Bear spray, or a Bullet?

M

mtmuley

Long Time Member
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6,398
In light of a numerous number of hunter/grizzly encounters here in Montana, especially one involving an employee of FWP that happened to use a firearm to ward off a bear attack, what protection would YOU feel safest with? Spray? Or a firearm? Whether you hunt griz country or not, I'd like to know. mtmuley
 
Gun for sure. 50 Cal. would be fun but a 357 might do!

Timberline
 
I don't hunt in grizzly country but if I did, I might pick the Spray. If a Grizz is really coming after you full speed in the heat of the moment i think you might get one good shot off and if you miss your in trouble. With the spray you can at least get a good cloud of spray on front of you for some area coverage. so while you are shaking and maybe have some bad aim you still might get him.

then again spray won't kill him if it gets to that point.

In 2006 I was Black bear hunting in BC when we came around a corner and there was a big Grizzly in the road. He was about 100 yards away and he took off the other way but in that 5 -10 second stare down my knees were starting to shake. I can't imagine if one came out of the trees with bad intentions
 
Bear spray does not work all the time, I would prefer a handgun in 44 mag. or bigger and feel that I would be safer in the long run with a well placed bullet then using spray at 20 feet. That close using spray will mean a charging bear will still hit you after getting a face full of spray.
But lets face it, if the bear is charging, you may only have the time for one shot, it better be placed in the right spot to the brain or spinal cord for a instant stop.

RELH
 
I am going to start packing a 10mm around or a 45. I have carried bear spray in the past but that is not a for sure thing. At least with a gun if you do happen to get knocked to the ground after one shot you still have a clip of bullets left. You only get one chance with the spray.
 
yeah go for the gun. that way if the bear doesn't get to messed up by the spray and starts to attack, you have a good defense.

~818j Amature Rider~
?Hunting is not a sport. In a sport, both sides know they're in the game.?
 
Better file them sights down on the barrel because it might now hurt so much when that bad mother of a bear shoves it up your you know what.

Brian
 
BOTH!

I carry a .45 and spray when I'm bowhunting and spray when I'm rifle hunting.

But I don't trust the spray below freezing.

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I've just pissed in my pants.......and nobody can do anything about it.
 
Good point on the spray below freezing. will depend what they use as the carrier for the pepper. If it's alcohol, should not be a problem. would be worth looking at the label to see what is listed.

RELH
 
I don't pack bear spray....I worked in SE Alaska 4 seasons and packed a .44 Desert Eagle and I pack it around here. 8 rounds for the Bear and 1 for me.
 
LAST EDITED ON Dec-03-07 AT 06:30AM (MST)[p] IF THE WIND IS WRONG, AND YOU GET THAT PEPPER SPRAY IN YOUR EYES......YOU WILL WISH YOU HAD CARRIED A HANDGUN.....YD.
 
>I am going to start packing
>a 10mm around or a
>45. I have carried
>bear spray in the past
>but that is not a
>for sure thing. At
>least with a gun if
>you do happen to get
>knocked to the ground after
>one shot you still have
>a clip of bullets left.
>You only get one chance
>with the spray.


Better file the front site off so it doesn't chip your teeth.. I have been false charged a couple of times and it brings a whole new meaning to fear.
 
After sitting in a tree for over 3 hours and have two grizz pop their jaws and woof at me I want the gun. I did have a gun but didn't want to pull the trigger unless I had to.

Pappabull
 
There is quite a stir here in Montana over comments made by the latest attack survivor. Me and my buddies are picking lead over the spray. mtmuley
 
I'd say a handgun for me. Spray would be ok if it was a pit bull but a grizzly???? Nope , give me a magnaported .500 S&W OR THAT DESERT EAGLE semiauto in a caliber that slings big lead..
 
>There is quite a stir here
>in Montana over comments made
>by the latest attack survivor.
>Me and my buddies are
>picking lead over the spray.
>mtmuley

What were the comments? I live in MT, but in a cave so I don't hear about such things.

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I've just pissed in my pants.......and nobody can do anything about it.
 
I have had a a bear run at me full speed and stop about 15 yards away. Damn near schiet my pants. I did the most stupid thing humanly possible and ran like hell. Lucky for me i think the bear figured out what i was and didnt come chasing after.
 
I wonder what this guy was packing??
4755ba7966bf0339.jpg

I dont think it really matters,
if it is your time, your time is up.
 
if you only had time to use one, who in thier right mind would opt for the sray? besides my luck i would get a can that had been disabled by grizzly mans followers, so the bear's eyes don't get hurt!
 
old man, get on the Missoulian website. You will find it all there I think. I don't live in Missoula, I just like the paper. I used to like the town. 30 years ago. mtmuley
 
Before hiking into the backside of cowboy heaven in 02' we took both bear spray and lead (44 mag) on our archery hunt. One of the locals in Ennis gave us some good local advice and told us that the 44 would come in handy when a griz was mauling one of us, so we could shoot ourselves and end the misery...............his opinion of an archer shooting a pistola at a charging grizzly was gonna end in the bears favor. We went in loaded for bear and made it out without incident. When I called Ken, my biologist contact after the archery hunt, he said they were trying to catch up with a rogue grizzly tearing up camps in that area............nice, guess we were closer than we thought............

Bottom line, I took the pistol and spray and I do know for a fact that I couldn't hit a standing bull in the arse at ten yards with a pistol, but I packed anyway.

WP
 
Reddog,

To your point about disabled cans, we didn't have quite that, but after our 6 mile hike in out of Ennis, my brilliant brother decided to test his bear spray, thinking it was like spray paint (push-let up-stop) and not knowing it was a positive lock, well he pushed it, it locked in and he blew his wad on the test. You should have seen him cussing and dancing around trying to cut that thing off, glad I was up wind. So, one can down on the test, one can left, guess it made us feel better we had the pistol after all!

WP
 
WillPower, I'll bet my shooting with my revolver over the spray any day. If someone cannot shoot a handgun, then carry the spray and pray. mtmuley
 
I hunted SW MT this fall and everyone was talking about grizzlies and grizzly attacks on people.
Was there more attacks/encounters than usual this year or was it just a bunch of rumors? No one in our party has every saw one.
 
Sorry mtmuley,
to answer the question I would want a firearm, if bow season pack a pistol, and during rifle season you would already have a gun. I imagine if I had both on me I would go straight for the firearm.
 
Bear spray just makes them angry. Plus I don't want anything that won't put 'em down for good. .44 mag is my vote.
 
There are more and more encounters every year. It has been suggested to de-list the bears and allow a hunting season here in Montana. The problem I see is bears in areas that people are not used to an encounter with one. I guess we should be blissfully unaware until the feds and states say we shouldn't. Also, I read that no amount of hunting the bears will condition them to a fear of humans. Tell that to the local coyote. As I said, I'm packin lead. mtmuley
 
The FWP will tell you that hunting will not condition the bears to fear humans, but back when there was a season, there were not as many attacks.

I don't buy the FWP's argument. Why are the elk in YNP nearly tame and the ones outside of the park afraid of humans? The ones outside are hunted. An animal is an animal, and when hunted, animals become more afraid of humans.

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I've just pissed in my pants.......and nobody can do anything about it.
 
Pepper spray = spicey bear crap! The bigger the bore on that handgun, the better.
 
Another possible flaw with packing bear spray; Would your first instinct be to abandon your rifle and spray? Maybe empty the rifle into the bear and grab your sidearm would be instinctive. I think Hunterharry killed a griz in Montana back when there was a hunting season. Maybe he could chime in on the number of bears and the attitude of ones that were hunted. mtmuley
 
in 2003 i went to wyoming on a elk hunt. we went guided in the washaki wilderness. left camp at 4:00 in the morning hunted all day i killed my bull at about 4:30 p.m.the shot was around 300 yards before we got to the bull three grizzleys were already there they charged us and the guide yelled to us not to shoot when the bears got to about 40 yrds.they stopped and stood on thier hind legs and roared the guide then pulled his pistol and shot a few rounds in the air. the bears turned and ran away. if it would have been up to me i would have shot them as i was scared to death and thought i was about to be dinner. p.s when we got to my bull his ears were all chewed up.i got him mounted and he makes a good conversation piece and as well as memorys.
 
the bears that charged were a sow and two cubs. by the time we took care of my bull it was late so we stayed the night and the next day on the way to camp we saw a huge boar griz and a monster blackie in less than 24 hrs. of hunting we saw 4 griz and 1 blackie to many bears for me i will not return anytime soon
 
Nutsforbucks4, I think you bring in some very important points on this thread and that is knowing what to do when hunting in griz country, keeping your cool and knowing how to handle a encounter. As I said in this thread earlier, I carried spray and pistol, hoping to not use either one and then only as last resort. To your point in your thread, most people probably would have started shooting when it was not necessary as you described. Keeping your cool, whether dealing with a griz enocunter, getting ready to release on a monster bull or muley is oftenthe main difference in a desirable versus undesirable outcome. When archery hunting griz country, I have a reasonable amount of confidence that my hunting experience and werewithal will get me through a siuation before having to spray and pray or let the lead fly. On thing I have done in addition to packing is read several of the top grizzly books to try to educate myself and better understand this beast. There are remarkable consistencies in many of the bear encouters that have taken place up to these books publishing dates. Love the heightened senses and awareness when hunting this country! Huntsforbuck4, you said you won't go back, but sounds like you had a successful hunt and some awesome stories to tell, for sure.


WP
 
What is your gut instinct? Shoot the rifle in your hands, or drop it and spray? That is, I guess, the question if you carry the spray. Books won't help you. mtmuley
 
I can't answer your question about the rifle, because I only archery hunt in griz country for deer/elk. All of my elk except one have been killed with a bow, one with a muzzleloader. My point on reading (books/magazines/websites) is knowing your game animal whether it is a griz, blackie, muley, elk, cougar, etc., I am always reading in an effort to learn more, even though my knowledge base may already be high on a particular species. OK, you are bullish on firepower, thread started with a pistol and the rifle was brought into play, but what if you unload your rifle and/or pistol and miss and the bear is still charging? What if you shoot and hit the bear a couples times only wounding it and it is now madder than heck? You are now about to be mauled holding an empty gun...........what is plan B now? Maybe your buddy comes in a blazing and hopefully doesn't shoot you. Killing a charging grizzly before it gets to you with a pistol or rifle is not a done deal once the lead starts flying in my opinion. But, since I have never been charged by a grizzly, I can not say for sure. Only thing I can say, is that I have been in several life threatening situations, car wrecks (never my fault), almost drowned in the ocean and been scared for my life in a couple third world country confrontations and keeping my head, not over-reacting, having a plan, got me through some tough, potentially fatal spots. I have my plan if ever in a griz confrontation, it is a three part plan and yes I learned alot from some of the research that I have done, will it work, will I stay cool and keep my head, hope I never have to find out, but future trips to MT and AK are in the works, so only time will tell if I ever run into a griz or two.

WP
 

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