Bear Spray Not Very Effective on Black Bears ?

[TexasCub]

Have any of you actually sprayed a black bear and had the spray be effective? I had a long conversation with a buddy that spent the spring baiting black bears in Alaska in a remote location accessible by a long boat ride down the river. He had a bait that was out of control, regularly having as many as 10 bears a night in there and most of them never really left the area around the bait site. It got to where it was difficult for him to fill the bait as the bears would start coming in as soon as he beached the river boat. He came up with the idea of trying some spray rather than shooting the bold ones. When he had a bear push things too far he sprayed the bear, the wind was swirling and he ended up getting a healthy dose of the spray and though he sprayed the bear the spray was 10x more effective on him than the bear. The bear did not stop its advance only circling and he had to try and get back to the river boat hoping like hell he didn’t have to try to defend himself as he was borderline incapacitated. He pretty much said he’s done with the spray and will be carrying something that sprays lead rather than pepper from now on. I have zero experience with bear spray, though I have many years of experience around black bears, just curious if anyone down here has used the spray with positive results.

 

[Ashy Larry]

Sounds like he got more than the bear, mostly bc your dumbshit friend sprayed into the wind. Not sure I would be so quick to blame spray.

 

[EastMT]

Well if the bears would just come in from down wind I guess spray would never fail.....

 

[TexasCub]

Well if the bears would just come in from down wind I guess spray would never fail.....

Right! And it’s never windy here in the mountains.

 

[TheTone]

Another factor I would consider or think about aside from the wind was the fact he was spraying a bear that sounds like it was very conditioned to human food and presence.

 

[KSP277]

Pepper spray, both the Bear flavor and the human dose, when deployed is usually a community event. Everybody around is getting a dose at some level.

 

[Superkodiak38]

After being the police for many years I can tell you 9 times out of 10 that your are going to be affected by the spray, to what extent no one knows. I would not put my life in the hands of the spray, it can make a bad situation worse by incapacitating you as the user, watching guys gasp for air, huge snot ropes pouring out of their noses and irritated eyes, skin and DO NOT TAKE A LEAK WITHOUT WASHING YOUR HANDS FIRST ! I would suggest your friend take a 12 gauge with slugs.

 

[ramont]

As I always claim, when you confront a bear there are two possibilities;

A. The bear is just curious and isn't really threatening.
B. The bear is hungry or afraid and isn't going to change his course of action until he no longer feels hungry or afraid.

Spray will work in situation A but it's pretty useless in situation B. How do you know the difference? You don't.

Oh, and just a quick response to Ashy Larry's post; never assume you know what anybody's experiences were really like and take reading comprehension classes. The friend didn't spray in to the wind on purpose, it was a swirling wind, there was no perfect time to spray the bear.

This story pretty much demonstrates everything that could go wrong with a bear contact. Feeding the animals until they are conditioned to think of you as a dinner, uselessly using spray on a hungry bear, having to deploy the spray in unpredictable wind conditions. The only reason the friend wasn't attacked is probably because black bears aren't nearly as aggressive as brown bears (although an awful lot of black bear attacks happen out west and up in to Alaska).

Regardless, I carry spray and a gun but I have no illusions, if I come in to contact with a determined hungry or scared bear I'm probably going to the hospital.

 

[Bulldawg]

I sprayed a grizz in Yellowstone years ago and didn’t do anything to him, I know the spray was potent because it mildly affected us, the wind wasnt blowing in our face but some spray did make us gag a little haha. He wasn’t aggressive he just wanted our food and we wouldn’t give it to him. I ended up hitting him with about a 5 pound rock fortunately for him, because the next one was going to weigh about 250 grains


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[Rokwiia]

As I always claim, when you confront a bear there are two possibilities;

A. The bear is just curious and isn't really threatening.
B. The bear is hungry or afraid and isn't going to change his course of action until he no longer feels hungry or afraid.

Spray will work in situation A but it's pretty useless in situation B. How do you know the difference? You don't.

Oh, and just a quick response to Ashy Larry's post; never assume you know what anybody's experiences were really like and take reading comprehension classes. The friend didn't spray in to the wind on purpose, it was a swirling wind, there was no perfect time to spray the bear.

This story pretty much demonstrates everything that could go wrong with a bear contact. Feeding the animals until they are conditioned to think of you as a dinner, uselessly using spray on a hungry bear, having to deploy the spray in unpredictable wind conditions. The only reason the friend wasn't attacked is probably because black bears aren't nearly as aggressive as brown bears (although an awful lot of black bear attacks happen out west and up in to Alaska).

Regardless, I carry spray and a gun but I have no illusions, if I come in to contact with a determined hungry or scared bear I'm probably going to the hospital.

I'll respond regarding black bears which is what this thread is about. It is predacious behavior that you have to be aware of which is most often from a male. Being able to recognize it as compared to a curious bear may just save your life.

Dr. Stephen Herrero has written and spoken about it extensively.

[video=youtube;n7yoIheOrTc]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7yoIheOrTc[/video]

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/jwmg.72

Bear Attacks: Their Causes and Avoidance (revised edition): Stephen Herrero: 9781585745579: Amazon.com: Books

 

[Violent Hippie]

Yes. I've sprayed black bears many times. Were I live we have ALOT of bears and they love getting into trash and making a huge mess of personal property. I've sprayed black bears with cubs as well. The spray has always worked when I get it in their face properly.They just take off running . I'd say I've sprayed at least 8 different bears and a couple more than once ( they will sometimes come back later ) over the last 12 years. I have gotten some wind blowback and it SUCKS. Never a direct blast but some residual into my sinuses and eyes. Burning for 30 minutes or so. I am a fan of bear spray and will continue to use it.

 

[Where's Bruce?]

I assume the worst and practice drawing my spray and .44 simultaneously. Never know when ole Yogi is hungry for some spicy food. <g> Not really a great concern.

[video=youtube;X0AHvPpGrDU]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X0AHvPpGrDU[/video]

 

[Bubblehide]

I assume the worst and practice drawing my spray and .44 simultaneously. Never know when ole Yogi is hungry for some spicy food. <g> Not really a great concern.

Aren't you the guy that shot me, right through my tent, while I was sleeping??? Didn't you unload your gun on me?

 

[Where's Bruce?]

Aren't you the guy that shot me, right through my tent, while I was sleeping??? Didn't you unload your gun on me?

I shot through my tent, not yours. You owe me for patch work. That's whatcha get for making bear sounds outside my tent and grabbing my foot. You only took two .44 slugs in the chest...third shot missed completely. Go back to bed Gary.

 

[NDGuy]

I assume the worst and practice drawing my spray and .44 simultaneously. Never know when ole Yogi is hungry for some spicy food. <g> Not really a great concern.

[video=youtube;X0AHvPpGrDU]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X0AHvPpGrDU[/video]

Welp don't need breakfast today

 

[Downeaster]

May have posted this here before, but if so "bear" with me as it "bears" repeating lol!!
I used to be a biologist years ago and one of our harassment techniques for problem bears was to spray them in the face in the culvert trap in the location where they were taken. My coworker sprayed an old sow (who prob weighed 110lbs soaking wet) in the face at about 3 feet. She took the entire blast full force, no mist, just hard spray in the face and eyes. She gave no f###s! Literally blinked maybe once and just sat there waiting to see if we were serving wings with that hot sauce. I on the other hand brushed my arm on the cross-bar at the bait end of the trap later that morning and then wiped the sweat off my brow with said arm and was then kinda useless. If spray is your only defense, and things get all rodeo... Id say you could be in trouble. Not saying spray hasnt saved some peoples bacon, but based on what i obvserved first hand , i would NEVER have only spray on me. YMMV

 

[JWP58]

Pepper spray, both the Bear flavor and the human dose, when deployed is usually a community event. Everybody around is getting a dose at some level.

Not only that, but as far as people, everyone seems to react differently. Just go watch a police academy get sprayed. Some shrug it off, some are dying for hours. It just depends. I wonder if bears are the same?

 

[KSP277]

Not only that, but as far as people, everyone seems to react differently. Just go watch a police academy get sprayed. Some shrug it off, some are dying for hours. It just depends. I wonder if bears are the same?

Ive seen tweekers shrug it off. Maybe the bear has a habit.

 

[Beendare]

Seems to me....'Bears in your trash' vs a 'Bear charging you'........... are 2 totally different situations....plan accordingly!

 

[the_bowhunter]

Bears don’t enjoy it when you spray them where the sun don’t shine as well...


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