Pepper spray causes much more intense effects which can incapacitate your attacker, allowing you to remove yourself from the area. Bear spray: when to use it, and how to use it, are two things every backpacker in brown (grizzly) bear country needs to know. Once you know the technique of handling bear spray, you can head for the woods with a more positive attitude (mixed with judicious quantities of respect and caution). If you have ever seen this used on someone, or have had it used on you before, then you know the effects. Bear spray is legal across the United States.It can be purchased even in Hawaii, New York, or Massachusetts, where standard pepper sprays are illegal unless bought locally by certified firearms dealers or pharmacists. How to use bear spray? This is basically a milder form of pepper spray and uses the same spicy capsaicin that we use to deter humans. This stuff is potent! A very effective way to protect yourself from bears is through the use of a bear spray. Further, 98% of persons using bear spray in close-range encounters escaped uninjured. You can deploy bear spray straight from a hip holster. Replace expired bear spray cans. It is an effective deterrent of North American bears, but it can be adversely affected by wind, rain, temperature, and even how close the bear is when it charges. How to Use Bear Spray. Many national parks ask that you report bear encounters to park staff and if you do use bear spray on a bear they will likely want to know when and where this happened. Bear spray is your “last-resort” tool: have it ready, but try to calmly and slowly get out of the bear’s way first. Make sure the bear spray is readily available to you at the time of need. Deploy the spray up to six seconds. If you encounter a nearby bear, remove safety clip, hold the can in two hands, and extend your arms in readiness. I went out and met couple of experienced back country paddlers, repeatedly checked out popular outdoor shops and read a lot of online articles. Never leave the canister in a vehicle in direct sunlight where the temperature could exceed 120°F. To use the bear spray, remove the safety clip, if there is one. When recreating in bear country, your best strategy to avoid an encounter is to make lots of noise, stay in groups and be alert for signs of bears in the area. To prepare to use your bear spray remove the safety cap and take note of which way any crosswind is blowing. I have no photos of brown bears to share with you on this page. You Must Learn to Properly Use, Store and Handle Bear Spray if you travel into or through Bear Country, i.e. Using bear spray. Those who advocate the use of bug spray as a substitute for bear spray claim that it is both cheap, and easier to aim over a considerable range. Bear Spray Demonstration and Safety Tips. anywhere in the Wilderness. Diggings, scat, visible tracks and overturned logs and rocks are all signs that bears are around. Use empty or expired canisters of bear spray to practice quickly removing the safety clip and aiming with one hand. When using bear mace instead of pepper spray, you may only aggravate the attacker even more, causing a bigger problem. Keep bear spray accessible: If you come upon a bear on the trail, you need to be able to reach your bear spray immediately. Pepper spray will be much more effective against an attack from a human. Keeping it in a holster on your belt is an excellent idea. My husband decided to practice firing some bear spray. How to Use Bear Spray. When it’s time to use the bear spray, you don’t’ really get to tell the bear to wait until you can unpack the spray and use it. Our Yellowstone Forever Institute Senior Naturalist, Brad Bulin, recently talked with us about why bear spray is the most effective bear deterrent as well as when and how to use it. Use only if the bear acts aggressively. How to use bear spray. Bear spray is a very effective deterrent when used properly. Hunter, journalist and TV personality Craig Boddington gives a one-minute demonstration of how to carry and use bear spray while hunting. Don’t shake the can before using. Spray in 2 – 3 second bursts. How To Properly Use Bear Spray. Practice using bear spray. A guide to backpacking with bear spray and mace, how to use bear spray, and best models. Luckily, many of the companies that manufacture bear spray also sell inert training cans, so you can test out their functionality before you hit the trail. A Montana bear safety organization has just released a new guide explaining how to properly deploy and use bear spray.The group says the new guide is the result of their "deep concern" that the general public is getting a lot of misinformation about bear spray. Most situations where you will need to use your UDAP Bear Spray will be in a close surprise encounter. Don’t store bear spray in high temperatures. Or, put it in an external pocket on your backpack that you can easily reach. Always carry bear spray so that it is readily available to you, preferably in a holster worn on a belt or pack. Using Bear Spray. Don't spray when the bear is too far away or your spray won't make contact. Use Bear Spray. In Canada, while legal for use against bears, bear spray is a prohibited weapon if intended to be used against humans. CARRY BEAR SPRAY AND KNOW HOW TO USE IT. The good news is that since bears’ noses and eyes are so sensitive, a spray that will incapacitate a bear will only be mildly irritating to humans. Learning how to use bear spray effectively is a skill every outdoor enthusiast should have. 3) Steady your body and your can of bear spray and, with your thumb, deploy the trigger. It really hurt!!! A step by step instructional video on how to use bear spray and other important facts about bear spray. As a newbie to back country Ontario, I have been preparing for weeks now to make sure I have all the stuff I need for my upcoming kayak camping trip in French River provincial park. Do you carry bear spray out hiking in bear country? How to Hold Bear Spray. Stand your ground. Help Protect Yellowstone’s Bears . NPS/Diane Renkin. To be effective, bear spray has to hit the eyes and nose of the bear. Depress actuator tab for burst of spray (Figure 2). Every bear spray can has a printed expiry date that marks when it stops being effective. That is a very, very good thing. Here’s what we learned about how to use bear spray. 2) When you’re being charged or attacked by a bear, remove the safety on the bear spray. Be sure you can use bear spray where you’re going: Some locations prohibit the use of bear spray, such as Yosemite National Park. In most cases, bears will do their best to avoid people. A tiny puff of wind appeared - just enough to waft a miniscule bit of spray into his face. HOW TO USE BEAR SPRAY INSTRUCTIONS. You can directly help protect Yellowstone’s bears by sponsoring a bear box. Step 1: Point downward at 30 degree angle, Step 2: Aim in bear's path or directly at bear if charging, Step 3: Spray in short 1 to 2 second bursts. Although I am paranoid about a … After using bear spray you’ll also want to leave the area so you are not affected by the spray. He took appropriate safety precautions, waited for a calm day with no wind, went to an open area, and fired carefully. Casey Anderson was giving a video crew a demonstration on best practices for using bear spray. If this doesn’t deter them, spray a full blast when they are about 20 feet away. If the bear keeps coming, it’s a good idea to have a canister of bear spray close at hand. Aim at the face and eyes of bear. TO ARM AND APPLY: This product is designed for one-hand operation. Check the maximum distance of the spray on your canister - most will spray from 25-30 feet. Models: Frontiersman, Guard Alaska, Tornado, Counter Assault, UDAP. So, before you leave home, check online or call the land management agency for the area you’re going to and ask if bear spray is permitted. When they bear is about 50 feet away try out a short burst of spray so the bear will walk through it. Practice, at least seven times going for your spray, or until you can reach it in a split second's time when needed. If the bear sees you and continues to approach, prepare to deter it with your bear spray. Lucky for them, Anderson was prepared. Bear Spray is only effective if you know how to use it, so Frontiersman also developed a practice spray so if an emergency does arise, outdoorsman would know what to do without hesitation. Leave the area - After the bear is stopped or turned away, this is your chance to head back to the direction you came from but keep your bear spray ready in case you need it again. found that bear spray stopped a bear’s “undesirable behavior” in 92% of cases. These products work very much in the same way as pepper sprayed us. This could result in the spray being carried to your face instead of going in the bear’s direction. Instead, it’s critical to have the bear spray ready to use at all times. Try to adjust for any wind. Note: Always read the printed materials that accompany your canister of bear spray for specific instructions. If you are in an area where you might easily surprise a bear, carry the bear spray in hand. Tips for Using Bear Spray. Pull safety clip straight back and off using thumb (Figure 1). The spray is a water-based product and will not protect against an actual attack—but it will prepare you to stay calm and use the real product correctly. If the bear comes towards you, yell “Hey Bear!” The bear has to be in close range (less than a bus length) for your spray to be effective. Chuck Bartlebaugh using an Inert Training Canister in a simulated bear encounter. As if cue, a mother grizzly charged the group. When purchasing bear spray it is important to remember that pepper sprays (personal defense sprays) are not the same as bear spray. Wear on a belt or else keep it handy instead of putting in bag or pouch. Do not run. They are right in both regards, since the product is indeed inexpensive compared to bear deterrent, and it is far more precise than bear repellent. Produced by the Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee Wildlife Management Institute. Pepper spray causes the following symptoms: Difficulty … Bear spray is much like normal pepper spray, but it typically sprays much farther and for a longer period of time. Bear spray is a proven deterrent, but you must know how to use it, and keep it on you in a belt or chest holster, not in your back pack or on your bike or ATV. Aim slightly down so the spray will fall into the bears face. Bear Spray plays an important part in reducing attacks during human encounters with bears. When the bear is between 30 and 60 feet away, aim downwards slightly and start spraying towards the bear, adjusting the direction to take account of crosswinds. How effective is bear spray? Bears are normally wary of people and will leave if they know that you are in the area. 1) Carry bear spray on a hip holster or chest holster to make it easy to access. The efficacy of bear spray depends on the situation and circumstances of the attack. You may want to practice actually shooting from your holster with one of our inert cans. When using a bear spray can, ensure you observe the wind direction and avoid spraying it directly against the wind. This won’t happen, however, unless your bear spray has an easy way to carry it in a ready access position. If you use bear spray, chances are that you, too, will experience these symptoms! Training to use bear spray is imperative if you’re headed into bear country. Having a handy holster wherein to position you bear spray can is really useful by many seasoned hikers; it leaves you free to make use of each fingers, and makes the spray simply accessible within the occasion of a bear cost. Since canister can lose pressure over time no matter how good the seal is placed between nozzles and can, test it before going out in the fields. Be sure your bear spray isn’t expired: Bear spray has a shelf life of about 4 years. Place forefinger through hole in handle, with thumb on safety clip curl. Spray until the bear changes direction - Most of the time, the first blast is enough to deter the bear, but you may need to spray more than once. Mother Bear Charges Crew Shooting Video About Bear Spray. 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