Bear spray a must in Yellowstone??
 

I was scanning the Yellowstone Forum website, and it sounds like everyone is arming themselves with a bear spray in Yellowstone. Are Fodors folks also doing this? We will be hiking, but will try not to hike alone in remote areas. Because all lodges have already been sold out in early Sept, we're planning to camp (inside a minivan), but we'll try to pick more crowded campgrounds. Should we also plan on buying a bear spray in Yellowstone??

Thanks!

A lot of people will be in Yellowstone and most people won't have bear spray. But if you are hiking, you'll probably want to have bear spray. If you come around a curve on a trail and see a bear standing there, you'll probably wish you had "something" to deter the bear. It's hard to avoid "remote areas" when you are hiking in Yellowstone. You are in bear country when you are in Yellowstone so "remote" is hard to define. We were there this summer and the only recent bear attack was on a trail 3 miles in. But that was before bears came into a widely used campground and entered campers' tents.

We rented bear spray outside of Glacier because I was worried. It was $10 for the day - and $65 if we used it. Sounded like a deal to us.

Jack Hanna encountered a mama bear with two cubs on a trail this summer. One of the cubs charged. He had hiked with pepper spray for 15 years, but this was the first time he used it.
http://www.accessatlanta.com/celebri...ff-579309.html
Here's a video of Jack telling his story -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vdqgB3AaGEg

I had no idea bear spray can be rented--great to know, starrs. In Alaska our friends had us singing along the trails... enough to scare everything away. ;-)

Yeah, we always used the "make noise" approach when hiking (and proper cleanup and food storage when camping).

We've taken bear spray with us in Glacier, Yellowstone and up in Alaska. We also make noise. We do day hikes.

We haven't had to use the spray, but were glad we had it with us once on a short trail out from town in Alaska when a bear crossed the trail through brush/trees headed downhill to a river. The problem was we didn't know if the bear was alone or if a family member would be following, perhaps a little ways down the trail, like where we were. With the brush, we wouldn't see it and with the river's noise our noise might be drowned out. So we waited awhile, watching the bear down by the water and had to decide whether to proceed, knowing we would return the same way later, or turn around and call it a day for that trail. The spray made us feel a little more comfortable.

We will pick some up in Billings when we land there in September.

I hadn't heard of the "rent" plan. Last times we bought, then donated it to the ranger station or forest service office upon leaving the area.

Kay2, that's a great idea, too--donating the spray to the ranger station.

Where does one buy bear spray? We're headed to Grand Tetons and Yellowstone soon. Does anyone know if the parks sell it?

When we were in Yellowstone asking the same question, the wrangler said the locals refer to bear spray as "appetizer". (The bears eat the can first, before eating....you get the picture.)

Yes, it was a joke.

We weren't planning on getting the spray, but we were staying in a fairly remote area and there were lots of critters around.

We ate breakfast at this family run inn/campground -
http://www.glacierhaveninn.com/

and the owners offered the rental option. She also sold us tickets for the boat rides at Many Glacier. Breakfast. Bear spray. Boat tickets. Gifts to take back home. Lots of GNP advice. We hit the jackpot at Glacier Haven! :-)

Here is an excellent article discussing bear spray as a COMPONENT of (not a substitute for) being bear aware.

http://www.centerforwildlifeinformat...bearspray.html

Note the words: "Bear spray is a good last line of defense, but it is not a substitute for vigilance and following appropriate bear avoidance safety techniques"

I have hiked alone in back-country areas with black bears many times, and have enjoyed my encounters (almost always fleeting) with them. I don't carry bear spray, but probably would in an area with grizzly bears, like Yellowstone.

You don;t need to be far from anything to meet a bear. Lots of people in New Jersey find them in their backyards - and you can run into one anywhere - including a campground (esp if you keep food in your camper).

Are bear bells useless in Yellowstone? When we go hiking in Alaska, we always wear bear bells, but we didn't enoucnter any up close. But we see every local openly carry a pistol right on their chest!

There is a shop in Jackson Hole that rents both bear spray and bear flares.

They weight the cans.

At least there is some documentation instead of borrowing a so called "donated" spray that has probably less controls.

Savings is significant if you look at it at a percent of cost and renting is a greener alternative than for it to accumulate/ expire in ones garage or our landfills.

The thing about bear spray is that it only works if used properly. If used improperly, it is just going to anger an already potentially aggressive bear. You need to be within 20 feet of the bear which is super close and spray right in the face and eyes.

Remember to keep bear spray on your belt or some other place that is easily, and quickly, accessible. Bear spray in your pack is like having none at all.

If you are doing a lot of back country hikes or overnights, then I would get some and be prepared. If you are staying on the boardwalks and paved paths, it is unnecessary.

Have a great trip.

Last time we bought some was at an "outdoors" store near Glacier NP.
I plan to search online for similar in Billings or else call Walmart to see if they stock.

We carry it on belt for access and only as backup. We also don't go on trails if any reports at ranger stations or trailhead of bear activity in the area. We make noise and stay aware.
I've read many debates on the bells--most seem to decide that they are not loud enough to make an impression unless you are wearing a cow bell.

We carried it on a hike in the Tetons and we did encounter a bear. He ran out of the bushes and surprised us. My husband started yelling "bear spray!" because I was the one that had it. In my haste of removing the cap, I sprayed a tiny bit in my hand. Meanwhile, the bear was long gone. Scared me to death at the time, but it makes for a good laugh now.

Pianogirl, sounds like a scene from Meet The Morgans. :-)

Pianogirl, that was a close call, and better that it ended comically.

We'll look into renting one then. Agree it's a waste in $ and environment to buy and not use.

I just returned from YNP & GTNP last night.

I saw very few people with bear spray who were hiking.

One person had a small bell hooked to his backpack.

I heard singing, etc.

It's kind of like wearing sunscreen at the beach on a summer day. Will everyone have it? (sunscreen/bear spray). Probably not. Will SOMEone wish they had? Maybe.

Thousands go to the parks every year and never buy/use bear spray. Prior to this summer, the fatal bear attacks were people who were 3+ miles on the trail. Jack Hanna carried it for years and this year was the first year he used it. Campers who were awoken by bears coming in the tents in the middle of the night didn't have time to use it.

I just returned from Yellowstone where I had no bear spray and where I saw no bears; however, we did see and photograph a grizzly while driving down the mountain to dinner in Big Sky, MT, on August 4th.

Good luck on fighting your way through the crowds in the Old Faithful part of the park. We preferred the quieter and very beautiful north part of the park and the Beartooth Highway to lovely little Red Lodge, MT. Also, the Grand Tetons are wonderful to experience and GTNP isn't over-run with visitors except at the most popular hiking trails.

HTTY

<b>We will be hiking, but will try not to hike alone in remote areas. Because all lodges have already been sold out in early Sept, we're planning to camp (inside a minivan)</b>

Camping inside a minivan and hiking in groups ... your chances of needing bear spray are miniscule under those circumstances.

As I wrote above i was just in YNP & GTNP.

I didn't see a grizzly but saw 3 black bears. One was very, very close to me and was eating until he bolted to the side and ran away.

There were crowds at the Old Faithful viewing area but it was manageable. I think a bus pulls up and several hundred people walk over.

If you are there between 7AM and 9:30 it's pretty empty and that's the best time to view from there as the sun it behind you.

Observation point was basically empty and if you are watching late in the day the sun will be in you eyes at the viewing boardwalk so you're better off joining the 5 others at Plume Geyser on Geyser hill on the opposite side.

Myer, did you make it to / find the Patriarch Tree?

Well, I'm a little late to the party, but we did NOT purchase bear spray for our Yellowstone hiking. Honestly, there was only one time that I was even a LITTLE worried about a bear encounter, but that was in the Grand Tetons. Funny about the bells -- one of the rangers told us that bears are curious and when they hear bells, they will investigate! Everytime we got near to a person with bells on their backpack, I moved away as quickly as I could, LOL!

<You need to be within 20 feet of the bear which is super close and spray right in the face and eyes.>

No thanks to that idea!

AnnMarie_C,

No, after seeing photos of the Patriarch tree and the effort to get to it I decided there were many other photo ops around.

I'm about to post my trip report.

Just a quick update on bear spray in Yellowstone. We ended up not buying a bear spray. The parks were quite crowded (1st week of Sept) when we were there, and there were plenty of people on the trails. Unless you want to go off in the wilderness on your own, I don't think you need to buy any bear spray. In fact, it was so difficult to spot any bears. We only saw 2 black bears (remotely) and no grizzlies. Lots of hype out there about bear attacks.

Its not the number of bears that you see. Its the number of bears that see you.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/0..._n_662828.html

The CG where the attack took place, Soda Butte, is located about a mile ease of the town of Cooke City. The irony of the situation we have been camping in the same CG off and on for over 20 years and never saw a bear in the place.