Editorial: State should bottle bear spray mandate

Bear spray is widely considered a safe, easy and effective deterrent against aggressive bruins in the backcountry.

Given the increased frequency of bear encounters as populations recover, common sense suggests that anyone traveling in bear country, all of western Montana, should be armed with a canister and know how to use it.

But a coalition of wildlife advocacy groups has taken this safety advice a step too far.

The group of 19 organizations has petitioned Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks to require anyone hunting or trapping in bear habitat to carry bear spray. The groups assert their request is based on protecting hunters and bears, and liken it to rules requiring hunters to wear orange in the field.

“... It teaches bears to be wary of human encounters,” said Michele Dieterich of Friends of the Bitterroot. “If Montana is serious about wildlife management, it must require carrying bear spray anywhere one might encounter a bear.”

But mandating that one user group, hunters in this case, carry spray because they may encounter a bear opens the door to imposing this draconian measure on all outdoor recreationists. Shouldn’t all hikers, mountain bikers, anglers, berry-pickers and everyone else who recreates in bear country also be required to carry a canister under the advocacy groups’ public-safety rationale?

Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks should reject this premise and instead continue to encourage personal responsibility while expanding its educational outreach.

The state agency already promotes bear spray as an effective deterrent, and in some cases preferable to a firearm when dealing with aggressive bruins.

“Bear spray has distinct advantages,” said Fish, Wildlife and Parks bear specialist Danielle Oyler in an informational video about how to use bear spray. “You don’t have to worry about your partner getting injured ... and you’re also not worrying about injuring a bear and have that bear be a danger to you.”

It’s wise counsel: Wounding a bear with a firearm could make the situation much worse. Many studies suggest that bear spray is more than 90% effective at warding off an attack.

Being armed with bear spray in bear country is prudent; that’s not up for debate. The question is whether Montana needs a legal requirement to carry it.

Instead of pushing a rule that unfairly targets one group, the wildlife advocacy organizations behind this petition would be better served by putting their collective voices and energy into expanding educational efforts. Fact-based recommendations to carry bear spray are far more persuasive than a state-mandated decree.

The ultimate goal should be encouraging best practices in the backcountry, not adding another page to the state’s hunter regulations book.