I already carry a gun when I hunt. Do I still need to carry bear spray?

When a bear attacks, bear spray offers several advantages over a firearm:

• Bear spray requires less accuracy than bullets fired at a moving target, especially when you’re under stress.
• Accidental discharges or badly aimed firearms can kill people, while bear spray has never caused a fatality. Bear spray leaves the bear alive, and less likely to approach humans in the future.
• Firing a warning shot from a gun may not scare a bear away, but a sprayed bear is likely to leave.

Bottom line: hunters who carry bear spray are prepared for anything.