Bear Mace: What Not to Do!
Bear mace, also referred to as bear spray or bear pepper spray, is the absolute best way to prevent bear attacks when hiking in bear country. Many university studies, most notably done by BYU in conjunction with the Alaska University system, show that bear spray is by far and away the best method of deterring overly inquisitive or aggressive bears in the wild. While ideally you would prefer to never have to face an angry or charging bear, if you want to increase your chances of surviving such an encounter then you definitely want to find the best bear defense spray and know how to use it.
Knowing what not to do with bear spray is an extremely important part of learning how to use it. There are several things that you want to make sure not to do before going out into the wild with bear mace:
- Do not spray yourself. This is not “bear repellent” in the same way that “bug repellent” is used. If you spray yourself with this stuff, you will go down in severe pain.
- Do not keep the bear mace in a bag. A bear can cover a long distance very quickly, and if you have the bear spray in your back pack, there is absolutely no chance of you getting it out to defend yourself in time.
- Don’t order only one can. Order two so you can practice with one. Each can is a little different and you will want to know exactly how your can of bear spray works, how easy it is to draw from a holster, and all the other little details that are very important – especially with a charging grizzly on the way.
- Don’t wait for the bear to get close before spraying. You want to learn to spray a cloud of bear mace that the bear runs into – this is the most effective way to deter bears.
Follow these four tips to avoid the most common pitfalls, and you’ll be on your way to being able to defend yourself against a charging bear.
