When do you switch from Spray to Gun ??

[EddieNel]

I avoid the confusion by not carrying spray.

Best answer award of the day!

 

[Deadfall]

I've always used spray exclusively. It works great anytime I've needed it. Sometimes used twice on same bear....With that said...after last year I no longer carry the spray...have switched to pistola...

I am no longer interested in deterring! Where I'm at there are just too many bears.

 

[280ack]

First, I have no experience with bear spray.
I can tell you that the human equivalent spray, OC does not always work.
When you have to engage in a protective effort why on earth would you use something that is questionable in its effect?
The time to deploy spray vs pistol is the time you lose, when the charge starts you have a couple, 2-3 seconds to launch a defense. Rifle first, handgun as a last-ditch effort, usually once the bear has made physical contact.

This is not a wait-and-see-what works scenario. Bear spray appears to be a low-success option. Leave it at home.

 

[BravoNovember]

When I hunt the wind is typically in my face or a cross wind, spray has the chance of coming back into my face. Though terminal ballistics of a typical handgun are not "ideal" if you shoot regularly and are comfortable you should be able to place several shots where needed. Gun powder in my eyes will be less of an issue that bear spray.

 

[Where's Bruce?]

... you should be able to place several shots where needed. Gun powder in my eyes will be less of an issue that bear spray.

I respectfully disagree.

 

[madcalfe]

lol this year was the first year i actually took bear spray with me sheep hunting...it made it as far as the jetboat then lived in the drawer the rest of the hunt.

 

[roosiebull]

So you are in bear country. A bear makes it known you are either dinner or interrupting their dinner and it becomes clear you will need to employ measures to make sure you survive. You are carrying both bear spray and a sidearm for just such an occasion.
So you first use your bear spray. How do you decide that the spray is not going to cut it and fall back on your gun ??
Stats say 98% of bear encounters where spray was used ended the attack. I see some stats say the results From using a gun are not as good. Stats can be manipulated to support whatever opinion you want.
So how and when does one decide to use a gun instead of just spray ??

I would be more inclined to start with the gun, then switch to spray when I’m dead and the bear chews through the can

 

[long hunter]

I've always used spray exclusively. It works great anytime I've needed it. Sometimes used twice on same bear....With that said...after last year I no longer carry the spray...have switched to pistola...

I am no longer interested in deterring! Where I'm at there are just too many bears.

One time would of been enough if the bear came back kill it, period. Better to get you ass chewed by the man than the bear in my book. If your worried about the law kill the bear then empty the can on it and bounce the empty can off the dead bears head. You know stage the scene type of thing. Oh I forgot then pee in yer pants looks good.

 

[jpmulk]

If anyone or anything is trying to kill me, id pick the most efficient deadly weapon to kill them that I could. So gun for me from the get go. Seems like every story I read of someone getting mauled, they find an empty can of bear spray near the body. I feel like i dont ever read stories of empty guns being found near the body. Im sure there is an exception.

 

[BravoNovember]

I respectfully disagree.

I’ll take my chances, if there is a bear that close I will already have pistol in hand and orientation towards threat, while also trying to create distance and cover between us. That said all situations are dynamic and not fully able to be prepared for.

 

[Deadfall]

One time would of been enough if the bear came back kill it, period. Better to get you ass chewed by the man than the bear in my book. If your worried about the law kill the bear then empty the can on it and bounce the empty can off the dead bears head. You know stage the scene type of thing. Oh I forgot then pee in yer pants looks good.

Lol. Nothing to do with LE.

 

[crich]

I carry a can on the bottom of my bino harness for two reasons. The first being if Im getting mauled I have a much better chance of reaching to my chest and squeezing the trigger to fog myself and the bear than reach for my pistol and make effetive hits. The other is incase a partner has a bear on top of him. The hesitation trying to not shoot my buddy undernthe bear isnt worth it when I can light them both up with spray. If that doesnt work plan B involves a 12rnd magazine.

I read a story about a guy that shot a brown bear that was on top of his hunting partner. The bullet deflected and went straight down into his buddy. He killed them both.

 

[D S 319]

Everyone I’ve ever met in western states always told me only good bear is a dead bear so pistol it is now.

 

[Where's Bruce?]

I would be more inclined to start with the gun, then switch to spray when I’m dead and the bear chews through the can

My experience in your playground suggests that a bear encounter would occur MUCH CLOSER than other areas. You can't see 20' in some spots of that PNW rainforest much less 20 yards. Bumping into a bruin accidentally seems much easier in that overgrown coastal foliage than most other elk habitats. Unlikely to be able to draw a can or a gun in that thick stuff. That's the price for those lovely rose colored antlers.

Wandered into this bear hangout near Tidewater, OR. Bones, tracks and scat everywhere. Woke me right up.

 

[TradArcher]

Sidearm while hunting, I have bear spray but tend to carry that when walking the dog at home. I live in the mountains so dusk walks = carry bear spray. But if the neighborhood bear is getting rowdy then I have my gun on my hip. Some years it seems we get a bear with an attitude that beats the crap out of trash cans, sheds, etc.. the noise from that is very loud and you can't scare it away - it does not care about yelling or noise but keeps beating whatever it is trying to get into. That neighborhood bear scares the crap outta me and I carry when I hear it outside the windows beating on the neighbors shed. In the woods so far every wild bear runs as soon as it sees me and I hope that continues.

 

[roosiebull]

My experience in your playground suggests that a bear encounter would occur MUCH CLOSER than other areas. You can't see 20' in some spots of that PNW rainforest much less 20 yards. Bumping into a bruin accidentally seems much easier in that overgrown coastal foliage than most other elk habitats. Unlikely to be able to draw a can or a gun in that thick stuff. That's the price for those lovely rose colored antlers.

View attachment 447805

Wandered into this bear hangout near Tidewater, OR. Bones, tracks and scat everywhere. Woke me right up.

View attachment 447814

It’s really not a big deal in the brush, bear are loud creatures, so rarely am I surprised by one, especially in thick stuff, and it takes me a very short period of time to figure out what I’m hearing, bear are distinct how the move through the brush, I can tell a bear from an elk

I have had a couple being aggressive this year, both big boars, but I certainly wasn’t innocent, I was closing the distance on both, and they figured out I was there both times, but I was ready for anything, no surprise… not really threatening, just huffing at me, one came towards me at about 15yds, then hopped up and grabbed a tree huffing, but he was the only one in danger, then I ran his ass up the tree, haha (trying to get him to stay put so my wife could shoot him)

Lions are a little more sketchy just because you never know if you are walking in on one on a kill, had that play out once and it was sub 5yds, with a little cub curled up on the deer’s neck, that’s what changed my mind about packing a pistol from “why” to “why wouldn’t I?”

 

[JjamesIII]

Practice drawing a pistol and then fumbling with bear spray can/safety cap. Tell me which is faster.
I practiced a lot on training hikes, which prepared me for a real world encounter. Through repetition it’s become muscle memory to find the weapon and draw. Glock 10 mm was drawn and aimed at a bear before I even though about doing it. You can never truly replicate the oh sh;t moment of a surprise bear encounter in training, but you do the best you can before heading out.

 

[JustBen]

We don't have the option to carry a sidearm here in Canada.

I rarely bring the spray if I have an option to carry a rifle. The key is making sure that the rifle is always accessible and ready to go.

 

[Salmonchaser]

During my lifetime I’ve been in four DLP shootings. Only one in the last 20 years guiding on the Alaska peninsula. We encountered bears every day. Always carried spray and a handgun or rifle. Over the course of the summer, once it became available, I’d spray several bears a year, always worked. Often If the bear was agressive, popping it’s jaws and such, I’d have both out. I also spent 20 years in SWAT. Fairly adept with a handgun and functioning in a stressful environment. Some one above stated to choose wisely, I agree. Many of these events happen very quickly and at close range. All the DLPs I’ve been involved in actually were slowly evolving events. Three of them would likely have been solved with spray had it been available then.

 

[Marbles]

I only carry a gun. One less decision to make. Don't shoot unless it is very close (close enough you need to change your pants), know that most charges are false and just standing your ground will work. If spray gives you confidence to do that, great.