The key to success is that a can of spray on one's shoulder or hip can be activated pronto. "People have a very short response time" when confronted by a bear. Grizzlies "don't even think. They go into an aggressive mode with charging, attacking."

It takes awhile for a person to level a rifle, get into position, aim, lever a shell into the chamber, click off the safety and pull the trigger. Meanwhile, the snarling bear bounds toward the victim.

A survey of firearm use in such situations shows that "about 67 percent of the people had the desirable result," he said. Not encouraging, compared with 92 percent or better with spray.

At close range the chance to respond can be only a split second. A lightweight spray can in hand can quickly blast "a cone-shaped cloud," Smith said. No need to take much time to aim, as it's almost certain to hit the bear.

But with a rifle, a person not only has to ready it but needs to "have a fairly good hit." Several shots could be needed to bring down a big bear, and that takes more time.

While people were concerned that the wind could render the spray useless, of the 71 cases analyzed, that never happened. In thicket, scrub or forest, he said, "it's usually not that windy." Also, the chemical erupts faster than 70 miles per hour.

"It's forcefully ejected out of the can, and that overpowers the wind effect."

In five incidents, users had experienced burning sensations from spray, but none of them were incapacitated and all the bears turned away. With the bear turning, a person can simply turn back, too, and walk out of danger.

"There's a two-edged sword here," Smith warned. "On one hand, we would like to see people using the product more. ... On the other hand, we don't want to gin up the fear of bears unnecessarily."

Utahns should not go looking for trouble with the idea the spray will protect them, and they certainly should not blast bears for no reason.

As far as he and his family are concerned, Smith would be pleased to invest in bear spray and have peace of mind while outdoors, he added.

"I'm not going to empower some four-legged bear with a brain the size of an apple to make decisions for me about what my future will be like, or even if I'll have a future."

While Utah black bears are not as fierce as Alaska grizzlies or polar bears, they are dangerous.

"These bears, they're not 400-pound chipmunks," Smith said. "They can really chew a person up, and they have."

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E-mail: bau@desnews.com