Last month I lost a friend to a bear attack. Dan Schilling was a mile or so from his home and absolutely not a novice around bears. He lived in a densely bear-inhabited area near Hope, AK.

Dan had apparently emptied a canister of bear spray before being killed. I have spent considerable time around black, brown, and grizzly bears and have shot more than a few, including several intent on doing me harm. While it is entirely possible the camper died of some other cause the fact a bear was actively eating the body screams "the bear killed the camper." Lots of untouched bodies have been found with bears around. In general they do not just start eating human corpses. If it is an older bear with potential health issues, especially dental issues, prior to dining it would about seal up the case for a predatory bear.

My friend Dan was just another reason why I strongly disagree with the notion bear spray is effective. I have personally seen it used twice and both bears had to be killed to stop the interaction.