Bear defence
- Thread starter savagefan
- Start date
whitetailwoodsarcher
CGN Regular
iv never carried bear spray. just took along a good gun like my rossie ranch hand in 44 mag or my ruger 77/44. both very light and powerful. i would stick with the 870 if i were you. other members would probably not agree with me but what ever. a nice short 308 would work as well.
Pros: It gives a person the sense of security, it also makes anti-hunting folks happy. The strong spray can hurt your eyes so bad that you don't feel much pain when a bear is chewing on your body.
Cons: N/A
The vast majority of actual studies conclude that pepper spray is more likely to safely end a confrontation with a bear than is the presence of any type of gun. Google it.
It is far easier to use bear spray effectively than it is to use a gun effectively, and that may well be the main reason spray seems more "effective" than guns, but there is no doubt that the spray is seriously discouraging to bears. I think most gun lovers "want" the gun to be best, but it can be very hard to hit what you must hit with a gun to stop a bear at very close range. Spray can be ..... well.... sprayed. Shot placement is much more demanding, and difficult in situations that always happen very much faster than most people imagine when they fantasize about "bear defense".
It is far easier to use bear spray effectively than it is to use a gun effectively, and that may well be the main reason spray seems more "effective" than guns, but there is no doubt that the spray is seriously discouraging to bears. I think most gun lovers "want" the gun to be best, but it can be very hard to hit what you must hit with a gun to stop a bear at very close range. Spray can be ..... well.... sprayed. Shot placement is much more demanding, and difficult in situations that always happen very much faster than most people imagine when they fantasize about "bear defense".
That is why I posted this, joking about the shotgun in the pants of course. I am taking up bow hunting and that means no guns some times, in bear country when field dressing a kill there could be a bit of a problem. I've never given any thought to it before as I've always hunted with a rifle and never had any close encounters with bears or any other critter for that matter. I have read one study and a review in this month's outdoor mag that comes with the NFA mag extolling the virtue of pepper spray and I hope when it expires it could make a good rub for the smoker.
I thought bear spray was mean to spray in your own eyes in a bear attack.. Upon you loud terrible screaming the bear will be frightened and run off ... Once upon a time I was paid 100 bucks to let a friend spray me with bear spray... It sucks there's no two ways about it
- Location
- Gangcouver, BC
Yaaaaaaa....I'll take gun!!!
I saw a girl spray a bear once. It really pissed it off. I wish I could have been there while she was explaining it to her insurance company. That bear really trashed her car. Any bear I've seen that has been shot at has ran. Hit or not (except the sow I shot. She just died). If you wear contact lenses don't use bear spray. You will get it on you. It sucks you will rub your eyes and its not good for contacts
- Location
- Somewhere on the Hudson Bay Coast
Pepper spray gets carried quite a bit around here, but not by me. With respect to pepper spray, wind is not your friend, and around here the wind doesn't blow, it sucks. If I lived in an area where heavy bush was the norm, and the wind wasn't, perhaps I'd have another point of view, although being a gun guy, I doubt it.
If you are determined to use less lethal bear deterrents, cracker shells fired from starter pistols or shotguns are the primary line of defense, followed by or in combination with rubber bullets. There are implicit dangers with the use of cracker shells. First there is the chance of putting the cracker on the wrong side of the bear, with the predictable results. That bear will very rapidly close the distance between you, so you'd better have a plan B ready to go. The second problem is that when used in a shotgun, cracker shells can leave partial barrel obstructions, so it you have to follow up with live fire, you're somewhere between a train wreck and a rodeo. For this reason my preference is to have a scare gun and a killing gun, and two man teams. If working alone, the best solution is to carry a lethal long gun and a scare pistol. In dry country a cracker shell can start a grass fire pretty quickly, so particularly when practicing with them, be aware of this.
It is possible to seriously injure a bear with either a rubber bullet or a cracker shell, particularly if they are hit at close range. The rubber bullet will split the skin, or break a rib. At least once here, a bear was hit in the ribs with a cracker shell at bad breath range, the cracker penetrated the ribs, exploded inside, killing the bear.
Modern camps frequently use electric fences to keep unwanted wildlife away from grub and property. Beware though, if a bear, particularly a big bear, is hungry, and he can smell food, he'll go through the fence. When he does, not only will he be hungry, but he'll be grouchy too. Now you are inside a small fenced compound with a hungry, hurt, grouchy bear. The rule here is to be smart with your food storage and cooking.
If you find yourself in a dangerous bear situation, your brain is your best weapon, keep it loaded.
Here we see a cracker shell fired from a shotgun passing the bear
12 ga rubber bullets
A bear that was injured by a rubber bullet that was fired at too close a range that hit bone rather than muscle
Some situations can only be handled with lethal fire
If you are determined to use less lethal bear deterrents, cracker shells fired from starter pistols or shotguns are the primary line of defense, followed by or in combination with rubber bullets. There are implicit dangers with the use of cracker shells. First there is the chance of putting the cracker on the wrong side of the bear, with the predictable results. That bear will very rapidly close the distance between you, so you'd better have a plan B ready to go. The second problem is that when used in a shotgun, cracker shells can leave partial barrel obstructions, so it you have to follow up with live fire, you're somewhere between a train wreck and a rodeo. For this reason my preference is to have a scare gun and a killing gun, and two man teams. If working alone, the best solution is to carry a lethal long gun and a scare pistol. In dry country a cracker shell can start a grass fire pretty quickly, so particularly when practicing with them, be aware of this.
It is possible to seriously injure a bear with either a rubber bullet or a cracker shell, particularly if they are hit at close range. The rubber bullet will split the skin, or break a rib. At least once here, a bear was hit in the ribs with a cracker shell at bad breath range, the cracker penetrated the ribs, exploded inside, killing the bear.
Modern camps frequently use electric fences to keep unwanted wildlife away from grub and property. Beware though, if a bear, particularly a big bear, is hungry, and he can smell food, he'll go through the fence. When he does, not only will he be hungry, but he'll be grouchy too. Now you are inside a small fenced compound with a hungry, hurt, grouchy bear. The rule here is to be smart with your food storage and cooking.
If you find yourself in a dangerous bear situation, your brain is your best weapon, keep it loaded.
Here we see a cracker shell fired from a shotgun passing the bear
12 ga rubber bullets
A bear that was injured by a rubber bullet that was fired at too close a range that hit bone rather than muscle
Some situations can only be handled with lethal fire
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NShunter1254
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Nova Scotia Canada
All bears are not created equal,Which bear are we discussing black,grizzly or polar,Pretty much any loud noise will scare off a black bear 99 times out of one hundred,For the other two types i would want a rifle......A bigass rifle.
There is one real advantage to pepper sprays - you can take them into the many areas (eg national parks) which flatly ban firearms of any kind.
First choice is going to be an effective firearm - every time. After that, bear spray seems a better option than trying to fight off Mr Ursus with a pocket knife, convenient stick or plastic whistle.
First choice is going to be an effective firearm - every time. After that, bear spray seems a better option than trying to fight off Mr Ursus with a pocket knife, convenient stick or plastic whistle.
Exactly Atom, I'd use my hunting gun every time where allowed, but the bow hunting and fishing in NPs precludes that. Now in all my years hunting, hiking, skiing, fishing I have never come close to a scary bear encounter and I've never bought a bear tag because I like bears so if I'm to burden myself with a can of Frank's uber red hot sauce I'd like one I can trust.
- Location
- Somewhere on the Hudson Bay Coast
Actually we can carry guns for protection in Wapusk National Park, and locals can even hunt caribou within the park boundaries. But Wapusk isn't Jasper or Banff, and we're not likely to ever see that much tourist pressure here.
A couple of years ago on a trip to the BC interior my friend had brought bear spray and my other friend had brought bear bells. This old timer stopped us on the trail and we started chatting. He laughed at my friends and pointed to my third friend who had brought his grizzly 12ga. He said - good thing this guy has some sense. You two, the bell is calling the grizzly to dinner, and the pepper spray is so that you'll taste better while the bear eats you.
Make your own conclusion.
Make your own conclusion.
A gun for sure but spray is the best back up going. It is small, cheap, easy to carry and use. Say your buddy is being mauled, you could blast the bear with spray and give enough separation for a shot. If I had to choose it would be a gun but that is not the case.
Jerengineer
Member
- Location
- Okanagan, BC
I've done some reading into this. A fellow in BC wrote a number of books on bear attacks and has probably interviewed hundereds of bear victims. His conclusion is that if you have bear spray you have a higher chance of survival. He found that many people with firearms couldn't even get a round in the chamber before the bear was on them. After reading his research, when I fish, I carry bear spray on my belt. You can grab it and shoot with one hand. I've used it once and just remember this, whatever distance you think is close enough to use it, HALF THAT then pull the trigger.
westcoaster
CGN Regular
- Location
- Central BC
I've seen the spray used to good effect just out of Hyder on a Grizzly about ten years ago. Didn't incapacitate it, just stopped it. It wandered off for about ten minutes then came back. I think from what I have seen and heard that, used properly, the spray can stop a bear once. It may or may not come back.
To Boomer's point, your brain, is the best tool and a shotgun, 338wm, bear spray, etc, will compliment what your brain does. Heck, I drove off a sow and cub with a chainsaw once, not my first choice, but it worked.
At this point in my life I personally carry a firearm that I am competent with for bear deterrent when I can.
To Boomer's point, your brain, is the best tool and a shotgun, 338wm, bear spray, etc, will compliment what your brain does. Heck, I drove off a sow and cub with a chainsaw once, not my first choice, but it worked.
At this point in my life I personally carry a firearm that I am competent with for bear deterrent when I can.
