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Bear spray vs a gun


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#1 JHa6av8r

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Posted 12 December 2014 - 07:58 PM

Interesting article on bear spray compared to a gun.  What you use probably depends on what's in your hand at the time.

 

http://missoulian.co...19bb2963f4.html

 


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#2 Smokecreek1

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Posted 12 December 2014 - 09:22 PM

Ya, I'll agree with that.  Avoiding and knowing how to deal with them in the first place is the best answer, but one can always  get blind sided or have one come into camp for dinner and need to do something other than play dead or yell at it. I remember years ago seeing a program on tv where they set up a course that put a bear cut out 30 yards away from the experienced pistol shot  and pulled it at the speed of a charging bear and saw how many rounds the guy could place with a pistol on the cut-out and then tried it again using bear spay.  The bear spay covered more of the target than the one or two rounds from the pistol that hit the cut out, but again would either stop a charging griz in its tracks?  From what I read spray usually stops the bear, but who wants to find out.The results sort of speaks for trying not getting in the situation in the first place. 

 

I have actually tried to see how fast I can pull my bear spray off of my harness and point it, but boy, me thinks I would be bear meat without allot more practice; again I can probably say the same thing about pulling my Colt trooper 357 off of my hip. If I was working in bear country all the time, and not just enjoying once in a while  it like I do now, I think I would "practice"  with both allot more.  For years my work kept be in black bear(not griz country) country and we just learned how to work around them, but I had enough friends of mine working BLM/BIA up in Alaska that were required to carry a gun at all times.  Again, as we always say "Be prepared at all times" because anything can and could happen to ruin that nice hike or camping trip.

 

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#3 Captm

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Posted 12 December 2014 - 10:02 PM

I find when not on my hip the canisters stows nicely in quick to reach locations to be used for non lethal defense against the two legged creatures. ;)


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#4 JHa6av8r

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Posted 12 December 2014 - 10:57 PM

I find when not on my hip the canisters stows nicely in quick to reach locations to be used for non lethal defense against the two legged creatures. ;)

I make my wife carry the bear spray when she's hiking.  More for the two legged predator than the mountain lions in the hills.


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#5 BillM

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Posted 12 December 2014 - 11:29 PM

In the States I carry bear spray when in grizzly country and fortunately have never had to use it.  When we travelled to AK in the late 90's I took a shotgun because my understanding was that pepper spray was illegal in Canada.  Looking on the U.S. Canadian embassy website it looks to me like that is still the case.  They list it as a restricted firearm and state that:

 

"A restricted firearm may be brought into Canada, but an Authorization to Transport (ATT) permit must be obtained in advance from a Provincial or Territorial Chief Firearms Officer. The ATT will not be issued for hunting or self-protection purposes."

 

http://canada.usemba...nto-canada.html


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#6 Casa Escarlata Robles Too

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Posted 12 December 2014 - 11:35 PM

In the States I carry bear spray when in grizzly country and fortunately have never had to use it.  When we travelled to AK in the late 90's I took a shotgun because my understanding was that pepper spray was illegal in Canada.  Looking on the U.S. Canadian embassy website it looks to me like that is still the case.  They list it as a restricted firearm and state that:

 

"A restricted firearm may be brought into Canada, but an Authorization to Transport (ATT) permit must be obtained in advance from a Provincial or Territorial Chief Firearms Officer. The ATT will not be issued for hunting or self-protection purposes."

 

http://canada.usemba...nto-canada.html

On our 2011 trip to Denali I had Bear spray with us.As I crossed into Canada North of Haines Ak. I asked the Canadian officer about the spray.

His reply  "... If it's human pepper spray no go but if it's bear spray OK".

Just relating what I was told.

Frank


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#7 craig333

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Posted 13 December 2014 - 12:27 AM

Funny how you can go into any convenience store here an get pepper spray. I have bear spray in the camper but I don't normally carry it. If I were in a area with bear warnings I'd take it. Fortunately bears normally don't like to eat us.


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#8 LuckyDan

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Posted 13 December 2014 - 06:48 AM

Of equal interest to me was the other article about the faux campsite visit:

 

http://missoulian.co...19bb2963f4.html


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#9 Taku

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Posted 13 December 2014 - 04:10 PM

Link to an outstanding article on this topic published in RMEFs Bugle magazine (disclaimer: it was written by my wife)

 

http://mywildalberta...SeptOct2012.pdf

 

http://www.pinedaleo...ayeffective.htm

 

http://www.kulr8.com...s-vs-bear-spray

 

And a few other articles. A friend of mine was elk hunting north of Jackson two years ago, came out of a small grove of aspens and about two seconds later a two bear cubs popped out about 50 yards in front of him and the sow was right behind. She saw him and immediately charged. he shot his bear spray from the hip and it stopped her about 2 yards in front of him. She circled, he turned and kept spraying. She coughed and took off after the cubs. End of story. It is also recommended that you think about carrying two cans, one in the pack so if you use the can on the hip, you have another for the walk out. 


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#10 Kolockum

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Posted 13 December 2014 - 05:16 PM

I rely mostly on bear spray. Having been pepper sprayed during training I can vouch it is a good deterrent but you can fight through it. My biggest concern is startling a bear up wind of me who was not able to hear or smell me before he saw me. And since bear spray is a fog you have to be REALLY cognesent of the wind direction. I try to plan my route accordingly but if I am in Grizzly country then I will carry a .44 in addition to bear spray. I dont really worry about black bears in the Olympic or Cascade mountain range.

 

I have had to use bear spray on a ratcoon that was claiming our food cache as his own. Worked quite well.


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