Are you planning on camping in an area that has even the slightest chance of you seeing a bear? Are you planning on doing this camping without having bear spray of any kind on you at all times? If the answer is yes I have another idea for you, why don’t you just douse yourself in honey or hang a raw steak around your neck (or both) and just go charging at the first bear cub you see. It is obvious from the fact that you are not bringing bear spray on your trip that you are the type that throws caution, as well as common sense and basic safety measures, to the wind.
It should be obvious that I am being extremely facetious and by no means should you ever go near a bear and certainly never so much as entertain the idea of approaching a bear’s cub unless your goal is to be mauled to death. As ridiculous as the opening paragraph of this blog was I find it only slightly more ridiculous than even so much as considering the thought of camping without bear spray present. It just doesn’t make any sense not to bring along bear repellent of some kind if there is any chance of seeing a bear where you are camping and when you consider how cheap bear repellent spray is and how easy it is to secure it makes the notion of camping without it that much more ridiculous.
The best thing about bear spray is the simple fact that it is extremely effective, some studies have even shown it to be as effective, if not more effective, than most firearms in thwarting a bear attack. The second best thing about bear spray is that, unlike a firearm, the creature does not have to die in order to save yourself. Let’s remember that we are in the bears home and in almost any attack we are not dealing with a blood-thirsty, man-eating creature but a confused and potentially frightened bear that is doing what it thinks it must to protect itself or it’s offspring (very much like most humans would).
Bear spray works exactly like pepper spray does on humans, in fact the active ingredients are exactly the same. And just as pepper spray is extremely effective on a human attacker so is bear spray on a bear attacker. Bear repellent spray causes intense, but temporary, pain and swelling in the bear’s mucus membranes which can also cause temporary blindness as it can with humans. This gives you ample time to exit the premises immediately and should also have the bear doing the exact same thing in most cases.
So please, for your sake and for the sake of your loved ones, always take bear spray with when going camping in any area where a bear has even the slightest chance of being seen and for the love of all that is holy have it on you at all times. Bear repellent will do you no good if you don’t have it when a bear is ready to attack.
Stay Safe,
Carl Vouer