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Bears are most likely encountered when campers, hikers and fisherman head into the mountains or high country. Bears are very curious animals, but normally are not aggressive. Bears are a little more aggressive when they are hungry or they think their food source is being threatened. Although some people believe bears are hungry all the time there are certain things you should avoid. When bears come out of hibernation they are very hungry and probably the most aggressive. When there has been a particularly dry season and their normal food source is not abundant, it is a good time to be wary of bears. Fishermen should look for signs of bears near rivers. Especially be vigilant of shallow spots where the bears can catch their food easily. Bear scat is another sign that bears have been feeding in that area. So does that mean we don’t go into the woods, lakes and hills ever? Not at all, you can safely hike, camp and fish as long as you are vigilant for bears. Bears have an extremely keen sense of smell and can smell food or humans even miles away when they are downwind. However the bears do not normally want anything to do with a human if at all possible. So hike on approved trails and set up your camp in an open area. Keep you food away from your sleeping area and sealed tightly. If possible hang your food from a tree limb out of the reach of forest animals. A camp fire, if permissible by law, is a good deterrent. If the animal spots you first at a distant and does not perceive that you are endangering their food supply, they will usually turn and go another direction. If however the bear starts to approach, this would be the time to use a repellant. If you come across a wild bear this would also be a good time to have a repellant very handy. Upon encountering a wild bear there are a few different self-defense tactics. First no rapid movements, face the animal and talk softly, then back away, but don’t turn your back and move slowly out of range. If possible make yourself look larger as if you were in a kneeling position, stand up straight. If after this the bear still approaches faster than you can back away, curl up into a ball and offer no resistance. Now I don’t know about you, but curling up in a ball and let the bear approach scares me. Some people think a handgun would be an effective defense. Most handguns that can be comfortably carried by a hiker are too small a caliber to kill a bear. Instead you would probably make the animal angry and more aggressive. This is where a proven bear spray repellant becomes useful. The Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee recommends the use of bear pepper spray for defense against bears. The Sierra Club recommends everyone entering bear country carry a repellant spray. Hands down Guard Alaska bear spray seems to be the most effective deterrent available. Guard Alaska does not contain any flammable or ozone depleting substances. This is a 20% ultra-hot pepper spray and is the only one registered by the EPA as a repellant for all species of bears. One can of Guard Alaska Bear Repellant can spray up to 20 feet and last up to 9 seconds, and has a shelf life of 3 years. The formulation of pepper spray opens the pores of the skin and mucous membranes to make the product more effective. The specific gravity of the carrier is greater than that of water, so it will work on a wet animal. Up to this point the worst case scenario would for you to be face to face with a bear. So in this case it is imperative that you would carry the spray in a holster on your belt. Slowly remove the can and squeeze the trigger so the spray goes straight into the bear’s face and eyes. Then as mentioned before, back away and keep going. Don’t hang around until the pepper spray wears off. Normally a sprayed bear is disabled for approximately 5 minutes, and is a great tracker, so remove your-self as far as possible from the area. Do not climb a tree unless there is no other alternative. If you can climb it, so can a lot of bears. The normal occurrence is a situation where you will see the bear 200 to 300 hundred feet away. Most likely, if you do not make fast or aggressive movement, the animal will turn and retreat. If the animal starts to approach, it is recommended you spray a 1 to 2 second blast within 100 feet. Then an additional 2 to 3 second blast within 40 feet, and then exhaust the remaining spray in the can if the bear is still approaching. As soon as you see the animal reacting to the spray, start backing off and if the bear turns away, make your escape. No one can say what the animal will do when the effect of the spray wears off. If you are camping overnight or making a lengthy hike, it is recommended that you carry a second can as a backup if you exhaust the first can. Prior to hiking or camping take a new can and give it a very quick squeeze on the trigger to make sure it is pressurized. We would never suggest you make an intentional encounter with a bear, or ever feel that because you carry a pepper spray repellant that you would be 100% safe in all instances. We do know that if proper guidelines are followed, and you carry a quality product such as Guard Alaska Bear Repellant, you have the best chance of surviving an unexpected encounter with a wild bear. Doug Harper is the owner of SharperSafety.com.
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