Bill To Require Bear Spray In Wyo. & Other Bear Spray Stories

Teton County Attorney Steve Weichman says he's working on legislation that would require permitted backcountry users to carry bear spray when they're in grizzly country. Weichman announced the proposal last week during a Yellowstone Grizzly Coordinating Committee meeting. He said the bill would require hunters, anglers, and recreationists overnighting in national parks to carry bear spray when in areas populated by grizzly bears. Weichman said the bill, which does not yet have a sponsor, is needed because human-grizzly conflicts are increasing. While only 44 people have died from grizzly attacks since the beginning of the 20th century, the majority of those attacks have occurred in the last 20 years. Weichman also cited recent studies that show bear spray is more effective than bullets at preventing injury to humans during a bear attack...read more

Be interesting to know where those statistics came from. Meantime I'd be packin' more than a can of spray.

UPDATE: A writer at New West looks at the studies and pretty well rips them up and then adds this tidbit:

Bob Wharff, executive director of the Wyoming Sportsmen for Fish and Wildlife, told the Jackson Hole News & Guide, “There are some instances, when you’re not surprising the animal, when you may have time to get your pepper spray out,” he said. “[But] when you stumble into a bear, the minimal time you have to respond is not adequate to go through the though process [of getting your bear spray out]. You’re talking milliseconds. It’s illogical that you’re going to set your gun down and get your pepper spray.”

And then I found this article:

Two men who bear-sprayed a woman in the doorway of her Reece Avenue home after asking her to call police are being sought by Chilliwack RCMP. Police said the two men knocked on the door of the home at about 4:30 p.m. Monday claiming they had been assaulted and asking the woman who opened the door to call the police. "Before the resident was able to place the call as requested, she was bear-sprayed by one of the males," Cpl. Lea-Anne Dunlop said. The 35-year-old woman was able to close and lock the front door, and the two suspects fled in an unknown direction...

Now I've know some pretty tough ladies, but if bear spray won't stop a 35 year old woman I'm gonna have some severe doubts about it stopping a grizzly.

But what the hell, if the feds can force you to buy health insurance then I guess a state can force you to buy bear spray. Kind of a "spray to play" type of a scheme.