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[hereinaz]

As you enter the rabbit hole of research…

Safety Tip: Don’t Bet Your Life on Bear Spray

The common claim about bear spray is that it’s more effective than a firearm. The trouble is, that claim is in no way connected to reality.

www.shootingnewsweekly.com

 

[texag10]

Interesting. Generally not a fan of Siler since he switched from motorcycles to outdoor writing, but these sound like important considerations.

 

[Thegman]

He's correct.

For actual bear attacks, not just hazing nuisance bears, handguns have shown to be markedly more reliable than bear spray. For potential life-and-death type situations with bears, bear spray offers a very false sense of security.

It's easy to list cases of people that have used bear spray against attacking bears...and died. Much harder to find handgun failures in similar circumstances. I feel like I've been beating this drum for years now. It does seem that we're hearing this from more and more people as as actual use-cases and evidence is examined and the picture gets more and more clear.

 

[Mikido]

He's correct.

For actual bear attacks, not just hazing nuisance bears, handguns have shown to be markedly more reliable than bear spray. For potential life-and-death type situations with bears, bear spray offers a very false sense of security.

It's easy to list cases of people that have used bear spray against attacking bears...and died. Much harder to find handgun failures in similar circumstances. I feel like I've been beating this drum for years now. It does seem that we're hearing this from more and more people as as actual use-cases and evidence is examined and the picture gets more and more clear.

Not doubting you, have some links to articles?

 

[aks]

 

[Thegman]

Not doubting you, have some links to articles?

Just do a quick web search of something like "cases of bear spray use that still resulted in death from a bear".

Brave produced this, which misses a bear "researcher" in Russia, but gets a good number of NA failures.

"There are several documented cases where individuals carrying or actively using bear spray still died in bear attacks, indicating that while effective, the deterrent is not foolproof.

• Mark Uptain (Wyoming, 2018): A hunting guide was killed by a grizzly bear and her cub while field-dressing an elk. An empty bear spray canister with the safety removed was found near his body, and residue indicated the bear had been sprayed, yet he sustained fatal injuries.
• Daniel Schilling (Alaska, 2020): A man was killed by a bear while clearing a trail near his cabin. Investigators found an empty, discharged bear spray canister with the safety off at the scene, suggesting the spray was used but failed to prevent the fatal attack.
• Glacier National Park Hiker (May 2026): Officials reported finding bear spray near the body of a hiker who died in a fatal bear encounter, noting the area was odorous from the spray, though the specific bear species involved remained undetermined at the time of reporting.
• Alberta Couple (2023): A couple was killed by a grizzly bear after emptying their bear spray canister during the attack; relatives stated they "did everything right" but still lost their lives.
• Alaska Woman (Prior to 2018): A woman working near the Pogo Mine in the Alaska Interior was killed by a black bear that had previously been sprayed, marking another instance of fatality involving prior or concurrent spray use"

That's less than a 10 year span. I'm pretty sure there are zero failures of handguns for bear defense in the same period, but many, many success in stopping an attacking bear.

 

[Thegman]

As I say about bear spray: "If it's a good hitter, why doesn't it hit good?"

A few more the last search missed:

• Vitaly Nikolayenko (Russia, 2003): A well-known Russian bear researcher was killed by a brown bear near his remote hut on the Tikhaya River. An empty bear spray canister was found at the scene, and a large swath of spray residue indicated he had deployed it in self-defense. Despite this, he was fatally attacked. His footprints showed he had approached the bear to within three meters, likely while attempting to photograph it. A flare gun he carried was found unfired beside his body.

This case is one of the most cited examples of bear spray failing to prevent a fatal attack, even when used by an experienced individual familiar with bear behavior.

• Stephanie Blaise (Saskatchewan, 2020): A woman was killed by a bear while hiking with her husband. Her husband deployed bear spray, which failed to stop the attack, and he had to retrieve a firearm to kill the bear.

• Carl Mock (Montana, 2021): A man was killed by a bear near Yellowstone National Park. An empty bear spray canister was found near his body, suggesting it was used but ineffective.

• Leah Lokan (Montana, 2021): A woman was killed by a bear in Montana. Investigators found an empty bear spray canister at the scene, indicating it was deployed during the fatal encounter.

Don't worry though, bear spray is 98% - 99% effective.

 

[chancey]

With all this data, how many here just carry a pistol in bear country and leave the bear spray home? I think if you need to deploy spray and it doesn’t work, you won’t have time to switch to pistol. So why carry both?

 

[HighUintas]

That is a question I have. When I've been in grizzly country with my wife after purchasing a pistol, she carries the spray and I've got the pistol. But what would a solo person do? Just pistol? I can't see how it would be effective to plan to use spray then pistol. That charging bear pistol test shows the majority of folks won't have enough time or skill to pull it and get accurate shots off.

 

[Mikido]

Wow
Thank you for the info

 

[Thegman]

With all this data, how many here just carry a pistol in bear country and leave the bear spray home? I think if you need to deploy spray and it doesn’t work, you won’t have time to switch to pistol. So why carry both?

Exactly what I've been saying for years.

I almost never carry bear spray, unless I think I'm going to need it for a moose.

The trope of "I carry both, if the bear spray doesn't work, I can use the handgun" completely ignores the reality of how fast these incidents happen. There is seldom time for "less-lethal" experimentation in incidents where an attack is likely to be happening. If the handgun isn't needed, that's generally a nuisance bear and there's lots of things that are just as effective, or more so, than bear spray for those kinds of incidents, not to mention, plenty of time to decide how to deal with them if they occur.

If I recall correctly, the guide mentioned above, Mark Uptain, put his 10mm in his pack, or on his pack, and kept his bear spray on his person while cutting up an elk for his client. He only had time to use the bear spray, which didn't work. Had he kept the 10mm on his person and had the bear spray in the pack, he almost surely would have survived the incident.

 

[z987k]

With all this data, how many here just carry a pistol in bear country and leave the bear spray home? I think if you need to deploy spray and it doesn’t work, you won’t have time to switch to pistol. So why carry both?

If I'm solo, which is about never, it's the pistol. Two of us, we usually have both. Because bears are rarely a problem to the point of needing to shoot them. And I don't want to if I don't need to. Hazing is generally very effective. Even just yelling is effective enough to not need the spray 99% of the time.
If you do spook a mom with a cub you're going to need that pistol though.

Also the gunfighter's video on spraying and shooting charging bears from a startled position is quite eye opening. I would never expect spray to work in that scenario. The spray is to get an annoying bear that's not really threatening you to go away.

The ultimate bear replant is a bear tag in your pocket.

 

[z987k]

If I recall correctly, the guide mentioned above, Mark Uptain, put his 10mm in his pack, or on his pack, and kept his bear spray on his person while cutting up an elk for his client. He only had time to use the bear spray, which didn't work. Had he kept the 10mm on his person and had the bear spray in the pack, he almost surely would have survived the incident.

Ya, pistol always available. I've seen quite a bit of bear spray go off in a bag, rendering the bag and all it's contents useless.(you'll also never get it out in the wash, just plan on throwing a few grand worth of stuff away, if you do wash it, plan on a new washer afterwards) If that's your clothes, rain gear, sleeping bag and you don't have a quick ride out, that can be a big problem. I don't recommend carrying bear spray in a backpack.

 

[chancey]

Exactly what I've been saying for years.

I almost never carry bear spray, unless I think I'm going to need it for a moose.

The trope of "I carry both, if the bear spray doesn't work, I can use the handgun" completely ignores the reality of how fast these incidents happen. There is seldom time for "less-lethal" experimentation in incidents where an attack is likely to be happening. If the handgun isn't needed, that's generally a nuisance bear and there's lots of things that are just as effective, or more so, than bear spray for those kinds of incidents, not to mention, plenty of time to decide how to deal with them if they occur.

If I recall correctly, the guide mentioned above, Mark Uptain, put his 10mm in his pack, or on his pack, and kept his bear spray on his person while cutting up an elk for his client. He only had time to use the bear spray, which didn't work. Had he kept the 10mm on his person and had the bear spray in the pack, he almost surely would have survived the incident.

Agreed, having a can in camp is maybe not the worst idea for a pesky bear, but out hunting, pistol gets the nod every time. For those that would rather spray first because they don’t want to shoot a bear, I hope you like getting chewed on and clawed. Another thing I always think about is, you’re much more likely to startle a bear when the wind is in your face, they can’t smell you or hear you as well. Try deploying bear spray with the wind in your face…

 

[Thegman]

I don't recommend carrying bear spray in a backpack.

Probably very wise. I just can't see any real reason to carry it at all. I've said this before, but if it's a serious incident where my life may depend on my decisions, I don't want any of my thought process taking time to decide what to do. "Bear spray? Handgun? Which one should I grab first?" KISS principal. When reading the actual incidents, it's clear that most of the time, there's not any time, for any indecision.

I think it could be argued that Mark Uptain likely died because he:
a. Believed, at least to some extent, the mantra that "bear spray is 99% effective"
b. Made the wrong choice while carrying both options.

If you don't carry bear spray, it's impossible to make that mistake...

 

[Marbles]

With all this data, how many here just carry a pistol in bear country and leave the bear spray home? I think if you need to deploy spray and it doesn’t work, you won’t have time to switch to pistol. So why carry both?

That is a question I have. When I've been in grizzly country with my wife after purchasing a pistol, she carries the spray and I've got the pistol. But what would a solo person do? Just pistol? I can't see how it would be effective to plan to use spray then pistol. That charging bear pistol test shows the majority of folks won't have enough time or skill to pull it and get accurate shots off.

I only carry a pistol. It is well documented that having choices slows reaction times. My 8 year old will start carrying spray this year.

I though about spray in case the bear is on top of some. I think than answer varies by the person. I'll avoid details on why, but my choice would be to close distance with a lethal tool if a bear is chewing on someone I love. If the bear is carrying them off, I want a gun, not spray, even more

Carry a revolver, or train braced contact shooting. Expect to be knocked down and hurt, just hope the bear doesn't die on top of you. Pay attention and hope you see the bear before it is closing at 35+ mph on you.

 

[Fetty Wapiti]

The best tool is you, these are ridiculously low numbers in a world of 8.3 million. Far below .00000005%. Taking your wife to dinner is far more dangerous, or taking a bath...
Handguns have a place, but on the flip side spray has prevented many handguns from ever needing to be used. It has also saved a lot of people who didnt have a gun.
These posts are getting old. Grown men shouldn't be afraid of the boogeyman.

 

[Fowl Play]

That is a question I have. When I've been in grizzly country with my wife after purchasing a pistol, she carries the spray and I've got the pistol. But what would a solo person do? Just pistol? I can't see how it would be effective to plan to use spray then pistol. That charging bear pistol test shows the majority of folks won't have enough time or skill to pull it and get accurate shots off.

The only time I carry both by myself or in a group is when I am in a national park or somewhere where unholstering or using the gun could potentially cause issues. In those situations, I will draw the spray if there is a lumbering bear on trail or something of that nature. Something that does not appear to be a threat but I still just want to have something in my hand for just in case. But for a sudden encounter I train for and would draw the gun.

 

[KingGus]

Interesting article for Bear Hunting Mag on the subject https://www.bear-hunting.com/2019/8/firearm-vs-bear-spray

I think the greater number of folks carrying bear spray compared to firearms is influencing the amount of fatal attacks when bear spray is used.

In the Mark Uptain (Wyoming, 2018) example, it sounded like a gun was involved, but the client couldn't use it effectively.

A couple of years ago, here in Alaska, a hunter also shot themselves in the process of defending themselves from a bear.

Anyway, food for thought.

 

[Banana_Horn]

Sometimes I carry spray, but if I’m in serious bear country I’ll carry a pistol. As said above, the best bear gun is a rifle combined with a bear tag. When I want to go light, or when I have a rifle , my preference is to leave the pistol at home. All depends on the location.

Also as said above, there is so much ridiculous fear over bears it’s kind of exhausting. People act like they’re zombies from a horror movie or something. I have a few non hunter friends that do absolutely insane cross country traverses here in Alaska that do it with either spray or nothing at all. Some hunters that I know wouldn’t go near these places without a 12 gauge and a 44 mag.

I have had to pull a pistol one time on a bear to seriously shoot it. I was quite happy that I chose to take my pistol that day.