-we-need-a-gun/686610/27 "2014-04-22T01:39:58Z")
> [@leahcim](#): > > Important point: Bear spray is not like bug spray. Do _not_ attempt to repel bears by spraying it on yourself before you go in the woods. Thread win. That’s good. To the OP, good comments overall. No gun. Bear spray. Appalachian hiker here. carry bear spray and leave my pots hanging off backpack to make noise. Rarely see a bear cause they hear me first. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2014, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trip-to-alaska-do-we-need-a-gun/686610/28 "2014-04-22T01:50:45Z")
> [@Superhal](#): > > It’s not as bad as Florida. I don’t think anywhere is. > [@Chefguy](#): > > As for a gun, you would need a 12 gauge with slugs to stop a grizzly (or a very large bore pistol), assuming you could hit it in the first place while you’re hyperventilating, adrenaline is pumping, your heart is pounding like a jackhammer, and 600 pounds of fury is coming at you at 30 mph. It’s a bad idea. If you look around on line, you’ll find that S&W makes a short-barrelled .44 Magnum called the “Trail Boss” for people who want a bear gun that won’t make your arms fall off after the first mile of carrying it. The general recommendation is to file the front sight down; you won’t need it when the bear is 20 feet from you and barreling at you like a freight train, and it will hurt less when he shoves it up your ass. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2014, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trip-to-alaska-do-we-need-a-gun/686610/29 "2014-04-22T02:40:01Z")
“You’re not really here for the hunting, are you?” ---
**Author:** ![Boogly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Boogly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boogly)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2014, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trip-to-alaska-do-we-need-a-gun/686610/30 "2014-04-22T04:02:13Z")
Alaska travel info. Lots and lots of it. > **[The MILEPOST](https://themilepost.com/)** > > Alaska's legendary trip planner and travel guide. ---
**Author:** ![GusNSpot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gusnspot/32/436_2.png) [@GusNSpot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GusNSpot)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2014, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trip-to-alaska-do-we-need-a-gun/686610/31 "2014-04-22T05:23:57Z")
Dumping food after cooking means putting it in plastic that you can seal & dispose in bear proof trash containers provided in many campgrounds. Just throwing some small scraps & a bit of cooking grease out the door will get your goose cooked the first night. Ask the locals. Also in many of the info around like the above link. Your Bears May Vary… ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2014, 11:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trip-to-alaska-do-we-need-a-gun/686610/32 "2014-04-22T11:35:35Z")
> [@GusNSpot](#): > > Just throwing some small scraps & a bit of cooking grease out the door will get your goose cooked the first night. That was kind of true on the cruise, too. ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2014, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trip-to-alaska-do-we-need-a-gun/686610/33 "2014-04-22T15:05:43Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Just what kind of wildlife were you expecting to encounter? In a RV? If a moose steps onto the road in front of you a gun isn’t going to help. Bears aren’t a problem unless you get into their territory and act stupid. Treat the trip just like one you would take in Yosemite or Yellowstone and you’ll be fine. The problem is that their territory includes the area you’re hiking through or camping in. You can be careful and not stupid and still run afoul of a wild animal. In Yellowstone, I was setting up my tent in the designated camping area and when I rooting through my car for something I heard something very heavy hit the ground and when I turned around there was a goddamn buffalo 25-30 feet away from my tent lying in the dirt. My first thought was “Holy shit! A buffalo!” followed very quickly by “Holy shit! How did a buffalo sneak up on me?” That buffalo sat there for nearly two hours and since I didn’t feel like trying to set up my tent with 1,200 pounds of potentially angry beef like flavor watching me so all I could do was watch him back. Eventually he got up, walked away, and I barely got my tent set up before the sun went down. ---
**Author:** ![GusNSpot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gusnspot/32/436_2.png) [@GusNSpot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GusNSpot)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2014, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trip-to-alaska-do-we-need-a-gun/686610/34 "2014-04-22T16:55:49Z")
> [@Odesio](#): > > The problem is that their territory includes the area you’re hiking through or camping in. You can be careful and not stupid and still run afoul of a wild animal. In Yellowstone, I was setting up my tent in the designated camping area and when I rooting through my car for something I heard something very heavy hit the ground and when I turned around there was a goddamn buffalo 25-30 feet away from my tent lying in the dirt. > > My first thought was “Holy shit! A buffalo!” followed very quickly by “Holy shit! How did a buffalo sneak up on me?” That buffalo sat there for nearly two hours and since I didn’t feel like trying to set up my tent with 1,200 pounds of potentially angry beef like flavor watching me so all I could do was watch him back. Eventually he got up, walked away, and I barely got my tent set up before the sun went down. Oh, you surely took pictures… right??? I would love to see any you might have taken. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2014, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trip-to-alaska-do-we-need-a-gun/686610/35 "2014-04-22T17:09:45Z")
Can you even get a gun on a plane? I know you’d have to check it, but is that even legal? ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2014, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trip-to-alaska-do-we-need-a-gun/686610/36 "2014-04-22T17:13:19Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > Can you even get a gun on a plane? I know you’d have to check it, but is that even legal? As long as the firearm is unloaded and is in a locked, hard-side container, it can be brought on board as checked baggage. Also, Dung Beetle, how exciting! I went on an Alaskan cruise with my family last summer and decided that if I ever go back it’ll be on terms like yours. It’s gorgeous country that needs to be enjoyed more thoroughly than you can do on a few quick shore excursions. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2014, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trip-to-alaska-do-we-need-a-gun/686610/37 "2014-04-22T17:29:52Z")
> [@AtomicDog](#): > > What about the Drop Bears? I heard that was more of an [Australian problem.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drop_bear) ---
**Author:** ![Lukeinva](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lukeinva/32/17872_2.png) [@Lukeinva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lukeinva)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2014, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trip-to-alaska-do-we-need-a-gun/686610/38 "2014-04-22T17:35:51Z")
Okay then… a huge Grizzly bear… one of the most feared bears on earth… is charging at me… I’m going to spray him with bear spray and stop him in is tracks? :dubious::dubious::dubious::dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2014, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trip-to-alaska-do-we-need-a-gun/686610/39 "2014-04-22T17:46:20Z")
> [@GusNSpot](#): > > Oh, you surely took pictures… right??? > I would love to see any you might have taken. The millions of pictures my wife took are sitting on one of our hard drives waiting for someone to process them. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2014, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trip-to-alaska-do-we-need-a-gun/686610/40 "2014-04-22T18:53:37Z")
> [@Johnny\_Bravo](#): > > Also, Dung Beetle, how exciting! I went on an Alaskan cruise with my family last summer and decided that if I ever go back it’ll be on terms like yours. It’s gorgeous country that needs to be enjoyed more thoroughly than you can do on a few quick shore excursions. Thanks **Johnny**! We’ve been talking about going for years, and we put it off because it seems like there’s just too much to fit into a quick trip. We finally decided to call this “the first trip”. 🙂 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trip-to-alaska-do-we-need-a-gun/686610.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trip-to-alaska-do-we-need-a-gun/686610.md?page=3)