One observation, if a bear intends to really do you harm, you are in deep, deep trouble but not for long. This guy was bitten by a bear and very, very fortunate that he was not seriously attacked considering there was a sow, cubs and a cached kill involved. As long as people venture into areas with bears there is chance for encounter, bear spray is no harder to get into your hand than a revolver and works. Two years in Yellowstone Park while living in MT. and 2 more working on the Alaska Pipeline have brought me to this opinion. If bears were as aggressive and dangerous as portrayed and widely perceived, you'd have to sign a waiver to enter National Parks and the Alaska Pipeline would never have been completed.