Those promoting bear spray as more effective than firearms are more concerned with bears than people.
promoting bear spray as more effective than firearms are more concerned with bears than people. “”
And they will never admit that. I’ve been to Alaska fishing a dozen times. In groups of 4-5, one is always armed with a 12 gauge filled with 3 inch magnum slugs.
WASP spray works best if not armed with a firearm. Not a bear spray, wasp spray the type that shoots a 20 ft stream will blind the bear as well as a human
Not for nothing....if I’m challenged by I bear...I want to be the winner.
In the exchange, there is a difference in priorities. Dave Smith states his is “reducing the number of hunters and hikers injured as a result of surprise encounters at close range with grizzly bears.”
The implied priority of commenters #1 and #2 is to keep grizzly bears safe and to increase the population of grizzly bears in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.
If you start with different priorities, you will often arrive at different conclusions.
Bear spray advocates have stated a high priority for them is to prevent bear deaths. If preventing bear deaths is a high priority, the promotion of bear spray over firearms makes perfect sense.
Really good article worth reading. In short, there are no unbiased/detailed studies about bear spray verses guns concerning grizzlies that attack at close range, or how the gun was carried verses a close encounter (under 100 feet).
The discussion at NPR was about "protecting" grizzlies in Yellowstone but only cited Alaskan studies. There are simply not the same number of folks wandering around cluelessly in the Alaskan bush as in Yellowstone NP.
I’ve spent several of the last 7 years traveling down the Yukon by myself and am about to go again in August so this subject is very interesting to me. You might say its a matter of “life an death” that I could write a book on.
But, Google “Ken Cates Bear Attack”. There, u will read a story about a very experienced Alaska Woodsman that knew what he was doing relative to others in the woods. He died. Investigation showed he was 5 feet from his .270 rifle that was leaning against a tree while he ate some soup. Uh, Weingarten is right about the sling.
That was 2 mistakes. Caliber too small and he could not get to his gun quick enough....according to the investigation. At some point in the fight, he got some shots off but they did not prevent his death.
Sleeping alone on the Yukon River Bank each night, I have a loaded .50 Caliber S & W and warning trip lines around me. So far so good. I’m still alive after about 30 nights total on the river. During the day, I have the Remington 870 loaded with Magnum Triple Ought Buck...……...within reach at all times onshore.
So, bottom line, I agree with Weingarten. Also, in a breeze or wind, the spray can debilitate you too. So, Bear eats you!
Pepper spray or .454 Casul? Hmmmm!
I always planned to put a .357 round in an eye socket or two. That should do it.
Firearm
Interesting, but what confuses be are activists who often utilize bumper stickers that say “Support your right to arm bears”, sheesh, aren’t bears dangerous enough?