That was presented as raw data and Dr. White presented it as such for us to draw our own conclusions. He wasn't advocating for one over the other. This information simply came as an aside to the polar bear behavior and interaction class he put on for us.
While I agree that most hunters are likely to be moving quietly and more apt to have an up close encounter then those who are making some noise, there is a large contingent of firearms carriers in the form of fishermen and campers who prefer handguns over pepper spray and would be likely to be just as noisy as the pepper spray carrying crowd.
From my standpoint pepper spray is an excellent option. I've seen it work in several instances and would advocate it's use especially in the case of someone who is not committed enough to learning how to use a firearm under stressful situations. It will not discourage a bear at 100 yards. It will only make it about 20 yards in the best of conditions. It is strictly a close up tool, just like a handgun. Anyone who brags they used it at 100 yards to run off a bear is full of BS to be honest.
It is also not the end all be all in bear protection. It is an effective tool when used properly. Proper bear defense begins between the ears, the same as personal safety anywhere else. One needs to be armed with the proper tools, the where with all to use them appropriately and the savvy to avoid bad situations if possible. Granted, that's not always possible but often times situational awareness can go a long ways toward mitigating bad scenarios.
