Whether visiting the mountains or forests or just living in areas where there is wildlife nearby; sometimes you need to be aware that a bear attack might happen anytime. It is only natural for you to want to be prepared. So, you might be asking, can a stun gun stop a bear? Well, do not worry as I am here to answer just that.
Simply speaking; no, a stun gun or any electroshock weapon for that matter will not succeed in stopping a bear. It is a very bad idea to use something like a stun gun if a bear happens to attack you.
Although you won’t be able to stop them with stun guns, there are other ways to stop them. If you are careful enough you will also manage to avoid getting any attacks at all. In this article, I will try to explain why a stun gun might not work countering a bear attack. I will also try to discuss a few other things that can help you stay safe in those scenarios.
Can A Stun Gun Actually Stop A Bear?
A stun gun is a weapon mainly used in self-defense by civilians or on criminals by law enforcement officers. It is a type of electroshock weapon that delivers a massive shock to the target when the target comes in contact with its prongs. It isn’t exactly a gun as the name suggests. You cannot technically shoot anyone with it.
You cannot shoot anyone from a distance with a stun gun. When a bear attack happens, you will not be able to shoot it from a distance. And if you try to shock it with direct contact and then run away, it is almost sure to fail. Not only you won’t be able to shock the animal, but by the time you would need to react the bear would have already injured you severely.
Let’s say by some miracle you do manage to shock the animal with your stun gun. What might happen then? If you are thinking that the shock might stop the bear, it won’t. Chances are the prongs won’t even touch the skin of the bear through its thick layer of fur.
And stun guns are not even meant to be lethal to humans, let alone large wildlife animals. A stun gun does not always succeed in stopping a person. The only effect a stun gun might have on a bear is irritation or light pain. So, it is a very bad idea to use a stun gun on an attacking bear.
Will Tasers Work?
Similar to stun guns, another type of electroshock weapon is very popular these days. It is an electric taser. The taser can be shot up to 35 feet and uses copper wires to deliver a shock from a distance. Its metal prongs sink into the skin of the target and deliver a high voltage shock enough to subdue them.
Now if you are wondering if the added distance of a taser will give you an advantage over a bear or not then let me tell you that it won’t. The metal prongs won’t be able to sink into the skin of the bear to deliver a shock, and if by luck they do, they will only cause agitation and irritation.
The added distance will not help either. The bear will catch up to you before you can even turn away after shooting. A charging bear is really fast. The shot will not stop them, they will catch up almost instantaneously, the added distance of a taser will mean virtually nothing. A taser too is not something effective against a bear.
How to Protect Yourself Against a Bear?
As we have established, running away and electrocuting them will not work. So, what will actually help you stop a bear? There are a few things that actually will, some work better than others. Let me explain.
The obvious thing that might come to your mind, is a gun. An actual firearm of course does have a much better chance than the previously mentioned options. But even guns do not stop bears instantly always. Something like a 9mm shot at a very close range will kill a bear but not instantly.
Firing a gun is not guaranteed to stop a bear, so it is advised that you use something else that is proven to be more effective. Like wildlife deterrent horns or bear sprays. Something like a shotgun or similarly heavy cartridge firearm will be more effective than your average handgun.
Carrying heavy firearms is indeed effective, and if worse comes to worst, you might need to kill a bear with a heavy firearm to save your own life. But shooting and killing wildlife is not something that should be done unless absolutely necessary so here are other options you can use.
Bear Sprays
Bear sprays are similar to pepper sprays, designed to repel away bears. Carrying a bear spray is proven to be more effective than firearms even. If a bear starts to approach you, you should spray the bear spray in a downward direction directed at the bear from 30 feet or less.
After a few seconds adjust your spraying in response to the wind. After a bit of spraying any bear should back off and move away, but in case it doesn’t, start spraying directly at its face. Then take other safety measures. A direct spray is almost sure to get the bear away. But nothing is guaranteed in such scenarios so be prepared and try to avoid attacks altogether.
Wildlife Deterrent Horns
These are like air horns. Horns that you can carry and that can make a loud noise enough to scare wild animals away. This one is best used when the bear is still at a distance. You can get specific wildlife deterrent horns or sometimes something like a regular air horn or something to make a loud noise is enough. A horn is great because it works on other animals too.
How to Avoid Bear Attacks?
The best method always is to try to avoid bears at all costs. So, here are some tips on avoiding bear attacks –
Be in groups and Make a lot of noise
You should never be alone in the wilderness. Travel in groups, make noise, make your presence known. Animals will move away from you.
Keep Food and Yourself Away
Keep your food away from your tents when camping and camp in a high visibility area so you can see if a bear is approaching or not. If it is a distance encounter then you must back off. If you spot a bear from the distance then slowly move away and choose another route to avoid any sort of contact.
Take the right action during an encounter
In close encounters, your response should be dependent on the type of bear you encounter. In the case of grizzly bears, lie down and play dead and stay immobile even after a while it has gone away. And in the case of black bears, stand your ground, look tall and make noise so it knows to go away.
Nothing is guaranteed and you might not be able to avoid an attack even after doing everything correctly. Always try to avoid places with bear habitats. Carry your bear spray and never try to run away. You will not be able to outrun a bear.
Conclusion
So, can a stun gun stop a bear? Sorry to remind you again that it can’t. But thankfully, there are other methods to stop a bear and avoid getting attacked. In this article, I tried to point out the necessary things to you. I hope they were helpful and thank you for reading. Best of luck out there!
