[pgsieve]

I'd rather have bear spray and take some in the face than hope my little bang scares off the bear. You are talking like we are standing in gale force winds

Edit: Sorry for the initial response. To answer your question... A bear banger is used as a long range deterrent with bear spray as a last defense for tight quarters. Most outdoor stores have training sprays that you can try so that you can see how to safely discharge it in an emergency. Generally, you point it low to reduce the amount of spray back from "wind" and generally if you are using it, you're in a situation where you don't really care if you have to take a little in the face