View Full Version : Getting my bear spray TODAY!!!
stephanD
06-22-2017, 08:48
I know this has been discussed AD NAUSEAM, but I got really freaked out about those unfortunate recent black bears mauling in Alaska. To carry/not carry bear spray, there are three views: 1. Not necessary and overkill. chances to get mauled are minuscule (majority) 2. Don't get into the woods without it (minority) and 3. Do whatever feels right for you (which can be said practically on every issue in life). So, this is me; I live in NYC, which means that i'm surrounded year round by people, most of them i do not care about. So when i'm in the woods, i like to be by myself, with my thoughts and my demons. Now, let's say i'm in front of a black bear alone in the woods. Let's say this bear, and i do not care if it is a male or a female, made up it's mind that i'm going to make a tasty and nutritious meal. What to do? They tell you to stand your ground. So you shout, yell and scream, and the bear is unfazed. Then you throw sticks and stones at him/her, and now the bear is really pissed off. If you have a bear spray, then you have one more line of defense/attack. if not, it is your bare hands against three inches of claws and teeth in a 300.00 lbs body. So the question you have to ask yourself is: How bad DO I NOT want to become a statistic? Two footnotes: 1. I read somewhere the the black bear population in the east coast is record high. if that's true, that means more bears=less food. Less food=more desperate bears. 2. pepper spray can be useful towards other unwanted companions such as humans, aggressive stray dogs, rabid animals, just to name a few.
I've carried spray for years and don't even notice the extra weight. I've had enough run-ins with bears in GSMNP/ SNP, including a couple of close encounters, and having another self-defense tool isn't a bad thing. As mentioned, it's effective for two-legged threats as well.
cneill13
06-22-2017, 09:24
I read but cannot verify that bear spray is less potent than the pepper spray made for humans.
The supposed reason for this is that a bear's sense of smell is 1,200X greater than a human so a lesser potency is needed.
Regardless, I carry a very small can of pepper spray made for human use, not bears. It sprays very far and weighs almost nothing.
cneill13
06-22-2017, 09:27
I just found this article.
http://www.selfdefenseninja.com/bear-spray-vs-pepper-spray-whats-difference/
stephanD
06-22-2017, 09:37
Thanks for the feedback. I think the extra weight (11 ounces for the 8.1 fluid ounces size) well worth the peace of mind. I never thought I will be needing one, but i changed my mind, and i wonder how many more out there feel this way?
The Kisco Kid
06-22-2017, 09:57
I read somewhere the the black bear population in the east coast is record high. if that's true, that means more bears=less food. Less food=more desperate bears.
If you want to carry bear spray, knock yourself out. But, playing amateur wildlife biologist leads to misinformation.
Truly, the biggest threat to hikers on the trail is not 300 pound bears, but the barely visible dear tick. 2017 is projected to be an especially bad year for lyme disease: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2017/04/06/2017-may-very-bad-year-lyme-disease/100120496/
I read but cannot verify that bear spray is less potent than the pepper spray made for humans.
The supposed reason for this is that a bear's sense of smell is 1,200X greater than a human so a lesser potency is needed.
Regardless, I carry a very small can of pepper spray made for human use, not bears. It sprays very far and weighs almost nothing.
The only issue with human-strength formulas is the risk of blow-back in windier conditions or if you are in a tent spraying an intrusive bear. The bear formula will be enough to ward off human problems if you give them enough.
Sojourner74
06-22-2017, 11:27
Interesting article - thanks for posting it.
Slo-go'en
06-22-2017, 11:41
Has anyone actually used their bear spray to protect themselves from a bear or other perceived threat?
Truly, the biggest threat to hikers on the trail is not 300 pound bears, but the barely visible dear tick.
Ticks are by FAR my biggest fear when hiking.
That said, when it comes to LETHAL risks on the AT, more thru hikers (six in total) have lost thier lives to criminals than to bear, snakes, lightening, ticks, trains, tree-fall, river fording, bee stings, rabid animals and hypothermia combined.
BuckeyeBill
06-22-2017, 15:18
Besides chemical composition being different, Pepper Spray as used in law enforcement/humans has a spray pattern that is a stream. It makes aiming the spray directly into the face of the person much easier. The stream has an effective range of around 8-10 feet. Bear Spray has a spray pattern more like a fog, covering a large area that doesn't requiring precise aiming. It has an effective range of around 15-20 feet depending on which manufacture you choose. One even claims 35 feet. Depending on what article/website you read some say pepper spray is stronger; others tell you bear spray is the strongest. Either way, I would not to be sprayed with either one. When I went to the Highway Patrol Academy, we were sprayed with MACE to feel its effect. The one consideration with Bear Spray is knowing which way the wind is blowing, so you don't get it blown back into your face. Again I feel this is personal choice item and shouldn't depend on what others think. HYOH.
fiddlehead
06-22-2017, 19:22
I tested mine once.
Wind was behind me and I sprayed it downwind.
It was a steady stream, about 20-30 feet and immediately my eyes were burning and my brother and I both started coughing.
The **** works.
(by the way this was from a can of bear spray that had expired about 10 years before!)
Never needed to try it on a bear but I had it out a few times in Montana when I saw grizzlies not so far away.
Was glad I had it.
BuckeyeBill
06-22-2017, 19:31
If I were you, I think I would get me a new can. YMMV
Uncle Joe
06-22-2017, 21:03
Carry or don't carry. Do what you think is best.
scrabbler
06-22-2017, 23:54
Only one? What if you see two bears?
Carry if you must, but remember it's an extremely rarity that you will be attacked by a bear. To date I believe no one has been killed on the AT by a bear. It's far better to learn how to deal with your food. I prefer the UrSack and sleep with your food method as hanging food has it's pitfalls. But it's your hike and you'll learn what works and what doesn't. So, enjoy your hike.
Has anyone actually used their bear spray to protect themselves from a bear or other perceived threat?
I don't know, but that article says not to spray it till the bear is within range - 20 feet - and to keep spraying till the bear is deterred - up to 6 seconds.
Question: How long does it take a bear to cover 20 feet?
I don't know, but that article says not to spray it till the bear is within range - 20 feet - and to keep spraying till the bear is deterred - up to 6 seconds.
Question: How long does it take a bear to cover 20 feet?
Less than 6 seconds. ;) :D
Wayne
stephanD
06-23-2017, 08:35
Truly, the biggest threat to hikers on the trail is not 300 pound bears, but the barely visible dear tick. 2017 is projected to be an especially bad year for lyme disease: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/...ase/100120496/ (https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2017/04/06/2017-may-very-bad-year-lyme-disease/100120496/)If you want to carry bear spray, knock yourself out. But, playing amateur wildlife biologist leads to misinformation.
If you want to carry bear spray, knock yourself out. But, playing amateur wildlife biologist leads to misinformation.
One does not exclude the other. You should protect yourself from both. This thread is those who, like me, never thought of hiking with a bear spray, but now have a change of heart, and I would like to know their thoughts and inputs. That's all there's to it. At the end of the day, we make our choices, and we are responsible to our actions.
BuckeyeBill
06-23-2017, 11:34
I carry bear spray because I did a lot of hiking in the western states early in my backpacking adventures. I have seen both black and brown bears and the damage that they can do to human beings. It turned into one of the pieces of gear that take just like a hammock or a tent.
A strange reaction to an extremely unlikely occurrence. Do you go around staring at the sky to avoid getting hit in the head by an asteroid?
BuckeyeBill
06-23-2017, 11:43
no but I do look up when I am setting up my tarp and hammock to make sure there are no dead hanging branches over me. I also like to eat at the farthest table from the door with my back to a wall. I'm not paranoid, I just don't like people behind me when I eat.
no but I do look up when I am setting up my tarp and hammock to make sure there are no dead hanging branches over me. I also like to eat at the farthest table from the door with my back to a wall. I'm not paranoid, I just don't like people behind me when I eat.
I do that too, that reasonable.
jimmyjam
06-23-2017, 12:28
Thanks for the feedback. I think the extra weight (11 ounces for the 8.1 fluid ounces size) well worth the peace of mind. I never thought I will be needing one, but i changed my mind, and i wonder how many more out there feel this way?
If it increases your comfort level and lets you sleep better at night, then carry it.
mateozzz
06-23-2017, 20:11
On one of the Alaska settler TV shows they were showing the equipment of a guy who was out hunting deer. He had a rifle for the deer, then a shotgun with deer slugs for bear, plus a .357 as a backup, then a big knife. I think he also carried bear spray. That would kind of mess up your base weight! On you-tube there are videos of people spraying agitated bears and they back off. Of course, we don't have the video of anyone where the bear didn't back off...
I think over time black bears will revert to a more aggressive personality. We did such a good job of killing any we saw for a couple hundred years the only ones left were the super-shy ones, a kind of an evolution by lead. Alaska might already be at that point. Plus they have brown and grizzly bears, so I can't imagine going in the woods up there without spray.
fiddlehead
06-23-2017, 20:55
On one of the Alaska settler TV shows they were showing the equipment of a guy who was out hunting deer. He had a rifle for the deer, then a shotgun with deer slugs for bear, plus a .357 as a backup, then a big knife. I think he also carried bear spray. That would kind of mess up your base weight! On you-tube there are videos of people spraying agitated bears and they back off. Of course, we don't have the video of anyone where the bear didn't back off...
I think over time black bears will revert to a more aggressive personality. We did such a good job of killing any we saw for a couple hundred years the only ones left were the super-shy ones, a kind of an evolution by lead. Alaska might already be at that point. Plus they have brown and grizzly bears, so I can't imagine going in the woods up there without spray.
After reading Lewis and Clark's journals, it is my opinion that a pistol or even rifle with slugs is almost useless against a charging griz.
(they shot one with 50 caliber rifles and later counted 11 slugs in it's lungs and heart, but it kept coming)
Give me bear spray over a gun. (and a knife? maybe for mountain lion, not griz))
Uncle Joe
06-23-2017, 22:17
After reading Lewis and Clark's journals, it is my opinion that a pistol or even rifle with slugs is almost useless against a charging griz.
(they shot one with 50 caliber rifles and later counted 11 slugs in it's lungs and heart, but it kept coming)
Give me bear spray over a gun. (and a knife? maybe for mountain lion, not griz))
Grizzly, yes. I'd probably carry spray and a pistol. Black Bear you'd likely have some time. And if you have time for spray I don't know why you wouldn't with a pistol depending on how you carried it.
Uncle Joe
06-24-2017, 12:25
And there's this: https://craigmedred.news/2017/06/22/bear-ignored-spray/
mateozzz
06-25-2017, 13:45
And there's this: https://craigmedred.news/2017/06/22/bear-ignored-spray/
Is bear spray flammable? Maybe you could hold a lighter in front of it and make a mini flame thrower. I've done that other sprays.
BuckeyeBill
06-25-2017, 15:50
It usually not the actual spray contents, but the propellant use to get it out of the container that is flammable.
mateozzz
06-25-2017, 19:18
It usually not the actual spray contents, but the propellant use to get it out of the container that is flammable.
There you go! Now we just need the bear spray manufacturers to add a second trigger to spark the spray - instant bear flambe. Wonder what burnt bear smells like in the morning?
BuckeyeBill
06-25-2017, 20:30
Be some hiker's luck the the hair of the bear would catch on fire and start a forest fire.
Tundracamper
06-28-2017, 10:20
And there's this: https://craigmedred.news/2017/06/22/bear-ignored-spray/
...or this, where it did work. I'd rather be able to at least try then not.
https://www.adn.com/alaska-news/2017/06/25/two-injured-in-separate-brown-bear-attacks-in-southcentral-alaska-saturday/
Uncle Joe
06-28-2017, 14:14
...or this, where it did work. I'd rather be able to at least try then not.
https://www.adn.com/alaska-news/2017/06/25/two-injured-in-separate-brown-bear-attacks-in-southcentral-alaska-saturday/
Agreed. There's a reason experts advocate it's use, esp. in Grizzly country.
perdidochas
06-28-2017, 17:05
A strange reaction to an extremely unlikely occurrence. Do you go around staring at the sky to avoid getting hit in the head by an asteroid?
Two people in recorded history have been hit by meteorites (only one died, the other was bruised, because it went through her roof and ceiling before hitting her.) Not quite the same thing. I do agree that the chances of being attacked by a bear on the AT are slim, but not nearly as slim as the chance of being hit in the head by an asteroid. Orders of magnitude difference.
I used to think bear spray was a needless item, too, until I had a run-in with a problem bear at #41 in GSMNP. This bear wandered into camp shortly before dark and no amount of yelling or pot-banging would scare it off. It started to come across the trail, directly into our camp area and I grabbed a couple of good-sized rocks, lobbed them close to the bear and managed to get it to run off.
After a discussion, it was nearly dark, we hung to food on the cables and camped up the trail a ways. Later that night we could hear the bear shaking the cables, trying to get the food (it didn't get it). Since then, I've carried spray because you always think things like this aren't going to happen to you, until they do. I do not fear being killed by a back bear but I do not want to be injured, miles from help, or have my gear destroyed all because I was adverse to carrying a few extra ounces. As always, HYOH.