True Stories of Bear Attacks: Who Survived and Why

Rating:
Summary: pepper spray or firearms?
Review: Lapinski writes that in 1998, he "began spreading the great news about pepper spray with religious zeal." If you're a hiker ooking for an objective analysis on the pros and cons of pepper spray, you won't find it here. If you're a hunter trying to decide whether or not to carry pepper spray in grizzly country, Lapinski's one-sided arguments will turn you off. This book is a shameless ad for pepper spray.

Lapinski begings by telling a story about a time he was hiking in Glacier Park when he spotted a grizzly about 200 yards away. The bear looked his way, then entered an aspen grove. Instead of turning around or going way around the bear, Lapinski walks right in after the bear and a confrontation ensues. "The hysterical impluse to turn and run was overpowering, but my mind screamed for me to stay calm because I was still in control. Though I carried no gun, I was not defenseless." Lapinski slowly backed away, "pleased that bear pepper spray had once again kept me not only safe but also in control of my mental and physical actions."

Did pepper spray keep Lapinski safe or lead him into trouble? A book titled Backcountry Bear Basics notes that, "Just because you have a can of pepper spray, don't go places you wouldn't go otherwise. Don't do things you wouldn't do otherwise. Try to guard against overconfidence." Grizzlies In The Mist author Chuck Neal urges people to carry pepper spray, adding that he doesn't because "I actually fear the 'false confidence' bear spray or firearms tend to convey to the bearer."

Time and again Lapinski tells tales where people with pepper spray walk into bear trouble they could have avoided. Sometimes pepper spray stops the bear from injuring people, but just as often the bear does injure people before being driven away. Lapinski is blind to the fact pepper spray might foster overconfidence that leads to confrontations with bears.