Comments on: If only hunters also carried something else that was an effective bear deterrent

By: SayUncle

SayUncle — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 12:59:35 +0000

I’m people in rural states and I like the idea.

I don’t care how they ‘feel’. If they have proof that happened, let’s see it. Otherwise, their feelings don’t mean anything.

By: Wanda

Wanda — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 09:20:15 +0000

Ahem. I read that the people in the rural states are angry about this rule of “guns in national parks.” They feel that gun owners are going to disrupt nature by killing bears that aren’t threatening to them.

I have seen no posts to indicate that their fears aren’t justified.

By: Huck

Huck — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 18:14:26 +0000

The maximum effective range of that crap is 10 yards, hardly enough distance to start spraying before the bear’s on top of you. And I think it’s a safe bet that the spray will just piss the bear off more.

BTW T, bears are Omnivores, not Carnivores. They eat anything, meat, fish, veggies, etc. just like us.

By: T

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 16:03:41 +0000

My understanding is that bear spray is good for repelling nosy bears that are merely curious, but once they charge you really need a firearm.

Grizzlies can weigh up to a half-ton and move at 35 miles an hour for short distances. If one’s charging at you, I don’t see pepper spray making him change direction. You’re still gonna get flattened by a half-ton carnivore.

By: dubber308

dubber308 — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 15:59:59 +0000

I live in griz country. I hike, camp, hunt and fish in griz country. I WILL NOT trust my life to a hopped up condiment. I carry a .44 mag.

By: Tomcatshanger

Tomcatshanger — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 14:52:48 +0000

Chas, that makes a lot of sense.

You should stop saying it. Sense stopped being common, and is now frowned upon.

By: Chas

Chas — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 14:43:31 +0000

My understanding is that bear spray is good for repelling nosy bears that are merely curious, but once they charge you really need a firearm.

By: DAD

DAD — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 14:11:39 +0000

The National Park Rangers are advising hikers in Glacier National Park and other Rocky Mountain parks to be alert for bears and take extra precautions to avoid an encounter.
They advise park visitors to wear little bells on their clothes so they make noise when hiking. The bell noise allows bears to hear them coming from a distance and not be startled by a hiker accidentally sneaking up on them. This might cause a bear to charge.
Visitors should also carry a pepper spray can just in case a bear is encountered. Spraying the pepper into the air will irritate the bear’s sensitive nose and it will run away.
It is also a good idea to keep an eye out for fresh bear scat so you have an idea if bears are in the area. People should be able to recognize the difference between black bear and grizzly bear scat.
Black bear droppings are smaller and often contain berries, leaves, and possibly bits of fur. Grizzly bear droppings tend to contain small bells and smell of pepper.