What this incident says to me is that you don't acquire true competence simply by taking a "course." You need instruction, followed by experience, backed up with more "book learning," and yet more field time... Competence eventually emerges.

Very true. These are the 2 provinces I've lived in and the only places I've really pursued the outdoors. It's just a simple fact that if I'm hiking or camping that I am doing so in bear country (brown & black). I had to hit a couple outdoor stores today and there was noticeable activity around the bear spray & deterrents due to that Parks Canada bulletin.

And yes, the gun debate is much different up here due to both the laws and culture (which I guess are somewhat tied together).

You and JohnN both raise a good point; injuring a bear that was bluffing can definitely cause an attack / mauling that might not have occurred otherwise.

I can also see inexperience being a factor as you suggest, but good shots don't appear to guarantee an immediate end to an attack. For example, Scott Oberlitner and a buddy defended themselves against a bear attack, him with a .375 H&H Magnum rifle. Each man fired at the bear before it came into contact with Oberlitner, but with less than ideal results even though both shots were good:

"... both of the bullets fired at the start of the attack mortally wounded the bear, but because those bullets failed to hit any bone, they did nothing to slow the bear's attack. The force of the last shot rolled the bear off Oberlitner."

Based on my limited reading, I think there are things that can be done to increase the effectiveness of a firearm as a defence tool against bear attacks, including:

• Having your firearm in hand
• Having your firearm loaded with a round chambered
• Being able to disengage the safety smoothly and intuitively under pressure
• Don't try to scope the bear

However, I'm not convinced firearms can be brought up to the effectiveness of bear spray.

In the time allowed, shot placement rules. This is similar to discussions on some gun forums about stopping an attack vs killing an attacker. A .22LR can kill an attacker, but maybe not fast enough.

A bear's physiology allows it to keep moving quite a bit longer than it takes to attack and kill a mere human. Then the bear moves off and the blood pressure drops off and it dies. We're back to putting rounds in the brain for an effective stop and that is much easier said than done against a fast moving bear.

I'd go with bear spray too.

YMMV <$.02

I know I know, reviving an old thread is generally throwing akin to throwing gas on a old fire but I just thought I would post an article that I found recently.

It is a 5-part breakdown of the discussions that following the incident and doesn't really shed light on the incident itself. The author discussed the use of guns vs bear spray in a bear attack and comes back with some surprising conclusions and makes a good logical case for not giving firearms to the teens. Never the less, it was a good read written a few weeks afer. The second article provides more clarity on what happened on the day of the attack and of the nature of the attack. It was raining and the sounds of the creek disquised the approach of the group. The attack was maybe 10 seconds long. Since the kids crossed the creek indiviually the bear didn't know it was confronting a group if she had known would have preferred flight to fight. Only the first student said he saw a cub. This is one encounter that was not likely to have been avoided and the writer congratulates the teens on their post-attack response. There are several related links from the first and following articles. Some are also interesting reading.

Where I hike, my preference would be to carry bear bangers and bear spray and position a tree/obstacle between me and advancing bear. Firearms are illegal in Canadian parks. Bear bells are basically annoying dinner bells and are worthless decorations. Knowledge of bear habits and being attentive to the surroundings is paramount above all else.

http://www.alaskadispatch.com/article/ar...attack?page=0,0
http://www.alaskadispatch.com/article/alaska-bear-attack-nols-kids-did-phenomenal-job?page=0,0

I have seen Herrero's statistics before and they are pretty convincing. It is also very clear that one needs to be scrupulously clean when in bear country in order to deter attacks. I have enjoyed firearms all my life, but I think bear spray to be a more effective deterrent.