A Gun Could Have Helped Here...

How close do you need for bear spray to be effective.... too close.

Grizzly poop smells like bear spray, and has bells in it...

I read a number of the accounts about this incident, I am not sure it would have unless they simply shot the bear the first time it came into their camp. Sounds like when the bear returned later it went straight in and attacked the woman, killing her almost instantly. Scary stuff for sure, my buddy and I have been camping annually in that general area for a few years now but we’re in a trailer.

https://helenair.com/news/state-and...10ce147.html#tracking-source=home-top-story-1

https://helenair.com/news/state-and...7bc71ba.html#tracking-source=home-top-story-1

Only one of the articles I read suggested she was killed almost instantly, still trying to find that one but the two above have pretty good info.

This is the one which states she was killed immediately, although they do cite CNN as the source of the info so for whatever that’s worth...
https://www.kptv.com/general/offici...b-585e-a98f-848598c552e9.html?block_id=994652

Nature, for all its beauty, is not nice.

When I'm "in the woods" I carry lead bear spray (.454 Casull)....

Without question bear mace works in many cases, and is far easier to use than a weapon. On the other hand it lacks the high reliability of a solid CNS hit, but that's quite difficult to achieve even if you practice.

On balance, if you aren't willing to practice extensively, you're probably better off with the bear seasoning. No matter which you have, there's always a chance you'll lose.

If I ever venture into bear country, I will never bet my life on a can of pressurized hot sauce. It's good to have but that alone is not enough, never has been and never will be.

Back in my younger years, spent a lot of time in the woods including Alaska---my gun of choice was my Freedom Arms 454 Casull revolver, but most everybody went to their 12 gauge pump before even considering a sidearm---me too! We generally had a horse or three and a dog or two in our camp for our "Early warning system"---slept with shotgun and reliable flashlight at night---a horse or dog will alert you to the presence of a bear...!

If you have food and a bear is hungry, they will do things that are not normal for them to do.



Once the bear came by, the first time, it was too late to remove the food from their tents. They should have removed themselves from the area or never stored the food in their tents in the first place.

I highly doubt someone is going to have time to use the spray and their handgun if one or the other fails. I'd reach for the spray first. I've seen first hand how fast they can move and the right hit is a very small spot that's moving and very hard to hit.

In order of preference: Shotgun or short handy rifle, bear spray, and lastly a handgun.

I would use bear spray if that was the only thing I had. And I only carry it around the house for those damn Javelina. Otherwise if I'm gonna die from a bear attack I'm dang sure gonna try and take the bear with me.

jmorris said:

If you have food and a bear is hungry, they will do things that are not normal for them to do.



Once the bear came by, the first time, it was too late to remove the food from their tents. They should have removed themselves from the area or never stored the food in their tents in the first place.

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Yes sir! Once the bear identified the tent(s) as a source of food it was to late. Moving the food was a good idea but after being run off with bear spray he stayed in the area, probably lurking just out of sight, until the effects of the spray wore off and things calmed down.

Years ago, at a campsite just north of Anchorage I found a large can of mixed fruit with four puncture holes on the sides and the bottom partially torn off. Bear tracks leading in and out of the site.

Another time my brother and I secured our food on a tree limb twenty feet off the ground and anchored it to the trunk of the tree with rope. Came back from a morning hike to find a young grizzly shaking that tree limb like he would if a bees nest full of honey was out there. He ran off when he saw us but for about an hour we could hear him moving around just out of sight. Although we were well armed (870 & 44 Mag) we didn't want to risk an encounter so we left and hiked back to the truck. When we loaded up and turned onto the dirt road that SOB was standing not 25 yds away.

WrongHanded said:

The bear killed the victim instantaneously at 4:08 a.m. on Tuesday, while she was sleeping, Powell County coroner Heather Gregory said.

I guess if the coroner said it, they must be pretty confident. Bite to the head or neck seem like the only way that would happen.

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If that is the case, no gun or spray would have prevented this.

According to this, bear spray is 98% effective against bear attacks:

https://outsidebozeman.com/nature/bear-spray-vs-guns

Note in a confrontation, a bear's adrenaline works against you when using a gun, for you when using bear spray.

Mace gel works usually.
I've maced aggressive dogs, javalina and a coyote that wouldn't take a hint to leave the neighborhood.

Having been brought up in the outdoors, and then throw in mother nature.
Sometimes mother nature is going to win regardless.

Used Bear Spray once on a large Male Black Bear in Canada. It worked perfectly at about 30 feet which is closer than I like to be. I probably wouldn't have been so brave if my Son wasn't backing me up with a M-1 Garand.

WrongHanded said:

I agree that if the victim was killed almost instantly, a gun would not have helped. I disagree with the 98% efficacy of bear spray in bear attacks. You should read this:

https://www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-adventure/exploration-survival/does-bear-spray-work/

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From your link:

"But user competency is the largest determining factor in the successful use of a firearm. “When a person is competent with firearms—and I mean competent under pressure —it is an effective deterrent I highly recommend,” he says. “Conversely, those with little to no firearm experience shouldn’t rely on a firearm to save them from a close encounter with a bear.”

He recommends getting training if you intend to carry a gun. “However, even that same firearm-competent person would do well to carry bear spray also,” the researcher states. Smith highlights bear spray’s ease of use and portability as the reasons for that, as well as its effectiveness in nonlethal encounters."

IMHO the average person who isn't proficient in firing powerful handguns is better off with bear spray. The victim in this thread probably wasn't a gun person.

One of my survival instructors described bear spray in my favorite way. In reference to dealing with large bears "it is like hot sauce for your corpse after Grizzly kills you." Would rather carry a gun, even a 9mm.