Bear spray testimonials, http://www.udap.com/testify.htm
This stuff is better than a pistol of any caliber
Sure, but how reliable are testimonials?
In it he says this, Chapter 8, Pepper Spray Defence:
"Pepper spray defence against bears is an extremely important subject, because there are more bears now that do not fear people, and there are fewer people who carry firearms for defense against bears. Sprays are not equal to firearms for defense, nor do they work in every situation, but there are at least four or five people every year in B.C. who save themselves from serious injury or death, with the use of sprays. According to my own research, people who carry spray and know how to use it, can more than triple their chance of surviving a bear attack than people who follow the present wisdom of 'play dead with a grizzley, and fight back with a black bear'."
"This stuff is better than a pistol of any caliber"
Oh, you are an environmental extremist trying to decrease the surplus population.:)
The only time I ever read a true account (as opposed to testimonials) about its use against a charging grizzly, it did not stop the attack immediately, the doctor using it had to shoot multiple bursts out of the bear-sized aerosol can, and then the bear left grudgingly---no worse for the wear, apparently. The can was empty before the bear turned.
The spray is much more effective on humans.
But even with vicious bipeds you'll notice police also carry firearms.
With the possiblility of a deadly encounter with one of our ursine friends one is much better prepared with a solution that at least has the potential of lethality.
An Idahoan should know this.
This is true as long as 1) the bear is downwind, 2) wind isn't in excess of about 10 kts and 3) bear hasn't had a pepper spray before. Conditions 1 & 2 are ifs depending on local weather -- about 25% failure rate for the area around Glacier Park. As for the third condition, my neighbors went through two full bottles of bear spray trying to get a 2 year old black bear away from their porch. As soon as they'd stop spraying, the bear would turn around and come back.