Don't rely on bear spray

[IVC]

Stay out of their way - it's their home, and we are trespassing.

Um, no. We happen to be the apex predator.

[cantdance]

So did the butt hole ever calm down?


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He was standing in the back of his pickup when I got there. I actually don't blame him. Glad she wasn't a biter.

[MarikinaMan]

What's better than bear spray? BALLS

[MarikinaMan]

Stay out of their way - it's their home, and we are trespassing.

Its their home, lol. Gay as ****. You sound like a Newsome drone.

And to all the negative nancy's who were not there, quarterbacking an attack, pffffffft.

[FeuerFrei]

Hmmm?
Who would have thought a cow and her cubs was a safe thing to be around?
They tend to get a little raw when ANYTHING comes around it's territory, cubs, den, food etc..

Remember that when you're hiking the great outback (aka: bear country) you are inserting yourself into the food chain. Act accordingly.

This guy does have a great story to tell around the campfire, so...

[Carcassonne]

That guy is lucky... I think someone needs to create a bear spray module that attaches to a picatinny rail. That way I can spray the bear and shoot him at the same time with my SCAR 17.

I don't like bears...F' bear spray, I prefer a good blaster at my side...a M92 with 30 rounds of 7.62x39 would be my kinda pistol in bear country...if I can only have a pistol that is.

The Gov. tells you that bear spray is adequate....pfft.

I have a Glock 20 bear sprayer.


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[Huntsprig]

The National Park Rangers are advising hikers in Glacier National Park and other Rocky Mountain parks to be alert for bears and take extra precautions to avoid an encounter.

They advise park visitors to wear little bells on their clothes so they make noise when hiking. The bell noise allows bears to hear them coming from a distance and not be startled by a hiker accidentally sneaking up on them. This might cause a bear to charge.

Visitors should also carry a pepper spray can just in case a bear is encountered. Spraying the pepper into the air will irritate the bear's sensitive nose and it will run away.

It is also a good idea to keep an eye out for fresh bear scat so you have an idea if bears are in the area. People should be able to recognize the difference between black bear and grizzly bear scat.

Black bear droppings are smaller and often contain berries, leaves, and possibly bits of fur. Grizzly bear droppings tend to contain small bells and smell of pepper.











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[Stumpfenhammer]

This guy was attacked twice by the same Grizzly the same day. Bring 2 guns and have them at your side. Bear spray doesn't work.

I recommend anyone going into bear country read some of the books detailing bear attacks. Bear spray usually works, and statistically it works at a higher rate than firearms. Which is probably why this very experienced guy decided to deploy it first instead of starting with the pistol he was carrying.

I spend a fair bit of time in Montana and I've also been charged by a brown bear in Alaska...I carry bear spray and a gun sometimes, but I always carry bear spray. Everyone likes to think they'll be John Wayne with a handgun when a bear charges...until they get faced with the reality. When the pucker factor is high dropping a bear in full charge with a handgun is a lot harder than hitting them with a cone of bear spray. And if you wound the bear instead of killing him...what was most likely just going to be a bluff charge, is for sure going to turn into a fight for your life.

One of my buddies is an outdoor photographer in Alaska. He's been charged six times and only had to use his pistol once. The rest were stopped with shouting or bear spray.

[Stumpfenhammer]

Best way not to be attacked by bears is to not go hiking in bear land

haha...that would make a good chunk of the US off-limits then. I'll take my chances with the bears (specifically, brown bears) in most bear-dense areas you are much more likely to die from hitting a deer on your way home from the hike.

[Mitch]

haha...that would make a good chunk of the US off-limits then. I'll take my chances with the bears, in most bear-dense areas you are much more likely to die from hitting a deer on your way home from the hike.

There are bears and then there are bears. I spend a lot of time backpacking in black bear country. Never worried about them. They are just about harmless as far as I'm concerned. A few simple camp housekeeping procedures ensures that.

I will not go backpacking in grizzly country.

Luckily, I could live five lifetimes before exhausting all there is to experience in black bear country. The grizzlies are welcome to their own territories.

[IVC]

And to all the negative nancy's who were not there, quarterbacking an attack, pffffffft.

Exactly.

The guy looks like he was quite experienced and what happened was not due to stupidity or lack of preparation. Even how he handled it while being attacked likely contributed to saving his life.

The spray vs. gun debate is very old and it certainly won't get "resolved" in this thread.

[IVC]

One of my buddies is an outdoor photographer in Alaska. He's been charged six times and only had to use his pistol once. The rest were stopped with shouting or bear spray.

That's about what statistics support. Bear spray is effective most of the time, but guns also have their place if the user knows how to handle them in a dangerous game scenario.

[Stumpfenhammer]

There are bears and then there are bears. I spend a lot of time backpacking in black bear country. Never worried about them. They are just about harmless as far as I'm concerned. A few simple camp housekeeping procedures ensures that.

I will not go backpacking in grizzly country.

Luckily, I could live five lifetimes before exhausting all there is to experience in black bear country. The grizzlies are welcome to their own territories.

Same here, black bears don't really come up on the fear radar, despite the fact that they can be dangerous and one of my buddies had to kill one in BC after it stalked and ate a rancher who's truck broke down away from town. I'm OK with backpacking in brown bear country, it's the overnights that give me the willies sometimes. I draw the line at camping in Polar Bear country though, that's just crazy.

I used to night surf with lights at San Onofre...and I'd get that "something is sizing me up" feeling a lot more than I do in bear country. Shark...bear...I'll take bear.

[evolution1974]

One of my buddies is an outdoor photographer in Alaska. He's been charged six times and only had to use his pistol once. The rest were stopped with shouting or bear spray.

Can you describe the incident when the pistol was used? I'm curious to know if he deployed the bear spray first then decided to use the pistol? What gun did he use / brand of bullet / number of rounds fired? Was the bear killed and if so at what distance? For those that carry both bear spray and a pistol, I wonder at what point your friend decided that the pistol was the better choice for that encounter?

[NapalmCheese]

You shouldn't rely on bear spray.

You shouldn't rely on a handgun either.

You also shouldn't rely on a rifle.

Nothing short of close air support or artillery is 100% going to stop a charging grizzly from mauling you. However, with bear spray you have the option of spraying a bear that is just curious and getting too close for comfort, something you shouldn't do with a rifle or pistol.

When was the last time you practiced hitting a bobbing 6 inch circle coming towards you at 35 mph with your handgun or rifle? A sow grizzly with cubs that has decided it needs to charge you is pretty well intent on killing you. Nothing short of a hit to the CNS is going to keep you from getting mauled.

That being said, about the time this guy was getting attacked for the second time I'll bet he wishes he had at least shot the bear in the vitals such the bear would have died before being able to attack a second time.