If you’re a Montanan, you’ve probably had a couple of “Did I just see a grizzly?! ” moments. Perhaps you were out in the woods or at a campsite. Or maybe you just took the garbage out a little too late in the evening. But what if I told you there’s now a new way to keep these enormous fur-covered tanks at a distance? And no it doesn’t have anything to do with carrying bear spray or yelling, “Hey bear!” at the top of your lungs.

It turns out drones are really good at scaring off grizzlies. When it comes to shooing away grizzlies, drones do a great job. The drones score a 91 percent success rate at turning bears around for researchers at the University of Montana. In comparison, it's insane seeing the results: guard dogs (57%), and even vehicles (85%). So it becomes clear: these buzzing little gadgets are winning the bear-deterrent game.

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Why do drones work so well? Let me ask you this. What if a flying object just came out of nowhere and started following you? you’d be freaked out too. Drones can access places humans can’t, cover lots of ground quickly, and some even come outfitted with thermal cameras that let them spot bears in the middle of the night. That’s a huge victory for ranchers, hikers, and anyone who would prefer bear encounters to be of the stuffed animal variety.

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No method, is foolproof. Bears are intelligent, and if they begin to see drones only as pesky insects that won’t hurt them, they may decide there’s no need to keep running away.

So next time you’re fretting about a grizzly inching a bit too close for comfort, maybe don’t grab the air horn or the pepper spray. Turn on the drone instead.  Because nothing says “back off” like an airborne sassy robot.

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States with the most registered hunters

Stacker analyzed data from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to determine which states have the most registered hunters. Read on to see how your state ranks on Stacker’s list.

Gallery Credit: Meagan Drillinger