Bear Spray

For those of you who watch the bear videos, I shared of Red Bluff Bay, SE Alaska, you will see, the reaction of non human habituated bears, unlike those at the bear viewing places like Pack Creek & Anan & how I reacted to avoid confrontation. These are of bears that are not involved in the process of catching fish to eat in a stream, but instead in areas mostly semi open & eating sedge grass. Also, there are scenes in which bears are about, where the wind would prohibit bear spray use, as it was in many of the times, I was ashore. When we were there in 2010 there was a family there in a sailboat from Australia & they walked some of the area, I show in the video & climbed up to a local lake without fire arms & I think maybe not even bear spray without any bear problems, so go as many have said in this thread & see & enjoy the beautiful areas of SE Alaska.

Jay
 
"Harvey, studies now show bears can see as well as us.
http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?ad ... les_id=135
Jay"
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Jay, Thanks for that article and the next one on Bears seeing colors. Good reads. Not a lot of studies, but one thing does make good sense, " that the sight varies with the individual" and that they do rely on smell primarily. The sight is probably more keyed in to movement and contrast recognition and tends to drop off over 100 yards.

I still like watching them much better from the water then on the same piece of land they are on. Much more comfortable for me.

Great thread and learning a bunch.

Harvey
SleepyC :moon

IMG_2044_sized_1.thumb.jpg
 
Hey Tyboo Mike,
No, not the bears. Just didn't find any body interested in going with me, and with some other events coming up, decided to put the Alaska trip off for a year. (Also, another C-Brat couple is looking at going then, and I had a little more interest displayed by a few others if I waited another year.) So this year, I'll do the FH gathering in May, then just cruise into the south end of the Inside Passage. Those Alaska bears will just have to wait another year before they get a whiff of me! lol Colby
 
Harvey, extreme ability to smell & hear brought on the myth of the poor eyesight. In 2007 in Gambier Bay, Admiralty Island SE Alaska JoLee & I were following in the C-Dory a large male bear also following a female in season along the shore. The male would be anywhere between a few yards & about 100 yds or so yds behind the female. The female doubled back just off it’s original track in direct view of the male & hopped into the alders & when the male reached that point he kept going down the shore line following the scent totally ignoring what his eyes had just seen in favor of the nose. Yesterday, while doing some more reading about bear behavior & their senses, I came across an article describing an instance almost exactly the same & it indicated it being a common thing observed with bear behavior & a leading reason while the poor eye sight myth originated..

Jay
 
Hunkydory":jyr9b2u9 said:
For those of you who watch the bear videos, I shared of Red Bluff Bay, SE Alaska, you will see, the reaction of non human habituated bears, unlike those at the bear viewing places like Pack Creek & Anan & how I reacted to avoid confrontation. These are of bears that are not involved in the process of catching fish to eat in a stream, but instead in areas mostly semi open & eating sedge grass. Also, there are scenes in which bears are about, where the wind would prohibit bear spray use, as it was in many of the times, I was ashore. When we were there in 2010 there was a family there in a sailboat from Australia & they walked some of the area, I show in the video & climbed up to a local lake without fire arms & I think maybe not even bear spray without any bear problems, so go as many have said in this thread & see & enjoy the beautiful areas of SE Alaska.

Jay
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This is a link to the Red Bluff Bay bear videos
http://www.c-brats.com/viewtopic.php?t=26030
 
Oh, I see now. I was looking at the wrong thread anyway, the South one.

I changed the title and also added a note to your first post in the thread saying the bears scared you off.
 
Having read all the way through this thread, I guess I'd still opt to not carry any type of firearm. The only effective firearm use is, as mentioned above, when you feel threatened by a bear, just shoot yourself. And as with the spray, it would only be 100% effective if inserted in the nostril before discharging.

Seriously though, I have other wild animals to worry about. Several years ago I was clearing some brush and got into a "ground nest" of yellow jackets (actually bald faced wasps, but about the same thing). I think I got one or two stings before throwing my machete in the air and running away screaming.

I had been stung quite a bit over the years by various bees and wasps, but this time I had a reaction and the neighbor called the local paramedics. Because I was in a remote area, the neighbor drove me towards them and we met about 45 minutes later. They had some goodies (i.e., medicine) that I didn't have, but now have on hand. The medics said that once I had that reaction is is likely to become the standard reaction. But what was surprising was that the first time was so pronounced. And that first time being so pronounced is what kills people.

It turns out that wasps kill more people in Washington state than cougar, bear, horses (which was number two), dogs (#3), cats, Martians, communists, etc., combined.

Guns and bear spray should only become important after you've addressed the number one killer. How many have an antihistamine or epipen on board? For firearm proponents concerned about dangerous animals, what caliber do you carry for wasps?

Alaskans: Don't think that you are safe from the swarms. Overpopulation (aka global warming) will get to you as well. http://juneauempire.com/stories/051908/ ... pTWdK6nHX4

Mark
 
Good to see folks getting educated on bear safety. Something that is on our mind when we take out the trash at night.

Living in Montana bear country we hear a lot of bear stories. Bozeman is home to a lot of Grizzly research and conservation, also home of one of the bear spray manufactures.

Wildlife photographer Jim Cole's stories of surviving 2 Grizzly attacks are interesting and educational. He died of natural causes in his sleep at 60. Yellowstone enacted regulations informally called “Cole’s Law” which mandate that people maintain a buffer of at least 100 yards between themselves and bears at all times.

This link is a good read and there is a short video - It Wasn't the Bear's Fault.' Grizzly Attack Survivor Stories - https://news.nationalgeographic.com/201 ... or-stories

Safe Travels,
Kevin
 
Mark, yes the wasp could be a concern, but not so much in SE Alaska, where I’ve seen many bears, but not yet a wasp. The EpiPen is a good reminder for us, as JoLee is allergic to many insect bites & a EpiPen is on the list for future trips. Our oldest son was severely allergic to bee stings & we had to carry the EpiPen for him & use it. Don’t know the caliber, but this Christmas gift we received from another son might fit the bill for wasp. They sure work on flys & more entertaining than a swatter, but probably up for banning due to assault like appearance. :lol:

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Kevin, I enjoyed the video & article & if ever knocked about by a bear & I survived it wouldn’t be blamed by me either. If you handle snakes it’s not there fault if you get bit. If you want to enjoy walking about in bear country, the risk must be accepted & it’s up to the person with in the law to determine what to chose for protection or nothing at all other than bear knowledge & their own senses, while doing it.

Jay
 
Jay, that thing looks "scary" and "offensive". I mean, it's covered in "camo" and shoots/kills innocent flies. Have you no shame? Oh, wait...you live in WY. Crazy hasn't invaded...yet.
 
colbysmith":1qtabbpi said:
Thinking about buying some bear spray before traveling into bear country. (South end of Inside Passage this summer, and then Alaska portion next summer (2019)). Just wondering what others recommend or have used or purchased. I'm looking at Counter Assault off of Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00WAUWQQO/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1
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http://www.aol.com/article/2015/10/01/w ... /21243660/?

https://www.americanhunter.org/articles ... mm-pistol/

:lol: :lol: :lol: :wink: :wink:
 
Tsturm, thanks for posting the links. I saw the one with the girl & bear sometime ago & thought her voice must have been dubbed in, but I guess there are people that ignorant. I actually found it hilarious, as I’m still of the opinion Darwin’s theory needs to come in to play, a little more sooner & often with some.

The other one shows another debate on bear spray vs firearms in the comment section & along with a clear head in a bad situation, luck still goes along way in determining outcome.

Jay
 
Mark, yes I was rooting for the bear. I was kind of surprised how little the bear reacted to the spray even though obvious it didn’t get a direct shot in the face. I got hit with about the same & sure reacted more.

Jay
 
Marco Flamingo":28q25uhd said:
Hunkydory":28q25uhd said:
her voice
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Made me want to vandalize her kayak.

Mark
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I was hoping the bear WOULD "come here"....

Hunkydory":28q25uhd said:
...along with a clear head in a bad situation...
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I agree 100000%. Mindset is a key element in any confrontation, such as these. People who cannot think and react calmly usually don't fare well. Panicking doesn't help, as a general rule, and most likely will make things worse. It clouds judgement and reaction. It could be in any stressful/dangerous situation. The world is full of sheep and there are only few sheep dogs... Think and plan prior to the confrontation and then adapt to what occurs. Some people are able to do this. Some don't or can't. Fact.
 
Hunkydory":2bq155fu said:
Tsturm, thanks for posting the links. I saw the one with the girl & bear sometime ago & thought her voice must have been dubbed in, but I guess there are people that ignorant. I actually found it hilarious, as I’m still of the opinion Darwin’s theory needs to come in to play, a little more sooner & often with some.

The other one shows another debate on bear spray vs firearms in the comment section & along with a clear head in a bad situation, luck still goes along way in determining outcome.

Jay
Click to expand...

Your welcome,
the first video I saw a few years ago. Took a while to find it. Had she been killed/eaten = cleansing of gene pool. Confident & Competent with your chosen firearm is better than lucky in most circumstances. I once sprayed a stump with Bear/Pepper Spray, came back to stump next morning & most of it(Stump) had been eaten during the night.
your miles may vary. Good luck, pay attention to your surroundings at all times & enjoy the great outdoors!


:beer
 
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