CowboyTutt wrote: ↑Sun Apr 24, 2022 5:51 pm
Old Savage wrote: ↑Sat Apr 23, 2022 10:03 pm
Please explain “pretty solid research”.
Well, I stand corrected I think. While 2 studies that are often compared showed that bear spray is very effective and firearms were not, the way the research was conducted was very flawed although it is generally used and taught now. This guy gives a very good analysis of the 2 studies. -Tutt
https://www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-a ... pray-work/
That's a really interesting article and makes a lot of good points.
It kind of sounds like bears are
like human bullies. Three steps to deal with them:
1. AVOID them if possible. Maintain situational awareness and avoid situations where they may hang out. If you do stumble upon one try to ease away from them without attracting attention.
2. PERSUADE them if you are able. If you come to their attention try to appear non-threatening and non-challenging. Use gentle persuasion to redirect their attention ("hey, look at that cool Corvette that guy's got over there..." or "hey this captation spray really smells nasty maybe we should get out of here").
3. SHOOT THEM IN THE FACE promptly if they attack you during or after the above methods fail. Repeat until they cease aggression.
A physically fit and young and tough guy might be able to substitute 'PUNCH them in the face' for step number three if it's a human attacking them, but for a scrawny old guy like me the human would have to get the same treatment as the bear if I expected to prevail. Unless maybe some 4-year-old kid decides to attack me....
I guess the other issue is that bears are a lot tougher than humans. Most humans shot in the face with a 22 short but probably back off pretty quickly but I would expect a few shot at charging grizzly bear your bullet had best go right up one of the nostrils or eye sockets, and it had best be a pretty tough bullet as well.
Definitely step one needs to be followed, unless you really feel the need to bet your life on whether or not you can rapidly hit a 3-inch circle coming at you at 35 mph with your first shot.