Mike,

The letter from Michael Wagman from Annapolis (Use pepper spray, not guns, Oct. 11), I’d like to comment on it with something that happened to me several years ago.

It involves me, a bear, a deer, my bow, then my son, a friend, a 12 gauge shotgun with buckshot, and my 41 magnum. In short I shot a deer (bow kill) a bear followed me at 10 yards in the dark toward my truck. I tied the deer in a tree, got my son, my friend, and the guns. Went back to get deer, shot 41 mag into air to scare bear off, got charged by the bear, shot at the bear. It circled (well half circle) charged again, so I shot at the bear again and it finally ran off. It was dark and thick there and there was no sign the bear had been hit, but pepper spray would have simply been the seasoning it used on me!

Pepper spray (said with disgust) has very limited range, and personally if I feel my rear is on the line, I’d rather have a gun (preferably a very big gun).

If you want to read the story (which my son and friend can attest to) it was published in the Maryland Bowhunters’ Society magazine.

Also, it should be noted the bear was downwind of me the entire time. I shot the deer and saw it go down in less than 30 yards and was over to it within 10 minutes. The bear came in from downwind and came to less than 10 yards. I yelled and waved my arms and it actually came closer then made half circles around me before stopping about 15 to 20 yards off to my right. I figured it was waiting for the gut pile so I then dressed out the buck and started dragging it out.

Mike Lasher

Cresaptown