Originally Posted by
Enel
I posted the above article on Handgun calibers to Facebook with my same comments.
I have one opinionated, know it all "friend" who lived a decent amount of time in AK, who assures me spray is 100% scientifically proven to be superior to firearms.
I pointed out that spray is a psychological stop for the bear. It has to decide to stop. A properly placed bullet gives the bear no choice.
His response:
" That is actually incorrect. Spray plays to a bear's weakness. Because a bear's olfactory system is more sensitive than a bloodhounds by a multiple of ten, spray actually overwhelmes a bear. Imagine a train horn going off a foot from your head. The sensory overload of spray is profound, and again, I am speaking from experience. Its also why people are not really bothered by spray. A bullet, however, plays to a bear's evolutionary response system. It fires up their adrenaline making for a pissed off, turbo charged bear. Thats how they can fight other bears with massive wounds. Spray...its not just a nasty sensation for a bear. It is an incredibly debilitating pain. A properly sparyed bear aint deciding shit.
According to my expert neighor you cant stop a bear by wounding it. You have to physically overwhelm it with injury. Bears instinctively fight to near death when threatened and certainly when wounded.
Again, I had an educated choice to make in AK. Not just for me, but for our thousands of bike clients in bear country. The science is pretty clear. Spray. If I thought a gun would havr been better I would gladly go that route. However, those inclined to WANT to use a gun find ways to justify it."
I ended the interaction at this point because I think he is full of shit. I am however willing to consider that I may be full of shit. Is bear spray that proven? I imagine most people use spray because it is effective, convenient, requires little training, is lighter than a firearm, does no permanent harm, and avoids defense or life paperwork. It still gives the bear a vote in the matter, however. Not to mention its weakness in various environmental conditions.