Will bear spray stop a charging bear or at that point are you basically fucked?

People in general are the greatest threat.

 

If the bear attacks, Pins you down. Better have a hand grenade.
You ain't taking me alive!

So, yeah, you are basically a dicked daddy.

 

Depends on the type of bear. Little black bears aren’t much of a problem. However, I have a friend from Wyoming who has lots of bear stories with the grizzlies.

Basic answer is NO. With a determined bear it is just a deterrent. They find empty bottles of bear spray with an empty pair of boots. Either need a shotgun or large caliber handgun. In carry a shotgun and use a hard sided camper for grizzly country. He also has a story about a bear ripping people out of their tents one by one as everyone thought they were safe in their tent.

 

This is the real Reason i carry a gun while camping. I’m much more wary about people than bears.

 

You guys watch that dude who was living with bears?! Took his girl out there with him on one particular trip and it ate them both.
Straight up it’s on the Net and it’s extreme. Not for the faint hearted, the sounds are horrifying.

 

I just carry the bear essentials. Ok, I'm done now.

 

You are beary funny!

 

Depends on the drive of the bear. A bear in prey drive isn't stopping for bear spray. A bear in defense probably

 

As I posted in the other bear thread. This past August, me and a buddy did a 2 week remote DIY fly-fishing float trip in SW Alaska.

I called Alaska F&G and was able to eventually speak with a Wildlife Officer regarding bears. Here's a summary of his advice/recommendation in priority order.

1. Avoidance - make your presence known by speaking loudly and often. We did some bushwhacking and bought small marine air horns and did a short blast every few minutes in addition to saying "hey bear" . Bears don't want a confrontation any more than we do. The horn is also a good line of deterrence at distance. Chances are the bear will run away.

2. Bear Spray - specifically Counter Assault. This would be the first line of defense in the event of a non-responding approaching or charging bear. He said most charges are just bluffs. Since we were fly-fishing, I'm the one who manned the shotgun (#3) and it was either slung on my shoulder or on the raft, so it wasn't possible to be at the "ready" at all times. The spray will deter most bears. The bear spray was with me at all times...attached to my wading belt.

3. Shotgun - specifically a Remington 870 loaded with 2 3/4 Brenneke slugs (better recoil control than 3"). They penetrate extremely well. Only to be used as last option if #1 and #2 fail. Didn't recommend a handgun at all due to the proficiency required to be effective.

We saw several bear on the trip and they all ran when they either saw or smelled us.

We're planning another trip for 2020 and I'll do the same.

 

If you are alone then I would worry. If you are with someone else you just have to outrun them, not the bear.

 

What about a tazer? Will that stop the charging bear in its tracks?

 

Only if it's like a bolt of lightning

 

I said Hey Bear once..he/she politely turned and said Heyyyy..

And then we started to dance lol!
Had to add some pics to this thread.

 

Works every time

 

and are we really that different than bears...

 

Well yes, indeed we are.

 

and if a swift kick in the balls doesn’t work. Ya gotta call in the Hulk!!!

 

Whenever we are in shenandoah national park, there are people who are dressed like they have never been outdoors, sporting bear spray on their belts. the stores in SNP sell them. I'm guessing day visitors from DC. I always think, if a bear is charging you, by the time you stop freaking the hell out, unclip the thing without spraying yourself in fear driven confusion, bear's got you.

At least once a year we run into a bear hiking and they couldn't care less about us. The closest run in we had was on a trail off the AT. I was tying my shoes and when I stood up, I saw about 10-15 deer sprinting across the trail about 5 feet behind me. I never saw such a thing. I kept hiking up and saw what the deer were sprinting away from. My buddy and I were about 10 feet from a momma bear and her 3 cubs. We stopped, they looked at us, and kept walking along across the trail. I'm sure if we went to pet the cubs, momma would have been pissed but otherwise, all of our run ins with black bear on the east coast PA, VA, NC, and TN were boring to say the least. In about 10 situations or so (over 30 years of being outdoors in bear territory) we see bear about 40-50 feet away and we see their behinds as they run away because they heard us walking. I'm sure there were more situations where they were near us and ran away after hearing us before we could even see them. Only times (4 times to be exact, you never forget) we have had close encounters were when we were sitting/standing in a spot for 20/30 minutes and they stumble on us.