Come, let us spray … bears

Vic Workman was charged by a grizzly bear on Nov. 25 and fired a high-powered rifle from the hip when the bear was about 10 feet away. Vic told me he thought he hit the bear in the chest before it veered past him and disappeared.

I reported the story the next morning and was pleased to have Vic call me before the 8 a.m. newscast and tell me his view of what happened. In our conversation he said, "Tell people who trust bear spray to throw it away. It won't do them any good."

That's when I told the local Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks commissioner, "I disagree with you."

Workman told me the grizzly was only about 30 feet away when he and a hunting companion surprised it on a deer carcass and he had time to yell, "Whoa bear. Whoa bear. Whoa.." Bang.

He felt he could never have gotten off a bear spray, and neither could anyone else in a similar circumstance. We did not debate the spray issue any further.

Since then, Vic has spoken to other reporters about his views and thus aroused hot debate over the use of chemical protection. His stance was highly criticized by biologist Chris Servheen, head of all U.S. Fish and Wildlife grizzly management programs, and by Mack Long, FWP Region 2 supervisor.

Long's opinion on the pepper spray is, "It is extremely effective." He also added in reference to Workman's ideas, "I've heard it is said several times that he shoots from the hip, and not just with his gun."

Servheen was quoted in the Missoulian as saying Workman's comments were detrimental to grizzly conservation and human safety in bear country. Servheen added, "You're not automatically safe with bear spray. It's wild country … If you wanted complete control, it'd be called Disneyland."

In reference to Workman's ideas, Tony Hoyt of Hellgate Hunters said, "Bear spray is amazingly effective, but there is this good-old-boy prejudice for a high-powered gun."

This is an issue 'Ol George cannot stay out of. I decided to put in my two bits worth after last Monday's Missoulian headlined a front-page report on the hunter who got chewed by a grizzly near Valier on Oct. 15.

Brian Grand told the reporter he believes "spray is no deterrent." He had a 15-second run-in with a young grizzly and made that decision. Says, "Grizzlies charge too quickly for the spray to be effective." That's parallel to what Workman feels.

The truth … the facts. Grizzlies do charge fast when surprised or confronted at close range. Unbelievably fast. However, surviving a grizzly attack is better than not surviving. I've lost track of the number of incidents where the attacked person was able to use spray after the first rush and drove off the bear.

Remember the lady who runs the restaurant at East Glacier and her incident off the Piegan Pass trail? She and her friend were both bitten but drove off the bear with spray. How about the jogger on the Going-to-the-Sun Highway, knocked down and bitten on the ankle but drove the bear away with spray?

Who can forget the noted grizzly photographer mauled on the Highline before his companion routed the attacker with spray. I have interviewed a good many people who were able to get off some Counter Assault before being hit … and it worked.

My Thursday Over the Hill Gang was bluff-charged by a beautiful female with cubs on the Iceberg Trail several years back. Our leader at the time was Bob Dundas, who was later asked why he rushed back up the trail. He said, "I've never seen anything move that fast before."

Bob was a fighter pilot in Korea and Vietnam. The following Sunday, ranger Paul Downey was up checking on the griz with cubs. She was far up and minding her own business, but on his way back down the trail, just at dusk, Paul had a scary hunch so was carrying his Counter Assault can in his hand with the safety off. It was a good plan. Another griz charged and Paul used all the spray but stopped the bear so close it skidded dirt and gravel on his legs.

This 79-year-old hunter-hiker-reporter-photographer carries bear spray … usually two canisters.

G. George Ostrom is the news director of KOFI radio and a Hungry Horse News columnist.