Wayne--

Good points, all.

My impression is that bear spray can work sometimes. But from stories I see--once the bear has committed to attacking, the spray has no time to affect it, and it cannot be deterred. Something is better than nothing, so I would still want the spray.

(One of the stories about a bear attack said the dead guy had two empty bear spray cannisters nearby.)

But...using spray or anything else takes presence of mind, commitment to "doing something" for self-defense, and manual skill in deploying it. "Having" it does not mean you can and will use it quickly and effectively.

Sort of like the lady who "has" a gun in her home for self-defense, but she has developed no skill in shooting, and the gun is in a drawer "somewhere" in the house, and not anywhere near her as she goes about her daily affairs.

Thanks for the book title. I will look it up.

Larry