Bear spray 33% effective according to report

[rammac]

Bear Spray Report Wrong

I’ve always taken the scientific studies that arrived at those two conclusions as gospel. And I’ve written articles repeating their findings while arriving at the invariable conclusion that bear spray is better than a firearm when it comes to defending against a bear attack. But you know what? I was wrong.

I asked Tom Smith (author of the report that is the bases for claiming that bear spray is 96% effective) if it was valid to conclude that the studied effectiveness of bear spray in brown bear charges is just 33 percent. “That’s what you would conclude from that data,” he says,

So, for over a decade we've heard that bear spray is more effective than firearms at stopping a bear from attacking us - and yet the author of the report says that his report didn't say that. More propaganda from some group where they created a false narrative so that they could add credibility to their agenda.

 

[Bill K]

Nothing is 100 % in a full blown bear charge, especially a grizzly/brown bear. But spray along with a good caliber rifle/handgun is the best way to go and be prepared as well as you can be for such and contact/incident.

 

[jepp2]

heard that bear spray is more effective than firearms at stopping a bear from attacking us

An issue with bear spray, is the bear needs to be downwind from you. And that bear has already scented you long ago. The mist from the bear spray is very fine, and easily moved by the wind. If the bear is upwind (much more likely) you are just going to get a face of spray.

 

[Knotwild]

I can't find it to post. But I recently saw a video taken out of a float plane that just dropped a fisherman off in a remote area. The pilot had asked the snowflake if he had a gun for bear protection and the guy pulled out the bear spray and said it was better than a gun. The video showed the flake take the bear spray out and spray himself with it thinking it was bug spray. The last thing seen was the flake flopping on the sand bar.

 

[rammac]

Nothing is 100 % in a full blown bear charge, especially a grizzly/brown bear. But spray along with a good caliber rifle/handgun is the best way to go and be prepared as well as you can be for such and contact/incident.

I don't agree, you wont have time to pull bear spray and try it and then resort to a gun, it's one or the other kind of event.

The author of the report that everyone claims proves that bear spray works says that it's not effective against black bear and only good on brown bears when you come in casual contact, but it's only 33% effective when you are actually being attacked by a bear. That means that you have a 66% better chance of stopping a bear attack using a gun.

 

[jepp2]

I don't agree, you wont have time to pull bear spray and try it and then resort to a gun, it's one or the other kind of event.

Even the best sprays need to be within about 15 feet of the bear. Doing a little math, bears can charge at 35 MPH (51.33 fps). So the bear will go from being within bear spray range to on you in about 0.3 seconds.

Several years ago when we were in Homer Alaska on a trip, my wife went on a horseback ride with a local rancher. He had lived there his entire life. Told her had been charged by grizzlys over 20 times in his life. Luckily he avoided serious consequences as most were bluff charges. She also said her horse did not want to get anywhere near cover.

 

[2506]

The only bear spray that I will use is one of my 12 ga. pumps spraying 00 buck and slugs alternated. I hunt in bear territory and while bow hunting I carry a Ruger Black Hawk 5 1/2" 45 Colt loaded with 300 gr Speer jacketed soft points to 1100 fps in a homemade shoulder holster that can be worn on the outside of any clothing where I can get to it quickly. Any time I am working on the property I also have one of my 12 ga. pumps close loaded with 00 buck and slugs alternated.

 

[Evan]

Oh boy. This is a good one! Right up there with what's the minimum cartridge for elk.

I don't agree, you wont have time to pull bear spray and try it and then resort to a gun, it's one or the other kind of event.

The author of the report that everyone claims proves that bear spray works says that it's not effective against black bear and only good on brown bears when you come in casual contact, but it's only 33% effective when you are actually being attacked by a bear. That means that you have a 66% better chance of stopping a bear attack using a gun.

You hold your huge a** 454 casull revolver with bear loads in one hand, and bear spray in the other. Bear spray hand braced against revolver hand. Spray the bear, if it runs through the cloud, you unload your revolver and pray, cause it's not one of those curious bears, it wants to kill you.

Honestly, I don't think there is a revolver big enough to reliably stop a charging bear. Plenty of stories all around of spray not working, 357 mag not working, 44 not working. You wanna be ready, carry a loaded 338 winny in your hands and be ready to snap that rifle up and shoot. Hope you've practiced, I've been told that it's pretty hard to aim and shoot worth a damn in the 2 seconds of closing time while it's charging.

Forest Ranger once told me that bears are mercurial, and your survivability depends on their mood. He said he'd seem bear spray turn a curious or scared bear around, but angry ones run right through it. He also said what I said above: He hadn't seen a bear killed by a revolver in an attack. Apparently, most folks fill their britches and shoot the foliage before the bear knocks them down and they lose their gun.

 

[Evan]

Bear Spray Report Wrong

I forgot to thank you for posting this great article. So thank you, it brings knowledgeable point of views to the table. It's a testament to how rare bear attacks are that so few people actually have first or second hand experience. All of us can sit around conjecturing, banging on our keyboards about how we feel about bear spray or guns for defending ourselves.

 

[Flouncer]

An issue with bear spray, is the bear needs to be downwind from you. And that bear has already scented you long ago. The mist from the bear spray is very fine, and easily moved by the wind. If the bear is upwind (much more likely) you are just going to get a face of spray.

Uh, no. The "spray" is no such thing. Have you used one in practice ? Quite a nice blast out 30-50 feet. Yes, a strong headwind will dust the user with SOME spray, but the main cone is going out and away. But I am on the side of the hotter propellants, about 30 grains in back of 250g lead hard cast bullet. I know, it's gonna cost about $20-$30 bucks to waste a can of spray in practice.

 

[jepp2]

Have you used one in practice ?

I absolutely have. And if you know of one that advertises to get to 30-50 feet, please share. None of the ones I have seen are even close to that.

 

[jepp2]

Just did a search and this was the highest rated one:
https://wiki.ezvid.com/best-bear-sp...MIyJ_h2orA5AIVyP_jBx1M9QImEAAYAiAAEgJzTfD_BwE
"GREATEST PROTECTION AT A SAFE DISTANCE - 30 FEET: Maximum range and protection, traveling up to 10 Feet (3M) further than other bear spray repellents, delivering more distance between you and the attacking bear as they charge up to 35 miles per hour!"

 

[rammac]

I live in SW Montana along the Divide so bear defense issues are pretty important to me, especially since I live very rural and hunt by myself often.

The truth is that most of the people that I know that have either been charged by a bear or work with bears for the Federal or state governments don't recommend even bothering with spray. As the author of the report says, spray is only helpful if the bear is simply curious and not really intent on attacking you. The best bet is to avoid situations that increase your odds of being close to bears without them knowing you're around. Stay out of the thick grassy areas along ponds and streams, be on the lookout for cubs, and definitely don't try to get close to an animal carcass unless you know that it hasn't been claimed by a bear. False charges are common when a bear wants you to leave their area but a real attack is usually so quick and unexpected that you will only a couple of seconds to respond.

If you aren't an experienced handgun shooter then you had better hope that the bear only bites you a couple of times and leaves. I posted this because it angers me that so many "experts" have lied to us about what that report proved and I wonder just how many people have been mauled or killed because they believed the false propaganda that they were fed. I hope that information that I linked to spreads like wildfire and makes people aware of just how useless spray really is. No, I don't want bears shot on sight and I don't want people to feel like they have no protection but we need to actually teach people how to deal with bears properly rather than pretending that something that is known to not work well does work.

I found this graphic interesting. The report basically says that you have a 28% chance that a bear will either continue to approach you or stay in place when you use spray and only a slightly better chance (39%) that the bear will run away when you spray it. In fact, you have a better chance (70%) of making the bear run away if you CHASE it! That's pretty sobering since it implies that your chances of scaring a bear away are better if you chase it rather than spray it. I wont try it myself but I do know that most often bears will run away if you give them a chance to see you.

 

[varget204]

33% effective ?,guess one should bend over,grab ankles and Just Kiss One Check Goodbye lol

 

[tmwinds]

If published statistics can be believed, you are much more likely to be killed by your neighbors dogs. In 2017 two people suffered a fatal bear attack. During the same period there were 18 fatalities inflicted by domestic dogs.

 

[farmerjohn]

You can be exposed to domestic dogs everywhere in the world, bears are a little harder to find.....

 

[rammac]

If published statistics can be believed, you are much more likely to be killed by your neighbors dogs. In 2017 two people suffered a fatal bear attack. During the same period there were 18 fatalities inflicted by domestic dogs.

Two fatal attacks but how many maulings? It's really hard to find real statistical data about bear conflicts, it seems like it's being held back from the public but I know of at least 4 incidents last year just in Montana. While there are few attacks nationwide, you do have to realize that there are places where the grizzly bear population is growing. The estimates that I've seen show that Montana has close to 2000 grizzly bears with most of them being just to the north and south of where I live. I'd be pretty comfortable about not worrying about a grizzly attack if I lived in Utah but I'm pretty much in the middle of grizzly country and it's a real concern.

 

[IdahoSharpshooter]

My 10-bore double rifle is currently rated at 100% on mammals...

 

[rr2030]

In fact, you have a better chance (70%) of making the bear run away if you CHASE it! That's pretty sobering since it implies that your chances of scaring a bear away are better if you chase it rather than spray it.

Sounds like this advice was given by a hungry Bear.

 

[rr2030]

33% effective ?,guess one should bend over,grab ankles and Just Kiss One Check Goodbye lol

33% of the time, it works every time.

I seams that a 12ga with slugs would be more effective stopping a Bear attack. Don't have to be concerned with wind and you can reach out beyond any pepper spray. Even with the slugs the only sure way to stop a Bear is to turn off his nervous system with a brain / spine shot. Easier said than done.