cheeser
Well-known member
author definitely against bear spray.
but does discuss case by case results.
Study Shows Handgun Defense Against Bears is Effective: The Calibers May Surprise You!!
- Thread starter cheeser
- Start date
author definitely against bear spray.
but does discuss case by case results.
Straight Arrow
Well-known member
Confirmation bias applied to whatever issue becomes tiring and devaluing to the source, whether you apply it to your bias favoring bear spray or handguns.
Fortunately we who visit the bears' habitat have the choice of bear spray, handgun, or both.
rjthehunter
Well-known member
Read this, I can't believe anyone would deny the effectiveness of a gun against a bear.
www.ammoland.com
Update of Pistol Defenses Against Bears 123 Cases, 98% Effective
In the 2022 update, 20 more incidents have been documented where pistols or handguns have been fired in defense against bears, with a 98% success rate for 123 total incidents.
www.ammoland.com
SFC B
Well-known member
My 2 issues with spray have always been practical ones. First, is using spray in variable wind conditions like those common in bear country. The chances of getting bear strength capsaicin in the face will make a man a SNACK. The other issue is one from personal experience. I carried OC while an LEO and saw folks fairly regularly walk straight through it....some on drugs but some not. I am not willing take the chance that Mr/Mrs Grizz is a similar being. To each his own, but those are my issues.
SFC B
Well-known member
Last time I had this conversation it happened to be while on horseback. In some thick bear country, no less.
The horse died of boredom pretty quickly. I tried shooting it first to get it off it’s lazy, dead ass. No results and I ran out of ammo. I then tried to blast it with bear spray. Still nothing and so I was also out of bear spray. So I’m sitting there screaming and cussing my luck. Just then a big old griz heard the commotion and came in for the attack. Fortunately the horse was pretty tasty and it got distracted, allowing me to make my escape.
I think everyone should carry a dead horse with them in bear country.
The horse died of boredom pretty quickly. I tried shooting it first to get it off it’s lazy, dead ass. No results and I ran out of ammo. I then tried to blast it with bear spray. Still nothing and so I was also out of bear spray. So I’m sitting there screaming and cussing my luck. Just then a big old griz heard the commotion and came in for the attack. Fortunately the horse was pretty tasty and it got distracted, allowing me to make my escape.
I think everyone should carry a dead horse with them in bear country.
rjthehunter
Well-known member
I bet the bears would leave you alone then!
Straight Arrow
Well-known member
They're pretty easy to come by also. We have many of them here on HuntTalk threads.
MThuntr
Well-known member
This is the exact definition of confirmation bias. They specifically ignored all other methods of defense to confirm pistols are good at bear defense. Truth be told yelling at a bear very likely has the similar effectiveness. Actually I seem to remember that an overwhelming number of bear charges are bluff charges and even more encounters result in no charge at all so in theory doing nothing may carry a very high effectiveness of defense. Not saying pistols aren't effective just anyone can find information to confirm their bias in something so situational.Read this, I can't believe anyone would deny the effectiveness of a gun against a bear.
Update of Pistol Defenses Against Bears 123 Cases, 98% Effective
In the 2022 update, 20 more incidents have been documented where pistols or handguns have been fired in defense against bears, with a 98% success rate for 123 total incidents.
Being familiar with your defense is more important than which defense you choose...Consider this dead horse beat!
BirdManMike
Well-known member
The validation I feel from reading this article makes me feel like less a chicken little for carrying a tactical shotgun with me every time I embark in the backcountry. If these pistols are effective, then my shotgun surely is, too!
Actual pitcher of me preparing for hiking season:
Or is it...
Actual pitcher of me preparing for hiking season:
Or is it...
WildWill
Well-known member
gracias por el caballo picante
rjthehunter
Well-known member
I guess in my mind this puts an end to people saying things like "shooting them will just piss them off more" I'm sure bear spray is effective, otherwise they probably wouldn't sell much!
SAJ-99
Well-known member
Study done by Ammoland… nuff said.
The study itself doesn’t really compare bear spray and a gun. It concludes more on the effectiveness of a pistol as a defense. The guy in the video made the bear spray comparison for some reason (not sure he even read it, and some of the cases are just stories told by someone who said they shot a bear) A good “study” is obviously hard to do due to getting a suitable sample size in isolating the method.
The study itself doesn’t really compare bear spray and a gun. It concludes more on the effectiveness of a pistol as a defense. The guy in the video made the bear spray comparison for some reason (not sure he even read it, and some of the cases are just stories told by someone who said they shot a bear) A good “study” is obviously hard to do due to getting a suitable sample size in isolating the method.
seeth07
Well-known member
I would think a good study to figure out effective defense methods could be done if you look at all fatal bear attacks and determined how the person killed was armed.
millerkiller77
Well-known member
millerkiller77
Well-known member
Timothy Treadwell has entered the conversation
SAJ-99
Well-known member
The author stated the inability to deploy was a similar problem for all defenses. The cited cases are those where the firearm was used. Again though, he wasn’t comparing to bear spray. He even ignored cases where both a handgun and long gun were available. The author had a conclusion he wanted to make and tried to get there the best way he could. There are some other studies. The problem is once you select cases than can isolate the method and make a reasonable assumption on effectiveness, you only have a couple of dozen.
MThuntr
Well-known member
I'd wager shooting them doesn't actually happen...it's more like "oh shit" fumble getting gun out, bear bluffs, shots fired into the bushes kind of a situation. I get the same results on Tinder. They only look at times guns were reportedly fired NOT if they actually hit anything. Most and I'd be willing to wager 90% can't hit a barn if they were forced to in the time allowed in a charge situation. I'd say users of bear spray vastly outweighs users of pistol. I see hundreds of CDT hikers all with bear spray. Most throw it away either due to non-use or because they have to toss it to board a plane. The mentioned studies purposefully ignored other methods because the only were interested in their said bias.
El Jason
Well-known member
Carry what you want. Most minds are already made up anyway.
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