No deterrent is 100% effective, but compared to all others, including firearms, proper use of bear spray has proven to be the best method for fending off threatening and attacking bears, and for preventing injury to the person and animal involved.
But, keep in mind if you're being attacked you must react to keep yourself safe. So, if all you have is bear spray, be sure to use it! It will disable a human just the same, if not more effectively.
Bear Spray plays an important part in reducing attacks during human encounters with bears. It is a good last line of defense, but it is not a substitute for vigilance and it does not replace appropriate safety techniques. Bear spray should only be used if you are charged by a bear or other wild animal.
Bear spray is unsafe and potentially dangerous for humans. If you want to avoid the litany of headaches that comes with using the wrong spray, it's best to use only bear sprays on bears and only carry bear spray in bear country. It's got no business being carried or used for self-defense against a human attacker.
Bear spray is a very effective deterrent when used properly. In a 2008 review of bear attacks in Alaska from 1985–2006, Smith et al. found that bear spray stopped a bear's "undesirable behavior" in 92% of cases. Further, 98% of persons using bear spray in close-range encounters escaped uninjured.
No deterrent is 100% effective, but compared to all others, including firearms, proper use of bear spray has proven to be the best method for fending off threatening and attacking bears, and for preventing injury to the person and animal involved.
Fact #1: Bear spray is 98 percent effective. Fact #2: Your odds of being injured by a bear while carrying a firearm are the same as if you're carrying no defense at all.
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According to Yosemite's official website: “the possession, use, or discharge of pepper spray (including bear spray), pellet guns, and BB guns in Yosemite National Park is prohibited.”
Bear spray has a much lower concentration of oleoresin capsicum, and should only be used as a bear deterrent. Pepper spray is a self defense weapon intended to incapacitate human threats, and it is very effective at doing this due to its higher concentration of oleoresin capsicum.
If you carry bear spray, make sure you know how to use it and keep it within reach whenever you might encounter a bear. If your initial body language doesn't defuse the situation, wait until the bear is within fifteen feet to discharge the spray. Bear spray works equally effectively on mountain lions.
“There are reasons why bear spray should be the first choice for anybody recreating in bear country,” he says, pointing to Smith's research in Alaska that showed bear spray to be 92 percent effective in deterring attacks by grizzly, black and polar bears.
Spray distance should be a 25-35 foot range so the bear will meet the cloud at about 25-35 feet from you and have time to divert its charge.
A face hit almost guarantees temporary blindness and big-time breathing problems. But the good news is that the sting will eventually subside and by that time, either you or the bear are long gone.
► BEAR SPRAY IS A DETERRENT made of red pepper oil (oleoresin of capsaicin). It inflames the eyes and upper respiratory system. If used properly, it can effectively deter an aggressive bear.
Bear spray is stronger than pepper spray and should only be used against charging bears. The oleoresin capsaicin concentration is typically higher in bear spray. Some pepper sprays come out as a stream, whereas bear spray comes out as a cone-like cloud.
David Nance, the chief executive officer of the SABRE personal security company, a major manufacturer of bear spray, said: "Bear spray should only be used to defend against a bear attack. The label states not to use on humans."
Do not use bear pepper spray on dogs or humans. Bear spray is regulated as a pesticide by the EPA and has only been approved for use on bears. It should not be used on any other animals, including humans.
Most bear sprayers are above the 4-ounce size and, therefore, are not allowed in carry-on or check-in baggage. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) recommends travelers check with their airline prior to their flight to ensure that they comply with the airline-specific requirements.
Bear spray is not permitted in checked or carry on baggage in commercial flights, and charter operators have strict rules about the transport of this potentially dangerous material.
Bear spray will work against almost all mammals including bear, cougar, bobcat, coyote, wolf, moose, elk, goat, sheep, and deer.
In short, bear spray is 98% effective at deterring a bear. It's a strong smelling capsaicin spray, similar to the pepper spray or mace that policemen use. Most bears won't think twice when their nose and eyes start watering and burning, and will back off.
Most bear experts recommend keeping a canister of bear spray in your tent. Properly used, bear spray has been proven to be more reliable and effective than a firearm for deterring bears. Many bear experts recommend sleeping away from your tent wall.
Rizzo, of the American Lung Association, said bear and other pepper sprays are “topically related irritants” that temporarily affect people's ability to see and breathe freely. When bear spray or standard pepper spray is used on people, those symptoms typically self-resolve in 10 to 20 minutes, Rizzo said.
45-70 Government has been used to stop more than a few attacking grizzlies, and lever guns have been a top choice among backcountry guides the world over. There's no doubt that if you put a bullet or two in the right place, the . 45-70 can save your life.
Neither wasp spray nor Tasers are considered proven bear deterrents. (A Taser is an electroshock weapon that uses electrical current to disrupt voluntary control of muscles.