Sorry Jeremy, I have to agree, your story is full of manure. Although it is interesting [crazy]. I have read several books that research bear attacks and the causes for them in the Idaho, Montana and Wyoming areas and I’ve yet to come across any in those areas (or elsewhere) that are even remotely similar to this account. I have heard of numerous ones though where bear spray has been effective and ones where bullets have killed quickly and also where they just piss the bear off. If anyone else has some insite to the debate of lead vs spray pipe up. I love that this thread still gets a post or two every few months after about 2 yrs 
it was up by ebineazer area about 4 years ago its on line under idaho bear attacks when i find the url again ill post it on here fo you all to read it doesnt sound real i didnt beleive it for the fact they said grizzly bear and they are not seen in those parts very offten.. how ever it is sad to say so ill find the url and post it give me a couple days..
If anyone else has some insite to the debate of lead vs spray pipe up.
While I don’t consider myself an expert by any stretch of the term, I have had some experience with Coastal Brown Bears in AK (same species as the grizzly, only bigger because they get better food). I have been 20 feet from a 9’ male, eye to eye. I saw one 9’er take 3- 350 gr slugs from a 45-70 leaving the muzzle at ~2050, the first one entered the bear at ~10 feet and the other 2 were put into it as it was running away. The bear ran away as if it wasn’t even injured. I have also seen a 7’ and an 8’ killed with the same loads. These loads are much hotter than any handgun loads I know of.
I haven’t use pepper spray on a bear, but I’d have to say, I’m choosing lead. The bigger the chunk of lead the better I’m gonna feel about it.
You go ahead and spray one with pepper spray if you want to. Let me know how it works for you. [;)] As for me and my house, we choose the lead.
I’m with you on the lead. My Smith and Wesson 500 mag likes to snuggle in my sleeping bag.
More for debate than anything, there is one big hole in the big lead theory. The 9’ bear in question took 3 350gr slug, starting at under 10’ distance at extremely high velocity and still ran away “as it it wasn’t even injured”. What is to say it wouldn’t just piss the bear off more and cause it to run over you instead? This has been the response in more than one case. Plus it leaves a wounded, ticked off, very dangerous animal in the bush that another person could stumble across. I can’t say that bear spray wouldn’t cause the bear to continue the charge either though. Just some thoughts to consider.
What is to say it wouldn’t just piss the bear off more and cause it to run over you instead?
You have valid points and that’s why it is such a debate. My answer to the above question is: Nothing… If the 3 slugs didn’t do much, do you think the spray would do more? I’ll take my chances on 2 more slugs that are left in the gun.
All I can say is with Lead, you have a chance. Bear spray has never killed a bear, lead has.
Bear spray is like bringing a butter knife to a gun fight and your odds are not good.
I will keep my S&W 460 with me for bear or wolves.
This thread hasn’t gotten any hits in a while and I know we’ve had several new members recently so figured I’d give it a bump and see what thoughts come out. Especially w/ the talk of bear hunting and bears coming out of their dens the last couple months.
Thanks good idea . Curt G.
I was in Redfish Lake several years ago. I pulled into the camp sight where my in-laws were camping. A Forest service woman with a chip on her shoulder came and tore into me about my Springer spaniel. I had taken him off leash and he was sitting on the tail gate waiting to be kenneled. I told her I was in control of the dog who was in control of her? She said Be careful I will kick you out!
Then as night came on I saw a F&G guy I knew. I asked him what he was doing and he said he had a problem with 5 bears. One was on the beach by the lodge. This one walked up to some people with a cooler and they took off. He found a cooler full of food. So he kept it up since he was having luck. One sow with two cubs was at little redfish and visiting the camp ground. And there was two at the Sockeye camp. I told him I was here if he needed help.
Well about dark my kids head over the hill to visit some friends in another camp. My wife said where is that forest service lady? There is a big lab following the kids. That was no Lab. I grabbed a big rock and I was stupid enough, or scared enough for my kids to run at the bear and yell at it. It turned on me and I thought OH Sh!t! All of a sudden the bear turned and ran. At that time I heard something behind me. It was a man that saw it all go down. When he came up the bear saw two of us and ran.
About a half an hour later the Forest service woman came into camp. She asked for me by name. She didn’t know me so she asked us at the fire pit. I said I am him. She said “sir” The Rusty F&G officer is in need of your help. I said you know I am the one you were bossing around earlier don’t you? She didn’t say anything so I said if it is for Rusty I will go with you. Rusty wanted me to go with him to help “haze” the bears from camp. He loaded his 12 gage with rubber bullets and slugs. I carried the spot light. I told my wife to stay in the car since we were in a tent.
We looked around for a long time and we didn’t see anything. Soon we got a call on the radio. A bear was in a camp sight and gave the number. I told rusty that was mine! We took off on a run for the camp. We missed him again. So Rusty got a call that a very close call just happened at the lodge. He took off and left me with a FS man this time. This guy was much easier to get along with than the woman. I told him I would try to help keep the bear out but I was getting my 44 mag. I had a Mag light and a 44 mag Pistol Loaded with 300 gr Hornady hot loads.
I walked around my camp and looked around. Then I heard two pots being clanged together and someone yelling. I took off running to the sound and the bear passed me in the dark by about 10 feet. I didn’t know it was there until it passed. I could not have reacted fast enough in the dark. I found our the camp where the people had put out baked potatoes to get a picture of the bear. It got rank when it couldn’t get more and someone started to bang the pans. After that I radioed Rusty and told him we needed a trap now. The bear was getting a little nasty from reports.The trap was pulled off the beach and brought to the camp. We set it up and backed off. The campers were told to go to bead and the trap was loaded with potatoes.
The fifth bear was a little bear that we kept bumping into in the dark. This one was about 75 pounds maybe less. After we set the trap we didn’t see the bears again.
We found out later that the bear went over the hill to another camp and found a cooler out. That cooler was full and the bear wiped it out and went off to sleep it off.
What I learned that night. First stayed armed. Next dealing with bears in the middle of the night is work for a shotgun with slugs. I don’t think I could have hit anything in the dark with the pistol even though I am very proficient with it.
And last I think the FS woman was meaner than any of the bears. Ron
Great story Ron. No big surprises, though.[;)]
lol! great story thank you for sharing. the wife kids and i ran into a big bore while up morrel hunting two weeks ago the wife and kids walked off about 50 yards down the trail from me and i saw him scale a tree as they passed him so he could get a better look at what was making all the racket as a 2 year old and 4 year old child walking through the woods is not a quiet event. i started off to them and the bear saw me and came down the tree and took off running away from everybody. big beautiful black boar. im gonna see if i can slide an arrow in him this fall.
well after further research and being an enthusiast in guns im finding that there are a couple of new guns and they are a large bore as well that would more than take care of any threat in the woods 
here is a link to my choice other than it is 20 bucks a round to shoot!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SRY9Gpqpmbo
or a .950 jdj wuld do the trick
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GcEvBwMKZ9s&playnext=1&list=PL091E8F6FD157E412
I’ll take the bear spray still. I don’t want to have to be hospitalized d/t the recoil from my “defensive” firearm
LMAO at the vid. both spray and lead have there rolls in effectivness. i typically carry a gun with me more for the two legged critters as i have had more confrentation with those than i have had with bears. the two encounters i had with bears the bear ran with a little noise from my gun into the ground (shooting into the air is not good).