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  1. #1
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    Default Near spray or no bear spray

    Wife and I doing GSMNP Sept.1. Should we bring spray and if so the large bottles or he minim size recommended 7.9oz. Also which manufacturer. UDAP or Counter Assault. They both are EPA cert which the park requires

  2. #2
    Registered User DavidNH's Avatar
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    absolutely no need for bear spray. you aren't in Grizzly country. what's more you will be unlikely to see a bear close up.

  3. #3
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    Hi...


    If the extra weight and the price are no problem...why not bring some...especially if it will make you feel more secure. As to the size, it's unlikely that you would need more than the smaller size (if needed at all). Go for it...!!

    Can't comment on brand names, but if they are both EPA registered, it may not make much if any difference. Each brand has their own hype.

  4. #4

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    I agree you won't be in Grizzly country but if it makes you feel better and helps you to sleep better at night, I would carry it along. I always carried mine with me. I agree with DavidNH, they will run away from you when they see you, unless you come up on one and surprise it. Even then, they won't harm you as long as you move slowly away. Don't ever turn around and run. They say don't make eye contact either. Also, carrying bear spray may give you peace of mind in other possible/unlikely situations.... "just in case."

  5. #5

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    Another +1 for "no need since you're not in grizzly country." I've seen grizzlies when hiking in Yellowstone and the surrounding wilderness areas, and believe me, black bears are much, much different-- shy and elusive by comparison.

    Still, the bears in the Smokies aren't the bears I've seen... I've heard they are pretty well habituated to humans, and that can make things a little more risky.

    Just my opinion now, but if you're hiking at dusk/dawn, and camping only in established sites (where the bears probably know food may be), the spray might make you feel more secure. Be sure you follow all the best practices for avoiding attraction/chance encounters.
    "We can no longer live as rats. We know too much." -- Nicodemus

  6. #6
    Garlic
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    There are hikers who don't carry pepper spray in grizz country either, though I do. I admit to a slight grizzly phobia. If you have that phobia about black bears, carry the stuff and feel good about it.

    Be sure to keep it out of direct sunlight if you transport it in a car--I found out the hard way that a little pepper juice on your clothing is no fun.

    If you look at fatal bear attacks in the lower 48 in the last generation, there are more than a few kills by black bears in the Appalachian region. Until the last couple of years, there had not been a fatal grizzly attack in over ten years, while there had been a few by black bears out East. Your concerns are not entirely ungrounded.
    "Throw a loaf of bread and a pound of tea in an old sack and jump over the back fence." John Muir on expedition planning

  7. #7
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    Remember though that VERY frequently a bear will take your spray and use it on you!

    OR - just go with an additional 3-4 ounces and carry a 5-round snub-nosed .38 special with low grain jacketed hollow point ammunition.

    OTHER OR – practice normal, educated cautions and take David’s advice (recommended!):

    Quote Originally Posted by DavidNH View Post
    absolutely no need for bear spray. you aren't in Grizzly country. what's more you will be unlikely to see a bear close up.

  8. #8
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    I would carry spray in Glacier or other places with a history of serious conflicts. Otherwise, no.
    "It's fun to have fun, but you have to know how." ---Dr. Seuss

  9. #9

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    No I wouldn't worry about it. Hiked the Smokies last Oct. and didn't see one bear. I would just take a loud whistle or small air horn..just in case.

  10. #10
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    In the early 80's, my only AT experience, we hiked in the GSMNP and stopped to take a break on the trail. We got the usual speech from the Ranger before we left about making noise and the bears will go away. That didn't work as a Moma bear just came down the trail at a pretty good pace, walked right up to my Dad's backpack, grabbed it, tore it open and ate most of our food. The bear was no more than ten feet away upon initial contact as she surprised us all. We backed away but had to pass it to get to the shelter. She wasn't going anywhere for a while. Long story short, we made it to the shelter and went back later to get the remains of the backpack. It may have been a very rare incident but I know first hand what a bear may do. I will be looking into some sort of spray before my 2013 thru just so I can have peace of mind. If it's only a few ounces, can't hurt.

  11. #11
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    Bears are very common in Smokies and surrounding area. One even on UT campus. I ran into a mother and cub lounging on AT near Shuckstack this who ignored me so detoured off trail to get by. It seems incidents are on the rise due their population rising and more opputunity.I feel better with bear spray. Have been two fatalities from bears in Tennessee last ten years which occur randomly.

  12. #12

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    Smokies bears can be a bit different. Some get quite habituated to people and food and lose all fear. A couple months ago, incident at CosbyKnob shelter where two bears took a thruhikers pack while he was setting up his tent at the shelter, with probably 20 people there. A group of them followed it into the woods and found the pack , sprayed it twice with with bear spray to get the pack back, but bear kept coming back. Report was that the spray only worked momentarily. The bears hung around all night, even after being pelted with rocks by a dozen people. This is why the shelter was closed.

    Bring spray it if it makes you more comfortable. It cannot hurt.

  13. #13
    Registered User P-Train's Avatar
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    In GSMNP I felt more at ease and slept better with it. I always carry it on every hike. Never used it once. But it's there if you need it. (Ain't just for bears!) If I need to discourage a threat from a distance it would be nice to have.

  14. #14
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    ya know, reading this thread i cant help but wonder if the poster had said i'd like to carry a gun for protection because itll make me feel better if it would receive nearly as many replies suggesting to go ahead and do what makes you comfortable even if it is generally regarded as unnecessary.

    bear spray and guns are both totally unnecessary for hiking the AT.

  15. #15
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    Quote Originally Posted by Pathfinder1 View Post
    ...why not bring some...especially if it will make you feel more secure....
    Quote Originally Posted by HikerMomKD View Post
    ...but if it makes you feel better and helps you to sleep better at night, I would carry it along...."
    Quote Originally Posted by SCGamecock View Post
    ...just so I can have peace of mind...
    Quote Originally Posted by grok120 View Post
    ...I feel better with bear spray....
    Quote Originally Posted by MuddyWaters View Post
    ...Bring spray it if it makes you more comfortable...
    Quote Originally Posted by P-Train View Post
    ... I felt more at ease and slept better with it. I always carry it on every hike. Never used it once....
    This topic comes up often and each time I make the same observation. You don't take bear spay to protect you from bears. You take it to protect you from your own anxieties.

  16. #16
    Registered User Papa D's Avatar
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    I wouldn't worry about it - - we chased a 400 pound bear away from a campsite 3 weeks ago in New Hampshire - - banging pots and pans on rocks, throwing rocks, yelling at it. No need for spray. I'd say that in grizzly country it could be warranted though last time I was hiking in BC, I didn't have any, did see 3 bears and had no issues.

  17. #17
    GSMNP 900 Miler rmitchell's Avatar
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    There are estimated to be 1500 bears in the park. They can be unpredictable. Most will run away. Occasionally one will linger around a campsite or other popular area looking for an easy meal. Black berries and blue berries are beginning to ripen now so may be they will be occupied with natural food.

    If you do have a bear that will not leave, a well placed rock will usually discourage it. Rocks are free and have a greater range than bear spray. I prefer baseball size. You don't even have to hit the bear, just get close. If the bear is habituated to humans, you may be doing it a favor with some negative reinforcement.

  18. #18
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    As a carry permit holder, I still prefer a palm sized mace gun like the one made by Kimber for forty or so bucks. It's strong, light, and no issues with legality or huge loss if lost or stolen. When I see the number of crimes reported, I know there must be many more we never hear of. I carry mace in the east just as I do in the Rockies.

  19. #19

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    The majority rules. Bring it if you want to.

    Bears that run from you are not an issue.
    Bears that run from a rock thrown at them are not an issue
    Bears that play with bear cables all night are not an issue

    Bears that are persistent and dont go away in spite of efforts to deter them might be an issue.(this is why shelters get closed)

    Bears that come into the shelter while you are asleep could be an issue too. (yes, its happened where people woke up and a bear was in the shelter with them.)

    I dont think anyone expects a black bear to attack them, (but sometimes they do, as the hiker killed in 2000 in GSMNP demonstrates.)

    The spray is another tool, to use to repel a problem bear that gets too close for comfort. And from time to time there are bears like that in the park. To deny that is foolish.

  20. #20
    Wanna-be hiker trash
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    Quote Originally Posted by Odd Man Out View Post
    This topic comes up often and each time I make the same observation. You don't take bear spay to protect you from bears. You take it to protect you from your own anxieties.
    Is that really such a bad thing? I've met plenty of folks hiking with bear spray holstered to their sides it has never once detracted from my experience on the trail.

    I've never bothered to carry bear spray, but I do carry an extra day or two of food for the off chance I get lost or stuck on the trail. During a drought I sometimes carry a filter in case I have to pump water out of a mud hole or beaver pond. Really I fail to see the difference between these things, they're all just different levels of preparedness and I'm glad to let people bring what they are comfortable with.
    Colorless green ideas sleep furiously.

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