08/10/2026
I know this one’s gonna get me a lot of hate, but should you use a gun or bear spray to protect yourself from a bear attack? Statistically speaking, the answer is bear spray. One Alaska study found bear spray stopped bad bear behavior around 90% of the time, and 98% of people carrying it walked away uninjured.
Now here’s the caveat. If you are highly trained with your firearm, calm under pressure, and actually ready to use it in a two-second nightmare situation, a gun may be the better bet for you. But most people massively overestimate how well they’ll handle a pistol with a bear coming at them. Bear spray throws a big cloud in front of you, and that makes it a lot more forgiving. Personally, I think you should carry whatever you want, but I’m taking both.
— Stephen Ziegler
Outdoor writer | Rack Junkies Podcast
