Bear Pepper Spray Failure - Gun Saves the Day

[Alaska444]

The debate continues once again. I came across this video that looks like a 2006 DLP on Montague Island from a brown bear charge.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Dry7aDm6ws

The people in this video recorded the scene and how the event transpired. A brown bear sow charged a couple who were deer hunting. They heard the bear and made further noise but then the bear charged anyway. They hit the bear square on with pepper spray but it did NOT stop her charge.

The husband fired one shot from his 30-06 "from the hip" hitting the bear between the eyes killing it instantly. Obviously a "lucky" shot.

I have to wonder whether this event made it into the books as a pepper spray failure? I believe that this video displays best the reason why pepper spray alone is not enough when in the woods in bear country. Let the debate begin.

 

[Spirit 1]

Over the years I've experienced numerous failures of aerosol spray cans for paint, insecticide, disinfectant, carburetor cleaner, oven cleaner and several lubricants. Yet people jump up and down insisting that the be all - end all for bear defense is an aerosol spray can of bear pepper spray?

Not for me! I prefer to have even a marginal handgun for defense in addition to bear spray, or if I've got the choice, a .20 ga or .12 ga slug gun or rifle.

 

[wow6599]

We have been over this countless times. Studies show the only real, effective weapon against a bear is.....

 

[Shovelhead]

"Pepper" Spray can be ineffective if you don't shake the can first.
It's just like spray paint, you have to get the ingredients off the bottom of the can.

I watched a Cop-Store clerk take back a 'defective' pepper spray can.
The owner had him walk into the parking lot, spray the can and walk into the fog.
Almost NO effect.
Shop owner shook up the can, sprayed the same amount and had the worker walk into the fog.
INSTANTLY dropped to his knees, hacking, gasping, etc.

Ya gotta shake it up before you use it.

 

[Cesiumsponge]

That is ridiculous. It's like carrying an unloaded handgun with a magazine stowed in a pocket. I had no idea the contents could settle.

'scuse me threat, let me make some preparatory actions before I defend myself! *shake shake*

 

[Inebriated]

Good for them for being prepared. I hate to see any animal die like that, especially protecting her young... but better it than them.

 

[Alaska444]

An interesting statistic from the bear pepper spray studies is that a large number of successful pepper spray encounters didn't turn the bear until 1 meter from the person.

In this case, the bear was still about 3 meters when the man shot. Another stat is that bear spray is more effective the closer the bear is when you first deploy it. Not the sort of information commonly considered.

 

[Inebriated]

I gotta say, I'd rather go to plan B before the bear is within one meter.

 

[Flopsweat]

I gotta say, I'd rather go to plan B before the bear is within one meter.

Exactly. One meter is way too late. Mr bear is not getting that close to me without getting ventilated. Call me whatever you want, but you won't be calling me the late Flopsweat.

 

[Pete D.]

Spray

Using an isolated incident as the basis for a discussion is not going to lead to any accurate conclusions.
As noted, the single shot with the rifle was very lucky. Lucky, and yet a number of us have decided that shooting first is the best way. The unspoken assumption in each of those decisions is that all of those shots will be as lucky as the one in the video. Probably not a good assumption.
As for having to shake the spray before use.......what is the big deal? You load your gun before use, before walking into the woods.....so shake the bear spray before walking into the woods. It ain't hard to do.
As to whether this was a bear spray failure, we really don't know. We don't know because the man shot the bear. Maybe the animal would have turned away on the next step or two. Maybe not (and kinda hard to ask someone to experiment by waiting.).
Pete

 

[scaatylobo]

Bipod ?

My only question is why be HIKING with a bipod mounted gun ?.

I see many good reasons to have the rifle,but a bipod makes NO sense as it would be in the way,unless you were hunting.

 

[Six]

I see many good reasons to have the rifle,but a bipod makes NO sense as it would be in the way,unless you were hunting.

In the video they say they were deer hunting, at 2:00.

 

[Robert]

#3 for the win.

Seriously, we have been over this a lot. We have pages and pages of what spray/ bullet is best for bear. There are plenty of good threads to read for anyone willing to do the research.