Hey guys,  I'm going hiking / camping in manistee national forest in the next 2 weeks. I plan on bringing my Glock 17 with for self defense ( ppl and animals )  my concern though is bears.  I know they are rare and afraid of ppl, but in the crazy event I do run into one I rather not do it with a 9mm.   I would rather carry a rifle for purely defense ( not hunting)  are you guys familiar with the forest in Michigan and if so any tips or know the specific rifle laws ?

I wouldn't worry about bears

GOOGLE IS YOUR FRIEND

I would just stick with the pistol for convenience.  You'll only run into trouble with the critters if you don't keep your camp cleaned up and food elevated or stored properly; especially at night.  I've heard some great things about Buffalobore's 9mm+P Hardcast "Outdoorsman" ammo.  Shoot a mag to check function and carry a mag; worry less about the big bad bears and enjoy yourself.

ROCK6

Leave the long gun at home you'll draw more attention than you want if there are other folks out on the trail and you'll be sorry for having to carry the extra weight. Take the handgun with the +P ammo listed above if you want something with you. I've hunted and camped in the U.P. for 30 years and have only seen three bears the whole time two of them were running across the road, separate occasions, and the third I got with the beam of a flashlight when it stole a bag of corn and ran passed me up the hill behind my camper. If the place you're going is populated or there are a lot of people out hiking and making noise you wont see any bear. Relax, have fun and enjoy the trip.

Thanks for the replies.  I'll just bring the pistol and bear mace.  I enjoyed camping etc when I was a kid....then I joined the Marine corps infantry. And now my camping trips are not the same. I find myself self debating and always balancing on the line of fun and " gotta be ready so bring guns, knives, and have a detailed plan ".

You can be prepared without over doing it. The thing is you take a chance no matter how well you prep and sometimes you just have to trust that the Goblin or woods creatures won't be there to cause any trouble and that what you have with you will do just fine. More for peace of mind than anything else.

Glock 17 should do just fine.

Funny story, a decade or so ago we camped in a pop-up camper in Manistee, right in the middle of nowhere. I woke up in the morning, and I thought I was having a bad dream. I kept hearing some kind of huffing... So, I wake up, sit up from the Dinette bed and look out past the mesh screen and see a bear next to the camper... That was kind of fun... Needless to say after a lot of yelling she managed to scatter off. Later we saw her again with two young cubs moving around in the Forrest a few hundred yards away.

Had a bear, near Lake Mitchell in the Manistee National forest, get into my hunting blind one year. Tore up my seat and got into the carrot bags in my uncles hunting blind as well.