I have carefully avoided conflict with you as I can see that you have a problem with both comprehension and self-expression. If, you were less confrontational, as in your initial post, before I posted anything, when you flatly stated that nobody out there knows anything or words to that effect, I might be more willing to discuss this issue with you.

However, you seem totally focused on attempting to denigrate me and also tell everyone just how to deal with bears, YET, you STILL are VERY vague about YOUR actual field experience....what is it, running a "feller-buncher" for a couple of years?

You wander all over the place in respect of your comments and have NO consistency to them, other than to rant about what I have posted and about Gary. I simply said, AGAIN, that I do not carry spray when backpacking and seldom a gun, what is so difficult to understand about that? This is a LIGHTWEIGHT BACKPACKING FORUM, not a hunting or shooting site and I DOUBT that most here really WANT to read some stupid argument about what guns should or should not be carried and/or owned.

I keep TRYING to point out that I consider Gary's book an excellent resource, but, you come barrelhousing in with bullschit about my not experiencing my own feelings....how stupid can you be?

The simple FACT is, that SEVERAL outdoor activities are/can be DANGEROUS and yet VERY spiritually rewarding, i.e., mountaineering, surfing big waves, hang gliding and ski-jumping come to mind. I happen to have found very close encounters with wildlife, especially bears to be such and so have several former colleagues and friends of mine. I spent a lot of time fighting fire in alpine and big timber areas, it also was highly spiritual and dangerous and I DID NOT say that I sought danger out, it simply was/is a part of the whole situation...as with bears.

You certainly did attempt to make it appear here as though I were making statements that I was not making; I HAVE tested spray and choose not to carry it and said so relative to BACKPACKING. You, IMHO, are a guy with an agenda and that is only too obvious here.

BTW, I just read the link that JAK supplied and I find this guy utterly ridiculous in his comments concerning Gary Shelton, hunting, bears and nature in general. Why don't you e-mail HIM and "teach" him a few bits of your "wisdom"?