Bear spray or gun?

[The Hedgehog]

I carry spray and if overnight also a light weight 357 mag with castcore.

 

[EODRay]

I just go with what I know and feel comfortable with........a gun. I have lived years (on deployments) with one on my hip and one in my hand. I react with it instinctually and know how they act. So for me, I just feel more comfortable with a large caliber pistol on my hip.......but that's just me.

 

[Sytes]

I posted this about the same time last year this conversation came up (edit: oops - Cush's post reminded me it was pre-bear hunt thread.). Figure it is worth posting again...

Of course do not show this to y'er wives or your spare excuse to buy a gun may go out the window though here you go - a specific study conducted of incidents using bear spray in Alaska...

Efficacy of Bear Deterrent Spray in Alaska
ABSTRACT We present a comprehensive look at a sample of bear spray incidents that occurred in Alaska, USA, from 1985 to 2006. We analyzed 83 bear spray incidents involving brown bears (Ursus arctos; 61 cases, 74%), black bears (Ursus americanus; 20 cases, 24%), and polar bears (Ursus maritimus; 2 cases, 2%). Of the 72 cases where persons sprayed bears to defend themselves, 50 (69%) involved brown bears, 20 (28%) black bears, and 2 (3%) polar bears. Red pepper spray stopped bears’ undesirable behavior 92% of the time when used on brown bears, 90%for black bears, and 100%for polar bears. Of all persons carrying sprays, 98%were uninjured by bears in close range encounters. All bearinflicted injuries (n¼3) associated with defensive spraying involved brown bears and were relatively minor (i.e., no hospitalization required). In 7% (5 of 71) of bear spray incidents, wind was reported to have interfered with spray accuracy, although it reached the bear in all cases. In 14% (10 of 71) of bear spray incidents, users reported the spray having had negative side effects upon themselves, ranging from minor irritation (11%, 8 of 71) to near incapacitation (3%, 2 of 71). Bear spray represents an effective alternative to lethal force and should be considered as an option for personal safety for those recreating and working in bear country. (JOURNAL OF WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT 72(3):640–645; 2008) DOI

source: http://wdfw.wa.gov/hunting/bear_cougar/bear/files/JWM_BearSprayAlaska.pdf

 

[TheTone]

Having worked with and handled a fair number of grizzlies I pack spray when I hunt around them

 

[MtnWest]

I prefer spray myself.

 

[sweetnectar]

After reading the pro spay article I had these thoughts:
I suppose if a person is working with bears they love bears or grow to love. If a person works in a forest he or she tends to love the forest. If you like bears, bear spay is a good way to protect the bears you love and yourself. So, you would likely write an article as to why you think bear spray is the best because it is the best for you.
I had a forest ranger tell me how great dogs are for bring bear trouble back to you. For some reason fido has to run up to the bear and then retreat to you with the bear in hot pursuit expecting you to protect it from a bear. Perhaps part of being safe in bear country is making sure your dog doesn't bring you back trouble.
I have a good idea what would happen if I drew my side arm around horses and started blasting but what would happen if I'm mounted on my trusty steed and discarge a fire extinguisher of bear spray?
If I'm on a horse and I see a sleeping grizz in the trail I'm staying on the horse and preparing for a rodeo, before yelling to wake the bear up.
As for spray or gun, I'd choose gun. I once went blind from bear spray while driving. I did some work at a ladies house where her young daughter discharged a puff of bear spay in their office. I was there a week later after the mess was "cleaned up." I did my job got in the truck and started driving. Then I made the mistake of itching my eye not knowing that I somehow had some of the spay on my finger. So I'm not to keen on being blinded in the woods while a mad grizz is after me. I guess I'd rather watch it disembowel me or hopefully give it some lead poisoning and live. Perhaps I choose gun because I know it better...kind of like eod was saying.

 

[RobG]

I always say, anything is fair in self defense. Most folks my age and older were raised on magazine articles featuring gunslingers mowing down charging grizzlies. It can work that way, but most often doesn't.
I think the article posted above is about the best recap of the hard numbers. Bear spray is NASTY stuff and it works. What's more, it rarely makes matters worse, while guns often do. I want my hunting partners to carry spray if they have to chase a bear off me. I can recover from being sprayed by pepper a lot quicker than I can recover from a bullet hole from a 300 Mag. Pepper spray is cheaper than a 44 mag, and a heck of a lot lighter on the hip. I think 90 percent of my hunting/fishing/hiking is in grizzly country and it's a pretty easy choice for me.

The thing I remember from the old Outdoor Life/F&S articles was the stories of how dangerous it was to go after a wounded grizzly in the cover (back in the days when you could hunt them in MT).

Here is the story of the guys who went in after a wounded grizzly (thinking it was a black bear) and got attacked. The young man accidentally killed his friend with a rifle shot trying to bring down the bear. http://missoulian.com/news/local/vi...cle_9a9bbe5a-e63d-11e0-b1b8-001cc4c03286.html

I'll never judge someone's actions when faced with a bear attack - I may have done the same thing he did - but a better strategy would have been to go in with spray in hand and gun on the shoulder. A similar thing happened in Wyoming a year or two before this. There is a take-home message here...

 

[lumbergreg]

I carry bear spray on my hip while hiking and hunting. When sleeping in my tent, I have bear spray on one side, a loaded 44 mag on the other.

 

[RobG]

After reading the pro spay article I had these thoughts:
I suppose if a person is working with bears they love bears or grow to love. If a person works in a forest he or she tends to love the forest. If you like bears, bear spay is a good way to protect the bears you love and yourself. So, you would likely write an article as to why you think bear spray is the best because it is the best for you.

That is, uh, silly. It is data that forms the conclusion. Personally, I don't give a crap if I kill a bear - they will make more - but the odds of a good outcome are far better with spray.

 

[track1]

I carry both. Usually I'm hunting into the wind so spray may not be effective or you can blind yourself. Pretty hard to defend yourself if you can't see. Also we usually hike in an hour or so in the dark. Kinda hard to hit a bear with a pistol in the dark. Both have their advantages so I carry both. If I'm hunting during rifle season I just carry my rifle. I'm not going to drop my rifle to grab my bear spray.

 

[The Hedgehog]

That is, uh, silly. It is data that forms the conclusion. Personally, I don't give a crap if I kill a bear - they will make more - but the odds of a good outcome are far better with spray.

Silly is too nice of a word. I too could care less about a bear or 3 if they are going to take a bite out of me. I'm more than adept with a pistol, but I've comet to realize the odds are likely to be better to blast with the spray. I've been charged a few times and have yet to fire a round. Spring of 2013 almost put a .223 round into a large boar's skull, but he ambled off. A .38 special will stop one as well as a 300 mag, and a 300 mag will piss one off as much as a .22 mag. If you're hoping to save yourself from a bear dead set on eating you, you'll have to brain/spine them - otherwise, expect to be fubar. The brain/spine on a full speed griz is a tough target I think. Good luck to everyone if they ever need it.

 

[sbhooper]

Good post, Sytes. That pretty well sums it up.

 

[Straight Arrow]

Pistols are generally heavier and require tighter attachment to keep from falling out and/or losing. Bear spray is light and easily accessible if worn properly. When I hunt and hike, the lighter the better. Consider the practicality.

An acquaintance related the story of his grizz encounter when he drew his large caliber revolver from his shoulder holster after hearing his bow hunting partner call out, "Bear!" The bear emerging from the foliage above the trail bluff-charged him and ran right by him, about the same time as he had the holster strap unsnapped, but with no pistol in his hand. The timing is typical of many bear encounters and illustrates the impracticality of relying on a pistol for bear deterrent ... even if you are a quick draw gunslinger with your hand just itching to draw your weapon as you hike and hunt through the mountains.

 

[mdhunter61]

There was a recent article in Traditional Bowhunter Magazine talking about this very subject. People using pistols often shoot themselves when being attacked. The article also mentioned that a 44 Magnum has roughly the same ballistics as a 30-30, and no one would go after grizzlies with a 30-30. Bear Spray has been proven to be 100% effective for deterring bears both Grizzly and Black Bears. I will be in Alaska this fall carrying Bear Spray in lieu of my awkward old shotgun.

I think "100% effective" might be stretching things a bit. And for the record, quite a few Alaskans in remote villages have hunted grizzlies with a .30-30 or even smaller calibers.

 

[sbhooper]

I know a fella in Cody, Wyoming that knows several people that have been mauled. Some of the stories that he told me were quite interesting. They just show how quickly a bear can be on top of you. Armed people very often never really know what hit them. In most of the incidents that he relayed to me, neither spray, nor gun would have changed the outcome much, as it all happened so quickly and unprovoked.

 

[mdhunter61]

I know a fella in Cody, Wyoming that knows several people that have been mauled. Some of the stories that he told me were quite interesting. They just show how quickly a bear can be on top of you. Armed people very often never really know what hit them. In most of the incidents that he relayed to me, neither spray, nor gun would have changed the outcome much, as it all happened so quickly and unprovoked.

Very good point here.

 

[Gerald Martin]

The one time I was bluff charged by a grizzly has led me to conclude that if the bear is charging you before you know he is there and he wants to get you, you will die. The bear that charged us went from thirty yards to ten yards to leaving again before I had time to do anything more than yell "Hey Bear!!!"

So having had only minimal experience with charging grizzlies, I want the most effective, easiest to aim deterrent, possible. I carry bear spray.

 

[ccc23454]

i always carry a gun, one that i know and am comfortable with when in bear country. if in backcountry hunting i only carry my hunting rifle due to weight concerns but if i am packing meat/hiking/scouting/camping then i have a pistol with me. spray they say is better but i am in woods in bad weather and worry about its effectiveness in 30mph winds with downpours or does it work below freezing? even heard on one board that wasp spray is a cheap alternative that is just as effective for you spray guys, for now i would rather spray lead if i get a chance to react. and just to be clear my pistol is always handy and easy/quick to remove from holster (not slow, probably even faster than a spray holster i never use and am not familiar with)

 

[poco]

both park personal and mt fwp carry spray and pistols, and or shot guns when they go into a problem situation. Ive seen the video above and although nothing was shot, the bear stopped, Sometimes a weapon will give you the confidence to stand your ground, and most times that alone is enough deterrent. Personally I pack my smith and wesson lead spray. the wind blows hard here most time. If not hunting, carry a bell. when on day rides with family I hang a bell on a horse or dog particularly at dawn and dusk. There is around a 1000 bears in this eco system (DNA study) south of glacier park. MFP and park personal have done a pretty good job of desensitizing these bears and quite often show no fear of man. We need a season bad.

 

[sweetnectar]

Here you guys go. A from Texas in Glacier used spray then shot the bear.
http://www.ktvq.com/news/search-continues-for-glacier-bear-shot-after-charging-hiker/