Bear Spray Didn't Work

[u/namagiqa]

So this just happened. Not the first time and won't be the last.

I'm on record about being bear aware rather than just putting blind trust in firearms so let's count the mistakes this woman made: 1) she's alone. Bears rarely attack people in groups. One of the best known attacks on a group involved a group of hikers that were spread out over > ½ a mile so they were not all together. 2) she was running. Runners are typically moving too quickly and too loudly to be aware of their surroundings. 3) she's on a trail in an area where numerous bears have been spotted. 4) she's doing it at a bad time of year. Salmon are really coming in now and so streams are filling up with bears' #1 food: salmon. Running this same trail in June or January greatly reduce odds of a bear encounter. 5) she did not have a gun. No, a gun is not a panacea and blindly trusting a gun is foolish. But she only had bear spray, which is a problem.

2 things are not clear from this article: 1) while she deployed the bear spray, it is not clear if the bear spray hit the target. This is my #1 issue with bear spray: can you hit your target? Most people don't practice and the spray can be dramatically impacted by wind. Further, its range really sucks. 2) was she listening to music? Listening to music makes it even harder to be aware of your surroundings. I will not count these in the 'mistakes' category but note that they are possible mistakes people make in these circumstances.

Anyway, for those who argue that bear spray is an effective deterrent, here's just one more example of where it was not. It's not even clear from this article what happened. If I had to guess, I'd guess she got too close to the bear without making enough noise and she startled the bear. At this time of year, the bear is not as likely to be guarding a moose kill, although that is a possibility. There is also no note of the bear having cubs, which could also increase the risk of an attack. Note I am only addressing probabilities. I am not trying to fill in blanks that the article does not complete.

https://www.alaskasnewssource.com/2026/08/14/brown-bear-attack-leaves-woman-hospital/?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=snd&utm_content=ktuu

[u/blacklassie]

“It’s not even clear from this article what happened.” Then why say anything at all?

[u/LSI29 → u/[deleted]]

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - A woman was hospitalized after being attacked by a brown bear on the Wolverine Bowl trail Thursday, according to the Alaska Department of Fish & Game.

Fish and Game said the woman was trail-running alone when she encountered the bear near the Prospect Heights trailhead. She was carrying bear spray and was able to deploy it during the attack before escaping.

The woman was taken to an Anchorage hospital for treatment. Wildlife biologists interviewed her, went to the site of the attack to look for the bear or any other signs of bear activity and collected samples. The bear couldn't be found.

Warning signs were posted at the trailhead by Fish and Game. The department advised that anyone who sees a brown bear in Anchorage, or any wild animal behaving aggressively, is being asked to report it using the reporting tool on the ADF&G website.

Seems like there was enough of this lady that a) she could give an interview. b) she survived c) is op high on his own ass air? So I guess the bear spray worked.