Bear spray a viable alternative to guns for deterring bears, BYU study shows

Smith’s previous research found that guns were effective about 67 percent of the time. Shooting accurately during the terrifying split seconds of a grizzly charge is extremely difficult, he pointed out, and his data shows that it takes an average of four hits to stop a bear. In addition, firearms are prohibited in national parks like Glacier and Denali, popular with hikers and also with bears.

“Working in the bear safety arena, I even found a lot of resistance to bear spray among professionals,” Smith said of the product, which retails for $30-$40. “There was no good, clean data set that demonstrated definitively that it worked, so that’s why we did this research.”

“Tom Smith is highly respected among bear biologists, naturalists and educators. His one-on-one experience with bears in the field is an enormous resource to the bear management community,” said Chuck Bartlebaugh, director of the Center for Wildlife Information, the nonprofit that runs “Be Bear Aware” and other wildlife safety campaigns. “This new study is important information that is needed by hunters, hikers or campers to understand the value of bear spray and how it can protect both people and bears.”

The research debunks these common misconceptions about bear spray:

• “Bear spray doesn’t work when it’s windy.” Wind was reported to have interfered with spray accuracy in five of the 71 incidents studied, although the spray reached the bear in all cases. Smith used a wind meter to test the speed of the spray as it streams out of the canister. Repeated tests showed an average of 70 miles per hour. Smith also noted that bears and humans can easily see each other in open, windy spaces. The surprise encounters tend to occur in wooded areas in which vegetation blocks wind.
  
  
• “The spray will also disable the person using it.” In the 71 incidents documented in the study, 10 times users reported minor irritation and two reported near incapacitation.
  
  
• “The can might not work.” There were no reports of spray malfunction among the 71 incidents.