Opinions are just that. I prefer hard data, e.g.
https://www.researchgate.net/publica...ence_in_Alaska and
Efficacy of Bear Deterrent Spray in Alaska - SMITH - 2008 - The Journal of Wildlife Management - Wiley Online Library
(Links are to abstracts: full PDFs can be found with Google)
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We found no significant difference in success rates (i.e., success being when the bear was stopped in its aggressive behavior) associated with long guns (76%) and handguns (84%). Moreover, firearm bearers suffered the same injury rates in close encounters with bears whether they used their firearms or not...
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Red pepper spray stopped bears' undesirable behavior 92% of the time when used on brown bears, 90% for black bears, and 100% for polar bears. Of all persons carrying sprays, 98% were uninjured by bears in close-range encounters.
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