Bear spray or defender?

[58thecat]

Spray on the belt holder, one hand carries the bow other the shotty. I pack mine on my back too but if things ever got hairy the shotty is out for good measure.

[bluetick]

From my understanding its impossible for a spray to Freeze as it is under pressure only and there are no added moisture other than the powder and the dry air !I am wondering if the can had depressurized over time.

[edmhunter]

I carry a Mossy 88 with 4 Hi Shock 3" Magnum Slugs, was attacked once, killed the bear at 1 yard, head shot. The way I look at it is that there are lots of bears and only one of me!

[Supergrit]

There is some leather company out of bc makes a holster for defender looks good. If I'm by myself defender all the way.

[edmhunter]

Supergrit, I lost my holster that sat in the middle of my sholder blades in the middle of my back, I bout it at Milarms and cant find them anywhere, which company are you talking about? Thanks DDS

[Prairiewolf]

I choose bear spray - and make sure it is looked after and maintained. Think how amped you get when you are rifle hunting for prey, and how difficult it is to collect yourself. Now multiply that by 10 for a bear.

[Flatlandliver]

This is from a U.S Fish and Game publication

Bear Spray vs. Bullets
Which offers better protection?
At first glance, this question may seem like a no-brainer. After all, aren’t guns made to kill, while pepper spray (so-called “bear spray,” when it comes in big cans) does not? Unlike an attack by a human assailant, who may be able to use your own weapon against you, that safety/survival argument for using pepper spray doesn’t apply to a human-bear encounter... or does it?
When it comes to self defense against grizzly bears, the answer is not as obvious as it may seem. In fact, experienced hunters are surprised to find that despite the use of firearms against a charging bear, they were attacked and badly hurt. Evidence of human-bear encounters even suggests that shooting a bear can escalate the seriousness of an attack, while encounters where firearms are not used are less likely to result in injury or death of the human or the bear. While firearms can kill a bear, can a bullet kill quickly enough -- and can the shooter be accurate enough -- to prevent a dangerous, even fatal, attack?
The question is not one of marksmanship or clear thinking in the face of a growling bear, for even a skilled marksman with steady nerves may have a slim chance of deterring a bear attack with a gun. Law enforcement agents for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have experience that supports this reality -- based on their investigations of human-bear encounters since 1992, persons encountering grizzlies and defending themselves with firearms suffer injury about 50% of the time. During the same period, persons defending themselves with pepper spray escaped injury most of the time, and those that were injured experienced shorter duration attacks and less severe injuries. Canadian bear biologist Dr. Stephen Herrero reached similar conclusions based on his own research -- a person’s chance of incurring serious injury from a charging grizzly doubles when bullets are fired versus when bear spray is used.
Awareness of bear behavior is the key to mitigating potential danger. Detecting signs of a bear and avoiding interaction, or understanding defensive bear behaviors, like bluff charges, are the best ways of escaping injury. The Service supports the pepper spray policy of the Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee, which states that bear spray is not a substitute for following proper bear avoidance safety techniques, and that bear spray should be used as a deterrent only in an aggressive or attacking confrontation with a bear.
Like seatbelts, bear spray saves lives. But just as seatbelts don’t make driving off a bridge safe, bear spray is not a shield against deliberately seeking out or attracting a grizzly bear. No deterrent is 100% effective, but compared to all others, including firearms, proper use of bear spray has proven to be the best method for fending off threatening and attacking bears, and for preventing injury to the person and animal involved.

[alpining]

Good points in that writeup. BUT you have to keep in mind that there are very likely fundamental problems with the data:

Joe Average, after spraying and not getting eaten by a bear, is fairly likely to report the "successful" use of spray. (even if it was a bluff charge and the bear was actually completely unaffected by the spray)

On the other hand, after shooting and killing a bear, Joe Average is probably less likely to report the "successful" use of a firearm.

There is no way to eliminate this bias. You just have to keep in it mind when interpreting the data.

[Flatlandliver]

There are multiple studies from both sides of the border but the best advise comes in the last sentence. No deterrent is 100% effective, but compared to all others, including firearms, proper use of bear spray has proven to be the best method for fending off threatening and attacking bears, and for preventing injury to the person and animal involved. obviously the best way to avoid a bear encounter is to avoid the bear which becomes the challenge when hunting in bear country.

[edmhunter]

Bottom line, when I am cleaning a moose or elk in the field and a bear or cougar enters the picture, my Mossy 88 is only inches away. I will save the pepper for seasoning the meat after I BBQ it

[Steelhorse Cowboy]

SPRAY!..worked for me...I used to carry a shotgun..now have two cans on me..one on the right hip the other on the right pack strap.. both hands can get at one in a instant...I call it "the fog of war".... LOL

[Bowstring]

Bear spray all the way

[huntinalberta]

I vote bears pray. Lighter and just as affective withought permanently harming the bear.

[Tyangelo]

I've got both. Its worth the extra weight.

Spray in my back pocket with the guard off. Shotty with 7 1/2 birdshot, followed by 3" rifled slugs. Rifle on my back, shotgun at the ready.

If I'm with another person, we discuss who does what in the situation of attack. One person readies the spray, while the other weilds the hand-cannon. Always have the coolest nerves on the gun. The potential for a blinded bear with a few large holes in him falling in front of us after a charge is high...

[Okotokian]

Originally Posted by bushman300

A defender would be more effective .

How do you figure that? Every study that I've ever seen that has compared the effectiveness of spray to a firearm has come out in favour of spray. Only advantage I can see with shotgun is if you run into a few grouse. Take out the slugs, pop in some shot.

[Stinky Buffalo]

Originally Posted by huntinalberta

I vote bears pray.

Me too. Gives me a chance to slip away while they're saying grace.

[Duster_80]

Originally Posted by shooter

I have carried both. Hadn't though much before about the spray freezing.

lol