Updated July 24, 10:26 pm: A woman who was killed by a grizzly bear near West Yellowstone, Montana on the morning of July 22 has been identified as 48-year-old Amie Adamson of Derby, Kansas, the Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office confirms in a Facebook post.

Adamson was working in the Yellowstone area at the time and was on the Buttermilk trail when the grizzly attacked her in what GCSO is calling a non-predatory manner. The avid runner was likely jogging at the time of the attack and was only a few hundred yards from the trailhead, ABC News reports. There was no evidence of the offending grizzlies consuming or attempting to consume the victim.

Adamson was a longtime English teacher and published author who quit her job in 2015 to hike across the country. No stranger to spending time outdoors, she wrote the book Walking Out: One Teacher’s Reflections on Walking Out of the Classroom to Walk America. Officials have set bear traps in the area for the third night in a row since the incident in hopes of catching the grizzlies.

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A hiker discovered a woman’s body on the Buttermilk Trail near West Yellowstone on the morning of July 22. Tracks, wounds, and the location of the incident are consistent with a grizzly bear kill, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks reports.

FWP game wardens were notified of the body at around 8 a.m. on Saturday. Wardens, bear specialists, and other investigators found wounds on the body that were typical of a grizzly bear attack. They also found tracks from an adult grizzly bear and at least one cub in the vicinity, but they didn’t see any bears, bedding areas, or animal carcasses nearby.

The woman is believed to have been traveling alone. Investigators didn’t find any bear spray or firearms at the site, indicating that the woman had no way to protect herself from an attack.

The Forest Service immediately closed down the section of Custer Gallatin National Forest where the incident occurred. They also warned nearby residents and visitors of bear activity. Concerns over the proximity of the area to multiple homes, campsites, and high-use areas prompted responders to begin the bear capture process, although no bear has been found yet. Investigators are still searching for the offending bears both on the ground and from the air.

The Buttermilk Trail (or “Buttermilk Creek Trail,” depending on which map you look at) is located within the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. One of six recovery zones for grizzlies in the U.S., the GYE is home to well over 1,000 bears, which is second only to the Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem in terms of overall population.

Read Next: The Clock Is Ticking as the Feds Grapple with Delisting Grizzly Bears

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is currently reviewing both distinct population segments and the feasibility of removing them from the Endangered Species List. That process began on February 3 and is expected to take a full year.

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Some jaw-dropping details have emerged about a bison goring that occurred in Yellowstone National Park on July 17. Victim Amber Harris of Phoenix took to Facebook to recount the events that led up to the incident and the injuries she suffered as a result. The severity of the damage is shocking.

Harris, 47, fractured her spine in seven places and experienced a bilateral lung collapse after the bison charged her near the north end of Yellowstone Lake. She was staying at the Lake Lodge Cabins with her boyfriend and daughter at the time.

“We woke up our first morning and walked down to the lodge for some coffee then decided take a walk through a field to get to Yellowstone Lake,” Harris wrote in a Facebook post on Tuesday. “There were a few other people and about 20 elk roaming around so we waited for them to clear before walking through the field. About halfway to the water we noticed [two] bison. [One was] on the path we were walking and the other [was] in the opposite direction. We stopped and looked at the massive beast, about 50 yards away on the trail, hidden at first in the shadows of the tress. We watched him drop and roll in the dirt, like a dog would. He got up on his feet and started walking then running towards us.”

When the bison made contact with Harris, it struck her in the chest and back. It missed her major organs but left her with severe bruising in addition to her debilitating injuries.

“I was carried out of the field on a stretcher to an ambulance and then transferred to a helicopter for a life flight to Idaho,” she continues. She was treated at the Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center in Idaho Falls, approximately 100 miles as the crow flies from the Lake Lodge Cabins.

A Surprise at the Hospital

What Harris didn’t know was that the vacation was supposed to end with a major surprise. Her boyfriend, Chris Whitehill, had a marriage proposal planned for Yellowstone’s popular natural bridge. With the trip cut short, Whitehill had to recalibrate.

“My love got down on one knee beside my hospital bed last night and formally asked me to be his wife,” Harris wrote. “Without any hesitation I said yes!”

Whitehill also organized a GoFundMe for Harris’ medical expenses. He confirmed in a recent update that Harris’ injuries did not require any surgery, but that she is wearing an immobilizing back brace to heal the fractures.

Watch: Bison Charges Family, Gores Man at Yellowstone National Park

“Amber is a fighter and she is battling hard,” he wrote. “Making little progressions daily.”

The National Park Service recommends keeping a distance of 25 yards from bison, elk, and other wildlife at all times. (This recommendation extends to 100 yards for bears and wolves.) Harris estimated she and Whitehill were double that distance from the bison that charged her. But as the NPS points out, the bison rut occurs from mid-July to mid-August, and they can be much more aggressive than usual this time of year.

The post Woman Gored by Yellowstone Bison Suffers 2 Collapsed Lungs, 7 Spinal Fractures appeared first on Outdoor Life.

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Encounters between brown bears and dogs don’t always end well for the domesticated canines. But some dogs are just tougher than others. A recent video from Alaska’s Kenai Peninsula shows a handful of working dogs that aren’t afraid to go toe-to-toe with a brown bear. In the video, which was shared to Instagram on July 12, the four dogs win the fight and drive the bear away.

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Kenai River fishing guide Mike Evans filmed the video at Harpestead Mountain Kennels, where his friend Jen Harpe trains German shepherds, Border collies, and other working breeds. Evans told reporters that the bear had visited the property before and was about to crash their barbecue when Harpe’s dogs stepped in.

“Intense moment from a couple weeks back,” Evans writes in the video’s description, adding that no dogs or bears were injured in the tussle.

Of the four dogs that confront the bear, one in particular stands out as the dominant fighter in the group. While the other three bark at the intruder and run circles around it, the dominant German shepherd charges the bear, barking in its face and nipping at its throat. The brown bear growls, spinning on its heels as it shakes its head defensively from side to side. The dog only gives up when Harpe calls it off, using the German command “Aus,” which translates to “off” or “let go.”

Read Next: The Best Bear Hunting Dogs

There are a couple of explanations for why the dogs won the fight so handily. For one, the dominant dog had likely been trained for encounters like this. Harpe’s Instagram page features several videos of German shepherds, Belgian Malinois, and other dogs doing personal protection drills and biting down on would-be attackers. (Harpe did not immediately respond to requests for comment and little is known about her training programs or her dogs.)

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The other obvious factor was the bear itself, which took a defensive stance from the get-go. The young boar looks like a two-year-old, which would help explain its curiosity around the barbecue. It’s also clearly injured and has a large chunk missing from the back of its neck. This was probably the result of a recent fight with a larger, more dominant bear.

If that was the case, then the beat-down bear wouldn’t have wanted to fight and would have been more of a pushover than most Alaska browns. In any other circumstance, the dogs might not have been so lucky.

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An alligator bit an unidentified, 79-year-old man while the man was out for an early morning walk near his home in Naples, Florida on July 13. The attack occurred around 5 a.m. at Forest Glen Golf Course and Country Club, according to Fox 4 News.

The victim, who asked not to be identified, called 911 immediately after the attack and calmly reported what happened. He said that he was walking in the middle of the street when the alligator “came from out of nowhere” and latched onto his leg.

“I just got bit by an alligator in my community and I’m walking home,” the man said in a recording of the 911 call that was obtained by Fox 4. “I was just strolling along listening to my radio, listening to Willie’s Roadhouse.”

He was life-flighted by helicopter to a local hospital, where doctors treated the wound on his leg and then discharged him. His injuries consisted mainly of a large bite on his knee, which required more than 50 staples to close.  

“There’s a lot of skin ripped off I can see,” he said at one point during the 911 call.

Although he originally told dispatchers that he thought the alligator was around three feet long, licensed trappers found a 6-foot, 9-inch female gator at the scene. Witnesses and local law enforcement confirmed that it was the same alligator that attacked the elderly man, and it was promptly removed from the 630-acre residential community. (Forest Glen has declined to comment on the incident.)

Read Next: Video of Alligator Chasing Fisherman Leads to Fishing Ban in Coastal Community

“Go figure, out for a walk to stay healthy,” he told the dispatcher, who replied: “And you get bit by an alligator.”

Because of the time of year and the fact that it was still dark out, officials believe the gator was defending its nest when it attacked. Female alligators typically lay clutches of eggs in late June or early July, according to FWC. They’ll incubate the eggs for more than 60 days until they hatch. They’re extremely protective of their nests during this time, especially around dawn and dusk when predators are most likely to be on the prowl.

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Forget sharks. Surfers on the Central California coast are dealing with a different kind of marine menace this summer: an oddly aggressive sea otter. The otter has been accosting surfers near Santa Cruz, hijacking their boards, and even riding in the occasional wave—leading wildlife officials to try and capture the animal. One of these close encounters was captured on video and shared to Instagram on July 11:

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At the beginning of the video, the surfer is already in the water while the sea otter climbs onto his board and starts gnawing on it. The surfer tries rocking the longboard from side to side and flipping it upside down, but the otter is unshakable. It keeps biting chunks out of the surfboard and briefly charges the man when he gets too close. The exasperated surfer eventually gives up, swimming beside his commandeered board while the otter stays put.

“This was a very aggressive encounter and scary to watch,” reads the caption. “Please consider this video as a warning to how strong and forceful this animal is and [it] should be avoided if at all possible!”

This wasn’t a one-off occurrence, either. Several surfers and sea kayakers have dealt with the hard-charging otter in recent weeks, with three incidents taking place just last weekend, according to the New York Times. The otter’s behavior has gotten so out of hand that it is now considered a public safety risk, and local wildlife officials started trying to capture it on Thursday. Working with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, a team of trained specialists with the Monterey Bay Aquarium has so far been unsuccessful in its attempts.

“She’s been quite talented at evading us,” Monterey Bay Aquarium spokesperson Jessica Fujii told the Times earlier this week. She also explained that the otter has a history with the aquarium, which helps account for its unusually bold behavior.

Known by officials as Otter 841, the five-year-old female was born in captivity. Her mother had become habituated to humans feeding it, and after boarding multiple kayaks in search of handouts, she was captured in 2018 and taken to the Marine Wildlife Veterinary Care and Research Center in Santa Cruz, where researchers quickly learned the otter was pregnant. Her sole offspring, Otter 841, was brought to the Monterey Bay Aquarium to be rehabilitated before being released into the Pacific.

“After one year of being in the wild without issue, we started receiving reports of her interactions with surfers, kayakers, and paddle boarders,” Fujii said. “We do not know why this started. We have no evidence that she was fed. But it has persisted in the summers for the last couple of years.”

While 841’s behavior was definitely out of the ordinary—most sea otters are terrified of people—locals found it cute at first. Over time, however, the animal grew bolder. And since Southern sea otters are federally protected under the Endangered Species Act, there wasn’t much that surfers, kayakers, and other oceangoers could do to fend it off.  

“I tried to paddle away but I wasn’t able to get far before it bit off my leash,” recalled one surfer who was forced to abandon his board in the surf last weekend. (Judging from his description, this was likely the same surfer who was filmed in the above video.) “I tried to get it off by flipping the board over and pushing it away, but it was so fixated on my surfboard for whatever reason, it just kept attacking.”

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Another surfer, 16-year-old Noah Wormhoudt, described his run-in with 841 differently. He said that getting his board hijacked by the sea otter was actually a “pretty cool experience.”

“The otter was shredding,” Wormhoudt said. “Caught a couple of nice waves.”

With 841 still on the loose in the California surf, officials are reminding everyone to give the otter space for both the animal’s benefit and theirs.

“Otters have sharp teeth and jaws strong enough to crush clams,” one official said, noting that if the sea otter bites a human, the state will have no choice but to euthanize it.

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Sharks have been a major problem in the Northeast U.S. in recent weeks. Five people were bitten by the toothy predators in just two days around July 4th on New York’s Long Island; now videos have surfaced showing a shark attacking and killing a seal in Massachusetts has prompted authorities to close some beaches near Nantucket Island.

The video, recorded by Nick Gault from a boat near Great Point on the northern tip of Nantucket Island, shows blood-stained water from a shark ravaging a seal right beside the beach. The seal, missing its tale but still alive, later washes ashore and is set upon by gulls. The Costaka-Coatue Wildlife Refuge at Great Point was closed to swimming as a precaution against sharks, according to the Nantucket Current.

“Those videos are pretty troubling, and no human could survive that,” Diane Lang a stewardship manager on Nantucket told Fox News. “The policy is in place now. We’re telling our visitors no swimming at Great Point. I was in touch with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and they’re in full agreement [with the closure].”

Lang said that seal populations in the area have disappeared following the shark attack at Nantucket. Apparently, seals knew it was time to skedaddle. Tiger shark schools have been spotted in some Northeast coastal areas recently, with up to 50 sharks in one school seen cruising near the Long Island shore.

Read Next: Rabid Beaver Attacks Swimming Georgia Girl, Her Father Beats It to Death

Major shark precautionary measures are underway in the region. Lifeguards are patrolling beach areas with jet skis, and aerial drones are being deployed in some Northeast coastal regions to monitor sharks and warn swimmers about their presence.

“Drones will increase the shark monitoring capacity of local governments across Long Island and New York City, ensuring local beaches are safe for all beachgoers, Governor Kathy Hochul said in a statement.”

Meanwhile, wildlife managers are reminding beachgoers that shark attacks on humans are the exception, not the norm.

“New York’s shores are home to a wild and natural marine ecosystem that supports the annual migration of sharks to our coastal waters,” New York Department of Environmental Conservation commissioner Basil Seggos said in a statement. “While human-shark interactions are rare, DEC encourages the public to follow shark safety guidance to help minimize the risk of negative interactions with sharks this summer.”

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A girl was bitten by a rabid beaver while swimming at the north end of Lake Lanier outside of Atlanta on July 8, according to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources and local news sources. The girl’s father came to her rescue and beat the beaver to death.

Upon the agency’s request, the dead beaver was obtained by Hall County Animal Control for testing, then shipped to Georgia’s Public Head Lab, which tested the animal and discovered it was positive for rabies. The condition of the young girl and her name were not made available to the public.

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“There was nothing to indicate that there were baby beavers in the vicinity that were being protected, or that the beaver was sick, or whether it was just an otherwise angry beaver,” said DNR Lt. Judd Smith.

One recent Facebook report stated that two people had encountered a rabid beaver in the same general Sardis area of Georgia. But no one was reported bitten by the animal.

While beaver attacks on humans are rare, they aren’t unheard of. In most cases the animal attacks to protect its young or its lodge, or—as in this case—because it’s rabid.

At least one fatal attack on a human by a beaver has been reported. In 2013, a 60-year-old fisherman in Belarus died after a beaver bit his leg and severed an artery and a snorkeler in Nova Scotia was bitten by a beaver in 2014. In 2012, a Pennsylvania Boy Scout leader was attacked by a beaver (in that particular beaver attack, the man’s troop came to his defense and stoned the critter to death).

Karen Bond detailed in a Facebook post how she was attacked by a beaver in 2016 while swimming in the Quinnebaug River in eastern Connecticut. Her report is accompanied by gruesome photos resulting from the attack.

“I shoved my hand in its mouth to get it to release me and tore the ligament in my thumb,” she writes. “I had no idea what it was while screaming bloody murder until Gahrett Bond jumped in and unclamped its jaw from me and pushed me away. While he was swimming away it grabbed his leg and he was bit. We did not provoke this beaver, we had no idea it was there because he attacked underwater. We did nothing to this beaver. But they do attack viciously.”

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Traveling in bear country calls for a heightened sense of awareness and a basic understanding of how to defend yourself from an aggressive black bear or grizzly. Carrying and knowing how to use bear spray is one of the most important and effective safety measures you can take. Studies have shown that using bear spray can reduce both the likelihood and the severity of a bear attack, and more than a few near victims have seen its effectiveness firsthand.

This includes Alan Townsend, the dean of the University of Montana’s Forestry School, and Scott Ferrenberg, Associate Director of UM’s Lubrecht Experimental Forest—both of whom crossed paths with a grizzly bear years ago in northwest Montana. Ferrenberg tells Outdoor Life that he and Townsend were surveying a patch of forest near Ovando when they unknowingly roused a large male grizzly from its nap. The boar announced its presence with a growl and charged the two men through the brush.

“One of the things that stood out to me was just how large it was,” Ferrenberg says. “I’m a tall man, about 6-foot-4, but that bear … if it stood next to me [on all fours], its snout would have leveled with my sternum.”

The bear made a bluff charge at Ferrenberg and then wheeled away, turning toward Townsend instead. This gave Ferrenberg enough time to draw his own bear spray canister and spray the bear mid-charge as it closed in on Townsend. The charging grizzly spun around and retreated immediately.

“Despite the fact that my spray was deployed at the side-shoulder-head area of the bear, it was immediately effective,” Ferrenberg says. “Which impressed me.”

With that close call in mind, here’s everything you need to know about bear spray and how to use it.

What Is Bear Spray?

Bear spray is a non-lethal deterrent designed to stop a charging bear in its tracks. The active ingredient is capsicum oleoresin, which is derived from chili peppers. 

When triggered, a canister of bear spray releases a dense cloud of the pepper oil. This burning blast of pressurized spice temporarily reduces a bear’s ability to breathe, see, and smell, often running it off or buying you valuable time to haul ass out of there.

Is Bear Spray Effective?

Tom Smith is an associate professor at Brigham Young University and a prominent researcher who has studied thousands of incidents that involved the use of bear spray. In a study that he published in The Journal of Wildlife Management in 2010, Smith analyzed a number of incidents that took place in Alaska. This included 61 cases involving brown bears and 20 cases involving black bears.

The study concluded that bear spray was effective 92 percent of the time against brown bear attacks and 90 percent of the time against black bears. Most importantly, it found that 98 percent of people who used bear spray during an encounter walked away uninjured. The remaining two percent of people only received minor injuries, which means the bear spray could have helped reduce the severity of these attacks.

“You have no business in bear country if you do not have a deterrent with you,” Smith says.

No deterrent is 100 percent effective, however. And in roughly 20 percent of the incidents analyzed in the study, wind either interfered with the accuracy of the spray or caused it to blow back in the sprayer’s face. This doesn’t necessarily mean that bear spray can fail, as there were no mechanical failures reported in any of these cases. It simply proves that any deterrent must be used properly in order to be effective against a charging bear.

How Do You Properly Use Bear Spray?

Bear spray should be used as a deterrent and not a bear repellent. Only use it when a bear shows aggressive behavior or gets too close. If that happens: 

• Remove the safety clip. Before using bear spray, you need to remove the safety clip as swiftly as possible. It’s there to prevent accidental discharge, but when a bear is charging toward you, you need it gone pronto. Remove this clip quickly by wrapping your thumb over the clip and pulling it back.
• Aim. You are trying to create a barrier of spray between you and the bear. Aiming slightly below and toward the bear’s head will help ensure the bear runs into the spray. Use both hands to steady your aim.
• Consider the wind direction. Wind influences the bear spray’s direction. If you’re lucky, the wind will be at your back. If there’s a crosswind, aim slightly into the wind so the wind will carry the spray in front of the bear. If there’s a strong headwind, try to reposition yourself so you don’t end up with a face full of spray. 
• Spray. When the charging bear is 20 to 30 feet away, spray a one- to two-second burst. Remember to aim slightly downward and toward the bear’s head. If you miss or spray in the wrong direction, spray again.
• Leave the area. When the bear stops or retreats, back away slowly. Do not run. Keep an eye on the bear to make sure it’s not following you. Most bears will run away once sprayed, but in some cases, bears have returned to the scene, so hustle (slowly and carefully) to safety. 

“Our cans empty fast,” says Tim Lynch, the general manager of UDAP Industries, which is one of the leading manufacturers of bear spray in the U.S. “We have a high-volume, powerful spray, so with ours, you want to use short bursts.” 

UDAP’s Pepper Power canisters come in different sizes, all of which have a range of 30 feet or more and a continuous spray time of five to seven seconds. Wind and temperature can affect the spray distance, and Lynch says their spray is most effective when the bear is about 15 feet away.

“If you have time and you see a bear charging in, you want to get a burst in when the bear is around 50 to 60 feet from you,” Lynch says. “If you don’t have that time, or if the bear keeps charging in, you want to spray again when the bear is quite close and just let the bear have it.”

Lynch likens the bear spray’s dispersal to a shotgun blast, and he says it’s better to aim the can in one spot rather than waving it side to side.  

“We’ve been trying to correct misinformation someone put out that is recommending people do this zigzag pattern. That just destroys the push on the bear spray and then you create this huge fog cloud in front of you that would be hard to get away from if the wind changed.”

Other reputable manufacturers include Counter Assault, Mace, and SABRE. These companies make some of the best bear spray on the market, and many of their canisters come with holsters so you can keep them close at hand.

Practice Before You Visit Bear Country

Using bear spray is fairly straightforward, but an adrenaline-filled grizzly encounter is not the time to familiarize yourself with it. Practice reaching for your bear spray canister, removing it from your holster or side pocket, and quickly removing the safety clip until it becomes second nature. 

“The biggest problem people have with bear spray is getting it out and getting safety off so that they can use it,” Smith says. “They fumble around or they’re looking at the bear so they can’t figure out how the safety comes off.”

Ferrenberg agrees, pointing out that he was quick to react when he sprayed the massive grizzly because he had plenty of practice.

“Take it seriously and get your practice in like any other part of getting ready for the outdoors,” says Ferrenberg. “People will practice setting up a tent many times before they go backpacking, but it’s somehow a joke to practice pulling your bear spray. It needs to be something people take as part of the routine.”

Smith strongly advises against testing the same can of spray that you plan to carry in bear country to avoid weakening the spray’s propellant. Instead, one of the best ways to practice is by using inert cans of bear spray. These are harmless, water-filled canisters that are readily available from manufacturers, and they let you test your aim in various conditions. Many bear safety classes also incorporate these inert cans into their training sessions.

Tips for Using Bear Spray

We spoke with several experts to learn more about bear spray. Here are some tips on how to use it in bear country:

• Be bear aware: Stay vigilant. Always be aware of your surroundings and look for signs of bear activity such as tracks or bear scat. Pay special attention to dense brush, tall grass, and other areas that provide cover for bears. Also note the wind direction when you’re walking.
• Keep it accessible: Always stash your bear spray within arm’s reach, like in a chest or belt holster. If a bear is charging you, you won’t have time to dig through your backpack to find a canister. Bears can reach top speeds of 35 miles per hour.

“The biggest mistake that people can make with bear spray is to put it somewhere where they can’t get to it, like putting it in your pack,” says Chris Servheen, a bear biologist who spent three and half decades as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife’s grizzly recovery coordinator. 

In denser brush, where visibility is limited, you should carry your bear spray in hand, ready to deploy. 

• Make sure everyone in the group has bear spray. “Everybody should carry it, not just one person,” Servheen says. 
• Don’t use it like insect repellent. Never apply bear spray on your skin, clothing, or gear. It’s only effective when airborne and can cause serious injury if used like insect repellent. 
• Check the expiration date. Bear spray does expire. Check the date and replace as needed. 
  “Normally, the expiration date is three to four years out from when they’re sold,” Servheen says. “It’s worth it to just save up and buy a new can.”
• Make sure your bear spray is EPA-approved. Look for canisters with an EPA registration, 1 to 2 percent capsaicin, and a range of 25 feet or more. 
• Store bear spray in a cool, dry place. The inside of a hot vehicle or direct sunlight can heat a can of bear spray to a dangerous 120 degrees Fahrenheit, at which point it could explode.

Bear Spray vs. Firearms

The bear spray vs. gun debate is a divisive one. More than a few hunters have credited their firearm for saving their skin, and plenty of folks would opt for a gun over a can of bear spray every time. (Whether that’s a rifle chambered in a reliable bear cartridge, a 12-gauge loaded with slugs, or a bear defense handgun depends on the shooter and the setting.) But while guns can certainly kill a bear, their effectiveness as a defensive tool boils down to the shooter’s ability to maintain accuracy in a high-adrenaline situation.

Smith and other researchers took a closer look at this in another study that was published in 2012. After examining 269 encounters between 357 bears (brown, black, and polar) and 444 humans, the study 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.” 

The study did not indicate how well trained those people were with their firearms. But it concluded that most people traveling in bear country are better off using bear spray. Smith and other bear experts have all reached the same conclusion, and they emphasize the challenges of being safe and accurate with a firearm during an attack.

“The vast majority of people are much better off with bear spray than they are with a firearm,” Smith says. “The problem is [shot] placement under extraordinary duress. Most people I’ve talked to train at firing ranges. That’s different than when the paper target jumps down off the rack and chases you with a threat of killing you.”

When Townsend and Ferrenberg were charged by the grizzly in Montana, both men were carrying sidearms and cans of bear spray. Townsend debated which one to reach for, then caught his hand in the straps of his binoculars when he reached across his body for his sidearm. The bear was only a few feet away from him when Ferrenberg sprayed it. 

“One of the mistakes I made was not having the absolute quick instinct of which I was going to go for first and why,” Townsend says. “It was just so fast and out of nowhere. I just instinctively reached for the firearm instead.”

Townsend says that he and Ferrenberg still carry both firearms and bear spray. But the two have since agreed to reach for bear spray as their “first, second, and third choice,” while keeping their firearms as a backup for other worst case scenarios.

“As someone who is frequently carrying a firearm as part of what I’m doing, I would go for the bear spray every time,” Ferrenberg says. “You’d need to quick-draw, get on target, and fire off a round in a fraction of a second, and that’s just not realistic when a 500-pound animal is charging at you.” 

Perhaps, then, one answer to the bear spray vs. gun debate is to carry both and use spray as the first line of defense. Alaska game wardens and backcountry rangers already do this, typically carrying a shotgun with slugs along with a holstered can of bear spray. 

As a final point of consideration, Lynch points out that using bear spray can help avoid situations where a bear doesn’t necessarily need to be killed. One example would be shooting a sow with cubs when a blast of spray could effectively turn the bears around.

“Even if you’re bear hunting, you might not want to take that particular bear,” Lynch says. “It’s a tool, just like a firearm, and every tool has its use and its need.”

FAQs

Final Thoughts on Bear Spray

Bear spray is an invaluable tool when traveling in bear country, but carrying a can is useless if you don’t know how to use it. Familiarize yourself with your bear spray, put it in an accessible place, and practice pulling it. You can also practice with inert cans of bear spray so you’re ready if the time ever comes to use it.

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A group of youth campers with the Wilderness School learned first-hand about the hazards of rabid wildlife while at a Connecticut state park on June 30. Early that morning, one of the camp counselors was sleeping in a hammock when he was attacked by a bobcat. The camp counselor and two other adults were able to fight off and kill the bobcat, which later tested positive for rabies, according to a statement from the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.

It’s unclear how the counselor and his companions killed the cat, but all three were injured and taken to a local hospital for treatment. None of the youth campers were harmed in the incident, which took place at Selden Neck State Park roughly five miles west of Lyme. Because the park is located on an island, first responders had to evacuate the campers by boat.

“It could’ve been much worse,” said Peter Yazbak, a spokesman for the Connecticut Department of Children and Families, which oversees the state-run Wilderness School. “We’re happy that everyone’s just doing OK.”

Yazbak added that to his knowledge, it’s the first time that a Wilderness School group has had a dangerous encounter with a wild animal. He another local officials praised the adult counselors for their brave response to the attack.

“Due to their courageous and outstanding efforts, the safety of the youth was maintained, and they were not harmed,” deputy commissioner Michael Williams told reporters.

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Bobcat populations are on the rise in Connecticut, and they can be found in all eight counties, according to DEEP. The species has been classified as a protected furbearer since 1972, however, and there are currently no hunting or trapping seasons in the state.

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A residential community in Hilton Head, South Carolina, has implemented a summer-long fishing ban in response to a recent incident involving an aggressive alligator, WJCL News reports. Footage of the incident, which took place on a small golf course pond inside the community on June 22, has since gone viral.

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The short video clip shows a man in a bucket hat casting from the shoreline of the pond. While reeling his lure in, he sees the head of a large alligator breaking the surface. He slowly turns to walk away from the pond. As he does this, the gator keeps swimming toward the bank.

“Here he comes,” says Micah Kimberlin, who filmed the video with his cell phone and shared it to Facebook.

Still looking over his shoulder, the fisherman watches as the gator climbs up onto the bank. He then quickens his pace, and the aggressive gator sprints after him. The video ends with the fisherman running down the cart path and the gator chasing roughly 10 feet behind him.

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The incident ended there, as the gator never caught up with the fisherman or anyone else. But it still caused a stir among residents and managers of the Shipyard, an 800-acre residential community on the south end of Hilton Head Island. Like other similar communities in the area, the Shipyard is a water-rich environment with lots of interconnected canals and ponds. These waters contain healthy numbers of alligators along with bass, panfish, and the occasional redfish or snook.

“Many of you may already be aware, but there was a significant alligator incident last Thursday, June 22,” Shipyard general manager Meredith Elmore wrote in a news release. “No one was hurt, but it was definitely a close call when an alligator followed a gentleman who was fishing near the golf club.”   

Elmore explained that soon after the incident took place, trappers with K&K Wildlife removed two alligators from the pond. Both appeared to be associating humans with food. They continued to monitor the various waterbodies inside the community. On June 28, trappers removed another eight-foot gator that was acting aggressively when approached.

“The official recommendation from K&K Wildlife was an immediate ban on fishing until we can ensure that the situation is under control,” Elmore said. “Therefore, the Shipyard Executive Committee was polled this morning, and they have decided to ban fishing through Labor Day weekend.”

Read Next: Massive 12-Foot Alligator Killed on South Florida Cattle Ranch

Morgan Hart, the alligator project coordinator for the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, agreed with K&K’s assessment.

“My opinion is it was probably an alligator that has been fed,” Hart told reporters. “It has learned that people fishing there have given it food in the past. It is very hard to unteach an alligator that people mean food.”

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