Pepper Spray lacking when wolf attacking

[W I S N E R !]

"This wolf, for example, was a road wolf."

Pfff.
A road wolf ain't nothing compared to Guitar Wolf.

Guitar Wolf- Jet Generation

[M G]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taylor_Mitchell

[Jerry Adams]

nice Daryl

[Colin Krusor]

Canis hystericus, the "teen wolf" is another variety of concern in some areas.

Seriously, I'd be surprised if wolves were unaffected by bear spray. I see that there might be a strong temptation to frantically discharge a bear spray canister in erratic arcs in the general direction of a wolf in an attempt to keep it at a distance. The person in the story reported "I would shoot a quick blast of bear spray behind me to slow him down." I would imagine that this is what most of us would do, and it would result in having an empty bear spray canister and an undeterred wolf.

It seems to me that bear spray should be perfectly adequate if one waits for the animal to come within range and holds the can steady. If you don't expect to be able to do that, you should plan to take a pistol on your Alaskan backpacking trip.

[Jeremy and Angela]

It seems to me that bear spray should be perfectly adequate if one waits for the animal to come within range and holds the can steady. If you don't expect to be able to do that, you should plan to take a pistol on your Alaskan backpacking trip.

If someone can't hold a spray can steady, would a pistol be all that useful? (Or is it one of those "save the last two bullets for yourself" type things?)

[Greg Mihalik]

"It seems to me that bear spray should be perfectly adequate if one waits for the animal to come within range and holds the can steady. If you don't expect to be able to do that, you should plan to take a pistol on your Alaskan backpacking trip."

To a man with a hammer, everything looks like a nail.

[Colin Krusor]

Jeremy, it sounds like you're suggesting that a terrified and shaky person could expect the same result from using a pistol or bear spray against an approaching wolf. I must be misunderstanding your post.

Bear spray only goes 30 feet. The probability of hitting a target more distant than that is zero. Even if you're not doing a good job of aiming, a bullet goes much further than 30 feet.

Also, a bullet hitting any part of a wolf is a strong deterrent. You have to get it in the face with bear spray.

Further, a gun makes a loud bang. The hiss of a bear spray can is not going to scare a wolf.

Also, as in the story shared by the OP, users of bear spray will be tempted to believe that spraying in the general direction of an approaching animal might "slow it down". Makes some sense, right? Just get some into the air, like tear gas. This doesn't work, but people will attempt to use it this way and run out of bear spray (as in the OP's story). Anyone who legally owns a gun knows that the bullet has to hit the animal to work. Nobody believes that filling the air with bullets will help.

Consequently, given bear spray, a shaky and terrified person is liable to do what the person in the story did: spray it erratically in the air until it is gone, while the wolf is out of range. The same person, given a pistol, will aim it at the animal (knowing they have to hit it to make any difference), and, if they happen to hit it in the shoulder or leg, they succeed at deterring it.

Greg, I assume your quip is clever but I don't follow it. I've never owned a gun and I've never advocated taking them backpacking before. In fact, I'm a bit uncomfortable with the idea of people taking guns backpacking. What is my hammer, in this case?

Given the motto in your avatar, I'm surprised at your apparent fondness for stereotyping and your decision to use a glib cliche rather than making an argument.

[Jerry Adams]

You're imagining a problem.

If you look at actual cases of someone in U.S. being attacked by wolf, it's maybe once every few years if you include Alaska.

Worry about automobile accident getting to trailhead, breaking your leg falling, hypothermia, lightning, or something else where statistically you might actually have a problem.

And, with bear spray, it forms a cloud so you don't have to aim good. What is it, if you sort of aim down, then the cloud tends to go up enveloping the creature?

[Ken Thompson]

Wheels make dogs crazy. Every time I have been chased by a dog I was on a bike. Never been chased on foot.

[Justin Baker]

A firearm will kill a wolf easily. A firearm will not kill a huge angry bear easily. Just something to think about.

I agree with Jerry that you shouldn't be worried about wolves.

The Grey was a stupid and ridiculous movie. It followed the cliche and predictable plot structure of someone dying every 15 minutes until one guy is left.

[Colin Krusor]

Jerry, I think you make a good point.

I don't own a gun, and I have certainly never carried anything backpacking that I intended to use as a weapon (a firearm or anything else), but I might consider carrying a pistol if I was doing an extended solo trip in northern Saskatchewan or parts of Alaska in winter. I would consider it then because those are the only circumstances I can imagine in which the risk of an encounter with wolves might be great enough to justify it. And uncommon circumstances like those, in which the risk of wolf encounters are judged to be high, are the topic of this thread.

Under any other circumstances, carrying a gun while backpacking (or just about any other time) seems at least unnecessary and at worst reckless.

[Jeremy and Angela]

Colin, nope, I'm pretty much envisioning the "divine intervention" scene in Pulp Fiction. I don't have incredible faith in the ability of a shaky and terrified person to hit their target, so I guess I'd put my money on the noise having a greater effect.

[Colin Krusor]

"If a person can't hold a spray can steady, would a pistol be all that useful?"

"…so I guess I'd put my money on the noise having a greater effect."

I would, too. Given this, and the fact that the chances of hitting a target with a pistol from more than 30 feet away are not zero (even if you're impaired), it sounds like you and I would both answer "Yes" to your original question.

[Justin Baker]

While Bear Spray is easier to aim, that's not the only reason it would be superior to a firearm for Bears. Bears are huge, tough animals that can be hard to take down even with a high caliber rifle. By shooting bear spray into their face and eyes, you are exploiting their weak point – the eyes are the Achilles heel of any powerful animal. I would assume that any animal with eyes full of pepper spray would not be able to focus or even see you.
A wolf or a cougar would be easily killed by a lower caliber firearm.

[Charlie Murphy]

As a long time cyclist the word is: get your feet on the ground when being pursued by a dog and put your bike between you and the dog. For some reason they are less apt to attack. I know easier said than done when a 150 lbs wolf is in pursuit. Not certain how I would handle it.

[Chris .]

"Under any other circumstances, carrying a gun while backpacking (or just about any other time) seems at least unnecessary and at worst reckless."

What is reckless about carrying a firearm while backpacking or just about any other time, exactly? A gun is a tool, like a knife, or a pack, or a computer. It does what it's told.

[Colin Krusor]

Chris, my points were specifically about considering pistols as an alternative to bear spray for backcountry protection from wolves in areas (like Alaska or northern Canada) where wolves are relatively common. That is the topic of this thread.

I'm surprised that you thought a general debate about guns in our society would be appropriate here. If you want to debate that, you can revive any of the numerous threads on BPL about that general topic, or you can contact Greg Mihalik. I think his post in this thread was meant for you.

[Dan @ Durston Gear]

"…..when a 150 lbs wolf is in pursuit."
Adult gray wolves are normally 80-100 lbs. There's only one recorded case of a wolf hitting 150 lbs.

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