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Scared of bears? Stay out of their home.

Please never change your methodology. Taking these types of precautions and methods toward conclusions is sure to piss either (or both) ends of the polarized world. It needs more people like you

It makes sense to me. firearms are tricky, they Wound which ups the stakes of the conflict on a primal level unless you're just dead-on with shot placement and animals (including us) can ignore that sort of trauma if our fight or flight response is engaged. Bear spray just Sucks, and Continues to suck. It's very distracting from whatever one is trying to do, and really makes whatever you had in mind seem much less important.

Bear spray is promoted by teddy bear naturalist. Sure, it might help if the wind doesn't blow it back in your face, but a powerful gun would a look always be my weapon of choice. I could give an f if bears should be saved over me. Screw off nature boys...three inch canines are for killing caribou, not humans.

Didn’t know you can just casually stroll through national parks packing heat like that. Imagine hikers got rifles strapped across their backs and two pistols on their sides and holding shotgun while walking

If you’re afraid of the bear, then don’t go to the woods😮

Bow season in Montana,,,almost certainly the wind will be Blowing..

Where can I find analysis (by the bears this time) of the statistical studies you cite? I really would like to know if the bears confirm your data. Otherwise, if the bears do not confirm your premises and conclusions, I consider your information biased, and that bias is more logically coherent with the Timothy Treadwell Syndrome, rather than the experience of persons who are very experienced with wildlife. Timothy Treadwell assured himself that his knowledge of bears was sufficient regarding his safety among bears. Timothy Treadwell proved that his understanding was only proven to be wrong, once.

Just saw a bear tanked multiple shotgun blasts point blank to the face + literally with any gun it would be difficult to aim under pressure of being chased especially for amateurs "being chased doesn't equal to hunting bears from a safe distance" so no a gun won't do any better unless your experienced but better than nothing So better off just secure anything on you that has any food like smell use bare spray few meters away from where you camp bears usually won't get close anymore + a side Glock for safety

Over 600,000 go "missing" in the US every year. Over 1,000 simply vanish in the wilderness. They're not all falling off cliffs or drowning or dying from hypothermia. Some are predated upon and are eaten. Bears and mountain lions WILL kill and consume if given the opportunity. Just because the official records don't list these predations doesn't mean that they don't occur.

Wait a second, Jean Luc Picard doesn’t just do bjj?

the most lonely I ever felt was when I took a solo trip to Japan and literally had no one to talk to. I was surrounded by people I couldn't really communicate with and they really didn't want to deal with a foreigner. It was like being thirsty in the ocean, surrounded by water but you can't drink it.

It depends on the firearm. For the last 40 some years I've packed in with horses and mules in the Bob Marshall, Great Bear, and Scapegoat wildernesses here in Montana. I have and will always carry a Mossberg 835 3 1/2 Magnum shotgun. Unless you've bought one to your shoulder and fired it it can't be imagined it's incredible power.

(Doug Inglis, and Jenny Gusse) Never forget. R.I.P.

People think that a bear can withstand spray better than a human, but they should remember that a bear's nose is rated at over 2,000 times more sensitive than that of humans. It's bound to make a difference.

Been living in the bush all my life. I carry both bear spray and bear busters. I’m 70 years old and never ever had to use either. Guess I’m lucky or the bear knows I’m not a threat, if that is possible.

I'm a Marine who has trained with Pepper Spray, and CS gas. I've been around many others who have trained with both as well. Not everyone is affected as severely as others who are not affected nearly as much. There are some who seem hardly affected by those chemical agents, and some who are just about immobilized. I've never seen anyone who wasn't affected by a gunshot. I suspect that any and all bears have the same reactions. Not all bears are adversely affected enough by chemical agents to save ones life. I'll take my chances with a gun, rather than a chemical agent. You can squirt them if you want, but as for me, I'm choosing a gun. -Gunny T sends

It’s difficult to take advice from someone who doesn’t know how to pronounce PETA.

thanks for reiterating how it's the invisible vapors that burn and not the liquid, very important

Thank you for such a good video, both in terms of the studies and the importance of such studies.

what about a tazer ?

What do guides in Alaska carry?

Slug first shot second dimes if you get a third mercury load. Take him with you if he’s a grizzly or polar…

Interesting and Informative comment except I don't agree with "good" and "bad" bear. They are simply protecting themselves or hungry. They are wild animals that can be dangerous if you unknowingly go into their territory. You should stay home or not venture into the wild if you do not understand this.

You quoted the Center for wildlife information, so I went to their website. The information does state that incidents involving firearms have about twice the injury rate as with bear spray. The trouble is they also quote the same fish and wildlife information given previously. No real hard evidence. Lots of things effect the outcome these encounters. Wind, rain, aggressive nature of the animals, distance, how many times the bear charges. All this will come into play. Even with a firearm you can still be killed. Good advice,? Stay alert and have a plan. Stay calm, don't provoke an attack be acting like prey or aggressive. Shooting or spraying is probably your last resort.

That couple and their dog who were killed last year by a grizzly at Banff used bear spray and it did not stop the bear. They should have had a firearm too.

I visited friends stationed at Elmendorf AFB in July, 1979. The JC Penny store in downtown Anchorage has a grizzly standing with arms high and teeth bared posed in a glass case. I remember being awestruck seeing this. Its paws were the size of serving platters. If memory serves, it was a 1,200 lb. animal.

Out of respect for the safety and skill in which you handle your rig...

60% of the time it works every time!

what TYPE of firearm? ALL firearms are NOT the same, not even remotely so. 44 Mag handguns have a 100% success rate in encounters....these are documented incidents

Take ALL research with a grain of salt. My favorite researcher has stated: "If you want to know if research findings 'might' be truthful, see if the results contradict the funding."

RE: The gun option: As mentioned in the video - any long gun [shotgun or rifle] could be difficult or impossible to "bring to bear" [pun intended] in close quarters. A large caliber revolver is infinitely more maneuverable in tight quarters and at point blank range, especially if the bear is on you - AND you can manage to keep hold of it. Also with a revolver, there is no cocking, or safety to disengage in a panic encounter. Don't know why that wasn't mentioned.

Bear spray is 92% effective, guns are not.

Ha no way! I was the fly fisherman your passed at cable pool asking your about the canoe :) I just bought a canoe and am getting into whitewater canoeing.

Thanks for the very in depth well presented evaluation of an important issue. I carry bear spray. I was caught once with a bear and NO defense. Never felt so naked. Once!

Whether it’s a fresh can of grizz spray or a wholly inadequate.38 detective special the best tool for bears is the one that’s in my hand. Seriously. As a lifelong California backpacker I’ve rarely seen hikers equipped with either. And the advice they were dispensing at REI in Los Angeles in the 2000’s (bear bells) was near worthless IMO.

I mean, 'why not both' meme fits in pretty well here

There is one very critical thing to remember: bear spray does NOT work like bug spray. Be absolutely sure to keep that in mind . . .

Interesting hole in the data for the journal addressing firearms. On the surface, you’d think that including data going all the way back to the 1800’s would give you a greater data cohort and thus a better pool for running your analysis, but rather it introduces variables that are not present in the bear spray data which only goes back about 40 or so years. I realize bear spray wasn’t around in the 1800’s. But there were more people who spent a greater amount of time in more remote areas in the 1800’s and likely experienced truly aggressive bears as opposed to threat displays. Then you need to consider how were these reported and tracked, likely from what the reporter heard from locals in the small town where they lived, and it made good copy. Firearms and ammunition are both more reliable and more powerful now than they were over a hundred years ago. Reporting on the incidents in question have also changed drastically in that time with a larger majority of incidents today receiving a true forensic investigation than anything that happened over a hundred years ago. I’d like to see the two reports using the same date ranges so you are minimizing that variable. Given the obvious policy challenges govt. agencies would have on their hands if they showed firearms to be more effective, I believe the extended date range was purposefully included to skew the results in favor of their preferred policy. Especially when you consider how close the outcomes of the two studies are. I think that alone makes that report suspect and not one I’d use as reliable data until that glaring discrepancy was fixed.

Did you come across any data looking at this from the opposite end, ie fatalities? We could learn a lot from a similar review looking at the people who did not survive a bear encounter. Did they have hairspray and if so, was it deployed? Did they have a firearm on them and was it used unsuccessfully? This would both validate these studies, as well as provide an important nuance about the types of encounters that might be high risk. I’ve read some of this same data in roles as a medical professional and outdoor educator, But haven’t come across such a review yet. Maybe you have seen something? If so, could be a very good video on what sets up bear fatalities (aside from common things we know about like moms with cubs) Thanks for making this video!

Bear spray is useless. In the other 15% the bear killed the guy

Another point in favor of bear spray is it requires very little skill to deploy. You can teach anyone to use it in a few minutes. Training someone to shoot effectively with a firearm takes time, months of regular target practice to be properly proficient. The level of firearm necessary to stop a bear also impacts the effectiveness. A 9mm handgun flat out isn't going to take down a large bear unless the noise drives them off or you put a lot of shots into a vital area within seconds. A rifle with enough power to take down a large bear is not going to have much ammo capacity and likely will not be semi-automatic, so you basically get one shot if the bear doesn't flee from the noise. Shotgun makes the most sense for a firearm, and in really dense bear country I would absolutely carry both spray and a shotgun, though outside of areas with a ton of grizzlies or polar bears I would feel fine just carrying spray.

both is a good idea. one thing I will add... if you are not leaving the area that same day, a dead bear will not eat you tomorrow.

Very compelling argument. I just came back from a month in northwest Montana, near Glacier. I saw one brown bear and was told by a couple in a parking area, a sow and two cubs passed my trail a minute or two before we emerged from the same trail. Lots of fresh scat in the area. I “ think” I know my limitations with fire arms and have never been in a situation where my life depends on my accuracy and coolness under pressure. Yes, I carry a large caliber handgun but recently started carrying bear spray as well. Thank you for this informative video

Data is not necessarily instance-reality, just averages, likelihoods.

Anacdotes are fully valid in some cases.

Being by myself in nature is my favorite thing. I dream about it and I do it whenever possible. Kayaking is the exception. I will not go alone.

There are different brands of bear spray, but not all are reliable. Don't go for the cheapest when your life is on the line. The kind I get is $80 a can. How a person reacts to a situation has a lot to do with the outcome.

Being alone isn't being lonely. A large part of the reason I go off grid is to be alone.

If you can shoot really well in a life or death situation is different from than me that would take a full magazine to suicide.