What to do if a bear attacks!
There are things to do if the bear does attack that might save your life. The current wisdom is: If a bear attacks, fall to the ground and play dead. Try to lie flat on your stomach or curl into a ball and try to keep your hands behind your neck. Lying flat and still make the bear think you are no longer a threat and often they will stop the attack and leave. Stay motionless as long as you can since if you move and the bear is still within sight or hearing it may attack again. If a bear thinks you are food and continues biting after you have taken a defensive posture fight back as best you can.
Guns are not the answer for bears
Firearms are a poor alternative to being smart and wary in bear country. Most people are more likely to be injured by their own weapon than a bear, and firearms are illegal in national parks and some other areas of Alaska. If you are insistent on a weapon the 30 caliber magnums or a 12 gauge shotgun with rifled slugs are weapons of choice of Alaska woodsmen. The 12 gauge can be front loaded with "bear bangers" or some similar load which is non lethal to a bear and are very effective in scaring the bears away. Pepper sprays have been used to keep bears from getting within their 30-40 foot range, but they are inherently dangerous to the user as the wind may blow the spray back at you. If you carry spray, plan your use of it well and learn about wind directions in its use.
