Compelling conclusion. Thanks!

I lived on Kodiak for most of my life, with one bear per square mile. I was an avid deer hunter, hiker, fisherman and photographer and encountered bears on almost a daily basis, sometimes multiple bears on a single day. What all such studies miss (whether pepper spray and bears, handguns and bears, any encounter with brown/grizzly bears) is that defining an "aggressive" bear is entirely subjective and that subjectivity is almost always based on the opinion of somebody that has very little experience with brown/grizzly bears. I won't speak of black bears because in that case, my own experience is limited. How does a relatively inexperienced person define an "aggressive" brown/grizzly? Most commonly, that is based on a threat display which will include loud vocalizations, pounding the ground with their paws and sometimes short bluff charges. It's terrifying, but the problem is that threat displays are the polar opposite of aggression. That bear has already decided he doesn't want to fight and he's simply telling you to go away, so heed his warning and go away. Threat displays are *never* a prelude to an attack unless you do something stupid like shooting or spraying him. Inflicting pain may change the bear's mindset from "go away" to "I'm going to kill you" or it may indeed drive him away, but doing that was entirely unnecessary. Understand the behavior. Bears that give you a threat display are good bears with no intention of attacking. I went through many, many such encounters and simply backed off without any further problems from that bear. I did eventually endure a mauling and barely survived, and it did *not* begin with a threat display. Actual attacks from brown and grizzly bears are all eerily similar. After the mauling I researched in detail hundreds of attacks and reached out to as many survivors and witnesses as I could contact. I wrote a book on the subject (A Kodiak Bear Mauling - Amazon). Brown/grizzly bears are ambush predators. You'll get no friendly warming like a threat display if he's decided to attack. Bears of this species commonly lie up in thick spots during the day and most often an attack is simply because you walked up on him. Bears have a scent pool around them that all wildlife can smell and avoid. Humans can't smell that so when you enter his scent pool (which may extend fifty or one hundred yards), the bear, not knowing we have weak olfactory senses, takes that as a challenge. He is the apex predator and you are challenging his dominance by entering his space. Period. 90%+ of the time he'll simply glide silently away and you'll never know how close you were. Less commonly, he'll exhibit that threat display which is also a benign response. "This is my space, go away!" And in a tiny minority of cases they'll rise, make a half circle downwind (they don't know we can't smell them) creep silently in as close as the cover allows and charge you from the rear or side from close range at 35-30 mph. Depending on how thick the cover is (and these tend to happen in very thick cover) you will have one to two seconds from the time you hear branches breaking before he runs you down. They tend to run you over like a Volkswagen hitting a pedestrian, then turn and comeback to finish you off. That's how actual attacks happen, and this is why I doubt 99% of the cases where some nimrod claims he "stopped" an attack with pepper spray or firearms. You simply don't have the time to deploy a defense. Your real defense is having a partner that you trust. Let him interrupt that attack, or you interrupt the attack on him. Pepper spray is very useful for bears that nose around your camp out of curiosity. That's a bear that needs a blast of pepper spray, though a shot in the ground is just as useful. If you're hunting have an LPVO optic in 1X6 or 1X8 and keep it at 1X until you need to dial up for a shot. The typical 3X9 scope leaves you blind at close range, even if you have time to get a shot off before he's on you. Have a solid partner in bear country. Have a scope that dials down to 1X and keep it there. Hunt from the relatively open ridges, not down in the thick stuff. Bears are not slow lumbering creatures that vocalize and give you warnings. They attack like big cats, from cover, at close range and with blurring speed. Understand the behavior. And please, don't shoot or pepper spray the "good bears" that give you the fair warning of a threat display.

I appreciated your attempt to be data driven and objective. You presented some good data. I think you did a really good job. I have hunted and backpacked in wilderness country for almost 41 years. I have carried both bear spray and a side arm and over the years have had two “bad” bear encounters and one mountain lion that seemed crazy. I have also studied into this debate quite heavily. Here is a couple of points that I don't feel get addressed. Point #1: Most people carrying a sidearm in the woods are not as proficient with the firearm as they think they are. I have found that MANY of the people carry a sidearm they have not even shot in the last 2-3 years. I am no expert at shooting, but I do go to the outdoor gun range 2-3 times per month. In a given year, I will normally send 1800-2200 shots downrange. That is not as much as I would like, but it makes me more prepared than the majority that do not practice at all. I also try to practice shooting in different body positions to simulate not having the perfect shooting scenario. Also, many people that carry firearms are largely ignorant of what type of projectile to use in bear country. If you are using ammo that was designed for self defense it will likely not have the penetration that is needed for predators. Because of my preparation I feel better about carrying a firearm than bear spray. On the other hand, if a person seldom if ever practices with a firearm they would be MUCH better served carrying bear spray. Also, regarding the effectiveness of firearms many studies cite old outdated data. I read one “study” that cited a Grizzly shot by the Lewis and Clark expedition in the early 1800s with blackpowder rifles as proof that a firearm was NOT powerful enough to stop a Grizzly! When I read this “data” I just shook my head in disbelief. Bullet projectiles have gone thru a technology revolution in the last 20-25 years. This is a total game changer. For example: A Glock 20 (10mm) shooting a 200g hard caste projectile has proven to be VERY effective. It has a 15 round magazine capacity and can be comfortably carried all day. It is VERY reliable and shootable and can be extremely accurate in the hands of a practiced shooter. That kind of protection was not available back in the 1940s and 1950s or earlier and so many of the studies still cite data from old low technology projectiles. BUT I repeat that a firearm is ONLY going to be effective if someone is REGULARLY practicing and has developed the necessary muscle memory to perform in an emergency. Many people would be better served with bear spray than their pistol that has sat in the gun safe all year long without being shot. Sorry for the long rant, but I feel your video was good enough that it merited a full response.

A friend of a friend was recently attacked by a brown bear defending cubs. He was hit from behind before he could discharge the bear spray (he was aware he was about to be attacked but didn't have time to turn the safety off and aim). After multiple bites to the leg, the bear went in for a bite to the back of the neck but got the can instead, which sprayed directly into the bear's mouth and face. The bear left immediately and ran off.

Oh yes the Smith Herrero study AGAIN ! The Smith Herrero study has a few flaws and , as you stated , their conclusion should be taken with a grain of salt ! Firstly they should have limited the scope of their data to only include the incidents of bear defense using MODRERN firearms . Unfortunately they compiled data on over 400 cases of firearms use, some from over a century ago when antique black powder firearms were in use. Accorrding to their study the most common cause for failure of a firearm to defend a bear attack was " inabillity to reload " Well, that is no surprise when they included data , even news paper articles , from the black powder days of yesteryear . The second GLARING error that I noticed was they studied cases where pepper spray was used on non aggressive bears and compared that to the use of firearms to defend a bear attack . In most of the cases of pepper spray use in the Smith Herrero study , the bears were only displaying curious or otherwise non aggressive behaviour. There is a BIG differnce between scaring off a nuisance bear with pepper spray and having to shoot at a charing bear that is about to kill you or rip your guts open . The Smith Herrero study would have much more credibility if they had limited the scope of their data to only compare similar aggresive encounters using both pepper spray and only modern firearms normal used in the last 30 years or so . I went through the entire paper a few times and my conclusion , based on their study was that pepper spray can often be successfully deployed to scare off or change the behaviour of curious non aggressive bears. In the case of an aggressive or charging bears I believe that pepper spray may help to reduce the duration of a bear attack but not always . Just a few years ago a lady from our area lost her life in a bear attack . They sprayed the bear with pepper spray but according to a family member that only seemd to make the bear more aggrivated. The attack was stopped when the ladys husband retrieved his rifle from the cabin and shot the bear. I have seen with my own eyes how inaffective pepper spray can be on wildlife and there is no way I would trust my life to it if I had a better option . A 45-70 or a 12 Gauge shotgun dosen't care which way the wind is blowing . UPDATE thanks to others reponding to this post the stats also seem to reveal that in almost half the cases where the study claims firearms failed to defend an attack , the people being attacked never fired a shot . In those cases , it wasn't the gun that failed . Those cases were stll counted as a failure of firearms to defend a bear attack . The more I learn about this study the more biased their conclusion appers to be . Be aware of your surroundings . Stay alert and be prepared. A gun isn't going to help you in a bear attack if it is still sitting in the holster while a bear is chewing on you . Get familiar with your firearm. Pratice shooting it and practice getting it put of the holster and into action . Practice LOTS . Your life or the lives of your friends might depend on how well prepared you are .

Been a Alaska multiple times. Saw plenty of grizzlies. No bad encounters. I had both spray and 44mag. But if I could only choose one it's the firearm hands down. Not even a question in my mind.

I enjoyed your attempt to be objective about this subject. I watched Ron Sooner’s episode 354 interview with Alaska bear guide Phil Shoemaker- perhaps the man with more than 40 years experience of hunting and living with brown bears. I realized that often times a guide or hunter may aim the firearm at the bear and shout at the bear. The bear will do a bluff charge and depart with no shot being fired. Shoemaker stated that is the most common response. I doubt that data is reported. If spray is deployed, the bear may have bluffed and departed without any response to the spray and was counted as a successful spray incident. So perhaps we need all the data from people who had neither spray nor a firearm ( a control group). I lived in Colorado for years and it is a common saying with people who live in more remote areas with a lot of bears. S. O. S. If you have a bad bear encounter. Shoot, Shovel and Shut up. So without a doubt most successful firearms defense incidents go unreported. The people do not trust the authorities to deal objectively and fairly with them if they have to shoot a bear.

I wonder how many professional guides, or people who go to rescue the mauled individuals, choose to only carry the "more effective" spray?

"Bear Spray does NOT work like bug spray ,,, we wish we didn't have to say that ."

*The specific topic aside, thank you for the masterclass on maintaining healthy skepticism of unsubstantiated claims and rigorous analysis of data / studies. We could use more of that in our day-to-day discourse.*

I truly appreciate the DATA approach with opinions and unique special cases set aside.

One factor that I wonder about in the difference between the rates of success is the type of encounter. I would think that there would be more of a tendency to use bear spray in minor encounters where the bear would have gone away without any type of deterrence being deployed. That would inflate the apparent efficacy of the spray.

look I was born and raised in grizzly and brown bear country, yes I know they are the same the difference in coastal and inland raised in both. 1. every encounter is different no two bears are the same. Now with that said!! If the bear is not aggressive, just pushy or not paying attention, bear spray is your go-to. However, if the switch has flipped and is set on hurting or killing you a firearm is going to be your go-to. I have seen bears that are switched on keep killing or attacking with a leg ripped off the only thing that will stop a bear dead set on battle is death. I would carry both, most people that live in bear country don't go very far outside without a firearm on them, I would carry both, and what I used would depend on the encounter. I would make my choice. What would make that switch flip, well too many reasons to list, but here are a few common reasons why a bear would go into full-on kill mode. 1. Cubs, especially first-year cubs, 2. breeding season, males get moody and aggressive when females go into season. 3. food cash close by, 4. dumb bad luck, just startling the bear can flip the switch. In most encounters, you need nothing. In some encounters, a little spray will bush them off. but if that switch is flipped you could put that entire can up the nose of that bear and he or she would keep coming like nothing ever happened. I promise you this. if the switch is flipped you have to kill or be killed. It truly is that simple. One time when I was about 13 I was running the rabbit snare trail collecting rabbits, and all of a sudden about 15 feet from be a good 10' bear stood up and screamed at me, I was young and did the wrong thing, in about 0.5sec I took off, never looked back, ran so fast that when I got home my mom said my lips were blue. I have no idea what it did but my guess is not a damn thing. Oh watch out for blueberry patches that is where I have had the most bears sneak up on me, one sec you're alone picking berries the next a bear is eating berries about 10 feet from you. this has happened a few times in my life. I was older by then and just backed up a little and picked berries on the other side of the patch. But I had a bear pistol in my chest or stomach holster. In every case, I could read the body of the bear and they did not give a sh*t about me.

Also depends in two camps; 1) experienced w/guns hunters & outdoorsmen 2) non gun campers/hikers & city-ot neo-phytes

One good argument for bear spray is that you can be a little bit more liberal with it than you can a gun. With a gun, you are committed to using lethal force or making a loud noise, without much of an in between. Warning shots are also teaching a bad lesson which is "gunshot sounds don't hurt you." Whereas bear spray teaches the lesson "humans spray this spicy stuff in your eyes and it hurts."

I appreciate your analysis of this issue. You obviously did considerable research. I’ll give this very careful thought. Thank you.

Well done, here is another anecdote from me. We live in Staten Island NY and once before going to the mountain in upstate NY with my family I purchased a bear spray for protection. I opened the can and since I never used it before in my life I decided to test it a bit, to give a short burst into a toilet bowl from a 3 ft distance to see if it worked. Boy, was it fun! The fine residual mist of the spray started to choke me and my wife in another room almost instantly. The same invisible mist settled on the surfaces including the toilet seat, and even after we wiped it off with a wet towel several times it still burned the skin after contact. This is how one idiot gained his faith in bear spray, that stuff is potent!

That's really interesting. Valuable analysis. Thanks Stephen.

Food or garbage ? ....ok so we are counting bear spray driving away garbage bears .......who the hell gets to shoot at garbage bears ?

Thank you for such a thorough analysis of the reports available to us.

An outstanding presentation. Knowing the data and the methodology of gathering and analysis of the data are indispensable to successful decision.

An angry charging commited bear...vs a bear just mulling around. I want 3 capable people in big bear country.

Intelligent analysis. The problem with the data that I see is the possibility that bear spray is used on a not too serious charge whereas a firearm is used when the bear is seriously trying to kill you. 10 mm handgun seems to be a smart thing to carry as well as bear spray. Backup companion with a 45-70 wouldn’t hurt.

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

Thank you for posting this

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

As an exploration professional, I have lived and worked in the Canadian wilderness for most of my life. Dealt with a number of close calls with black, grizzly and polar bears. In those 48 years, in the early days, there was no option for bear spray and after seeing the results of bear spray use I am not a big believer in it as the only thing to carry. I carry both spray and a 12 gauge or a 45/70. The spray works well on a bear that must be deterred, a gun is for when a bear must be stopped. You don't always get the choice on which you can deploy and bring to bear in a given situation and you can't always know for sure if deterrence vs stopped is needed but many face-offs can go either way based on your confidence and the vibe you put out. Many encounters backed with gun or spray end with all parties concerned going their own way without either option having to be used. A good part of that being, the human had something they felt would protect them and projected confidence. One thing I have noticed is that in curious bear situations when the bear is still at distance but moving closer to check things out, bear spray sucks at firing a warning shot lol. Still if one of the crew is on the ground wrestling a bear I don't want to have to shoot into that. Hose them both down and hope the bear takes off or at least moves off so you can safely take a shot - your crew member will hate you but at least they aren't bear fodder. That said, one of your best protections is another person or two with you who are similarly ready to deal with the situation. Again, its the vibe projected that suggests don't mess with the noisy two legged things. That can go a long way toward everybody just avoiding each other and going about their day.

So refreshing to come upon a KZfaq video that's actually informative on the subject

Thanks for the video. Very well presented data/insight and thoughtful commentary. I especially appreciated the John Wick reference.

As a backcountry hiker, I have bells and bear spray on my hiking stick, and a weapon as backup. I know I'll be faster with the bear spray because aiming is simpler. I've used bear spray effectively in two bear encounters. I've had over twenty bear encounters where the bears retreated. That's the key. Let them hear you coming and you usually won't see them. If you do see them, back up quietly and slowly while setting up to spray. The most dangerous time is when you cook at your campsite then go to bed in clothes that smell like food. Our backpacking group follows strict food discipline rules. We cook in the morning and eat a cold meal like a peanut butter sandwich a few miles before camping. Then it's wash up and put on clean sleeping clothes time. Basically, a clean set of clothing reserved only for sleeping. Nothing with a possible food smell goes into the tents or hammocks. No drinks, snacks, toothpaste, chapstick, toiletries, or lotions.

The minute you said "piss everyone off" your cat took it personally.

Thanks for taking the time to present a clear and credible comparison of bullet vs spray with bear attacks.

Thank you for the level headed and informative, data driven assessment!

We lived right on the edge of the wilderness in Washington State. Every now and again a Bear would come into the neighborhood. Just about everyone has a Bear Slap. It's two bords hinged together with straps for your hands or hand holds(drawer knobs). When you slap it together, it sounds like a double barrel shotgun cracking off. There were 30 of us kids in the neighborhood running wild all over the place. 10-12 of us would take off in the summer time for 2-3 weeks at a time miles up in the mountains. We would use the Bear Slap every hour or so. But Bears wouldn't ever bother us because there were so many of us stomping around out there. But I do remember my Dad a few times grabbing the Bear Slap and running out the back door.

You forgot to circle back around to the misuse examples in the bear spray study. It’s important to note that in 4 cases, residue of bear spray actually seemed to attract bears. Having been hit by an accidental discharge of bear spray due to the safety clip being dislodged in brush, my biggest concern with bear spray is that in the wind you get one shot. It took me a substantial amount of extra time to hike out while covered in residue, and I was out of commission for minutes. It seems likely, atlthough not proven in this data, that the most likely aggressive bear encounters involve hiking with the wind in your face and surprising a bear, which is the worst case scenario for spray. I actually find most bears avoid human interaction normally. With the wind in my face, I prefer a firearm.

Thank you for the good information you presented. Being in the health care field myself I know how important it is to provide evidence based information. I appreciate the time you took to inform people in particular the ones that are new to the outdoors activities. I enjoy reading the comments of the man form Kodiak, I learned we need to use a lot of common sense and try to understand nature before making serious decisions. Thank you again.

Really great video! Always wondered about this.

Great video, very well spoken!!

Well done. Of course gun lovers will never believe bear spray is better than guns. All the data in the world won't change some minds. I also like how you talked about the variables to be considered. Personally, I'd like to have both options with me at all times.

How refreshing, someone who wants to see facts backed up by legitimate linked sources!!! Ty!😊

Great video! Thanks for the information. It definitely dispelled a few falsehoods I had regarding the use of bear spray.

Carry both. I live in prime Canadian Grizzly country with a dense population of Grizz, Black Bear and Cougar. Up here it is big trouble if you shoot a Grizz, even in defence. I carry bear bangers, air horn and spray. At times I also have a 45-70 guide gun. Bear spray is the most effective most of the time but there are instances where they are sick, old or just an exception that they become predatory and a firearm might be required. I hunt in the bush by myself and I have never had to use spray or bullets. All of my encounters resulted in the Bear running away or myself backing away. I've probably been lucky, I also try to be highly aware of sign and the vegetation that I'm in. Sight lines, wind and noise are your friend when you aren't hunting...

As a hunter we try to stay downwind of animals we are stalking such as deer that may result in an encounter with a bear. Startling the bear usually results in an attack. Since this encounter is at close range deploying the bear spray isn’t likely to help not only because being down wind as a factor but reaching in time for the spray usually attached to your belt or pack and then pulling the clip. Hence the hunter holding his or her rifle opts shoots the raging bear in hopes of fending off the attack. This may not prevent the bear from inflicting some wound to the hunter with the bear running with adrenaline at you and coupled with perhaps a deer caliber and not a bear caliber. So the number in the test results then become screwed noting this wasnt efective but others hiking along trails making noise and perhaps not downwind have bears at further distances from them have time to deploy an effective tactic to thwart off the aggressive bear. Note in this situation I would rather have my rifle to get off a good shot or several shots being effective than wait for this charging bear to get into effective range with the spray! Most bear spraying persons armed with spray are likely to have yelled at the bear or walking/hiking in pairs or in a group or that obviously would intimidate the bear than a lone hunter stalking stealthily through the woods.

Excellent video. Best I've seen on this subject.

Super-interesting. Thanks Stephan.

The BIG question is what people would call an aggressive bear encounter. Most people, including many used to seeing and encountering bears, are not able to see the difference between a mock attack and a real attack. People also very often think that a curious bear coming close is an aggressive bear. If it is a mock attack or the bear being curious only, a bear spray, a shot in the air and you even doing nothing will most of the time make the bear walk away. But a bear spray can also make the mock attacking bear change it to a real attack. And someone claiming that is not the case talks pure nonsense. I have a very good friend that has done research on bears for 30+ years and one of his colleague that was rather inexperienced with bears mistook a mock attack from a brown bear for a real attack and used his bear spray against it, but his first attempt missed the bear, but since he was stressed and rattled by the "attack" he really didn't pay notice to what the bear did as he changed his aim and sprayed again, but at that time the bear had already stopped the charge and was already turning away. The moment that second spray hit the head of the bear, there was no turning away and just a mock attack anymore. The bear clearly felt attacked and attacked him in defense and started to bite him and hit him with his paws. My friend was not able to shoot the bear with his 44 magnum soon enough to stop the attack and he had to move close enough to be totally sure he could shoot the bear in the head and not hit his colleague. If his colleague had been alone in that situation with his bear spray, he would most likely have been killed by a bear that in reality only did a mock attack. My friend is never working without a proper firearm to protect himself from bears as he very well know that a bear spray is totally useless against a bear that really wants to harm him. Yes, he has a bear spray with him as well, but he mainly uses that against young bears that are curious and to stupid to walk away from a shot or two in the air. I am no scientist as my friend is, but I have been around a lot of bears of all kinds for about 40 years and have had many bears close to very close to me. I have experienced rather many mock attacks during those years but I have only experienced four real attacks. Two of them the same year. All of them brown bears. None of these four bears would have stopped because of some bear spray as their intent was VERY obvious. Another friend I have once stopped an attacking polar bear with his 44 magnum and that bear dropped less than 6 feet from his toes and he would for sure be dead today if he had a bear spray in his hands instead of his gun. If a polar bear is aggressive against you, it will not care at all about your silly bear spray. Wounding a bear with a firearm can also turn a mock attack into a real attack and some people bring something like a 9mm for self defense against brown bars or polar bears, it is not strange that things are going badly.... Reports and studies like this should be taken with at least some grains of salt and maybe even with a shovel of salt at times. Most of the times are "aggressive" bears not aggressive at all. And I totally understand why it is claimed that a bear spray is better than a firearm, since wounding a mock attacking or curious bear with a bad shot or inferior cartridge/ammo will result in a real attack much more often than the use of a pepper spray will. But the reality is that the bear spray is utterly useless if you encounter a bear that really wants to harm you or even eat you. But having firearm is not enough. It needs to be powerful enough and you need to practice enough with it to be both quick and accurate with it incase you need to use it. A 9mm handgun can in most cases be enough against a black bear if you are a good enough shot with it, but it is close to useless against brown bears or polar bears. A 10mm handgun is minimum against brown bears and polar bears in my opinion and you need to use proper loads with proper bullets that can penetrate the skull well and deep into the body. This is what I use when bowhunting in bear country and as backup when fishing or hunting with a rifle in bear country. My main gun when fishing, is a shotgun with slugs. And when I hunt with a rifle in brown bear country, I hunt with my 375 Ruger. All these are very capable to stop an attacking bear if you hit where you need to hit, but the 10mm takes the most practice to be skilled enough with. A high quality pump action or a high quality semi auto 12 gauge with slugs is by far the best choice for most people in my opinion. It takes the least practice and is VERY effective against an attacking bear. The type of bear also matters a lot. If a polar bear really is aggressive, there is NO pepper spraying in the world that will stop it. The story about stopping aggressive polar bears wanting to hurt them with a pepper spray is utter nonsense. If a polar bear wants to hurt you, it will not stop unless it is dead. When it comes to brown bears, few of them are really aggressive and want to hurt you. They say that about only 1 in 100 brown bears will attack you and that fits rather well with my own experience. In most situations by far are they only curious or at worst making a mock attack. Since most people don't encounter many brown bears when visiting their backyard, would they be rather unlucky to encounter a brown bear that really wants to hurt them. In most of those cases it is a sow with cub/s, a bear guarding his/her food or you suddenly come very close to it without it noticing you and it attacks you in defense instead of running off. When it comes to black bears, you need to be very unlucky to encounter an aggressive bear. I have encountered MANY black bears and have yet not encountered one that was aggressive. But the most dangerous black bears by far are the dumpster bears and the bears roaming around to gorge in people's garbage. These black bears tend to have no fear of humans at all and are in general much more dangerous than the black bears in the wilderness that I am used to. That said, can black bears in the wilderness still be dangerous, but they are extremely few compared with the black bear population. But you still need to be prepared in case you encounter one of them. Black bears are also by far the bears where bear sprays are the most effective against. Both bear sprays and guns can give a false sense of security when it comes to bears and no matter what you choose to bring, do you need to practice enough with it to be able to use it well if you need it. Personally I would NEVER be in brown bear or polar bear areas without a firearm. And I highly recommend people to not rely on bear sprays only in those areas. I VERY much doubt that a bear that really wants to hurt you, will stop because of a bear spray.

Always enjoy your content Stephan, so thank you! But I have a few comments and/or questions. The caliber of the bullet should be a key component of this analysis. I know many avid hunters who have had several encounters with bears who swear by a .45 ACP pistol. It’s a small and nimble firearm easy to maneuver but yet with huge stopping power. These real world outdoorsman have told me that with that particular firearm they’re pretty at ease and it’s never failed them whereas they’ve had failures with the bear spray (a) outdoor conditions b) the bear charged right through the spray). This caliber of the bullet as parallel to the content of the spray. You wouldn’t want to spray a bear with a dog spray, for instance. I appreciate your reliance on scientific analysis. I’m a scientist myself but I can tell you that as of the last decade or so, I have increasingly lost confidence in these journals who are easily swayed by those who fund them. I know that’s very much against the scientific method but sometimes there are political motives behind these papers as data can be easily manipulated. The best source of info are villagers and populations who live in the wilderness full time and deal with bear matters on a frequent basis. I would take their word over any publication. That’s just the world we live in. Ow unfortunately.

Excellent review and summary of available data.

Thank you, you presented a thoughtful and reasonable argument. I will continue to carry both

Laughed at your John wick joke!

Okay, my first comment was before watching the video. This is trash studies. Okay, in most cases the bear will stop on its own when charging so if you just happen to set off the spray and the bear would have stopped anyway you get credit for the spray, you see what I'm saying. like I said below in my other comment, if a bear switch flips it will not stop, I'm telling you, it is rare for that switch to flip but when it does. I don't think you can count charges, like I said, I have been charged at least 10 times in my life, they stopped on their own every time, so if I happened to spray would all 10 charges count for spray stopping the bear without a full-on attack.

A very valid analysis. Thanks for the discussion.

Well said, thanks for sharing a non biased report, just the facts. I agree, let the evidence dictate what's best to use in a given circumstance.

Some great answers here from viewers. Generally, it's difficult to get unbiased statistics as not everyone reports incidents and some groups have certain agendas. If its not possible to carry a rifle or self defense shotgun, carry both bear spray and a handgun like a 10mm with a great penetration round from buffalo bore or underwood. If no guns are allowed or the person is not skilled with a firearm, pepper spray is the only proven option. Sometimes a problem bear needs to be educated but is not predatory and pepper spray will prevent an unwanted investigation. A true predatory bear is better dead, as it can eventually injure or kill a person. Many people are not skilled with a handgun and will not shoot effectively. In summary, carry two types of protection when possible. Be prepared, practice with the spray or firearm so in the heat of the moment, a person can use their tool of choice. Thanks for sharing the studies as they provide interesting info and details.

Excellent presentation. I appreciate your demonstration of the difference between anecdote and study. The hierarchy that I am familiar with is: anecdote, survey (which your studies are), experiment. Anecdote is under-appreciated - individual stories are where studies and experiments get their inspiration.

Great info. Thanks!

On May 18, 2018 a US Wildlife worker (Amber Kornak) while out in the woods checking bear hair sample traps, was attacked by a grizzly less than 2 air miles from our home at the base of the Cabinet Mountains near Libby, MT....Per various news reports: “As the bear attacked her from behind she was able to reach her bear spray and spray the deterrent to ward off the bear,” Hemer’s fundraising post continues. “Amber’s wildlife training skills kicked in, and she somehow managed to stay calm and hike two miles from the site of the attack to her work vehicle where she then drove to find help.” I spend a lot of time in the woods hunting and fishing as well as fishing trips to Alaska. When in the woods or at camp I carry two cans of bear spray in a holster for fast access. During archery season I add a revolver. During rifle hunting season, I still carry the two cans of bear spray. Also carry a Garmin Messenger in case I get into a bad situation.

Bullet placement is important. As they are charging aim for the nose or just ahead because they are lower than you ad they are coming ,other wise you will shoot high . I dont carry a shot gun for bear because there is no way enough penetration after a lot of testing . A handgun in a chest rei is good ,its faster than a hip holster and with hard cast bullets Is very effective. Rifles are also effective but you might have set it down ,with not time to retrieve. An Alaskan guild recently used a S&W 9 mm auto with buffalo bore hard cast And it worked. Its not a one off. Bullet placment and hard cast bullets are the key. A 10 mm ,.357 will work to. When you get to 44 ,454, and larger handgun calibers you run into recoil that hinders your follow up rounds . Do not rely ever on Soft lead or or jacketed bullets. I always travel in twos. I carry a hand gun in a chest rig and the other person bear spray. They shoot first ,im the back up. Oh and besides hanging your food far away from your tent . Dont go in the tent with the cloths you had on when cooking and eating . Yup no food in the tent tent ,Or drink unless its water.

After watching. I agree 100% with your assessment. It was laid out logically and taking a hard deep look at both options. I can see how this might upset some, but you made your point professionally without bias and with data. Thanks for clearing that up, for myself anyway.

Great video! I really appreciate the data driven approach and the fact that you came into the analysis with an open mind. Frankly, I was really worried about the wind issue with bear spray and I carry both bear spray and a 10 mm with me in the wilderness. I will be less fearful of grabbing for the bear spray if I ever encounter a charging bear in somewhat windy conditions. In very windy conditions, I will deploy my 10 mm if bear is charging from an upwind or side wind position and will deploy bear spray if it is charging from a downwind position.

So the firearm categories and time range is interesting. Being that the timeframe begins prior to 1900, one question related to categories is, how many long guns or handguns were smokeless vs. black powder. Also, how many were autoloader, single shot, or manual repeaters, or shotguns? Also, what calibers? These are considerations of consequence, especially today, as firearm technology indeed advanced materially within that time period. It would be misleading to lean on data related to single shot muzzle loaders or sub 40 cal handguns. Such antiquated arms are anemic next to modern firearms. There is a massive difference to a 7.62 Mosin, or a 45/70 guide gun, for instance. If that study doesn't make these distinctions, then I can't really regard it as credible.

Better to have both, gives you more peace of mind.

Love the absolute candid, non-biased analysis.

After capturing a bear on Mike trail camp near my greenhouse I am researching bear spray. I don't really wanna walk by property with my shotgun, so I was looking for videos and yours was the best! You are truly researching and providing information that is extremely helpful. Thank you. I subscribed because you are a small channel and small channels rule!!!!!

You’re correct about source biases. My 2¢: Flat Nosed Hard Cast.

My guess as to why the Mineral Management group was part of it is that miners have a big portion of the interactions.

That was a great vid, thanks.

Wow, great video. Rational discussion. Thanks! :)

So I had just seen a KZfaq video about a couple who were on their way to a camp, had reported there location to an uncle, and were subsequently killed that evening by a grizzly bear. There were two cans of bear spray completely empty having been deployed. The rescuers found their camp and then were attacked and killed the bear.

Thank you for this very honest and meticulous analysis, and for pointing out superficial vs. detailed reports. I work in data analytics, so I'll add my 2 cents. Relying on data can play its own tricks on the analyzer, even if we completely exclude dishonesty and political views. When people consider "data", there is this illusion of data points being fungible, in other words assuming that every bear attack is the same, interchangeable, that every human in a bear encounter is also the same. I've seen professionals at work look at data and draw false or meaningless conclusions and "trends", where there were none. A couple of examples of variability: the data with spray use might have more "hippies hiking in bear country" represented, whereas the data with guns might have more hunters, where the bear behavior and motivation are different. So we are already comparing different situations. People react differently - some are decisive, others might panic or freeze. Every bear is obviously different - different demeanor, different time of year, weather, mood, how hungry, how angry, etc. Another: level of training with a firearm. I read recently about a man who survived, although still injured, but he practiced with his 10mm Glock all year long, and that saved him. Other people don't practice, thinking that the gun is a magic power. There's a guy on KZfaq who relates how his brother took an unvetted pistol with him elk hunting, which he's never once fired. Or how about the elk hunt guide who was killed because the pistol was out of reach and didn't have a round chambered, so his client couldn't get it to work. Even cases of defense against humans, like police shootings or citizen defenders, are considered to be incomplete to judge "stopping power" of some calibers vs. others, although there's far more such incidents vs. bear attacks. Spray doesn't even stop every human attacker. I dream of visiting bear country some day, maybe years in the future, and I would never want to have to shoot a bear, but I won't go if I'm limited to spray only. So I am studying and training now, learning and figuring out what do bring. We don't see studies analyzing whether smoke detectors are better than fire extinguishers. We have both. Likewise with bear defense. Spray is a given, a must. A firearm should be up to the person. And that person better put in the time to figure out the caliber, action, ammo selection and lots of training and practice. P.S. cool looking pump action there, is it chrome plated or stainless steel? What kind is it? I'm not sure I've ever seen one with that finish and type of stock.

Great video. I love the format.

Super informative! Thank you!

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

The person using the gun makes a huge difference.

Crystal clear. Solid information. 👍

I am surprised you didn't suggest a triangle choke or arm bar! Nice to see you making other content. I just stumbled on this video. I only know your name from teaching Jiu-Jitsu. Just subscribed.

The problem about government studies is that the government, both state and federal, doesn't allow most of its employees that work on public lands to carry firearms unless they have police authority (ie. rangers). They have a huge incentive to say that bear spray works better than firearms exactly for that reason.

Actual Alaskan here, most that live / work in bush carry a bear gun of some sort. they may also carry spray, but when your life is at stake, a gun is always best. ive found those from los anchorage, tourists, or those that are casual bush goers, tend to favor spray. the types of encounters betwixt the two populations, while overlapping, are different in nature, and local. lastly, i knew Smith when he was doing Bear research for US fish and wildlife in anchorage, 1011 e tudor rd. if you want to do a deep dive, i dont know if its in the report, or just in research paper, he told me of a story, part of the 'spray misuse'. they used to have FWL volunteers do a test spray after leaving the float plane, at drop off site. everyone carried spray, and there was always one bear gun (shotgun) among the group. during one trip, they tested the spray, getting it on the planes floats. when they came back, they discovered that a gear had gnawed the floats where the spray was, causing enough damage to ruin a float, this sinking partially the plane, and necessitating a rescue. it was a long time ago, and if i remember correctly, that is what smith told me gave (in part) idea for research into bear spray.

Very worthwhile analysis. Thank you.

I’m going to stay home on the couch in the spring, lol. Rest of the year - this advice is super helpful.

immediately 'like' as soon as the black cat passed into the frame )

I have dealt with 2 bears with guns. And I am alive and well to type this.

For the algorithm ! Great video mate ! Liked shared and subscribed! Looking forward to watching your other content, would love to know if you’ve had any, let’s say odd encounters with anything during your time in the bush. Anyways god speed!

Thanks for the great review. I guess I need to rethink carrying only a Ka-bar when I'm in bear country.

Well I've lived 65 years born and raised in Alaska and I will tell you it depended on the situation. In my younger days we didn't really see that many bears because they still had fear of human, but now generations of bears have been born that just don't see humans as much of a threat. If a bear is running full out at you, you may as well have salt spray along with your pepper spray so you're well seasoned when he tears you apart. The bear will literally come right thru the spray before it even realizes what the hell it is. Nothing is going to save you in every situation, but my number one best defense is a good dog. Yes a dog can be trained to hunt with you, without scaring the game offs as well warn you of impending danger. I carry both spray and a 12 gauge short barreled pump shot gun. The first two shells are 3 inch large buckshot followed by 3 inch lead slugs. The big buckshot obviously has wider pattern than the slugs but also has amazing stopping power, like running into a brick wall. And one other suggestion if a bear is coming around your home or being nuisance, don't just shoot up into the air, all that does is make the bear realize there's no pain to that loud noise. Get some solid rubber slugs and shoot the F-er right in the face so in the future he will associate that noise with pain. Personally I wouldn't care if there wasn't another bear left on the planet. They aren't much better than having T-Rex hanging around just one bite or claw swat can disfigure a person for life. But of course we have to have to have them so tourist can take photos and tell their friends how cute and cuddly they look, and so the all great white hunters can compare testicle size.

Ladies and gentlemen...the most reasonable full moustache in America

Man, this is a 101 on argument. As a seven-year hunting guide (Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, and New Mexico) and a 16-year high school AP English teacher, thank you for this. I'll be using this vid as a case study in logos, pathos, and ethos.

Great breakdown 👍 loved it

I've defended against a brown bear once in Alaska. It was while fishing in Alaska on the Newhalen River by Iliamna. It was harassing me over my string of sockeye, I postured the first time around and it backed away, then it got progressively more brave while I was trying to leave and I had the misopportunity to shoot it in the face with bear spray and didn't have a problem again. Unfortunately the very next day the same bear harassed a local native and their net on the other side of the river to the point where they had to shoot it. The native was cornered and used what appeared to be a .44 mag wheel gun. It was sad to see, but the native was cornered and had already used up his bear spray. I will always wear a bell to let them hear me, and will always have a can of spray in my off hand and tied to my body when in bear country. I carry a glock 20 10mm on a chest harness too, but fortunately I wasn't on the other side of the river that day.

How do you know bear spray doesn't work? When you find an empty can in a pile of bear poop, along with some poor guy's shoes!

Good video, earned another sub

Nice discussion thank you.

The Bible shows that bears like bald dudes by the prophet Elisha's example. So just be bald guys 👍🏼 ... that's how this dude survived so long!

In general, peer reviewed journals USED to be more reliable, however interesting studies have shown recent cases wherre totaly made up farcical studies ahave been " peer reviewed" and quoted around and used as evidence other studies.

Great piece.

This is an awesome video. Up until now I always thought that bear spray was just going to piss off the bear and I was convinced that having a gun was my best option. You have changed my mind. I don't go into bear country much, but if I do, I'll definitely come prepared with both spray and a weapon. Thanks.

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.

Keep your bear spray ill keep my 12 guage

Thank you very much for such an informative piece. I didn’t have a lot of confidence in bear spray. I do now.

Excellent communication skills, and convincing facts.