stevebarr,

Loved the one about the squirrels! lol

And you give the best advice of this whole thread.

Aloha!

Hey

Has anyone personally used bear spray on a bear or actually know someone that has? Maybe the bear spray is really a placebo to help the hiker stay calm. Anyway, I really would like to know if someone has used it.

You know how to tell the difference between black bear poop and grizzly bear poop?

Black bear poop has berries in it and smells like poop. Grizzly bear poop has little bells in it and smells like pepper spray.

dgassa - You hurt me with that one! It took me a while to climb back onto my chair. Thanks. I needed that.

For anyone who is interested, here are two fairly in-depth web sites regarding Bear Pepper Spray.

http://www.absc.usgs.gov/research/br...epperspray.htm

http://www.fs.fed.us/r1/wildlife/igbc/Spray.htm

After browsing through them, I'm even more convinced that any of the methods for fending off a bear attack that have been offered earlier in this post might be just as effective as the spray.

It looks like your odds of fending off a bear attack with pepper spray have about as much chance of success as negotiating with the bear would.

Well, maybe a little better than that. The best defense is still just proper behavior around bears, which means respecting the fact that they are wild animals and would prefer not to interact with you, either.

Hi everyone. As the poster of the original question I am proud to see so many responses. I could only find one more thread with more postings in the most recent 200 topics on Alaska. I got a kick out of some of the responses. I am an experienced backpacker and respect our bruin friends. I have read most of the literature about bear/human encounters and know the odds are with me and my hiking partners. The spray is recommended as a last resort.

My hope was that someone in the forum might work at UPS, FedEx, or the post office and could offer their knowledge.

Thanks folks and keep the thread going.

OhioRob - Okay now, I am no Albert Einstein, but let's do the math. A male grizzly can weigh over 1,000 pounds and stand as tall as 12 feet high. It can run downhill at speeds exceeding 50 kilometers an hour (faster than an Olympic downhill skier!). The official recommendation for using pepper spray is to start shooting it in the bear's direction when it is 25 feet away.

After you've frozen in fear as the bear charges you, that gives you about one second to try to remove the darned child-proof cap.

So, I guess the real question here should be: Does anyone know if pepper spray is effective INSIDE the bear?

<<<<<It can run downhill at speeds exceeding 50 kilometers an hour (faster than an Olympic downhill skier!).>>>>

That's a tremendously slow skier. It's actually 120-130 kph and more on some courses ....

Just buy the spray at a AK sporting goods store. Give the money to a local business.

Funny thread... if you're close enough to a bear to spray it I'd say you're in trouble. :)

So.....if you hit an Olympic downhill skier in the face with pepper spray at 25 yards...will it slow him down?

Has anyone ever tried this?

I actually did spray a skier in the face at the last winter Olympics. However, I used bare spray and it had no effect on him since was wearing clothes. He went on to win the gold.

Has anyone here ever been within three feet of a bear? I'd think a can of deodorant would do more good than a can of repellent spray.

NeoPatrick - I was actually within three feet of a fairly large black bear in Cades Cove once. (Not kidding.) He was being chased through the woods by a teenager with a camera who was yelling at him to stop so he could take a picture.

I stepped out from behind a tree to intercept the kid and keep him from upsetting the bear any more than he already had. While I held onto the teenager, the bear darted right around my tree and made his escape into some thick brush below it.

You're right though.....that bear was pretty gamey smelling, and could have used some deodorant!

Can of deodorant and a Bic lighter.
Bear spray is also good for burglars in the suburbs.

Whatever you do, don't mention the fact that you think he needs deodorant to the bear. They seem to get highly indignant when you imply that they have body odor, and you don't want to get them angry.

And never, ever try to apply the deodorant to their underarms for them.

The best thing to do is simply walk away, and try not to hold your nose until you are out of sight.

I've heard they also don't like being told when their fly is done. Or that they have a bit of spinach in their teeth. Touchy.

They do, however, just LOVE it when you scratch behind their ears for them!

Years ago a friend of mine and I joked about marketing a "bear repellant". It didn't matter whether it worked, but we would offer double your money back if you got attacked by a bear. A ranger I hiked with in Glacier Natl. Park told us that a bear bell would attract curious bears. I think he just didn't want the noise.

I've heard rumors that the crack in the Liberty Bell was actually made by a curious Grizzly.....

All bears have different personalities. I've been near both black and brown bears. Usually if the bear is not startled, threatened, hungry, protecting their young or freshly killed moose, they won't bother you. Sing, clap, and speak loudly so they can hear you. They will usually try to avoid you. Walk in numbers, a minimum of 2 or more. Don't bring a bunch of food with you. Pepper spray - if a bear is that close to you and feeling aggessive you're already in trouble. Remember also about the direction of the wind. Do you know how many people have sprayed pepper spray only to have it come back into your own eyes because of the wind? For black bears the common recommendation is to make yourself as big as possible (raise arms over head), speak loudly, and if needed fight with all your might. For brown (grizzlies) you are supposed to not act threatening. Commom suggestions are to walk slowly backwards, use a calm voice, don't give direct eye contact, and if needed roll into a ball, protecting your neck with your arms or a backpack. Fortunately, never had those experiences. My experiences only involved the bear looking at me and going back to what they were doing previously.