All comes down to biology. You hit a bear anywhere but the spine or brain, it has enough pre-absorbed oxygen to *wreck* you. Few years back, think I read even with a clean heart shot, a bear has around 60 seconds of fight left. So unless you are packing some skull penetrating power while simultaneously making the most perfect shot of your life, while you are the most scared you have ever been in your life, spray is the best bet to make it out of there. Dont let me put you off on bears though. Ive had a few encounters, and as long as you are loud and show yourself not prey, odds are, no worries. Drop me in the ak bush with a shotgun or spray for grizz, ill take the spray. Personally. *good thing to commit to memory, if you fight a grizz, you will die. If you do **not** fight a black bear, you will die. Blackies outnumber grizz 100/1.