The Case For Bear Spray July 07, 2022, 12:47:26 pm I just came across this video captured in Yellowstone National Park. If you’ve ever wondered how effective Bear Spray is for repelling bears, this short video may answer your question. https://youtu.be/PWYV7bYUXcAKent 2 Likes
Re: The Case For Bear Spray Reply #1 – July 07, 2022, 12:53:36 pm I recently bought some bear spray since we have them up here where we live. Not too worried about our black bears though as they are typically only after food or water. More concerned with our mountain lions. My neighbor was stalked by one when he was out walking !
Re: The Case For Bear Spray Reply #2 – July 07, 2022, 01:00:34 pm Carried bear spray with me on my hike to the top of Mount Washburn (Yellowstone) last week, which was the right thing to do when hiking through bear country.Halfway up I figured I had at best a 50 / 50 chance of the bear spray being effective because of the strong 30+ mph winds, meaning the spray would fly back at me half the time, had to hope the bear approached the right way.It’s a pet peeve of mine of the folks who don’t keep their bear spray at the ready easily accessible, as a bear or mountain lion isn’t going to patiently wait for you to get your spray out.
Re: The Case For Bear Spray Reply #3 – July 07, 2022, 01:09:17 pm We hike quite a bit and always carry bear spray and a small air horn canister. While we’re vigilant about bears and big kitty cats the nasty animal we have to be careful around are moose…..
Re: The Case For Bear Spray Reply #4 – July 07, 2022, 01:39:15 pm Recently in Yellowstone, we saw bear spray available for rent, cheaper than the $50 for a new can.BTW, bear spray used to come in small cans and was found not to be very effective, now the cans are larger and produce a much larger cloud of irritating smoke. Many years ago, we did some extended backcountry kayaking camping in SE Alaska. All of the rangers we talked with at the time told us to forget about the bear spray, to instead carry a large handgun, or preferably, a cut-down 12-gauge shotgun. While effective, neither are legal in a National Park.Be careful out there.We saw a t-shirt for sale at Mammoth Hot Springs that said; "Anything that doesn't kill you will make you stronger, except for bears, they will kill you"Larry 4 Likes
Re: The Case For Bear Spray Reply #5 – July 07, 2022, 02:35:02 pm I located a YouTuber who does a lot of extended videos of his backcountry hikes. In one video he recounts a bear stalking him. He had to carry two cans of bear spray as he ditched his camp at night.He ended up in an outhouse at a small cabin for backpacker’s. With no lock on the outhouse he braced both feet against the door. Both cans of bear spray in hand for the impending attack. The bear paced back and forth in front of the door and eventually wandered off. The gentleman survived this encounter and has continued his backcountry adventures. Brave man.https://youtu.be/2weVp3V83p0 Skip forward to the 11:00 mark if you’d like to see him recounting his experience.Kent
Re: The Case For Bear Spray Reply #6 – July 07, 2022, 09:35:34 pm One of the most interesting statistics I learned while living and traveling in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem concerns Brown bear attack frequency relative to traveling group composition and size. Grizzly bears rarely attack back country travelers riding horseback. And, most grizzly bear attacks of humans traveling on foot occur when the group consists of one or two persons. Attacks of three person or larger groups are rare. So, in addition to carrying bear spray, Tavel in groups when possible. While I’ve encountered grizzly bears many times while hiking and horseback riding, I’ve only experienced one serious Grizzly incident in the wilderness. I was traveling into the Thoroughfare, East of Yellowstone NP, with a couple of friends on a horse packing camping trip. One of our pack horses collapsed and in spite of considerable efforts, we could not revive the poor animal. We outfield the National Forest ranger and proceeded to camp. After a week, while packing back to the trailhead and our trailers, we encountered a grizzly laying on the dead horse next to the trail. The horse had travelled a ways from where we left it but, based on its wounds, appeared to have been killed by wolves or the bear. Well, we sensed the bear’s presence first from our horses’ skittishness and soon thereafter the smell of the dead animal. It was all we could do to keep the horses under control and work our way around the kill site. The bear, whether because of the size and horseback nature of our group or because it was focused on guarding its kill, did not pay much attention to us as we passed. Thankfully, we didn’t need to use our bear spray or other protection. Happy Trails! 5 Likes
Re: The Case For Bear Spray Reply #7 – July 08, 2022, 07:41:28 am Other Protection.Possession of Firearms in National Park UnitsIn areas administered by the National Park Service, an individual can possess a firearm if that individual is not otherwise prohibited by law from possessing the firearm and if the possession of the firearm complies with the laws of the state where the park area is located. 54 U.S.C. 104906. It is the responsibility of visitors to understand and comply with all applicable Federal, state and local firearms laws and regulations, including laws authorizing or prohibiting concealed carry, before entering a national park. Some parks are located in more than one state or locality which means that the applicable laws may change depending upon where you are located within a park area. If a park is located in a jurisdiction where the applicable state and local laws grant reciprocity to non-resident firearm owners, then consistent with the applicable law, the park will equally recognize the reciprocity. For information on state and local laws, please contact the state and locality where the park is located. 2 Likes
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Topic: The Case For Bear Spray (Read 173 times)
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