I can’t tell. What magazine is that article in?
I can’t tell. What magazine is that article in?
“If you know the way broadly you will see it in everything." - Miyamoto Musashi
I remember seeing his Facebook video from right after the attack as he got to his truck. Tough son of a bitch.
-Cory
Edit: here is a reupload to youtube.
Last edited by Cory; 09-09-2019 at 06:43 PM.
Oops, make that “Outside Bozeman.”
Here is my take on bear spray.
From the perspective of a park ranger, bear spray is a perfect recommendation. It doesn’t cost much. Compared to a firearm, it takes relatively little skill to use. It keeps guns out of the hands of people with a low skill level. And, perhaps most importantly to them, the bear is unlikely to get hurt.
From the perspective of a regular person, bear spray is also an excellent recommendation. They want something that makes them feel better, and frankly it may be more effective for most people, given the amount of firearms expertise required to use a weapon defensively against a bear.
From the perspective of a skilled firearms person, I think bear spray sucks. A skilled person knows that bear spray is not part of a layered approach, since deploying bear spray compromises your ability to effectively deploy a firearm. If bear spray fails, you are unlikely to have time to deploy a firearm. Yet having bear spray with you, at least in lower 48, creates opportunities for second guessing by the authorities and public at large, in your defensive use of a firearm — as in “why did you shoot the bear when you had spray?” I think a warning shot effectively becomes your “bear spray.”
Likes pretty much everything in every caliber.
”But in the end all of these ideas just manufacture new criminals when the problem isn't a lack of criminals.” -JRB
A Mossberg 500 12 ga security shotgun with 18 inch barrel, aluminum receiver, synthetic stock, and 5 shot mag tube capacity makes a lightweight bear protector. Carry it and leave the big handgun at home if extra weight is a concern. The Mossberg ain't a cool gun, and some might scoff at this box store special, but would it not perform this role well?
I don’t see it as either/or, as the handgun and long gun are complementary for bear defense. A long gun in a heavy caliber gives you an opportunity to break down a bear, and stop it without an upper CNS shot. A handgun allows you to do things, like fish, fly or work, where your shotgun will be against a tree or otherwise not in your hands.
Likes pretty much everything in every caliber.
My personal view on using OC spray for unruly bears mirrors the views I had when I was a LEO using it as a component in dealing with unruly people. It may (under favorable circumstances) have some usefulness when encountering "resistive" individuals, but "assaultive" behavior isn't the place for spray ..... that clearly demands a greater level of force if you want a predictable outcome.
The path of least resistance will seldom get you where you need to be.