Humans and bears - Wild encounters

[brotherbear]

From the archives of the magazine, "Outdoor Life" ( 119 year history ) "Bears By The Numbers"... containing the phrase:
Bear Attack... 1,811.
Problem Bear... 3,135.
Bear Gun... 6,013.
Bear Spray... 773.
Old Mose... 52. 
 
Also from Outdoor Life: In 2012, the Journal of Wildlife Management published a groundbreaking paper, "Efficacy of Firearms for Bear Deterrence in Alaska."
Co-authors Tom Smith and Stephen Herrero analyzed public records, media accounts, and anecdotal information reaching back to 1883. The study examined 269 encounters between 357 bears ( brown, black, and polar ) and 444 humans, and concluded that people who used firearms for self-defense against bears "suffered the same injury rates in close encounters with bears whether they used their firearms or not."
Now widely cited by back-country-area risk managers, wildlife biologists, and bear experts, the study further concluded that bear spray has a better success rate than firearms at neutralizing a bear encounter, and that spray is also less likely than firearms to cause collateral damage to humans or other animals. Reply