By GERRY SWANSON
I have a t-shirt that that has a saying: “What doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger. Except bears. They will kill you.”
With a pending bear hunt coming up in October, I decided to figure out which is better: shooting a charging bear or using my bear spray. After a round table discussion at work with wanna be bear experts, I found I needed to do some more research.
However I liked my ideas at the round table.
The first was to wrestle my son Jeremy every night, he is as big as a bear, strong as a bear and on some days smells like one also.
My second idea was the best. I know you can’t outrun a bear, however I wouldn’t need to. All I have to do is outrun the two guys I am going with. Piece of cake!
After doing some real research, I learned that unless you’re Wyatt Earp, you should holster your .44 and deploy bear spray when charged by a bear. Unless of course you’d rather not keep your face.
The best available science on the effectiveness of bear spray has one conclusion: bear spray crushes bullets. Brigham Young University associate professor Tom Smith and colleagues found that in 72 cases where people used bear spray to defend themselves from brown, black, and polar bears, the spray stopped bears 90 percent of the time, and 98 percent of the people involved were uninjured. Another study done by Smith found that discharging a firearm stopped encounters, 84 percent for handguns, 76 percent for long guns.
But for those incidents involving firearms, one in four led to human injury or death. Not to mention all the bears killed or wounded.
As hunters, we do everything we’re not supposed to do in bear country. We’re quiet. We walk into the wind. We use calls, scents and generally try to be an elk. All this begs for an encounter. That’s why you should always carry your spray on your hip or your chest, not in your pack or pocket.
If you bump into a bear, try to remain calm as you can and slowly walk backwards. Do not make eye contact. Speak in a calm voice.
If this fails and the bear comes at you, your spray should already be in your hand. Many times bears will bluff charge, but once they are within 30 feet of you, they are in range of the spray.
The bear spray I have, Counter Assault, is an eight ounce can with about seven seconds of spray. Its best to shoot in 1-2 second initial bursts, directing the spray toward the ground in front of the bear so it rises to meet the bear’s nostrils and eyes as it approaches. This will allow you to assess the situation and the wind, and be aware of the wind direction. If there’s a breeze blowing back in your face, you’ll be the one writhing on the ground; less than ideal, especially if the bear was only bluff charging.
Remember that bear spray is a deterrent and not a repellent. Don’t spray it on your tent or clothes thinking that bears naturally avoid peppers. That can actually backfire and serve as an attractant.
That’s the science.
Then there is the real world scenario of trying to hit a target the size of a tennis ball moving at 40 mph with a half inch bullet. You have to make a spine or brain shot to stop that bear.
Still want to bring a gun to the fight? There is always Jeremy. He is available most nights and enjoys a good smack down. Or just go with two guys slower than you. Either way, go out and enjoy the great outdoors.
