Gnu, the thing about using the golf club to ward off bears....I hope you weren't serious about that? I would think a bear would simply become infuriated if whacked by a golf club, and an infuriate bear is not a good thing. Seems to me that the best thing would be to beat a pot or pan with something and make a bunch of racket afore you goes out thar in the dark. The bear will hear the racket and move off a ways, because bears know that humans can sometimes be quite dangerous. Wouldn't that be a lot better way than letting the bear come to you and then hitting him with a golf club?