New Study: Rubber Slugs Deter Black Bears Better

From the Anchorage Daily News:

_Black bear encounters happen every summer… and a new study suggests rubber bullets are the best way to send the bruins packing.
_

An article in this month’s issue of The Journal of Wildlife Management based on a four-year study in California’s Sequoia National Park says shooting black bears with rubber slugs from a 12-gauge shotgun is most effective — better than pepper spray, chasing them off or hitting them with rocks.

Keep in mind, though, that this study speaks specifically to the best method for scaring away bears that are looking for food in the wrong places–not necessarily how best to thwart an actual attack, which seems to me an important distinction.

Anyway, check out the full story.