Bear Spray Alternative? Is Bear Spray Even Worth It?
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- Опубліковано 19 чер 2024
- Do you really need bear spray with black bears? The research might surprise you. I take a look at different research that suggests bear spray is less effective with black bears. While exploring my own encounter with a black bear on a recent hike. And an alternative to bear spray I'm going to be trying on the trail.
The Revenant Bear Attack Scene: • Bloody Bear Attack Sce...
Halt Dog Repellent Spray: geni.us/54VI
Disclaimer: Some of these links are affiliate links where I'll earn a small commission if you make a purchase at no additional cost to you.
The Research:
Halt Tested on Bears: bit.ly/3n0sVWn
Spray vs Rocks: bit.ly/3bVcqon
Bear Attacks are rare: bit.ly/3kp3pbD
How Dangerous are Black Bears: bit.ly/3F3qBUG
Video Chapters:
00:00 Bear Shootout
1:43 A Bear But No Spray
4:31 The Research
6:00 A Bear Spray Alternitive?
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black bears maul many people..
Hi! Did you find a lightest option for actual grizzly Bear spray? Cheers. Heading to hike the GDT 🇨🇦 in July
I've been driving for 40 years and not needed my seat belt once. I still wear it. Black bear attacks do happen. Plus grizzlies are expanding their range into areas you might not expect. I think being smart with your food is the #1 thing you should never compromise on.
I think we will stay in the SUV with our seat belts on till we get to the Hotel.
Yup!
Black bears are more apt to eat you if they attack !
North Cascades is one such area where it's thought there are some grizzers, but no official sightings
@@pimacanyon6208 where I first started elk hunting is about 30 minutes from Jackson, WY. The forest service mandate for food storage in camp was not inforce in that area but they did recommend it. We have never seen grizzlies but others claim to have. A friend of mine has had them under his black bear stand just over the mountain. So just because they aren't seen doesn't mean they aren't there
I'll share my experience on the PCT and the CDT: I have always carried bear spray and, over the years, have used it successfully twice on black bears and once on a bobcat who was stalking me during a night hike. I was never bothered by the weight. But, I had to wait until the critters were close enough to be effective.
However, a few times, I used a small boat horn. I kept it in a small holster attached to my shoulder strap. I got the idea when I noticed that the bear was not impressed with my efforts at shouting, "Hey bear!" The horn is small but makes the devil's own racket! When I used it on a black bear, he turned and bolted right away. When I used it on a mountain lion, he jumped 10 feet straight up and raced back up the hill, pausing at the top of the hill to turn and give me a dirty look as if to say, "What the heck was that!!"
The sound is quite startling. Now, I carry the horn on one shoulder strap, and the bear spray on the other.
I carry a personal alarm with 140DB . Kills your ears! Gives me protection against animals called humans. I am assuming it would work on wildlife. What do you think?
that is a great idea.
thanks for sharing 🙂
Excellent idea on the boat horn.
I had the same results with a bear in the Porkies from blasting an Acme Thunderer referee's whistle.
As an outdoor videographer for the past 23-years filming in the Alberta backcountry bear spray has always been a part of my kit. Can’t say I have ever heard anyone claim it was too heavy to carry. It can also be a useful deterrent to other potential aggressive wildlife encounters. For me peace of mind out weighs leaving spray at home.
Totally. These Californian hikers have no idea what its like in the actual backcountry. I have seen so many giving terrible advice, if not downright dangerous. The one dude Dan Becker recommended NOT to take a loaded first aid kit. I'm glad I didn't listen or we would have been hurting on my last hike when I had a nail go through my foot. Or on the hike before that when my partner slipped on rocks and took chunks out of her hands.
Here in Northern Saskatchewan in 2020 we recently had a black bear attack a woman who HAD bear spray and used it on a black bear and got mauled to death anyway. Black bears are generally easier to scare off but that isn't always the case. I'd rather carry it and never use it than have the chance of being mauled to death.
I would love to see some of these guys backcountry camp in Northern Sask. It would be an eye opener for them that's for sure.
@@grimrot Carry a Gun !!! or die free country.
@@grimrot I don't know if I will ever carry bear spray; it might not even fit in my empty pack (if I carry that 5l one), period, and a belt, I don't have one, never. But that's only when I'm trail running and I don't live in the USA either. I won't be planning to live there anytime soon and there are so many reasons to not like the USA or not go there for a multiday hike, which doesn't mean the USA is bad or anything. It's not my thing.
I'd rather stay at home in Norway or Europe at least. That gives me peace of mind that is not achievable with bear spray. 0% chance of black or grizzly in Norway or any bear for that matter if I'm not in scandinavia, but we do have bears, although I cant name a single incident with our brown bears...
No bears no danger.
Our moose on the other hand are a way bigger thread, specifically for vehicles when you happen to encounter one like we with ourfamimy did (emergency brake needed) but honestly they won't eat me either because I'm not vegan🤣
I used to live in Alberta, and would always bring it, even trail running. Now in Quebec (black bear only) don't bother at all.
fellow albertan here! this has to be about the dumbest video i've ever seen and i hope no one listens to his advice. my spray literally weighs nothing.
A problem I have is people always cite the number of fatal attacks by a species as if getting mauled or otherwise torn up isn’t important. The problem is no one really knows how many black bear, grizzly, mountain lion, wolf, coyote, etc… attacks there are each year. The other issue I have are when the numbers are cited in a dishonest manner, eg, you have a better chance of getting struck by lightening than killed by a great white… when a majority of the population will never be in the ocean in any given year. All this to make a reasonable concern by people who do recreate in an area around predators seem irrational in their concern and efforts to mitigate those concerns.
I’d also be interested on historical trend analysis on attacks by species as sprawl continues to deplete habitat and push humans and animal predators closer into likely conflict. Telling me there have only been X number of Grizzly attacks in Montana in the past 100 years is of minimal value, but seeing the numbers over the past few decades is going to be more valuable. But again, we need better numbers on attacks, which I recognize is more difficult to collect.
Exactly. They say "rare." Getting killed by a domestic cat is rare, getting killed by a bear is NOT rare, it may not happen every day but it does happen so it's not 'rare.' Like you said they never include the millions of close calls and attacks. This is also true for mountain lion attacks. I learned this when I researched attacks and close calls, I found many, too many to even count.
@@moniquemonicat Yes, better safe than sorry.
Bear spray is carried for general animal defense--including human evil doers.
As a lifelong surfer I took your point to heart about the shark attacks, and went to look for more accurate "at-risk population" figures. Turns out the lightning strike claim still holds up even if you adjust for risk.
Struck by lightning, globally: 240,000 people/year
Global population: 7.753 billion
Statistic: 3.1 out 100k people struck by lightning every year
Shark bites, USA 2012-2021 (ufl): 471
Shark bites, USA averaged: 47.1
Number of swimmers in oceans, lakes, and rivers yearly (CDC): 91 million
Statistic: 0.052 per 100k american outdoor swimmers bitten by sharks per year
That's 60 times more people getting struck by lightning than outdoor swimmers getting bit by sharks, probably fine to say the general implication of that stat is true for oceans specifically.
About half of shark attacks (51%) are surfers though (ufl).
Number of surfers yearly, USA (NOAA): 3.5 million
Average number surfers attacked by sharks: 24.021
Statistic: 0.7 per 100k American surfers bitten by sharks every year.
So 4.4 times more people are struck by lightning than the most at-risk population are bitten by sharks. Sorry, getting hit with a bunch of numbers is probably annoying, but since I was doing it anyway I feel like it'd be just as bad not to share.
Exactly
I usually carry bear spray (I don’t live or hike in Grizzly country). When I think about what I might have to use it on I’m thinking about Cougars, humans, and moose.
I’ve sprayed a bull moose with bear spray and it had absolutely no effect. Works on people tho, don’t know about cougars, and don’t want to try to find out.
@Adrian T lol if @bob mueller sprayed it and it didn’t work it didn’t work. As far as I can tell he made no generalizations. You saying wrong won’t change what already happened lmao
Good enough
@@bobmueller8192 Could have been expired.
It's a safe alternative to a gun for humans. Less hastles in the end. I live in grizzly country, I've heard people say it won't work for moose but I'll bet dollars to donuts it will.
as a recently retired mailman with 29 yrs experience, i can say Halt rarely works on larger dogs that are aggressive, i would not EVER consider it for a black bear! i hike and camp in the mountains of colorado and always carry bear spray, but more for mountain lions than bears. and these days you never know who you will encounter on the trail or in camp, and bear spray is a VERY effective non lethal way to protect yourself in those situations.
Good to know about the Halt. Thanks. Tough part about mountain lions is you almost never see them coming. But, I'd rather have the bear spray, than not.
You are correct Michael. 6 people who deployed bear spray since 2016 have died tragically after the spray failed to stop the attacking bear. Some of these people were experienced guides and one was a wildlife biologist. Several more didn't die but were seriously injured when the spray failed. Bear spray was pushed based on a flawed study by Professor Tom Smith, who admitted recently that he intentionally left information out of his study that would show that bear spray was less effective than firearms. People are literally dying or becoming disabled over this bear spray push. Bear spray is only good for nuisance or defensive encounters. But on an aggressive or predatory bear, they often ignore it and keep attacking. There needs to be a serious public discussion about this in both Canada and in the US.
I have had the same negative experience with "Halt" dog spray. It had ZERO effect on an aggressive dog. Good thing I was able to quickly grab a nearby stick.
And NO. The dog spray was not expired.
The most effective bear deterrent would be green tag shoes.
mountain lion may come to you from your back, one lady get killed in BC, Canada，just like that， directly go for your neck from back.
I keep a big pepper spray on deck and I also carry a concealed weapon where my license allows it....between sketchy people and wild animals I've got myself covered. I tend to live by the "you're the first responder to your emergency" motto so I also pack satellite gear and a big med response kit. I'd rather have the extra weight if it means peace of mind.
After watching the show " I shouldn't be alive". You are smart.
I highly agree and do the same.
Well said !!
Lives in France has none of these issues lol. Well except odd boar getting drunk.
If (and only if) I'm alone I sometimes carry a snubby .38 with Buffalo Bore hard cast +P. However there's no way you'd shoot a fast moving animal at any range with a pistol. To me the pistol is when the spray fails and it's basically on top of you, hopefully you can get the gun out as a desperate measure. I don't worry about people much, nobody gets mugged in the forest. And bear spray would probably work fine against a drunk aggressive camper.
I grew up in Petawawa, Ontario. Site of one of the worst bear attacks ever. 3 young boys killed and partially consumed by a Black Bear. Every bear I ever saw growing up, and I saw a lot, ran from my sight...and I was just a young boy. So typically they do run away and avoid you. However, it takes just one. An injured one, a diseased one, one that is habituated to human garbage...I'd rather not take the chance. I spend quite a bit of time hiking in Eastern Canada and I encounter bears and their scat often enough. So often I find scat without sighting a bear and that shows you how adept they are at human avoidance. So even though I know I'm likely safe I carry bear spray and keep it handy. No point having it tucked away in your pack. Also, a few have mentioned the human element and that is not to be dismissed either.
I carry it in my hands
Over the years I’ve had several encounters with Black bears. The craziest one was when I was picking berries and had it stand up from the bush in front of the bush I was picking from. Scarred the crap out of me, yelled and backed off but like most other encounters the bear couldn’t figure out what I was and just looked at me with a clueless look on its face. Other encounters I've have had the bear either ignore me or just run away. However this year I was in Tweedsmuir - Grizzy & Black Country and stumbled across a brownish bear eating berries. It reared up when I yelled and at that point I took out my spray - the bear was up the hill from me, as we walked ourselves back it also walked with us. I was getting concerned because if this continued we would be crossing paths soon. My greatest trouble was that I couldn’t positively determine that I was dealing with either a Grizzly or a Brown Black - we were sort of face to face. Long story short we changed our direction of travel and the bear did not follow. Glad I had my spray but even after all the many years of being out in the backcountry I have never used it.
I most certainly will have it any time grizzlies are around. That’s a crazy story. I would be glad I had it too! Thanks for watching!
I thought bears were following me on more than one occassion. Once he was actually on the hiking trail right behind me. I didn't like it so I stopped made a lot of noise and scared him into the woods. Ran into him up ahead and he was drawing away from me,. I realized he was simply going the same direction as me and using the same trail but NOT following me. Another time I was filming and he started getting closer. I spoke softly. "OK Bear". He was startled. I realized he hadn't seen me at all. He looked at me made a wide circle around and continued on his way. Most people misinterpret Bear behavior. Don't assume they see you because if they are slowly heading your way they most likely don't. They want to avoid you.
If bears don't see you speak softly don't scare them because you might induce a "Bluff Charge" which is the bear's attempt to scare YOU. It is not an attack.
@@josephshields2922 a grizzly bluff charging will keep its ears up. If its ears are folded down it is not a bluff. I'm not sure one would be capable of interpreting the difference while they are shitting their hiking shorts, but they should spray in the case of ANY charge, bluff or no bluff. It's aggressive behavior and the bear needs to be conditioned to know it's dangerous to be around humans. You're not being cruel to the animal since if it gets too cozy around people it could be euthanized or shot by another hiker.
It definitely could have been a color phase black bear. I have encountered them many times in the Bella Coola valley.
@@josephshields2922 Maybe/probably true in most cases but I just watched a UA-cam where the black bear was clearly persistently aggressive but thankfully the person had bear spray. He was forced to use it, and it worked perfectly.
Great video! Maybe this was covered in the comments, but I'm going to cover it in mine. I'm in the Infantry and spend lots of time in the field. In 2020 through 2021 I came face to face with well over a dozen Black Bears, with and without cubs. I never had a problem with hostile action from them. That being said, I always carry bear spray. Why? Well these encounters were always with visibly healthy bears. Myself and colleagues have all been in situations where you run into an unhealthy animal. As an example; tick infested, visibly hundreds of ticks covering its face with puss coming from eyes, mouth and nose. This bear was very unwell, and unloading a full can of bear spray is the only thing that stoped it from a successful attack, and the attack was made.
There are many other situations that I could go into for example but won't. I hope this helps with broadening your opinion on carrying. Thx.
We should wipe out ticks. No need 4 them.
I don’t yet know what the possible negative consequences are for doing that, but I fully support wiping out ticks.
Great info, I had never thought of that scenario. I’ve had several black bear encounters and a mountain lion encounter, none of which showed any sign of aggression toward myself and those around me at the time.
If an animal is desperate, it is extremely unpredictable. In North Sask in 2020 a woman was mauled to death by a desperate black bear near a fly in camp. They HAD bear spray and used it but the bear was undeterred. Still, Id rather have bear spray and not need it or have it be ineffective than not carry it at all.
Yep, I've also notice bears get more audacious during dry summer when grass is hard to find.
I think the best statement in this video is "You don't really need it until you do". In my personal opinion, it's better to bring it and never have to use it, than to need it and not have it with you. I understand that the chances of needing it are extremely low (especially when using best practices for bear safety), but there is always that chance you'll end up needing it and I'd much rather have it than not.
I've been unexpectedly confronted by a very aggressive deranged 'person' while out hiking... 'bear spray' ... NOT JUST FOR BEARS!
After hearing about some of the horrific incidents on the Appalachian Trail, I've got to agree.
Usually bear spray is way weaker than spray made for humans. Just due to how sensitive bears are to the spray it doesn’t need to be as strong.
Pretty much made exclusively for people. The 'bear' marketing is for legal reasons.
Do you understand that bear spray is MUCH MUCH MILDER than sprays made for humans? Try Sabre.
"person"?
Dude! That intro was GOLD! Great video man! Bear encounters are always great but so unnerving!
I enjoyed making this one! Thanks as always!
I live in Southern California and I’ve had 3 black bear encounters in as many weeks while mountain bike riding in my local mountains. On the first occasion the bear was crossing the fire road 50 to 75 yards ahead of me. He stopped and stared me down for about 10 seconds before running off. The next encounter I was headed down the trail at about 15 mph and came around a bend and there 75 to 100 feet ahead walking straight at me was what appeared to be the same bear. I was down wind so I don’t think the bear could smell me. I have a bear bell and music playing as a deterrent but there was a creek running and breeze was blowing so I dint think it heard me. I wasn’t carrying bear spray so I decided to turn and pedal safely back up the trail to reduce the impact of the encounter. While riding yesterday I rode right passed a younger bear playing off the trail about 10 yards. I didn’t stop to see how the bear reacted but I always tell myself, “ if there’s a bear cub, there’s a bear mom near by. Regarding bear spray, I’m now of the mind set that it’s better to have it and not need it rather than need it and not have it…
Always be careful turning your back on any wild animal. They know the difference of you facing them versus away from them. You were far enough away so you were fine... But if you were much closer you want to back away even with your bike rather than turn and burn.
Correct
You’re gonna feel awfully silly if you’re ever in a situation where you need bear spray, but chose not to carry it because of money, weight, or some delusion that bears are friendly.
Like your clear, logical presentation. I live in the northern Rockies. I always carry spray. Hiking, mtb, ski touring, snow biking. The encounters with wildlife change with the seasons. I've almost hit bears while biking - black ones fortunately. I stumbled perilously close to a Moose and her calf cresting a hill last month. I begged their forgiveness as I shuffled by about 20 yards from them. Not a comfortable situation.
Just yesterday, there was a fresh 5 inch lion print running a few hundred yards in the ski track. I know lions will attack silently but seeing that it was close beforehand makes having the spray at the ready more than worth it's weight. In the 10 years we've lived here, I've un-safed the spray 2 or 3 times but never had to deploy it. Maybe the worst thing about owning bear spray are the stories of accidental discharge. Walk into any ranger station and you'll hear why many of them hate the stuff.... So be careful with it!
I lived up in the High Sierras for a couple of years up around 7,000’. Unfortunately it was a community of cabins owned mostly by city folks and they were only around in the summer time. They’d feed the bears, specifically one big male who they thought of as a mascot. In the wintertime, spring and fall it was too cold for city blood and it was almost always just me up there. I had dozens and dozens of run-ins with that bear when he would come up onto my deck in the middle of the night and try and break into my shed where I kept trash until I had enough for a dump run. I’d get up, slam my fist into the big oak door to rouse him, grab the Remington and walk out. He never so much as even growled at me, he’d almost always just run away and sulk in the bushes up the hill, I could see the reflection from his eyes when shining the mounted flashlight at him. When he didn’t stop to sulk he’d just haul ass and disappear. I never pulled the trigger. I’d have to hike out in the early mornings to get to my car and I’d just carry a Glock, but it was cougars that worried me. Figured I’d share that, I say carry the bear spray in case you run into a starving bear that will chase you down for survival. Good video!
Thank you for taking the time to differentiate between the significance of different locations.
When hiking the Canadian Rockies... always take bear spray. When in Newfoundland... you will probably be fine.
I once did a hike in Glacier Montana. I saw 8 grizzlies over 4 days. All at some distance but still a lot. I will always carry in grizzly country! Thanks for watching!
There's moose everywhere in Newfoundland, arguably more dangerous than bears
Another thing to think about is even Black Bears can be more dangerous in places where they rarely see people. More chance of a curious yearling "getting too close" . a majority of truly predator bear attacks are in remote areas. NY has 25k bears, 16 million people and 250k encounters reported in the Adorandack Park alone each year alone, yet there have only been 2 fatalities in 100 years. Some rural states with far less people have much higher numbers.
Can't carry bear spray in Canada, it's classified as an offensive weapon
@@matthewb3640 what? Last time I drove to Canada they only allowed bear spray and not pepper spray. They even made me dig it out so they could check the label.
Great video! Concise, informational, and what stands out is that you formed the right questions to be answered. You got my subscription, keep up the great work!
Thank you so much for this breakdown. I really appreciate how you explained the research, and we're open about you past experiences and own opinions, I don't trust people who try to conceal their implicit bias, but you wore yours on your sleeve, and I have a lot of respect for that. I also love how you were open to changing your mind, after considering feedback on you previous videos.
I don't usually comment much, but since you're curious what my thoughts are, and I believe you might actually listen, here we go. So you understand where I'm coming from, and can register my own implicit bias. I'm an Eagle Scout. I've been hiking in virtually every climate in the US, and most regions. I'm also a firearms instructor. No, I'm not gonna tell people to leave the bear spray at home and bring a gun instead, but there are several parallels I want to use to illustrate my concern. Inb4 all the internet trolls take this off the rails, my suggestion is to carry both, cause they each have their own pros and cons, and one's pros covers the gaps left by the other's cons. We should always try to use the bear spray first, and then the firearm only if the spray is ineffective. We don't want to kill or even injure the bear, if it is at all possible to avoid that.
Now that that's out the way, here's my concern. What you're basically discussing here is the long debated issue of "stopping power." Now we have to be careful using that term here, cause there's a lot of misconceptions around it. Almost all pistols have virtually the same amount of "stopping power." Often people use the term to mean a firearm can knock someone out of the fight, even if it's not a lethal or incapacitating hit. Most pistol simply don't have the muzzle velocities and bullet weights to do that, cause you need to cause hydrostatic shock in the body, which usually requires rifle calibers. For this same reason, pistols really aren't great against bears, especially grizzlies. A better way to talk about the same issue, imo, it to ask, "How much gun (or spray in this case) is to much gun? Basically to sum this entire argument up in one statement. The .22 snub nose revolver you carry in a pocket holster, if better than the Desert Eagle you leave in your desk cause it's too heavy.
This is exactly the approach you took when you opted for the dog spray. Carrying the dog spray is a placebo effect (carrying any defensive weapon is, 99% of the time). Though that word often carries a negative connotation, it's not a bad thing in this context. Placebos are great ways to treat mental health issues, and studies have shown they can even have just as much of an effect on athletes as restricted performance enhancing drugs. You left the bear spray at home, because it was too much spray. As these things usually go, the one time you didn't bring it, is the one time you came closest to needing it. That somewhat robbed you of your peace of mind, so to recover that, you went out and got a spray to carry that wasn't "too much" spray. But is it enough spray? Sure, a .22 you have is better than a .50 you don't, but is a plastic bb gun better than nothing?
Using any weapon, even when you are on the defense is almost always an escalation. In general, unless escalations are immediately incapacitating , or generate enough shock to cause fear, they only load to the aggressor escalating again as well. Consider it like this; you're at a bar. Some belligerent drunk who is clearly too deep his cup, and might never come out of it, gets up in your face and start harassing you. He breath REEKS, his saliva is flying all over you face and the whole bar turns to watch. It's can be hard enough for anyone too keep their cool in that situation, but it becomes much more difficult if you've had a few yourself. However, if you react to him, things end badly. This dude is clearly looking for a fight, he probably does it every weekend. Even if you're squarely capable of beating him to a pulp, fighting drunk in bars never ends well for anyone, so it's probably best to try and resolve the situation another way. If you push him out of your face, or maybe even just squeeze past him, shoving him a little incidentally, that's the invitation he was waiting for. Trivia Night just turned into Pummel Party. I kinda glossed over this, but I suppose I should mention that swinging at him first is probably one of the worst things you can do, for so many reasons. You can turn and walk away, but you shouldn't ever turn you back on a possible combatant, or he might just punch you in the back of the head, and that could be lights out. Really the best option here seems to be deescalation. This could be achieved either by having the bar owners or cops intervene, though that can get messy in a whole other way. It's my experience that you if just start at guys like this silently, or shake your head and get REALLY interested in your drink, generally these guys give up and go away.
My biggest concern here is that the Dog spray wont have a significant enough effect to deter the black bear, especially if it's already charging. The bear charging is like that dude getting up in your face. Now, the best option when you encounter a bear is to deescalate, if possible, exactly as you did in your clip. You couldn't have handled that any better. Bears usually charge cause they got spooked or feel threatened; it's often a bluff in response to our perceived aggression. By making sure the bear saw you from a relatively safe distance, you reduced the risk of spooking it. The bear didn't see any reason to escalate, and therefore decided to go about his day. You then did the same. However, let's assume it does charge, cause the real question is: Will the dog spray work? We'll get there in a moment, lets try deescalating before we escalate. Trying to just simply walk or even run would likely result in serous bodily harm in both the bar and bear scenario, so how to we get out of this situation? Intimidation seems to be the best tactic left at the moment. Shout really loud, getting really big, and banging stuff together, is basically the same as starting the belligerent drunk down cold in the eye; you want both of their internal monologues to say "this guy isn't worth it."
But what if you hit it with the dog spray instead? We'll it's possible you might just piss it off. Generally black bears leave humans alone, and the charge may often only a bluff, but a sudden shock of lasting pain might anger that bear enough to make it commit to the attack. One of the primary reason we tell people not to try and use most handguns against a Grizzly, because they just piss it off. One study showed that 50% of people who fried to shoot the Grizzly, just died anyways, because the gun wasn't strong enough. I'm worried that the spray won't be strong enough. You can get bear spray that come with holsters that attach to a belt or something, and that should really help to you to bear the weight of the bear spray. If you are REALLY attached to the idea of a small can, I'd probably feel more trusting of human OC spray. It gets a lot hotter than bear spray. The downside is that it's not designed to spray as much distance, nor can it spray as long, or spread as large an area, but neither can the dog spray.
My suggestion is to ditch the dog spray and go back to the bear, or at least upgrade it to OC pepper spray. Yes, the bear spray is significantly more expensive, but I believe it's worth the price. This is another question that come up when people are getting their first pistol, and see the prices that even something as simple as Glock comes in at. The question I ask them, is the same question I'm asking you now: "How much money is your life worth to you?" The only difference is, it's usually about a $400-500 question for Firearms, but it's only a $40-50 question here.
I have gone hiking in black bear country in Japan without spray with locals. Apart from a period where bears were under environmental pressure, noise making was more than sufficient. When they were starving (typhoon damage had made their habitat unviable for a while), different deal: they would actively hunt people, and bear areas had to be completely avoided.
Appreciate you confronting tradeoffs, and not ducking the issue of probability versus consequence. (By the way engineers define risk as probability times consequence). We mountaineers deal with this every outing: low probability but high consequence risks. In the end, the "x factor" is always personal risk tolerance.
Excellent comment. 👍
The part about the number of deaths by black bear triggered my pet peeve. Unless people discussing black bears are going to include attacks, many of which result in permanent disfigurement and disability, they really shouldn't be discussing whether or not black bears are dangerous. Does anyone really want to go out unprotected because they'll only have their eyes ripped out and eaten and their face torn off before the bear is shot by a good Samaritan? I doubt it. You see, most people don't want to be mauled nearly to death, and these kinds of attacks are never mentioned in discussions of how dangerous black bears are. Whether or not an attack results in immediate death is really beside the point.
I live in Snark, CA and am grateful for your vid. Thanks for the info.
I live, hike, and hunt in western Washington. I carry bear spray and a Glock 20 (10mm). I am a former wildlife biologist and haven’t needed either but better to be prepared.
Epic opening scene.
I backpack in Georgia and Alabama and I have seen black bears near the trail and they have been good encounters. I have considered carrying spray but have not. I was accidentally sprayed with Halt dog spray when I worked in animal control and let me tell you it is no joke.. Thanks for the video....
Good to know Halt is potent. Makes me feel better about carrying it. Thanks!
Very interesting. Thanks for linking to the research articles. I'm still carrying my bear spray regardless but that's more because of humans than bears.
I always carry it while hiking in the Pacific northwest. Most of the focus seems to be on bears but cats and humans are a definite concern, especially on solo trips. While I think the hiking community is usually incredibly friendly, humans likely pose much greater danger than animals.
I carry a Byrna pistol, bear spray, and a 10 inch blade for humans first, dogs second, cougar third, and bears last. I believe in three layers for combat or the wilderness like the AR, then the sidearm, then the blade (a grenade doesn't hurt either)
One reason why I hesitate to go hiking. I don't want to get kidnapped by a rural farmer who has a soundproof basement..
@@HumbIee lols
I've been running into illegal alien types while out hiking.
I’ve solo backpacked in parts of Yellowstone where they recommend you travel in groups of four or more. (Because of grizzlies). Last time I carried two cans. Because what do you do after you’ve used one can and the effects on the bear start to wear off? Or it could be the rare predatory bear who is more determined. But I hate the extra weight. Next time I want to take someone who can’t run as fast as I can, hah.
Haha! A slow person certainly keeps weight off your back. Just make sure they always hike in front. 🤣
Ughhh...is two even enough? Maybe take a few other cans just to be on the safe side.
Solo Back packing is not advised. Beside the rare bear attack the more likely possibility of falling, and other injury should deter this. Falls account for the most deaths in Federal Parks.
@@josephshields2922 Solo backpacking ,as I have done for the last 40 yrs,is "dangerous" but so is group hiking ..as you note it is just as possible if not more so to fall off or in the river . However solo is far,far more rewarding to me. You actually become part of the wilderness and society (of animals) in a way that never happened with others. In the last few years personal beacons have helped a bit with the fear, but I have never needed it though-and with the inReach I can get text weather reports..fantastic.For myself I am very happy to assume the risk because it just a much more intense experience. I would never recommend it to someone without a strong experience level however..
Just carry a gun.....
Thank you! I hike in South Carolina. Which has black bear, wild hogs and now cougar. I carry bear spray and a miniature boat air horn
@David Dubay: Great decision better safe than sorry.
me on razor svooter .. girl lost leash.. dog started for me canister horn stopped him...
As the old saying goes, "better to have it and not need it, than need it and not have it".
I worked for over 34 years as a fish and wildlife biologist in the Canadian North and had plenty of run-ins with both black bears and grizzlies. Over the years quite a few of my friends and acquaintances have been either mauled or even lost their lives through bears. The average bear just wants to be left alone but as with people there are individuals that are very aggressive and in all the years I had to shoot only two charging black bears. Both attacks happened within seconds, without warning, in dense brush and the bears were killed at a distance of only 5 yards. I had grizzly bears running bluff charges during salmon counts, stopping usually within about 10 m. Luckily I never had to kill one of these majestic animals. Since bears have incredible olfactory senses, they can smell nervousness and fear in people better than any dog. Many bears especially black bears pretend not to be interested in people but if they sense the slightest insecurity in people they can become very pushy and aggressive especially when the person is alone. Carrying bear spray is one of the best ways to feel more confident and therefore not provoke an attack, even if you never have to use the pepper can. Carrying a gun is not a good option for many people since they lack practice. I shot wild boars on drives in Europe since I was 17 years old and feel confident to nail even a fast charging pit bull terrier before it reaches me but most people have problems hitting clay pigeons and are therefore better off carrying pepper spray.
I live where there are bears. I see several every year, often with cubs. When I walk in the woods I make noise and I turn and leave when I see bears. I don't carry bear spray, but I do think it is a good idea, even if bear attacks are extremely rare.
From wiseaboutbears :
Black bears have killed 67 people across North America since 1900. This no longer worries me. My chances of being killed by a domestic dog, bees, or lightning are vastly greater. My chances of being murdered are 60,000 times greater. One of the safest places a person can be is in the woods.
You’ve had “quite a few” friends mauled or killed by bears? That seems really unlikely given the known stats on attacks and especially attacks leading to death.
@@CM-dp5mw Yes I had in fact. One guy was from Heidelberg Germany. He used to fish the Dease River almost annually and we met him first in 1993 on a canoe trip down that river and later on again in 1997, the year he was actually killed and half eaten by a black bear. We had tea with the guy just before he got killed in September. The news were full of the incidence. A really good friend from Memmingen also Germany got mauled by a Grizzly on a Banff campground, taken out of his tent at midnight. His sister made it into the truck but he almost did not survive. He was flown to a hospital in Edmonton and required 1300 stitches. According to the doctors a smaller person would have not survived the injuries. My now neighbor a young conservation officer here in Smithers got his left hand chewed up by a relatively small grizzly in the bush whilst on duty and had to empty 10 shots into the bears head before it succumbed. A young couple that we met in Hyder at Fish Creek, camped against my advice and that of an Alaskan ranger on the gravel estuary of the Salmon River. There was an earmarked grizzly which we observed for more than 4 years, since he was an already very aggressive cub. The bear was killed by authorities after he killed the young couple. During my extensive field work and travel through western Canada an Alaska, I also ran into Timothy Treadwell and Michio Hoshino in the early 90th. Both got killed by grizzlies.
Sure the stats are low if you include all the New Yorkers and people that are never really exposed to bears in the sample size. I used to believe the media myself too when I was a young biologist in the 80th, but my experiences with bears, wolves and cougars have taught me to view things differently. You can believe whatever you want, but today's media tell people too that white sharks and crocodiles don't eat people. The Disney mentality is growing and undesired incidents get very small attention.
@@ohsweetmystery You are incorrect. The flaw in how you're thinking is that the sample size, presumably, is everyone in the U.S. many people in the U.S do not recreate in national parks or true wilderness areas regularly, if at all.
If you adjust your sample size to just the people that actually do hike, camp or recreate in the parks/wilderness, and compare that to the number of missing persons, deaths and injuries, the picture changes dramatically. This isn't to say people shouldn't recreate in the outdoors; but you do need to be prepared, and you do need to be knowledgeable in what you're doing.
You should start a youtube channel giving the PROPER advice. I would listen to you over this guy and Dan Becker any day.
I have been hiking in grizzly country forever and used bear spray ever since it was invented. But the interesting fact is I have never had to use it. Your yelling at the bear in the video is exactly the reaction I have had with grizzly bears. I don’t ever yell at grizzlies any more. But I still carry bear spray. Thanks.
For sure! I wouldn’t be caught dead without bear spray in grizzly county. (Unless the bear took it from me. 😆) I just watch your grizzly video. If this one would have gone up on his hind legs like that my anxiety would have shot through the roof. Thanks again.
Stan your legend dude. After going to Yellowstone many years ago I've watched maybe everyone of your videos.
@@MyLifeOutdoors Bears going up on hide legs can mean they are just getting a better look at you. Also Black Bears do this in encounters with other BB's to make themselves look bigger and scare off the agressor.
@@josephshields2922 and to get a better whiff of scent.
So, you havent used it. It was a security blanket in a can. Gotcha.
Excellent video, as always. Clear, concise, informative, and entertaining.
I was a letter carrier for 16 years, and Halt spray is what I was issued to deter dogs from attacking. On some canines, it worked well, but others would come back for more. I would imagine a bear wouldn't be bothered by Halt.
I have run into black bear multiple times in PA and they usually just walked away. In TN I ran into a large black near that was not the least bit deterred by yelling and it followed us to the side and kept pace until just before we reached our campsite and disappeared.. I wished I had it that time!
There are always those bears that don't act in the usual manner (rarely, but still). I usually carry a small device that makes quite a racket devised for women's protection & mace. I would rather have & not need than not have it the one time I need it.
What’s the device??
Where in PA did you run into Black Bear ? Starting to do some hiking and biking as of late .
@@jcam783 Allegheny Forest.
quite possibly the best opening to a backpacking video
A security blanket is another alternative. It doesn't deter a bear but it makes you feel more secure.
Only recently have i started hiking long distances on my own. I had thought about improving my personal safety plan and your video certainly helped. I have bear spray that I will always carry in any bear country. I think that I will always carry a small max strength pepper spray at all times - for other 4- and possibly 2-legged varmints.
as a single female, i've always thought i'd be more likely to use my bear spray on a 2-legged "predator" than any wild animal. hope it never comes to that!
The logic didn't gel for me. The stats he quoted for the purpose of explaining away the "necessity" of carrying spray, I found quite convincing for having it. 🤔
Me too.
I live on the south coast of England and the most we have to worry about here is agitated squirrels but I’m a nervous hiker so I bring 2 cans of bear spray anyway. One for squirrel attacks and one for when the wife sees me checking out the girls on the beach and charges me….terrifying stuff!
Great video! You embraced the ultralight philosophy of asking "do I really need this"?. During that bear encounter, you were probably cursing that commenter who told you not to bring bear spray anymore haha!
Haha! No I was a little too anxious to be thinking about much less cursing the commenter! The sad part is that comment somehow disappeared even though I did not delete it.. I think it got lost in the spam filter because of the links. But it really got me thinking as this video testifies. Thanks for the help!
Actually the comment is still on that video. I’m not sure why I thought it disappeared.
Thanks for the info,love your vids.👍👍👍
This is the first of your videos I have watched and I subscribed. This is a very well done video. I grew up hiking in the Smokies and though I had heard of bear spray I had never seen any. This summer I am working and hiking in Yellowstone and have been carrying bear spray and I too have been wondering about carrying it when I am back in black bear only areas.
Thank you for a great video.
Glad you liked it. Thanks for the subscribe. I made this video when I was a smaller channel. It has turned out to be much more controversial than I ever imagined ( mainly because I didn’t think this many people would watch) but it’s good to hear from someone who is thinking alike. Thanks again
Bear spray, or no bear spray, trail runners, or hiking boots. Definitely an individual decision. Interesting discussion.
I'm team bear spray and team hiking boots!
@@AF-tv6uf we don't have bears here, but if we did, I'm with you...scat piles are not my idea of a good fashion look.
How about a category for barefoot and armed with a song? Major Tom works well.
except your choice in footwear wont mean the difference between life and death
@@caseysweat9449 yes, in fact, it can. the most common reason SAR has to be called is ankle injury, which wouldn't happen with proper boots. and if you're out there alone, break an ankle, and can't reach SAR? definitely could lead to death. footwear is a personal choice, sure, but should be made with experience and knowledge of the terrain you'll be in. all these youtubers touting trail runners must be just hiking well established trails in low flat country.
You’ve outdone yourself with that intro!!!
It's better to be safe than sorry and wishing that you had your Bear spray in the event of an attack. You do you but I would never leave without my Bear Spray when hiking in the outdoors! I appreciate having an actual Face to talk out of everyday!
Great video, I live in Northern Canada and I spend a lot of time in the woods out here and I can tell you most have said already if you encounter a healthy bear in the woods your most likey fine with " hey bear " but if it's a close to a city bear and is used to people ( most likely ) or an unhealthy bear good luck . Roll the dice if you wish up to you but personally I carry bear spray when I can't carry a rifle . It works on all animals aswell ( moose , cougars, wolves , coyotes ) up here anyway 😉
In northern New Mexico (Sangre de Cristo Mountains), black bears are common. A side note, grizzlies were here in the Pecos Wilderness as recent as the early 1900's (see Beatty's Cabin book), and were hunted to local extinction -- sad from a big picture perspective. At my house in Santa Fe a black bear visited a couple weeks ago one night -- I have it on wildlife camera video.
When backpacking/camping I have and often carry a small can of bear spray -- more recently, bear gel spray -- but have never had to use it, nor have I had any direct bear encounters, though that doesn't mean there was never a bear near me.
For the record, I carry a .38 special pistol... but not for bears. I wouldn't shoot a bear unless an angry one was right on top of me. And before that, I would fire in the air to make a loud noise while making myself big and fearless. Of course, a surprise attack is another situation. But, the main reason I carry bear spray and/or a pistola is for *mountain lions*, which are equally common here. A mountain lion is a much more significant predator and threat when it comes to human contact, though they too fear us more than we fear them, but when surprised, a mountain lion can win a staring contest. So just in case, I carry spray and a small pistol.... :)
I live in Gatlinburg Tennessee and have had many many blackbear encounters over the decades of my hiking. The great majority of my bear encounters have been uneventful. However we have had two predatory, fatal bear attacks in our region since the year 2000 and a couple of others that were possibly predatory. So it’s playing the odds when you go without bear spray. More times than not I have not carried mine and I have had a few encounters with big dominant males during the mating season and it can be a little bit intimidating. So it’s a personal decision when evaluating the risk. Especially when hiking alone. Which I do more often than not. Most importantly, educate yourself about their behavior and how to look for and interpret their vocalizations, postures, even the look in their eye. These are all clues that tell you about the Bears possible intentions and it is worth your while to invest the time in learning the basics about bear ethology. Hit the trail, have fun, and learn all you can about black bears. It’s worth the time.
On Sept 21, 2014 a Rutgers college student was killing hiking in New Jersey by a Black Bear. His last picture on his cell phone was of the bear casing him. If you have the bear spray, I would take it with you.
I bring my Mace spray on every hiking trip, even to regions with little to none wild predator presence, because bear & wolf are not the only thing i worry about.
There's also people out there.
I'm like you I just feel safer with my bear spray. I'm still carrying it even though I've never encountered a bear 🐻 i have seen scat on trail but no bear.
Yeah I’ve seen lots of scat. It took leaving the spray at home to actually see a bear! Maybe that’s the secret 😆. It was a neat experience, one I’m glad I have and survived!
A wise decision .. and hopefully you will never encounter one in an OMG WHAT NOW situation.
Seeing a Bear up close (with Bear Spray on hand for 'just in case') would be enough of an Adrenaline Rush for me.
Not having Bear Spray and the thought of what could perhaps have gone wrong .. that 'Rush' .. Naah .. I'm not that deprived.
I appreciate the time you took to get this info out there. But....I dont care where Im hiking, Im bringing bear spray, and maybe a gun. Peace of mind for me. Definitely a great video for alternatives. Nice work !
Living in the bush in the middle of Canada, we've grown up with bears around. Often you can tell where a bear is in the neighbourhood because of a high pitched scream, followed by pots and pans clanging. Over crests and around rocks I've come face to face with more bears than I can count, it's kind of expected around here, and I always feel bad that I've scared them more than they've scared me. I feel better coming face to face with a bear, than I do with too many people downtown. We carry bear spray when we hike, more to keep people who don't hike happy when we head out. Very much appreciate the work you do with your videos, Steve. Thanks for them.
Hey I appreciate your level of research into the topic of bears. You also do a lot of reviews on sleeping better in the woods. One thing that keeps me from getting better sleep is paranoia around bears getting into my food. Can you make a video on bear cans? I am considering the Lighter1 Lil Sami for the overall weight/ approval in national parks, but I am concerned about practical capacity for a three night trip for one person.
I have a friend who's niece got attacked by a black bear while she was running her usual route training for school track. He ran and knocked her over then turned around and came back and started biting her ! At which point she started punching him in the face. He left. But I hear you talking, you haven't mentioned that many black bears that attack plan to EAT YOU ! The rest will usually run away.
I just watched a UA-cam of a clearly aggressive black bear stopped in it’s tracks by bear spray. When I lived in Bozeman MT, I always hiked with bear spray. I am back on our large backwoods property in upstate NY and we have a resident black bear who worries me because it has no fear of me or of loud noises. Guess what? Bear spray isn’t legal in NY! These politicians are morons and probably don’t know the difference between bears and red squirrels!
Yes it is legal. You can legally have bear spray in all of NY. You can legally have human pepper spray BUT the law is it cannot be larger than .75 g and not more than .7% OC (and ONLY OC)...which is nothing. Like pepper for your eggs or that Halt! garbage.
You cannot get any pepper sprays, foams, gels, balls, SHIPPED to NY. If you want bear spray go to an REI or hunting store. REI in SoHo even has bear spray for sale.
Probably the best advice I've heard on survival situations is thats it's better to have it than not have it. So basically when it comes to any bear country adventure bring the spray! And I've found through personal backcountry experience that it's wise to be prepared to rescue yourself from a bad situation because in the back country rescue is usually a long way away and not easily obtained.
I'm hiking in black bear country this coming week and I'll be bringing spray with me, as I always do. I haven't needed it in my decade or so of backpacking, but it's one of those rather have and not need than need and not have type of things. I'm not willing to sacrifice some safety in the name of smaller pack weight, even if I never encounter the need to use it.
aggressive and/or charging bears are the only bears you'd need any sort of spray for at all, so if you decide to carry spray at all, it needs to be bear (not dog) spray.
Wonderful topic and great presentation. Bears (I live in black bear country, Colorado) scare the sh*t out of me. But, I’ve never carried bear spray. I use a bear vault vs hanging or ursack and am pretty meticulous about getting smelly stuff into it at night. But I’m not worried about daylight encounters as much. never really thought about that until seeing this video. Lots of people insist (thanks Skurka) that sleeping with their food is best. I’d never be able to sleep like that. The bear vault gives me peace of mind. If carrying bear spray or Halt! Gives a hiker/backpacker peace of mind then by all means, carry it. Comfort is king and emotional comfort is Queen Mother. Do what you need to in order to enjoy your time.
Thanks! I would never be able to sleep with my food. Might as well wrap me in a tortilla rather than a sleeping bag!
Thanks for watching!
For short trips the bear canisters are fine but for a thru hike it's a different story. I have slept with my food many times, it's no biggie if you have a strategy. Realize that bears small everything. If you cook your food they will smell it on your clothes easily. If you have your snacks in a pocket, even when removing it, the bear will smell it...
Very few PCT hikers ever hang their food and there is no issues with it over countless years.
But you do you.
@@wio2189 lol ok. Bear hanging on the PCT is so rare there’s a hanging method called wait, uh, the pct hang. Hmmm. Bears can tell both where food has been and where food is so your empty pockets aren’t going to get much attention unless it’s grizzly country. You can get away with a lot in areas less frequented by bears, sometimes even in heavy bear areas. Sometimes you don’t. Like saying you’ll only wear a seatbelt when you need to…. Never know when you’ll need it though. People, in whatever numbers, being too lazy to carry extra weight is no justification for being stupid and putting their own safety along with the safety of the bear(s) at risk. Play the odds as you will.
Skurka said he only sleeps with food while in areas certain to be free of bears. He uses Ursacks or Bear Vaults while in bear country.
Thank you for the information because I was wondering what the statistics are. I've been camping here in Northern California for more than 10 years now and I've only came across a Bear once in the woods (we get them through the neighborhood most trash nights. They know when trash day is LOL). I was taught by the old timers up here to use noise to scare them off and it works. I was bike packing and coming down a hill and he was coming up the hill so I was kind of in a jam so I stopped the bike and started clanking my stainless steel canteen and cup together and honking my bike horn. It was a big one too, a crimson red colored one. So the bear and I looked at each other for what seemed forever and then it took off casually strolling away and continuing with its business 🐻🐻🐻
I lived in a logging community for 10 years.
Population 1500
Lots of black bears.
.
No garbage pickup.
.
Put your garbage in your truck and take it to the dump.
.
Black Bears are like Puppies.
Lots of Goodies in those garbage bags.
They like to help you unload.
.
Let them enjoy foraging in your truck while you toss stuff out.
They are there for the treats.
.
One of my logging friends had a best friend - a black bear - followed him everywhere and they played.
.
One day I was talking to my wife from my office and she said - hold on a minute.
We had pizza the previous night.
Black Bear came in the house for a snack.
.
She tossed him the leftovers and the box outside and he went out to eat.
.
It's hard to cook a pizza when you're a bear.
.
I only ever saw a black Bear in the wild once in 10 years.
He saw me first and was running away as fast as he could.
.
I was manager of the loggers kitchen for awhile before taking up logging.
One day I was driving to work and saw my chef running down the road.
He was chasing a black bear that stole a roast from a banquet he was preparing.
.
Black Bears are mischief monkeys.
That is ny experience.
.
And we cook better stuff than they can.
The Great Smokies NP has only Black Bears and it is for sure it is very rare that attacks occur, maybe 3 in the past few years, so it's a percentage game, but if you were one of those 3 you would choose bear spray.
Never tried it, but when I lived in AK, people would sometimes substitute wasp spray, cheaper than bear spray.
And it has a longer reach than dog spray.
I love your videos! I’ve been hiking and backpacking in bear country for over 20 years in the Pacific Northwest, Canadian Rocky Mountains and Sierra Nevada Mountains of California. I also worked for a few years surveying remote forested areas in central British Columbia. I’ve had a good number of bear encounters and read a fair bit about them too. The one truth I use as a guide is that just like us humans, every bear is different. Some run when they see you, others ignore you and could care less, and others see you as a source of food. Of course there are a million scenarios too (mother with cubs, startled bear, etc.). We can try to find patterns in their behavior but there will always be outliers. Bottom line is you never know what kind of bear you might encounter, so is it worth the chance in order to save a few ounces? You may never need bear spray , but there’s also a chance you will so are you willing to risk the odds?
So, a few questions I have is if we never use our spray, do you keep it past its expiration, or do you replace it with new ones? How soon does it lose it’s potency after the expiration date? I’ve been in Grizzly/black bear country many times and never used it.
In grizzly country I would replace it after expiration. The rest of the time it’s up to you. It will still work, but how well is Anyone’s guess
This guy is too nice. When I hike, in upstate New York at that, I carry bear spray, a glock, a knife, extra rounds for my glock, and my two protective dobies tag along with me and party. If I'm going to end up dead by a bear or someone I'm not going to let it be easy.
Aside from habituated bears, research I am familiar with will point to the black bear, likely a younger male, as having the highest odds to be the predatorial bear and see us as potential food. A very rare circumstance, but documented accounts exist, including a couple videos which be found (most recently one from Saskatchewan, Canada) suggesting it is wise and responsible to carry in "only" black bear country as well.
The most common way people have encounters with an aggressive bear is by sneaking up on and surprising them in noisy areas, like near a creek or river. When it’s windy or raining the sound of your footsteps can also be covered up. If you carry a bell on you and use it while in those noisy sections of trail it will make unnatural and more noticeable sounds that can alert bears to your presence before you get too close to them. Justin Outdoors got charged by a grizz while on the GDT. He was hiking near a noisy creek when it happened. The bear probably didn’t hear him until he was really close and it felt threatened. He usually yells “hey bear” but said he hadn’t been at that moment. If you have a bell you can save your breath while it does the work. I hiked all last summer and all of this summer in bear territory with a bell and havent seen a single one on trail yet. I’m sure the bell was pretty instrumental in making that happen.
We live in bear and lion country. I try to really survey my surroundings, especially around corners. Anytime I turn a blind corner I'll stop, scan the horizon, listen. I keep a few rocks on me. I also whistle a little bird call or bang on my canteen pretty often. Never seen a single bear.
The only animal that's really freaked me out was a fox that just would not stop following me. There is something unnerving about an animal pacing after you for a half mile or more, if not for any reason than rabies.
Great video. I carry regular pepper spray. I live in PA so just black bears. From my experience I'm honestly more afraid of getting attacked by a deer than anything else. I've walked up on quite a few black bears and they have all just run away. All smaller ones. We set up too close to a game trail one night and had deer snorting at us all night. They also don't always run away. I know its probably stupid but that's just where I'm at from my experiences.
watch out for those deer.
Deer will run away as well in my experience but I only had to experience that once 😆.
I run in CO and I come across a good 40 deer a week. I usually try to give them a wide berth, move slow and predictably, and talk to them.
I work in a sub-alpine area with grimsleys and blackies. My choice of bear spray is 8mm 170gr SSTs. The guys I work with have been stalked by black bears. I am somewhat doubtful of your dismissal of blackies as a threat. It only takes one...
Great info. Thanks!
You haven't convinced me. I've carried it for years and never had to use it. But it sure felt nice knowing that I had it on me with all of the black bear encounters (including a mother with two cubs) that I've had. Maybe I'm just unlucky (or lucky), but almost every time I go hiking or camping I encounter at least one. The last time I went camping, two came into my camp at night. Noise usually makes them all either run or walk away and I've never had to use my spray. But, again, it sure felt good knowing I had it available. It's worth the weight and cost for peace of mind. Besides, it's useful against the biggest predator in the woods too -- humans.
Forget the bear spray… i never leave the house without my Glocky. 🧸🔫
I had three encounters with black bears on the PCT 2018, one in Washington was very close..too close..but the bear was probably more startled than me, i stopped and started talking normally loud, the bear i heard panting in the undergrowth and after a while I started walking normally again. Bears should be fixed with the eyes, but not cougars. Much more dangerous, however, are these "people" who are sometimes unpredictable.
Love the opening! 😆
I bet there is nobody in history that has been eatin' alive by a bear that said " well at least I didn't carry that extra weight".
Dude! That intro!! Might be my favorite 30 seconds of YT ever!
More likely to be killed by mosquitos! 🤣🤣🤣 That's hilarious, mostly because it is true.
I HIGHLY recommend reading the book Bear Attacks: Their Causes and Avoidance by Stephen Herrero. I honestly think anyone who may ever spend time in black bear or grizzly country should read this book.
I picked it up expecting tips for how to handle "bear attacks" but what I found was information on how unlikely attacks are, how to be prepared for them with knowledge and equipment, but most importantly how to avoid them. I am more confident in black bear country with or without bear spray now.
I do take bear spray if it's grizzly country or an area where black bears have become accustomed to people food. But otherwise typically leave it at home.
Great video, man, as always!
It was a fun intro to film! Thanks as always. I’ll check out that book.
You should tell this to Ray Kitchen, the truck driver who was mauled by a black bear while trying to save a family that were also being mauled by a black bear.
I will ALWAYS carry bear spray, period. I don't care about the weight, I don't care about the bulkiness. It's as you said, you feel more protected when you have it. And not only for bears but any other animal or person you might encounter that's threatening. I was on a day hike in Olympic and came across an Elk, wish I had it then. I'd be interested in hearing about how you got tangled up in the bear mist. I've actually done a budget gear load out at 11.5lbs that includes bear spray so I can be #2 on your list haha.
I was hiking with a group and one of my friends decided to “test” his bear spray just a few feet from camp. It blew in to camp and got the whole group. It wasn’t full strength as it had dissipated some but it was still enough to send us all running. 😆
@@MyLifeOutdoors Hahahaha awesome! You should throw that story in a video! That's crazy!
I live in Missouri in a small town about 60 miles west of St.Louis. Black bears are making a comeback in Missouri. And we have had a few spotted on the outskirts of town. But last summer one was captured on a couple ring door bells. In Missouri we do not have a population of Mountain Lions. Only because a female has not been spotted. But a couple of years ago one was hit by a car about 3 miles from my house. And numerous numbers have been filmed with in the St. Louis county limits on camera. So even though an animal isn't suppose to be there, it certainly could. So even here when exploring the woods and national parks I would bring bear spray. A pack of coyotes could take your life just as easily. Better safe than sorry !
Hey! Greetings from Alaska. When I’m out camping/fishing & Berry picking, I carry a huge cowbell. 🔔.
In one of my favorite fishing spot, me and 2 others I was fishing with hit charges by a brown bear. Bear was charging/running down a bluff towards our direction. Panic suddenly sets in on two of my friends..who quickly gathered our fishing gear. I quickly took my cowbell from my backpack, slowly gathering my fishing gear and started shaking my cowbell. Brown bear stopped on its paws…watched us as we walked back to our vehicle. Bear then started walking towards us, I continued shaking & ringing my cowbell…! This time aggressively. The brown bear turned around and ran back up the bluff…whew!
We may not be able to see the bears in our area, yet at least the bears can bear us somewhat near by.
ThankU for your sharing on the bear spray…I do have one, I have not used it yet….! 🐻
Great video. I have had two encounters on the trail with black bear moms and their cubs. Making sure they knew I was there and slowly hiking past them resulted in safe conclusions to both encounters. You are correct that carrying spray is a personal decision. In the east coast black bear country, I'll continue to leave the spray at home unless aggressive bears are known to be in the area. In grizzly country, I won't hike without it. Keep up the great work.
You did put the disclaimer in there. But I think even suggesting no bear spray is a little bit irresponsible. Ya, people go without it. Ya, there are very, very few black bear attacks. However, should one attack, which CAN happen, you better hope you have it. You never need it, until you need it.
Suggesting Halt is irresponsible as well. You do not need to risk your life to save 4 oz. If you do need to skimp every oz, I suggest you instead train a bit harder so that the weight for life safety items has less impact.
I don't think he suggested that no one carry bear spray or that we should all carry halt instead. I think he's being honest about what his approach will be and why. We all make individual choices with our gear and choose what is 'worth the weight' and what isn't. My first aid kit might be a little heavier than most because I'm willing to take the additional weight that others aren't, but there are other things people bring because of a "just in case" that I don't think are worth it. All comes down to personal risk tolerance.
I much prefer his approach of being honest about what he is planning to do and why, rather than publicly advocating one thing but actually doing something completely different in practice.
Last year, there were two black bear attacks here in northern michigan. Both were hikers sleeping in hammocks. One of those was a teenage girl camping with her family, all in hammocks.
I'm not a 'hiker', but I walk my dog often in Northern Michigan. I always carry something, but I'm always looking for something better. I think the dog repellent is a good non-lethal solution... because, in reality, most of my problems have been with unleashed country dogs. I hit the link. Interesting info. Big thumbs up for you.
Well, interesting viewpoint and video. However, as you mentioned, ya don't need it 'til ya need it. I hike alone and I'm 72. Dog spray simply isn't smart, IMO. Bear spray and a handgun is being prepared. How much extra weight is that truly going to be? 🤔 Expensive? Probably among the least expensive items I'm packing. I'd rather not be the 68th casualty.
That's the most Murican comment in the thread 🤷♀️
Do you do anything besides hiking? Because walking down a city street is riskier than being killed by a bear. Going swimming in the ocean is riskier than being killed by a bear. Probably taking a shower without protective headgear is riskier than being killed by a bear.
@@ohsweetmystery Walking into the woods unarmed (bear spray at least, knife and a gun much better) is something only people in the last 50 years would consider acceptable. The reason it seems acceptable to them is they live in an experiential mental bubble and are utterly naive about the reality of wildlife and the food chain.
@@IreneWY That's a compliment.
Florida has a good Black bear population in the areas backpackers like. Do I need the bear spray , not really. Do I take it , All the time. Have I had a reason to use it on a bear , Nope. Would I use it on a bear , anytime. I have a concealed weapon permit ( retired law Enforcement ) but I take the Bear Spray ( Magnum size ) instead. It's non lethal , will not go over a mile like a bullet can. Best of all , It can be used on any warm blooded critter , 4 or two legs. I even take it ( small 3 oz container ) every morning when I go for my daily walk. The way I see it , Best to have it and not need it then to need it and not have it. Only critter so far that was sprayed ( short burst ) was a dog trying to bite me. I understand he hasn't tried to bite any more hikers. Apparently Bear Spray is a great educational tool to wayward dogs.
That sounds like me up till now. We will see how I feel about Halt. I had a guide tell me he sprayed a marmot one time because it wouldn’t stop chewing on his pack straps. I think it stopped after that. 😆. Thanks for watching!
I live in PA, where there’s a lot of black bears. Some very big. They’ve been encountered within the city of Pittsburgh. Suffice it to say, in this state, they’re everywhere. Also, although I’ve never had any trouble with them, two of friends have. In both cases, it involved a sow with cubs. No injuries, but harrowing. There was a woman dragged off 75 yards by a bear. Our Game Commission figured it was a sow with cubs. It was night, so it was hard to tell. I think I’ll keep my bear spray.
There are a few concerns about dog repellants:
1. They're weeker than regular self defence peppersprays to deter a human attacker
2. Lack of range and stream instead of cone/mist spray
3. Like you said: you never need it, until you do..
4. Regarding bulk and weight, today we have options of ultacondensed sprays of 60 ml or so
5. Halt was not tested on charging bear - which means, it just wasn't tested on bears. Therefore, your strategy is just an assumption, and optimistic one at best. A gamble even
This approach might perhaps work for american black bears. But our, european brown bears are far more aggresive than your blackies. So, whenever in the mountains, I carry a bear mace.
I'd rather not take the chance and be prepared for that 1 rare bear that decides you are his dinner.
I always carry bear spray but live in West Yellowstone…. And something else to keep in mind… it works on things other than bears too… coyotes… psycho stalkers… Especially if you are a solo hiker.
When I’m hiking in western NC always aware that I can be surprised at anytime. My option for safety is SW 327 PC with hard cast 357 rounds. It’s the two legged bears that are most scary. Should work fine. Be safe
Great channel awesome videos.
Who says bear spray is unnecessary? Animal rights wackos. The same people that say Great White sharks aren't dangerous.
Remember, you are more likely to be in a sticky situation with a black bear, then a grizzly. Sheer numbers, access to those areas and size of the range. Also, many uneducated tourists think feeding black bears is cute...doesn't help. If in doubt, pack it. Make noise, don't cook in your tent etc.
I hike in Oregon and Washington and have hiked nearly a thousand miles of miles here in the PNW, for context, and many rugged, remote, and off trail places too. I have seen perhaps 8-10 wild bears during my trips (I have lost count), including one supposedly young Grizzly (in a very busy parking lot in the Sierras), and two bear cubs (but from a car as they ran across the road). I never felt the need to carry bear spray or anything like that for our black bears around here. I also rarely ever see hikers or backpackers carry it either; if I had to guess, maybe less than 10%, maybe even 5% or less actually carry it (that I can tell at least). (That Sierra trip I never carried bear spray either though, for the record. And even when hiking in the Canadian Rockies, I never carried any either, though I would probably if I went again.)
I have walked past many, too many to count, black bears on the trail and they all seem to act like the one you saw there, minding their own business.
Though there was one time where I came around a bend at a brushy creek crossing, and surprised something large maybe 20 ft away, though I couldn't tell what it was, aside from it being dark. It just scampered away into the bushes. I figured it was a black bear, which was very surprising because I heard that in that area they are incredibly rare to see (Mount Adams, WA), and one longtime Adams hiker said they only saw a bear once or twice in maybe 30 years of hiking there, so if I saw a bear, it was very rare to see one there.
I have gotten pretty used to black bears at this point, though I have always wondered if maybe one of these days I will wish I had bear spray. I don't think I could justify the weight though, even for dog spray, though I will consider it maybe for some of my more remote black bear country trips. (Not all places in the PNW mountains are you likely to even see black bears, so in many places here I would not consider any sort of spray necessary. Like if you hike around Mt Hood, southern Washington (south of Rainier), or south to central Oregon I wouldn't worry at all. It is once you start getting into Mt Rainier and northward in Washington, the Olympics, or Mt Shasta/Trinity Alps/Klamath Mountains and southward in very southern Oregon and northern California where bears become more of an issue and you're far more likely to see them.
I have evidence of this too: go to Crater Lake NP in Oregon, and you will see bear lockers. And south from there many parks and campgrounds have bear lockers. And Mt Rainier NP and northward many parks and campgrounds also have bear lockers and often have metal wire bear hanging cords, or are very serious about making sure you put away anything scented that can attract bears.
But hike or camp anywhere from central OR to southern Washington, and you will not find any bear lockers, you can easily keep food and scented items in your tent or car with no real bear risk really, (though it is still a good idea to hang up as much scented items as you can if you don't want rodents to chew through your tent of course, and you don't want to get wild animals accustomed to human food either, but sometimes I am lazy and don't, or can't, hang up my food or items, and that is ok around here. But I would definitely not recommend that, and you shouldn't do that, from Mt Rainier and northward or Crater Lake and southward.