You might want to read this
http://fwp.mt.gov/news/article_7183.aspx#
Friday, August 22, 2008
Hunting
This article was Archived on Monday, September 22, 2008
I’ve been studying bear-human conflict for the past 17 years, and have heard all sides of the ‘firearms versus bear spray’ debate among big game hunters. The issue is: If you’re hunting and you encounter an aggressive bear—is it better to shoot it, or use bear spray to repel it?
Many die-hard hunters say they would never rely on bear spray to do the job of a gun. Others counter that a gun can possibly maim a bear, causing it to ferociously settle the score.
What position do bear biologists take in this debate? I can’t speak for others, but after studying more than 600 Alaska bear attacks, I’ve learned:
- In 72 incidents of people using bear spray to defend themselves against aggressive bears in Alaska, 98% were uninjured, and those that were suffered only minor injuries.
- In 300 incidents where people carried and used firearms for protection against aggressive bears in Alaska, 40% were injured or killed, including 23 fatalities and 16 severely injured persons. Another 48 people suffered lesser injuries.
I frequently hear hunters say: “I’m unwilling to let a bear within the range necessary for bear spray to be used." Unfortunately, a hunter generally doesn’t get that choice.
In my research, hunters were generally unable to fire a shot before the bear slammed into them. Some hunters couldn’t get the safety off, others short-stroked the bolt and jammed the cartridge, yet others, out of habit, tried to ‘scope’ the bear, losing critical seconds while failing to zero in.
With a can of bear spray on one’s hip or pack strap, it is simply a matter of pointing and shooting. In areas of poor visibility I always have a can of spray in my hand. It is easily carried over a finger and isn’t as clumsy as a firearm is in the field-ready position. All that is required is pointing the nozzle in the general direction and pushing a button. Accuracy is not nearly as critical as it is with a firearm. You can’t ‘wound’ a bear with bear spray. It also eliminates problems with sticking bolt actions, jamming shells, and hard-to-find safety mechanisms.
One thing bear spray and a rifle have in common is that success does depend on practice and learning how to use bear spray for its optimal effects, including being able to adjust for weather and wind direction.
Why not carry a can of bear spray on your hip or pack strap? Unless you are bear hunting, why take on the complications and possible legal ramifications of killing a bear out of season or without a license, especially a grizzly, if it can be convinced to go somewhere else in a non-lethal manner?
My suggestion to my fellow hunters is to pack bear spray and keep it ready for those times when you simply can’t bring a gun into service: while hiking, while butchering the meat, while packing it out; times when a gun simply isn’t convenient to have in one’s hands. Your family will thank you!
For more on hunting safely in bear country, visit FWP’s at
fwp.mt.gov. Click "Be Bear Aware." Hunters can also p ick up a copy of " How to Hunt Safely in Grizzly Country" brochure at any FWP office.
