Posted on 05/22/2026 6:25:55 AM PDT by marktwain
The recent fatal bear attack where 33-Year-Old Anthony Pollio was killed by a bear, about May 3, 2026, on the Mount Brown trail in Glacier National Park, is not the first bear attack on the trail. Some online sources are saying an empty can of bear spray was found at the attack site.
If so, the attack is another case where bear spray was used in defense against a bear, and people died.
There have been at least nine deaths associated with the use of bear spray in defense against a bear. There have not been any recorded deaths when a handgun has been fired in defense against a bear in North America. One person was killed in the Svalbard Islands, attempting to defend against a polar bear attack with a .22 pistol in 1995.
The last fatal bear attack in Glacier National Park occurred on May 18, 1998. 26-Year-Old Craig Dahl was killed by a human-habituated bear in a predatory attack. The park had experienced 8 non-fatal attacks on people in the park in the previous three years. Between the 1998 fatal attack and 2010, there were six more attacks. At least six bears were killed that had some connection to the attacks. Only one more attack was recorded in Glacier before 2014.
In 2014, Brian Murphy was attacked by a grizzly bear on the Mount Brown Trail in Glacier National Park. This correspondent wrote about it in October of 2014. The facts of the case are simple.
(Excerpt) Read more at ammoland.com ...
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Murphy tried bear spray. The bear didn’t stop. He shot the bear with his .357. The bear stopped, fell down, and lay still.
Murphy tried bear spray. The bear didn’t stop. He shot the bear with his .357. The bear stopped, fell down, and lay still.
Bear spray just pisses off the bear................
.357 minimum. 44 magnum really.
Lots of different calibers have worked. The most popular is the .44 magnum.
Guides in bear country carry 12 gauge with slugs.
Well, gee...a slap on the nose didn’t work?
Gun grabbers are stupid.
Park rangers are advising hikers and campers in national 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, so they won’t be startled by a hiker accidentally sneaking up on them, which might cause a bear to charge.
Visitors are told they should also carry a pepper spray can just in case they encounter a bear. 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 droppings so you have an idea if bears are in the area. People should be able to recognise 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.
Guiding is different than using a or having a personal defensive weapon.
Having shot bears with rifles, shotguns and handguns.
I might just know a bit about the subject.
Well, gee...a slap on the nose didn’t work?
Gun grabbers are stupid.
It works until it doesn’t work.
All of the non-lethal methods suffer from the same problem. They do not kill the bear. The bear can learn to avoid you, or it can learn to try harder next time. Human conditioned bears tend to eventually cause serious problems especially if any food is contested.
> Guides in bear country carry 12 gauge with slugs. <
A friend of mine went hunting in Alaska. His guide carried a double-barrel shotgun.
Friend, to guide: Why a double barrel?
Guide, to friend: Two shots are all you going to get.
It’s part of going to Glacier NP - the idea of carting a hand cannon along is just another level of fear/paranoia that is outrageously higher than having bear spray.
If you’re so scared of bears that you have to be packing, then stay out of the National Park. Leave at least SOME place that belongs to the wildlife.
I’ve wandered all over Glacier, and the only really scary thing was seeing a family with three young boys, ALL of them packing bear spray and the boys all fiddling and playing with the cans - it was like watching a group of skunks, just waiting for the inevitable...
.357 Buffalo Bore is reported to drill a hole 4.5 feet through Mr. Bear.
That seems sufficient.
“If you’re so scared of bears that you have to be packing, then stay out of the National Park.”
How about you let people make their own choices.
Frigging busybody.
L
I have been to Glacier 6 times.
I’ve had close encounters with Griz all 6 times.
Worst was coming around a bend in the trail to see Mama and Baby Griz surprised at 50 feet. Luckily, we all ran different directions. I was 18 and stupid.
Now, wifey carries the bear spray. I carry the Ruger Blackhawk Flattop in .357 with Buffalo Bore hardcast.
What kind of bears and how was the relative effectiveness between rifle, shotgun and handgun?
:)
Unless in a gun controlled state.
Because if people made their own choices about everything, there would be nothing left to see, hunt or enjoy about the natural world. A lot of people don’t care about anything other than immediate gratification.
It took the US military to occupy and patrol Yellowstone to keep the “people making their own choices” from wiping out the last remnants of bison in the US - not to mention elk, bear and other iconic American wildlife.
The freedom that you appear to prefer is having “people making their own choices” isn’t freedom, but unrestricted licence to pillage and ruin valuable national assets for their own momentary whims.
I could just repeat what was stated before about staying away from fearful things in protected areas, but you didn’t understand it, so there’s no point.
Thank God for “frigging busybodies” - what a moronic sentiment.
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