bear spray

justontime

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Do you carry bear spray with you when you camp? Ever had to use it?
I didn't even know that such a thing existed, we don't have bears in England, we have some interesting wildlife but nothing that is likely to attack.
 

SQuirrel

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I wouldn't want to piss off a bear more. On a related note Ive heard if you sprinkle cayan or other chili powder around your tables and cooking areas, when the bear comes sniffing, well, he don't like it and moves along.
 

atula

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I really didi not know that you had to carry sometihng like that...i really am interested in knowing if it is effective....we do not need to carry such things thankfully....
 

justontime

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I was just wondering what bear spray contains. I presume you do not spray it at the bear, do you spray it on yourself or around your camping area?
 

fbird

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its basically a high power pepper spray. most pepper spray are less than a 1% solution, bear spray is upwards of a 11% solution. in most cases it is your most effective option outside of carrying a loaded 12 gauge with the safety off. just like pepper spray you spray it at the head particularly the eyes. luckily i have never had to try it on a bear but it did work on a pit bull that had its jaws locked on someones leg.
 
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justontime

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Thanks for explaining that, I am glad we don't have to worry about bears in England. I don't think think pepper spray is legal here, is it the same as mace?
 

fbird

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yes and no, mace is a brand name, they make pepper spray, but a lot of their product are just a irritant more like tear gas, where pepper spray makes it hard to see and breath.
 
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tater03

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I had never heard of bear spray but if it would stop a bear to give me some time to get away then yes I would definitely carry it with me.
 

justontime

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Forgive my ignorance, but are bears a big problem in USA? Are they restricted to one or two places or are they more widespread? There are tales of us having big cats roaming around in England (such as the Beast of Bodmin Moor) but I am not aware that they have ever bothered campers. I think they mostly take sheep and small animals.
 

fbird

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all depends on the area. areas with grizzlys you have to be more careful cause they are more aggressive than black bears. places like yellowstone even more so cause they are used to people and they like our food and garbage.i live in michigan and there are bears, mostly black with a few brown bears but no real problems. i've been camping, hiking, biking and hunting in michigan for 30 years and only seen 2 bears and another set of tracks. one bear destroyed a solar panel, nocked it over and stepped on it. the other was a young addelescent and was just as curious about us as we were of it, unfourtianatly i only had a cheap point and shoot camera and every one started yellin at me when i went in the woods to get a better shot.
 

jason

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We have some bears here in Florida. Its rare that you hear of an attack. Your more likely to get attacked by a gator or snake. But some campgrounds do have warnings.
 

Bob Hansen

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Do you carry bear spray with you when you camp? Ever had to use it?
Hi...!! We have...shall I say...plenty of black bears around here...in fact, I had a close-up and personal encounter with one about three years ago...!! We 'met' when it was trying to get into a closed garbage can (autumn was nearly here, and it needed all the food it could get before winter)...!! It 'false charged' me, and, holding my ground, it false charged it back, which frightened it off (briefly). So I false charged it again, and it backed off. When I realized that it wasn't going to go away, I decided to press my luck further, and let him be...!!

I haven't seen or known of any locals that carry bear spray...but it DOES WORK...!! For everything you need to know about Bear Spray, Google Dr. Tom Smith, Bear Biologist...!!
 

Roybrew

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I have never had a bear encounter, and hope I never do. If I had one to false charge me, I'm afraid I would lose all dignity and scream like a little girl and stink the area up. What would happen if you backed away after one gave a false charge? Would they proceed to attack, or maybe they go back to their business of what ever? I don't want to ever end up face to face with one, but I do wonder if I'll remember to charge back, with a little back bone at least, or turn tail like the coward I am and run away screaming.

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Grandpa

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We have a lot of bear in Idaho. We also hunt black bears so they sre pretty bashful and keep their distance. Grizzlys, on the other hand, can get very testy when you stumble on to one. I've come nose to nose with both and was fortunate they wanted less to do with me than me with them. Bear spray will reach about 30 feet with no wind. A bear can close that distance in about 1/2 a second. I'm other words, if it's a real charge, even with the spray, his momentum will run you over. On a windy day, the spray is about worthless. The best tactic with bears is good bear ettiquite. Protect all odorous stuff, especially food, by hanging. Be aware, make noise while hiking, FORGET THE CAMERA, carry out ALL garbage. ( dumping that left over oatmeal behind the bush will get the next group to use that site killed. The bear finds that oatmeal, then comes back for more when others are there and the fight is on) A BIG gun is a last resort but that too is iffy as fast as a bear can vharge.
 

Roybrew

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I carry a personal thing of pepper spray when I go camping, but it ain't for bears. I would hate to piss off a bear by squirting it with a little ole thing of pepper.

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ppine

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Bear spray is a great idea. Carry it on your belt where you can get to it in a hurry.
I have run into bears a lot especially in Alaska as in more than 100. I carried fire arms then and still do. I have had the safety off a couple of times, but never fired a warning shot or used bear spray.
 

Happy Joe

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Had a can in the open Jeep for years; used it once on a dog that tried to jump in with thoughts of violence ... eventually, years after, the pressure went away and so did the can.
Black bears regularly run past camp, I don't see a problem; as long as food items are well contained (I use steel ammo cans and a bear resistant pelican cooler...not in the tent or vehicle)....
 
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