1 dead, 2 injured in Montana bear attack

I'm just gonna carry some grenades.

I dont even carry for bears. Im not worried about them. I carry for the animals on two legs.

The S&W 500 was a gift. It will see little use.

+1 Juston on the 2 legged animals, I have never had any problems with bears either.

I have not found the .44 mag to have much of a kick, it is a pretty heavy gun and minimizes this. But you do have to aim slightly lower than your target, it kicks slightly upward but you don't really feel it. But that gun is too heavy for backpacking.

I will probably get a compact .40 like the glock 27, I don't live near grizzlies so this is a good general purpose against 2 legged predators and better than nothing against blackbears.

Statistically speaking you are more likely to be injured by a charging grizzly if you shoot it than if you use bear spray. Why is debatable, but the numbers don't lie.

"Statistically speaking you are more likely to be injured by a charging grizzly if you shoot it than if you use bear spray. Why is debatable, but the numbers don't lie."

Link?

A spray would be easier to aim.

A gun would be easier to check to see if it's loaded.

to the poster who comment that the gun is too heavy, pretty much any handgun capable of stopping such a bear is going to be heavy, guns in general are heavy, so weight is not really important in this regard. The people who want to be ul wont carry guns, and those of us that want stopping power or at least the ability to scare the thing off will, so the weight issue solves itself.

I still haven’t found the original link, but here is one that mentions it:

Spray vs Bullets

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Fact Sheet 8 – Bear Spray vs. Bullets

Clickable link to the better link below.

…

Well, let's rationally weigh the pros and cons of a gun versus bear spray.

Advantages of bear spray:
-more effective
-more ethical
-lighter

Advantages of a gun:
-makes your d~ick feel bigger

"What is a bigger concern to me is how many times the gun would be mis-used by nervous (inexperienced) hikers. I've had a personal face to face with a very angry griz (20 – 25 ft away) and while I had my spray out I didn't need to fire it. I was able to back off and defuse the situation without anyone (bear or hikers) being injured. If I'd had a gun instead of bear spray, would I have pulled the trigger? I suspect most people would pull the trigger at that range and a bear or hikers (or both) would have been injured."

—-

Why do you think someone would be more likely to shoot a
bear rather than spray it?

I would think it would be the
other way around. Less likely to have a wounded bear if
sprayed, don't have to skin the thing and haul it out to
the authorities, less chance of getting jailed or fined
for shooting a bear.

Shooting a bear is serious business, spraying, not so much.

When I posted the link to the original story, I just knew that it would degrade into this debate :(

Benjamin…

Well, what can I say? That is the funniest post I have seen in a long time!!

Perhaps those that have used bear spray could tell me more.

Based on my experience with things pressurized failing when needed, (paint, epi pens and fire extinguishers), I would have trouble trusting a single can of pepper spray when
really needed. How do you know it will work several trips
down the road?

I know of two people whose spray went off accidently upon themselves, both using up the product and giving them stories
to tell.

Seems like this is pretty common, how do you prevent it?

I would also be more likely to spray than shoot, it was only a matter of time that someone suggested that gun owners are paranoid rednecks ready to shoot anything that moves.

A lot of attacks actually happen in tents, like this one mentioned. Try spraying that on a grizzly that is coming in on you and you most likely will disable yourself instead of the bear.

Plus a gun is much more useful for 2 legged predators as well. If I were in grizzly country I would carry both spray and a gun. I would try the spray first and hopefully be able to reach my gun if that fails, better than having nothing in reserve.

The gun can serve as a noisemaker as well to encourage a dangerously curious bear to leave.

I already have a decent size weiner so don't need a gun for that.

…

David – Same old argument… but guns fail as well, and people shoot themselves accidentily…. same old stuff.

Defensive huh?

I asked a serious question about pepper spray
because I would like to know peoples experiences.

…

The very last thing on my mind whether being attacked by a bear, or human for that matter, is whether or not what I do to preserve my life is reversible.

"
Adding post to: "1 dead, 2 injured in Montana bear attack"

Link… Posted 07/30/2010 13:48:40 MDT by Mike W (skopeo)

David –

I think the best info is at the URL that I provided above. You should read that if you haven't already.

I've seen the data that the author used in his report and it was worth looking at if you can find a copy (I can't find it now). The data he used was really interesting."

Looks good.

Still am curious about the accidental sprayings, one fellow
hooked his on a bush and it got him while hiking, the
other put it in the pocket of his down parka and it went
off when he sat down. How do you mitigate the hazard?

"Advantages of a gun:
-makes your d~ick feel bigger"

Sorry to disabuse you of that feeling, but hanging a weight on your d~ick does not make it bigger. Ummmmmmm, I, uhhhhhhh, read that somewhere. Yeah.

Of course, accidents happen, but if you carry bear spray with the safety on, in the holster that is designed for it, it would be tough to set off. I sewed a channel into the cargo pocket of a pair of sahara pants and the can is entirely contained by that, too, but I find the holster more comforatble to carry than 11 oz at my knee. That said, if I were in yellowstone or glacier for an extended trip, I would probably have 2.

I don't think it's unreasonable to extrapolate that someone with a gun might be more tempted to use it at a greater distance, but again, my greater concern with the firearm is unnecessarily harming the bear.

…

I am still trying to figure out how one would use bear spray when the bear is coming inside the tent, +1 for the gun.

I guess you would just spray away. Yes you would probably get it on you, but it might also deter the bear. Better to get some on you and have the bear run then get mauled to death.

"Statistically speaking you are more likely to be injured by a charging grizzly if you shoot it than if you use bear spray. Why is debatable, but the numbers don't lie."

A reasonable hypothesis, in the absence of hard data, might be the inability of most shooters in a high stress life or death situation, to put a round in a vital spot, thereby only further enraging the griz.