Gun or Bear Spray for Grizzly Protection?

Last week a Wyoming elk hunter was confronted and subsequently attacked by a bear. The hunter managed to shoot and kill the bear, but not before the bear itself had sunk his teeth into the hunter’s arm. However, the hunter proved to be fine. So much so, that he walked three miles before arriving back at his vehicle to take him to the hospital, and was released the following day.

Unfortunately, as bear attacks in the Yellowstone area continue to rise making the headlines, there are countless hunters being faced with an important question that could potentially see their lives depending on: do they employ a gun or bear spray when it comes to protecting themselves against grizzly bears?

The management supervisor of Wyoming Game and Fish explains that his department advises that bear spray is the best option, unless you happen to be an extremely good marksman. But for the average individual who may not be particularly good with a firearm, the self defense spray is an ideal deterrent for them to employ.

Of course, when it comes to bear attacks, each one will be a different scenario, which ultimately forces the person involved to assess the situation they are in when they find themselves in that situation. Wind is a huge factor, so it’s important to remember that if you do employ your spraying device the wind should be on your side when you deploy the spray at the bear.

In order for hunters to maintain their safety, and to reduce the unnecessary harming to the bears, they should always make plenty of noise while out hunting. Even though their main objective is to remain quiet, especially if they are hunting big game, coming across a bear is something they should avoid.

Furthermore, leaving behind the remains of killed game will only interest the nose of the bears from far away, which increases the chances of stumbling across feeding bears.

With that said, a hunter holding a firearm will find it difficult to fire the self defense spray. Compared to the spraying device, a firearm is bulking and requires the use of two hands in order to successfully control and aim at an animal. But, if someone doesn’t want to kill an animal simply because a human stumbled upon a bear in their living grounds, then bear spray is the ideal solution.