It is possible that some of the most serious recent bear encounters might have ended
Issue: 2015-07-23 PHOTO: kozzi.com
We are visitors in the bear’s country. Yielding to the bear is always the right approach.
differently if bear spray had been at hand and had been used.
Hindsight is always 20/20, but bear spray has been shown to be very effective if used as it was intended. It isn’t magic, but nothing on earth likes red hot pepper extract being sprayed into its mucous membranes.
Bear spray works like any other aerosol canister, where a propellant under pressure sprays out a product such as paint, disinfectant or, in this case, hot pepper extract.
The sprays available to the camping and hiking public come in two sizes, which deliver eight seconds or 12 seconds of spray. In either case, the effective range is about five to six met 5-6 metres, after which it simply falls to the ground.
With that in mind, one can easily realize that the bear must be very close to you in order for the spray to be effective. If it is more than 5-6 metres away, any spray you send will be wasted and have no effect on the animal at all.
If the bear is moving towards you, it is possible that it will walk into some of the cloud of spray, but since you have only eight or 12 seconds of spray available, it is essential (and perhaps life-saving) to wait until the bear is very close.
Wind has a very strong effect on the spray. A wind from either side will blow the spray off sideways and away from the bear. Any wind in your direction - in other words, from the bear back toward you - could bring some, or most, of the spray back into your own face.
Bear spray is very painful to deal with, so it may be that both you and the bear are affected.
Bear sprays need to be kept easily available, never in your pack, where it will take too long to get it ready.
The canister should be carried in an accessory holster, but not on the waist-belt of your pack, because taking off your pack would separate you from the spray canister.
A holster will also protect the top/trigger mechanism, which can easily be broken off if not protected. That could leave you with a full canister, but no way to spray its contents.
Another way to carry it is on a loop of cord or boot-lace around your neck, so that it hangs at your waist inside your jacket or vest.
These sprays often have a “best by” date, but five years is about the limit, as the “O” ring between the spray and the trigger mechanism might start to leak by then, leaving you without any propellant.
Bear sprays are priced at $40- 60, including a holster, but it is always smart to price-check to get the best value.
Finally, it is important to remember when out on the land, that we are visitors in the bear’s country. Yielding to the bear is always the right approach to the situation.