Bear spray when hiking into bear country – yes, no, maybe?

[Greg Miller]

Question: Do grizzlies LIKE pepper?

Yes, they do. So if you are thinking about dousing yourself in bear spray as a pre-emptive measure, that would be a mistake...

[goamules]

Looks like two points have flown over your head, so I thought it would be helpful to state them for the thread.

1) A principal theme of Thoreau, Leopold, Abbey is the importance of experiencing wilderness alone, no matter its real or perceived risks.
2) The risk of being attacked and killed by a black, brown or polar bear in the wilderness is statistically negligible over any historical time period.

I agree that solitary individuals are more likely to be attacked than groups, but this has no bearing on the extreme rarity of lethal bear attacks. Nor does the poor wilderness behavior of any particular victim who was eaten. I think the bear stories you're reading, true as they might be, are making you see goblins.

So one might ask why my personal choice is to always carry bear spray, grizzly habitat and/or black bear habitat. I refer you to post #23 for my explanation. ;^)

Exactly why did you start this poll and thread then, pray tell? Nevermind, we got it. A personal crusade for bear spray and hiking alone. Knock yourself out. I'll help you pack your pack...with a little salmon in it.

Setting a long overdue to IGNORE....ready.....execute.

[Heroique]

Yes, they do. So if you are thinking about dousing yourself in bear spray as a pre-emptive measure, that would be a mistake...

That reminds me of the directions on my canister.

One warning states: "Do not spray this product on objects, tents, or humans; such use has no deterrent effect on bears."

I would have written it this way: "Do not spray this product on objects, tents, or humans; such use has a "Dinner's served!" effect on bears." ;^)

Think of a restaurant waiter putting a dish of fragrant pepper steak on your table!

[Heroique]

Exactly why did you start this poll and thread then, pray tell?

It's all in the first two sentences: to determine a consensus about bear spray, and maybe improve our safety in the outdoors.

As for a consensus, it looks like "Yes" and "No" are winning an equal number of votes in the poll.

Unless one pulls ahead in the next 24 hours or so, we might learn there is no consensus among the wilderness LFers here.

-----
BTW, I have to add one more quote from my canister's entertaining label: "Not for use on humans." I've heard of situations where the opposite might be the best use – but lucky me, I've never actually been in one.

[Drew Wiley]

Talking statistics in fatal bear attacks is largely meaningless because they're so rare. By contrast, the city of SF alone averages about 500 reported dogbite incidents a year, serious enough to require hospital treatment. Fatalities in this immediate area from people's pets per year exceed a decade worth of bear incidents in the entire continental US. The most dangerous breed: Pekinese. They were bred as mean little guard dogs and one year killed six toddlers locally.
Bear or cougars? Been around em my whole life. I have no intention of bothering with spray in black bear country. If I get opportunities to hike up in Glacier or
the Canadian Rockies, or Alaska - grizz habitat - I will be toting spray.

[tgtaylor]

Black Bear? No spray. Grizzly Bear? I go armed.

Thomas

[Willie]

Best use of bear spray is on people who decide your gear should be their gear.

[Darin Boville]

uuuuhhhh....I think #1 and #3 are clearly attacks on a person while NOT alone, maybe #2 also. Of course the bear singles out a single target from that group. They aren't ninjas! If you go with the definition you used for "alone" then all attacks, always, will be "alone" even if bears start attacking at shopping malls on the day after Thanksgiving!

--Darin

Here, let me make it easy. The data from BLACK Bear fatal attackes in the 2010s, updated up to Sept 2014. Bold mine.

1. Patel was about to begin hiking with four friends in Apshawa Preserve when they met a man and a woman at the entrance who told them there was a bear nearby and advised them to turn around.[7] They continued on, found the bear, and Patel and another hiker took photos. They turned and began walking away, but the bear followed them. The hikers ran in different directions, and found that Patel was missing when they regrouped. Authorities found Patel's body after searching for two hours. A black bear found in the vicinity was killed.[8] According to the State Department of Environmental Protection, this was the first fatal bear attack on human in New Jersey on record.[8] - ALONE

2. Weafer, a Suncor worker was attacked at the remote North Steepbank oil sands mine site while walking back to work after a trip to the washroom. Efforts by co-workers to scare off the bear were unsuccessful. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police shot and killed the bear upon arrival. A preliminary investigation determined that the attack was predatory.[9] - Not Alone

3. Weaver was attacked by a black bear while walking back to his cabin on George Lake, according to his wife, who was able to flee inside the cabin and was uninjured. A 230 lb (104.3 kg) adult male black bear on the scene was killed by troopers and found to have some of Weaver's remains in his stomach.[10] - ALONE at the end

4. Hollingsworth was attacked by a 250 lb (113.4 kg) black bear while walking her dog at a country club. Nearly a month later and after eleven surgeries, she died from a massive brain hemorrhage, which doctors believe was a result of the attack. The bear was tracked, shot, and killed.[11] - ALONE

5. Adolph's remains were found by police dogs after she was reported missing. She was an elderin the Xaxli'p First Nation. There was evidence that bears fed on Adolph's remains, and tried to enter her house. An autopsy confirmed that she died from a bear attack. Five bears suspected of being involved were killed by conservation officers, and DNA tests confirmed that one of the dead bears killed Adolph.[12] - ALONE

6. Kandra was a bear caretaker on property that kept exotic pets. The bear was out of its cage for feeding. Prior to the attack, the property's owner had his license to exhibit animals revoked, but was still allowed to keep the animals on his property.[13] - ALONE

I'll put the grizzlys next.

[Drew Wiley]

Rogue black bears are nearly always habituated to people first. Park bears used to handouts or pilfering. Bears in the burbs, accustomed to feeding on garbage or poodles. Same with rogue mtn lions. In the wild, these species, as well as North American wolves, are afraid of people. Attacks are extremely rare. Black bear subspecies in the East might be a little more bold, since they didn't have to compete with grizzlies. But they still had a lot to fear from humans. The only bears which seem to instinctively regard humans (or anything warm-blooded) as food are polar bears. The other species are omnivorous. People entered North
American back when there were wolves, bear, and lions a lot bigger than anything today. Guess who won that fight? Those critters are all extinct. We should give a little elbow room to the wildlife that's left. The more yappy poodles that get eaten, the better.

[Two23]

I was out in Yellowstone the first two weeks of August, walking around by myself at night taking shots. (I love night shots!) I didn't have any bear spray. Before we left I thought about taking my pistol along, but my wife was laughing at me because it's a .22 Ruger Single Six revolver. Anyway, I was out three nights until 2 am, shooting the geysors under a moonless night. I kept telling my wife I had two other guys who were going along, just to get her off my back about it. I laughed and said, "Lions and tigers and bears, OH MY!" I didn't worry about it. I'm used to be out alone at night--it's what I do.

I got up before my wife and went to breakfast at our hotel, Old Faithful Inn. I placed an order and picked up a local paper. Imagine my surprise when I saw a story on the front page about a guy who was hiking alone in the DAY TIME, and he got et! I read it and then ditched the paper so my wife wouldn't find it. We'll be back out to Yellowstone in a year or two, and I will be taking some bear spray!


Kent in SD