How to Use Bear Pepper Spray

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By Monteath
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If you see this, you will want some bear pepper spray

If you're going to spend a lot of time in Alaska, or any other wilderness with bears, you'll want to learn to use bear pepper spray. While most of the time bears will just leave you alone, you need to be prepared so that if a grizzly bear charges, you'll know how to use bear spray and walk away in one piece.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

Bear spray
Awareness of wind
Calm nerves

Step 1

First of all, make sure you're carrying the bear pepper spray somewhere where it's easy to grab, like on a belt holster. Make sure the nozzle is always pointing away from you, and that the bear spray/bear mace is close enough for an easy grab. Most bear attacks are due to surprise, which means they happen very quickly so every second matters.
Step 2

Practice drawing your bear pepper spray, in the same way that you would practice shooting a new fire arm. You need to be comfortable enough with using bear spray to make it second nature so that if the need ever comes, you can use it without fumbling or thinking.
Step 3

Read and memorize the instructions. While bear spray can be expensive, consider using one can to test fire so you get used to it. Always try to aim down wind, and if there is a heavy wind, be aware of it because that changes how soon you use the bear pepper spray against a charging bear.
Step 4

When a bear charges, start spraying when the bear is around 40 feet away, or 25 if it is windy. You want to spray the entire canister of bear pepper spray in a cloud that the bear charges into.
Step 5

Keep calm and discharge the entire can. Studies have shown that by far and away that bear spray is more effective than firearms. Imagine bear spray as mace times 10, then remember that a bear's sense of smell is about a billion times more sensitive than a human's. 99% of bears will want nothing to do with you after that.

Comments

Monteath said

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on 5/4/2009 Yup! Believe me, after three years up north of Fairbanks and a lot of time hiking by the pipeline, I've learned all about bear protection! I think they might have even done the studies on bear pepper spray at my university, lol. Thanks for the comment!