Thursday, August 30, 2007

Pepper spray is not adequate

Comment overheard in the Forest Service office.

"We don't recommend relying on bear spray or bear bells for protection. The only thing we sanction is a weapon and the weapon better be at least adequate."


I guess I'll have to get a gun?!? That's scarier than thinking of Doogman carrying an ax around!

2 comments:

WSceptic said...

Hope you don't mind me poking my head in and leaving a comment...

I once overheard a salesman in Sitka explaining the differences in the two sizes of bear pepper spray canisters. "The small one is good for two to three encounters with bears. The big one is good for four to five..." What? If you have more than one encounter with a bear that requires the use of pepper spray then you don't belong in the woods.

I stopped carrying even pepper spray years ago. Only carried a rife when the FS required it. As long as you follow good bear territory manners and are not up to your elbows in deer guts you're pretty darn safe. But i have always thought that death by bear would be way better than by any other "natural" cause.

Doogman said...

Pepper spray is not likely to stop a bear - much more likely to piss one off - BADLY.

Ryan's got it perfectly right: good bear territory manners are the safest way to go!

It's -their- forest, we just wander around in it!

We've had bear sign at our property here in the Rockies and after careful checking, it turned out it was our fault - a small package of hot chocolate was stowed were a bear would smell it - and one did! Luckily it just resulted in a container being upended and emptied. We now double-check and take ALL the foodstuffs with us on exit. Now we just find the anthills raked and raided (a welcome service!) When we're in camp we make a good bit of noise and I always amuse my wife by 'marking our territory' (you can guess how).

I figure if a bear can miss THAT, he's REALLY hungry.