Bear Spray Alternative? Is Bear Spray Even Worth It? 

Halt Dog Repellent Spray: geni.us/4NeO

I've been driving for 40 years and not needed my seat belt once. I still wear it. Black bear attacks do happen. Plus grizzlies are expanding their range into areas you might not expect. I think being smart with your food is the #1 thing you should never compromise on.

I'll share my experience on the PCT and the CDT: I have always carried bear spray and, over the years, have used it successfully twice on black bears and once on a bobcat who was stalking me during a night hike. I was never bothered by the weight. But, I had to wait until the critters were close enough to be effective. However, a few times, I used a small boat horn. I kept it in a small holster attached to my shoulder strap. I got the idea when I noticed that the bear was not impressed with my efforts at shouting, "Hey bear!" The horn is small but makes the devil's own racket! When I used it on a black bear, he turned and bolted right away. When I used it on a mountain lion, he jumped 10 feet straight up and raced back up the hill, pausing at the top of the hill to turn and give me a dirty look as if to say, "What the heck was that!!" The sound is quite startling. Now, I carry the horn on one shoulder strap, and the bear spray on the other.

As an outdoor videographer for the past 23-years filming in the Alberta backcountry bear spray has always been a part of my kit. Can’t say I have ever heard anyone claim it was too heavy to carry. It can also be a useful deterrent to other potential aggressive wildlife encounters. For me peace of mind out weighs leaving spray at home.

as a recently retired mailman with 29 yrs experience, i can say Halt rarely works on larger dogs that are aggressive, i would not EVER consider it for a black bear! i hike and camp in the mountains of colorado and always carry bear spray, but more for mountain lions than bears. and these days you never know who you will encounter on the trail or in camp, and bear spray is a VERY effective non lethal way to protect yourself in those situations.

A problem I have is people always cite the number of fatal attacks by a species as if getting mauled or otherwise torn up isn’t important. The problem is no one really knows how many black bear, grizzly, mountain lion, wolf, coyote, etc… attacks there are each year. The other issue I have are when the numbers are cited in a dishonest manner, eg, you have a better chance of getting struck by lightening than killed by a great white… when a majority of the population will never be in the ocean in any given year. All this to make a reasonable concern by people who do recreate in an area around predators seem irrational in their concern and efforts to mitigate those concerns. I’d also be interested on historical trend analysis on attacks by species as sprawl continues to deplete habitat and push humans and animal predators closer into likely conflict. Telling me there have only been X number of Grizzly attacks in Montana in the past 100 years is of minimal value, but seeing the numbers over the past few decades is going to be more valuable. But again, we need better numbers on attacks, which I recognize is more difficult to collect.

I usually carry bear spray (I don’t live or hike in Grizzly country). When I think about what I might have to use it on I’m thinking about Cougars, humans, and moose.

I've been unexpectedly confronted by a very aggressive deranged 'person' while out hiking... 'bear spray' ... NOT JUST FOR BEARS!

I worked for over 34 years as a fish and wildlife biologist in the Canadian North and had plenty of run-ins with both black bears and grizzlies. Over the years quite a few of my friends and acquaintances have been either mauled or even lost their lives through bears. The average bear just wants to be left alone but as with people there are individuals that are very aggressive and in all the years I had to shoot only two charging black bears. Both attacks happened within seconds, without warning, in dense brush and the bears were killed at a distance of only 5 yards. I had grizzly bears running bluff charges during salmon counts, stopping usually within about 10 m. Luckily I never had to kill one of these majestic animals. Since bears have incredible olfactory senses, they can smell nervousness and fear in people better than any dog. Many bears especially black bears pretend not to be interested in people but if they sense the slightest insecurity in people they can become very pushy and aggressive especially when the person is alone. Carrying bear spray is one of the best ways to feel more confident and therefore not provoke an attack, even if you never have to use the pepper can. Carrying a gun is not a good option for many people since they lack practice. I shot wild boars on drives in Europe since I was 17 years old and feel confident to nail even a fast charging pit bull terrier before it reaches me but most people have problems hitting clay pigeons and are therefore better off carrying pepper spray.

Over the years I’ve had several encounters with Black bears. The craziest one was when I was picking berries and had it stand up from the bush in front of the bush I was picking from. Scarred the crap out of me, yelled and backed off but like most other encounters the bear couldn’t figure out what I was and just looked at me with a clueless look on its face. Other encounters I've have had the bear either ignore me or just run away. However this year I was in Tweedsmuir - Grizzy & Black Country and stumbled across a brownish bear eating berries. It reared up when I yelled and at that point I took out my spray - the bear was up the hill from me, as we walked ourselves back it also walked with us. I was getting concerned because if this continued we would be crossing paths soon. My greatest trouble was that I couldn’t positively determine that I was dealing with either a Grizzly or a Brown Black - we were sort of face to face. Long story short we changed our direction of travel and the bear did not follow. Glad I had my spray but even after all the many years of being out in the backcountry I have never used it.

I grew up in Petawawa, Ontario. Site of one of the worst bear attacks ever. 3 young boys killed and partially consumed by a Black Bear. Every bear I ever saw growing up, and I saw a lot, ran from my sight...and I was just a young boy. So typically they do run away and avoid you. However, it takes just one. An injured one, a diseased one, one that is habituated to human garbage...I'd rather not take the chance. I spend quite a bit of time hiking in Eastern Canada and I encounter bears and their scat often enough. So often I find scat without sighting a bear and that shows you how adept they are at human avoidance. So even though I know I'm likely safe I carry bear spray and keep it handy. No point having it tucked away in your pack. Also, a few have mentioned the human element and that is not to be dismissed either.

I think the best statement in this video is "You don't really need it until you do". In my personal opinion, it's better to bring it and never have to use it, than to need it and not have it with you. I understand that the chances of needing it are extremely low (especially when using best practices for bear safety), but there is always that chance you'll end up needing it and I'd much rather have it than not.

As the old saying goes, "better to have it and not need it, than need it and not have it".

I keep a big pepper spray on deck and I also carry a concealed weapon where my license allows it....between sketchy people and wild animals I've got myself covered. I tend to live by the "you're the first responder to your emergency" motto so I also pack satellite gear and a big med response kit. I'd rather have the extra weight if it means peace of mind.

Great video! Maybe this was covered in the comments, but I'm going to cover it in mine. I'm in the Infantry and spend lots of time in the field. In 2020 through 2021 I came face to face with well over a dozen Black Bears, with and without cubs. I never had a problem with hostile action from them. That being said, I always carry bear spray. Why? Well these encounters were always with visibly healthy bears. Myself and colleagues have all been in situations where you run into an unhealthy animal. As an example; tick infested, visibly hundreds of ticks covering its face with puss coming from eyes, mouth and nose. This bear was very unwell, and unloading a full can of bear spray is the only thing that stoped it from a successful attack, and the attack was made. There are many other situations that I could go into for example but won't. I hope this helps with broadening your opinion on carrying. Thx.

I lived up in the High Sierras for a couple of years up around 7,000’. Unfortunately it was a community of cabins owned mostly by city folks and they were only around in the summer time. They’d feed the bears, specifically one big male who they thought of as a mascot. In the wintertime, spring and fall it was too cold for city blood and it was almost always just me up there. I had dozens and dozens of run-ins with that bear when he would come up onto my deck in the middle of the night and try and break into my shed where I kept trash until I had enough for a dump run. I’d get up, slam my fist into the big oak door to rouse him, grab the Remington and walk out. He never so much as even growled at me, he’d almost always just run away and sulk in the bushes up the hill, I could see the reflection from his eyes when shining the mounted flashlight at him. When he didn’t stop to sulk he’d just haul ass and disappear. I never pulled the trigger. I’d have to hike out in the early mornings to get to my car and I’d just carry a Glock, but it was cougars that worried me. Figured I’d share that, I say carry the bear spray in case you run into a starving bear that will chase you down for survival. Good video!

I live in Southern California and I’ve had 3 black bear encounters in as many weeks while mountain bike riding in my local mountains. On the first occasion the bear was crossing the fire road 50 to 75 yards ahead of me. He stopped and stared me down for about 10 seconds before running off. The next encounter I was headed down the trail at about 15 mph and came around a bend and there 75 to 100 feet ahead walking straight at me was what appeared to be the same bear. I was down wind so I don’t think the bear could smell me. I have a bear bell and music playing as a deterrent but there was a creek running and breeze was blowing so I dint think it heard me. I wasn’t carrying bear spray so I decided to turn and pedal safely back up the trail to reduce the impact of the encounter. While riding yesterday I rode right passed a younger bear playing off the trail about 10 yards. I didn’t stop to see how the bear reacted but I always tell myself, “ if there’s a bear cub, there’s a bear mom near by. Regarding bear spray, I’m now of the mind set that it’s better to have it and not need it rather than need it and not have it…

A security blanket is another alternative. It doesn't deter a bear but it makes you feel more secure.

You’re gonna feel awfully silly if you’re ever in a situation where you need bear spray, but chose not to carry it because of money, weight, or some delusion that bears are friendly.

While jogging on an unmarked trail, I was mauled by a small, black bear with cub, two days ago. I fought her off to get away. I understand this behavior is rare, but I have bites and claw marks to show for not having bear spray. Sadly, she was killed by fish and wildlife police.

I just watched a RU-vid of a clearly aggressive black bear stopped in it’s tracks by bear spray. When I lived in Bozeman MT, I always hiked with bear spray. I am back on our large backwoods property in upstate NY and we have a resident black bear who worries me because it has no fear of me or of loud noises. Guess what? Bear spray isn’t legal in NY! These politicians are morons and probably don’t know the difference between bears and red squirrels!

I have gone hiking in black bear country in Japan without spray with locals. Apart from a period where bears were under environmental pressure, noise making was more than sufficient. When they were starving (typhoon damage had made their habitat unviable for a while), different deal: they would actively hunt people, and bear areas had to be completely avoided.

Dude! That intro was GOLD! Great video man! Bear encounters are always great but so unnerving!

I was a letter carrier for 16 years, and Halt spray is what I was issued to deter dogs from attacking. On some canines, it worked well, but others would come back for more. I would imagine a bear wouldn't be bothered by Halt.

The logic didn't gel for me. The stats he quoted for the purpose of explaining away the "necessity" of carrying spray, I found quite convincing for having it. 🤔

I live, hike, and hunt in western Washington. I carry bear spray and a Glock 20 (10mm). I am a former wildlife biologist and haven’t needed either but better to be prepared.

Thank you for taking the time to differentiate between the significance of different locations. When hiking the Canadian Rockies... always take bear spray. When in Newfoundland... you will probably be fine.

In Brown Bear country, always travel in groups, 4 is good. Have everyone one equipped with approved bear spray, designate two as sprayers, and one person.carry 10mm hand gun. A designated shooter, also two with air horns, one as a designated air horn blower.

The part about the number of deaths by black bear triggered my pet peeve. Unless people discussing black bears are going to include attacks, many of which result in permanent disfigurement and disability, they really shouldn't be discussing whether or not black bears are dangerous. Does anyone really want to go out unprotected because they'll only have their eyes ripped out and eaten and their face torn off before the bear is shot by a good Samaritan? I doubt it. You see, most people don't want to be mauled nearly to death, and these kinds of attacks are never mentioned in discussions of how dangerous black bears are. Whether or not an attack results in immediate death is really beside the point.

I always carry it while hiking in the Pacific northwest. Most of the focus seems to be on bears but cats and humans are a definite concern, especially on solo trips. While I think the hiking community is usually incredibly friendly, humans likely pose much greater danger than animals.

Like your clear, logical presentation. I live in the northern Rockies. I always carry spray. Hiking, mtb, ski touring, snow biking. The encounters with wildlife change with the seasons. I've almost hit bears while biking - black ones fortunately. I stumbled perilously close to a Moose and her calf cresting a hill last month. I begged their forgiveness as I shuffled by about 20 yards from them. Not a comfortable situation. Just yesterday, there was a fresh 5 inch lion print running a few hundred yards in the ski track. I know lions will attack silently but seeing that it was close beforehand makes having the spray at the ready more than worth it's weight. In the 10 years we've lived here, I've un-safed the spray 2 or 3 times but never had to deploy it. Maybe the worst thing about owning bear spray are the stories of accidental discharge. Walk into any ranger station and you'll hear why many of them hate the stuff.... So be careful with it!

I have run into black bear multiple times in PA and they usually just walked away. In TN I ran into a large black near that was not the least bit deterred by yelling and it followed us to the side and kept pace until just before we reached our campsite and disappeared.. I wished I had it that time! There are always those bears that don't act in the usual manner (rarely, but still). I usually carry a small device that makes quite a racket devised for women's protection & mace. I would rather have & not need than not have it the one time I need it.

I live in Gatlinburg Tennessee and have had many many blackbear encounters over the decades of my hiking. The great majority of my bear encounters have been uneventful. However we have had two predatory, fatal bear attacks in our region since the year 2000 and a couple of others that were possibly predatory. So it’s playing the odds when you go without bear spray. More times than not I have not carried mine and I have had a few encounters with big dominant males during the mating season and it can be a little bit intimidating. So it’s a personal decision when evaluating the risk. Especially when hiking alone. Which I do more often than not. Most importantly, educate yourself about their behavior and how to look for and interpret their vocalizations, postures, even the look in their eye. These are all clues that tell you about the Bears possible intentions and it is worth your while to invest the time in learning the basics about bear ethology. Hit the trail, have fun, and learn all you can about black bears. It’s worth the time.

I bring my Mace spray on every hiking trip, even to regions with little to none wild predator presence, because bear & wolf are not the only thing i worry about. There's also people out there.

I have been hiking in grizzly country forever and used bear spray ever since it was invented. But the interesting fact is I have never had to use it. Your yelling at the bear in the video is exactly the reaction I have had with grizzly bears. I don’t ever yell at grizzlies any more. But I still carry bear spray. Thanks.

Thanks for your opinion but I’ll continue to carry bear spray, a soldier was just killed by a mamma black bear here in Anchorage last month.

I live in Missouri in a small town about 60 miles west of St.Louis. Black bears are making a comeback in Missouri. And we have had a few spotted on the outskirts of town. But last summer one was captured on a couple ring door bells. In Missouri we do not have a population of Mountain Lions. Only because a female has not been spotted. But a couple of years ago one was hit by a car about 3 miles from my house. And numerous numbers have been filmed with in the St. Louis county limits on camera. So even though an animal isn't suppose to be there, it certainly could. So even here when exploring the woods and national parks I would bring bear spray. A pack of coyotes could take your life just as easily. Better safe than sorry !

I live on the south coast of England and the most we have to worry about here is agitated squirrels but I’m a nervous hiker so I bring 2 cans of bear spray anyway. One for squirrel attacks and one for when the wife sees me checking out the girls on the beach and charges me….terrifying stuff!

Appreciate you confronting tradeoffs, and not ducking the issue of probability versus consequence. (By the way engineers define risk as probability times consequence). We mountaineers deal with this every outing: low probability but high consequence risks. In the end, the "x factor" is always personal risk tolerance.

Thank you so much for this breakdown. I really appreciate how you explained the research, and we're open about you past experiences and own opinions, I don't trust people who try to conceal their implicit bias, but you wore yours on your sleeve, and I have a lot of respect for that. I also love how you were open to changing your mind, after considering feedback on you previous videos. I don't usually comment much, but since you're curious what my thoughts are, and I believe you might actually listen, here we go. So you understand where I'm coming from, and can register my own implicit bias. I'm an Eagle Scout. I've been hiking in virtually every climate in the US, and most regions. I'm also a firearms instructor. No, I'm not gonna tell people to leave the bear spray at home and bring a gun instead, but there are several parallels I want to use to illustrate my concern. Inb4 all the internet trolls take this off the rails, my suggestion is to carry both, cause they each have their own pros and cons, and one's pros covers the gaps left by the other's cons. We should always try to use the bear spray first, and then the firearm only if the spray is ineffective. We don't want to kill or even injure the bear, if it is at all possible to avoid that. Now that that's out the way, here's my concern. What you're basically discussing here is the long debated issue of "stopping power." Now we have to be careful using that term here, cause there's a lot of misconceptions around it. Almost all pistols have virtually the same amount of "stopping power." Often people use the term to mean a firearm can knock someone out of the fight, even if it's not a lethal or incapacitating hit. Most pistol simply don't have the muzzle velocities and bullet weights to do that, cause you need to cause hydrostatic shock in the body, which usually requires rifle calibers. For this same reason, pistols really aren't great against bears, especially grizzlies. A better way to talk about the same issue, imo, it to ask, "How much gun (or spray in this case) is to much gun? Basically to sum this entire argument up in one statement. The .22 snub nose revolver you carry in a pocket holster, if better than the Desert Eagle you leave in your desk cause it's too heavy. This is exactly the approach you took when you opted for the dog spray. Carrying the dog spray is a placebo effect (carrying any defensive weapon is, 99% of the time). Though that word often carries a negative connotation, it's not a bad thing in this context. Placebos are great ways to treat mental health issues, and studies have shown they can even have just as much of an effect on athletes as restricted performance enhancing drugs. You left the bear spray at home, because it was too much spray. As these things usually go, the one time you didn't bring it, is the one time you came closest to needing it. That somewhat robbed you of your peace of mind, so to recover that, you went out and got a spray to carry that wasn't "too much" spray. But is it enough spray? Sure, a .22 you have is better than a .50 you don't, but is a plastic bb gun better than nothing? Using any weapon, even when you are on the defense is almost always an escalation. In general, unless escalations are immediately incapacitating , or generate enough shock to cause fear, they only load to the aggressor escalating again as well. Consider it like this; you're at a bar. Some belligerent drunk who is clearly too deep his cup, and might never come out of it, gets up in your face and start harassing you. He breath REEKS, his saliva is flying all over you face and the whole bar turns to watch. It's can be hard enough for anyone too keep their cool in that situation, but it becomes much more difficult if you've had a few yourself. However, if you react to him, things end badly. This dude is clearly looking for a fight, he probably does it every weekend. Even if you're squarely capable of beating him to a pulp, fighting drunk in bars never ends well for anyone, so it's probably best to try and resolve the situation another way. If you push him out of your face, or maybe even just squeeze past him, shoving him a little incidentally, that's the invitation he was waiting for. Trivia Night just turned into Pummel Party. I kinda glossed over this, but I suppose I should mention that swinging at him first is probably one of the worst things you can do, for so many reasons. You can turn and walk away, but you shouldn't ever turn you back on a possible combatant, or he might just punch you in the back of the head, and that could be lights out. Really the best option here seems to be deescalation. This could be achieved either by having the bar owners or cops intervene, though that can get messy in a whole other way. It's my experience that you if just start at guys like this silently, or shake your head and get REALLY interested in your drink, generally these guys give up and go away. My biggest concern here is that the Dog spray wont have a significant enough effect to deter the black bear, especially if it's already charging. The bear charging is like that dude getting up in your face. Now, the best option when you encounter a bear is to deescalate, if possible, exactly as you did in your clip. You couldn't have handled that any better. Bears usually charge cause they got spooked or feel threatened; it's often a bluff in response to our perceived aggression. By making sure the bear saw you from a relatively safe distance, you reduced the risk of spooking it. The bear didn't see any reason to escalate, and therefore decided to go about his day. You then did the same. However, let's assume it does charge, cause the real question is: Will the dog spray work? We'll get there in a moment, lets try deescalating before we escalate. Trying to just simply walk or even run would likely result in serous bodily harm in both the bar and bear scenario, so how to we get out of this situation? Intimidation seems to be the best tactic left at the moment. Shout really loud, getting really big, and banging stuff together, is basically the same as starting the belligerent drunk down cold in the eye; you want both of their internal monologues to say "this guy isn't worth it." But what if you hit it with the dog spray instead? We'll it's possible you might just piss it off. Generally black bears leave humans alone, and the charge may often only a bluff, but a sudden shock of lasting pain might anger that bear enough to make it commit to the attack. One of the primary reason we tell people not to try and use most handguns against a Grizzly, because they just piss it off. One study showed that 50% of people who fried to shoot the Grizzly, just died anyways, because the gun wasn't strong enough. I'm worried that the spray won't be strong enough. You can get bear spray that come with holsters that attach to a belt or something, and that should really help to you to bear the weight of the bear spray. If you are REALLY attached to the idea of a small can, I'd probably feel more trusting of human OC spray. It gets a lot hotter than bear spray. The downside is that it's not designed to spray as much distance, nor can it spray as long, or spread as large an area, but neither can the dog spray. My suggestion is to ditch the dog spray and go back to the bear, or at least upgrade it to OC pepper spray. Yes, the bear spray is significantly more expensive, but I believe it's worth the price. This is another question that come up when people are getting their first pistol, and see the prices that even something as simple as Glock comes in at. The question I ask them, is the same question I'm asking you now: "How much money is your life worth to you?" The only difference is, it's usually about a $400-500 question for Firearms, but it's only a $40-50 question here.

aggressive and/or charging bears are the only bears you'd need any sort of spray for at all, so if you decide to carry spray at all, it needs to be bear (not dog) spray.

quite possibly the best opening to a backpacking video

Thank you! I hike in South Carolina. Which has black bear, wild hogs and now cougar. I carry bear spray and a miniature boat air horn

On Sept 21, 2014 a Rutgers college student was killing hiking in New Jersey by a Black Bear. His last picture on his cell phone was of the bear casing him. If you have the bear spray, I would take it with you.

I have a friend who's niece got attacked by a black bear while she was running her usual route training for school track. He ran and knocked her over then turned around and came back and started biting her ! At which point she started punching him in the face. He left. But I hear you talking, you haven't mentioned that many black bears that attack plan to EAT YOU ! The rest will usually run away.

I’ve solo backpacked in parts of Yellowstone where they recommend you travel in groups of four or more. (Because of grizzlies). Last time I carried two cans. Because what do you do after you’ve used one can and the effects on the bear start to wear off? Or it could be the rare predatory bear who is more determined. But I hate the extra weight. Next time I want to take someone who can’t run as fast as I can, hah.

This guy is too nice. When I hike, in upstate New York at that, I carry bear spray, a glock, a knife, extra rounds for my glock, and my two protective dobies tag along with me and party. If I'm going to end up dead by a bear or someone I'm not going to let it be easy.

Aside from habituated bears, research I am familiar with will point to the black bear, likely a younger male, as having the highest odds to be the predatorial bear and see us as potential food. A very rare circumstance, but documented accounts exist, including a couple videos which be found (most recently one from Saskatchewan, Canada) suggesting it is wise and responsible to carry in "only" black bear country as well.

I bet there is nobody in history that has been eatin' alive by a bear that said " well at least I didn't carry that extra weight".

You’ve outdone yourself with that intro!!!

I'm like you I just feel safer with my bear spray. I'm still carrying it even though I've never encountered a bear 🐻 i have seen scat on trail but no bear.

We live in bear and lion country. I try to really survey my surroundings, especially around corners. Anytime I turn a blind corner I'll stop, scan the horizon, listen. I keep a few rocks on me. I also whistle a little bird call or bang on my canteen pretty often. Never seen a single bear. The only animal that's really freaked me out was a fox that just would not stop following me. There is something unnerving about an animal pacing after you for a half mile or more, if not for any reason than rabies.

I have lived and hiked in Black Bear country my entire life and have lived in Grizzly country for the last decade. Every bear encounter is different and I would not rely on stats to determine your level of preparedness. Bear spray is a great deterrent, but that is all it is. It will deter a bear but it may not stop an attack. Black bears are generally very docile but they have been known to contest humans for trash/food, especially when under environmental pressure. I wouldn't go without bear spray but I also wouldn't go without my pistol. Bonus being that the pistol works on snakes, feral dogs, coyotes, wolves and mountain lions. "you never need it until you do" I believe this to be correct. I also would not focus on fatal bear attacks, I'm focusing on getting away from the bear with out any injuries. Maybe this helps, either way be safe

Forget the bear spray… i never leave the house without my Glocky. 🧸🔫

The Great Smokies NP has only Black Bears and it is for sure it is very rare that attacks occur, maybe 3 in the past few years, so it's a percentage game, but if you were one of those 3 you would choose bear spray.

@4:51 priceless (guy trying to exterminate ants in his backyard with gasoline)

I live in PA, where there’s a lot of black bears. Some very big. They’ve been encountered within the city of Pittsburgh. Suffice it to say, in this state, they’re everywhere. Also, although I’ve never had any trouble with them, two of friends have. In both cases, it involved a sow with cubs. No injuries, but harrowing. There was a woman dragged off 75 yards by a bear. Our Game Commission figured it was a sow with cubs. It was night, so it was hard to tell. I think I’ll keep my bear spray.

In northern New Mexico (Sangre de Cristo Mountains), black bears are common. A side note, grizzlies were here in the Pecos Wilderness as recent as the early 1900's (see Beatty's Cabin book), and were hunted to local extinction -- sad from a big picture perspective. At my house in Santa Fe a black bear visited a couple weeks ago one night -- I have it on wildlife camera video. When backpacking/camping I have and often carry a small can of bear spray -- more recently, bear gel spray -- but have never had to use it, nor have I had any direct bear encounters, though that doesn't mean there was never a bear near me. For the record, I carry a .38 special pistol... but not for bears. I wouldn't shoot a bear unless an angry one was right on top of me. And before that, I would fire in the air to make a loud noise while making myself big and fearless. Of course, a surprise attack is another situation. But, the main reason I carry bear spray and/or a pistola is for *mountain lions*, which are equally common here. A mountain lion is a much more significant predator and threat when it comes to human contact, though they too fear us more than we fear them, but when surprised, a mountain lion can win a staring contest. So just in case, I carry spray and a small pistol.... :)

I'm hiking in black bear country this coming week and I'll be bringing spray with me, as I always do. I haven't needed it in my decade or so of backpacking, but it's one of those rather have and not need than need and not have type of things. I'm not willing to sacrifice some safety in the name of smaller pack weight, even if I never encounter the need to use it.

The most common way people have encounters with an aggressive bear is by sneaking up on and surprising them in noisy areas, like near a creek or river. When it’s windy or raining the sound of your footsteps can also be covered up. If you carry a bell on you and use it while in those noisy sections of trail it will make unnatural and more noticeable sounds that can alert bears to your presence before you get too close to them. Justin Outdoors got charged by a grizz while on the GDT. He was hiking near a noisy creek when it happened. The bear probably didn’t hear him until he was really close and it felt threatened. He usually yells “hey bear” but said he hadn’t been at that moment. If you have a bell you can save your breath while it does the work. I hiked all last summer and all of this summer in bear territory with a bell and havent seen a single one on trail yet. I’m sure the bell was pretty instrumental in making that happen.

Yes, black bear are typically very timid and not a threat to hikers………unless you come up on one silently and surprise it at close quarters or, god forbid, you find yourself between a sow and her cubs or even just a little too close. In these situations, you definitely want a useful means of protection like bear spray available. Just because you haven’t had a problem yet isn’t proof you never will. That is a very naive approach to personal safety in the wild. Think seat belts……you never need them…..until you do. 😖

Great video! You embraced the ultralight philosophy of asking "do I really need this"?. During that bear encounter, you were probably cursing that commenter who told you not to bring bear spray anymore haha!

You did put the disclaimer in there. But I think even suggesting no bear spray is a little bit irresponsible. Ya, people go without it. Ya, there are very, very few black bear attacks. However, should one attack, which CAN happen, you better hope you have it. You never need it, until you need it. Suggesting Halt is irresponsible as well. You do not need to risk your life to save 4 oz. If you do need to skimp every oz, I suggest you instead train a bit harder so that the weight for life safety items has less impact.

Living in the bush in the middle of Canada, we've grown up with bears around. Often you can tell where a bear is in the neighbourhood because of a high pitched scream, followed by pots and pans clanging. Over crests and around rocks I've come face to face with more bears than I can count, it's kind of expected around here, and I always feel bad that I've scared them more than they've scared me. I feel better coming face to face with a bear, than I do with too many people downtown. We carry bear spray when we hike, more to keep people who don't hike happy when we head out. Very much appreciate the work you do with your videos, Steve. Thanks for them.

"We don need no stinking bear spray" - every ultralight hiker, ever 😂

Never tried it, but when I lived in AK, people would sometimes substitute wasp spray, cheaper than bear spray.

I appreciate the time you took to get this info out there. But....I dont care where Im hiking, Im bringing bear spray, and maybe a gun. Peace of mind for me. Definitely a great video for alternatives. Nice work !

In black bear country, or grizzly bear country, I carry, at a minimum, a firearm, handgun, capable of stopping an aggressive bear. Too many choices slows your reaction time. Do I draw the spray or the firearm? Instead I eliminate the choice thus saving time. Lots of Alaskans concur with my choice. If firearms aren’t the right choice for you then carry spray. Handguns, depending on which study you look at, are found to be about 90% effective. My opinion is that aggressive bears get the firearm option. Curious bears would get the spray if I carried it. If you opt to carry a firearm, if legal to do so, get training, practice, and realize that not every bear is going to require a handgun solution.

Bear spray is great as a thing to use once you know a bear is just being aggressive and doesn’t want to eat you to drive it off. Until then keep a gun at ready. You don’t have time to switch or think once the bear is already charging. If it backs down before you need to shoot then you get bear spray out.

Epic opening scene. I backpack in Georgia and Alabama and I have seen black bears near the trail and they have been good encounters. I have considered carrying spray but have not. I was accidentally sprayed with Halt dog spray when I worked in animal control and let me tell you it is no joke.. Thanks for the video....

Great video, I live in Northern Canada and I spend a lot of time in the woods out here and I can tell you most have said already if you encounter a healthy bear in the woods your most likey fine with " hey bear " but if it's a close to a city bear and is used to people ( most likely ) or an unhealthy bear good luck . Roll the dice if you wish up to you but personally I carry bear spray when I can't carry a rifle . It works on all animals aswell ( moose , cougars, wolves , coyotes ) up here anyway 😉

There are a few concerns about dog repellants: 1. They're weeker than regular self defence peppersprays to deter a human attacker 2. Lack of range and stream instead of cone/mist spray 3. Like you said: you never need it, until you do.. 4. Regarding bulk and weight, today we have options of ultacondensed sprays of 60 ml or so 5. Halt was not tested on charging bear - which means, it just wasn't tested on bears. Therefore, your strategy is just an assumption, and optimistic one at best. A gamble even This approach might perhaps work for american black bears. But our, european brown bears are far more aggresive than your blackies. So, whenever in the mountains, I carry a bear mace.

I was field soil scientist and wetland specialist for 30 years in Upper Michigan. Over my career I routinely spent thousands of days in remote black bear country by myself. You would think I saw bears regularly, but I probably only saw a dozen in in 30 years. However, 2 of those encounters were a sow with cubs and it was sketchy. I sure would have appreciated some bear spray. I was charged several times by one and stalked by another. Now that I'm retired I still spend time outdoors canoe tripping and backpacking. I definitely carry bear spray now. Once you get charged and have them clacking there jaws just feet away from you you NEVER forget it. As far as dog halt goes. I use that when bike riding for dog encounters. I'd never trust it with bears. It would be like trying fight a raging forest fire with a garden hose. Good luck with that.

Bear spray, or no bear spray, trail runners, or hiking boots. Definitely an individual decision. Interesting discussion.

I always carry bear spray but live in West Yellowstone…. And something else to keep in mind… it works on things other than bears too… coyotes… psycho stalkers… Especially if you are a solo hiker.

I am more worried about people than bears.

I'd rather not take the chance and be prepared for that 1 rare bear that decides you are his dinner.

I had three encounters with black bears on the PCT 2018, one in Washington was very close..too close..but the bear was probably more startled than me, i stopped and started talking normally loud, the bear i heard panting in the undergrowth and after a while I started walking normally again. Bears should be fixed with the eyes, but not cougars. Much more dangerous, however, are these "people" who are sometimes unpredictable.

I always carry it in grizzly country, but generally not on the east coast. Getting attacked by a black bear is so unlikely if you pay attention to your food, know what you are supposed to do (e.g. not run), that it is up there with getting struck by lightening in terms of the risk. Could it happen? Yep. Is it likely? Nope. If you don't want bear problems, don't cook/eat in your tent, ever. Use the triangle method to separate food, cooking areas and sleeping, it works. I bring a small rain fly so even if it is chucking it down, I still have some cover and won't be tempted to risk it, just this once. That is generally how people get into trouble, not because they forgot to pack bear spray.

For defense against humans, I carry pepper spray and a gun. For bears, I carry bigger spray and a bigger gun. I was in the Anchorage Fred Meyer in 2003, and noticed the smallest revolver in the display case was a .44 magnum. There is a reason for that.

I work in a sub-alpine area with grimsleys and blackies. My choice of bear spray is 8mm 170gr SSTs. The guys I work with have been stalked by black bears. I am somewhat doubtful of your dismissal of blackies as a threat. It only takes one...

Florida has a good Black bear population in the areas backpackers like. Do I need the bear spray , not really. Do I take it , All the time. Have I had a reason to use it on a bear , Nope. Would I use it on a bear , anytime. I have a concealed weapon permit ( retired law Enforcement ) but I take the Bear Spray ( Magnum size ) instead. It's non lethal , will not go over a mile like a bullet can. Best of all , It can be used on any warm blooded critter , 4 or two legs. I even take it ( small 3 oz container ) every morning when I go for my daily walk. The way I see it , Best to have it and not need it then to need it and not have it. Only critter so far that was sprayed ( short burst ) was a dog trying to bite me. I understand he hasn't tried to bite any more hikers. Apparently Bear Spray is a great educational tool to wayward dogs.

Halt is better than nothing but Halt compared to bear spray is like comparing a 22 pistol to a 44 magnum pistol. As you mentioned, there are more potential threats than bears (i.e. cougars, coyotes, wolves, criminals, Moose and Elk.). When I am in the wilderness, I want to know that I have at least one tool for self protection. For me this tool has ranged from a hatchet, a machete, a pistol and yes, bear spray. I have used Halt when bicycling in the city and it does work on dogs unless the propellant has gone. I would recommend bear spray over Halt because of the greater volume of propellant as well as the greater potency. Over 50 years of exploring, I have needed protection only once when charged by a cougar and I was glad I had the pistol that time.

I agree with many of the comments. Here’s my two cents worth: 1. A life saving tool is always worth the weight. 2. If time permitted would do whatever I could to scare the bear, cougar etc. away by yelling or with items such as bear spray, horn or whistle. But I would never venture into the backcountry without an appropriate firearm such as a 10mm, 44 mag etc. and know how to use it. My biggest concern about bear spray is that the animal has to be very close for it to be affective and in a moment of panic, you may not notice the wind is blowing back toward you, thus causing the spray to hit you in the face. That could be a fatal mistake. The bottom line is being in the backcountry is something to always take seriously and you need to be prepared.

Very interesting. Thanks for linking to the research articles. I'm still carrying my bear spray regardless but that's more because of humans than bears.

Dude! That intro!! Might be my favorite 30 seconds of YT ever! More likely to be killed by mosquitos! 🤣🤣🤣 That's hilarious, mostly because it is true. I HIGHLY recommend reading the book Bear Attacks: Their Causes and Avoidance by Stephen Herrero. I honestly think anyone who may ever spend time in black bear or grizzly country should read this book. I picked it up expecting tips for how to handle "bear attacks" but what I found was information on how unlikely attacks are, how to be prepared for them with knowledge and equipment, but most importantly how to avoid them. I am more confident in black bear country with or without bear spray now. I do take bear spray if it's grizzly country or an area where black bears have become accustomed to people food. But otherwise typically leave it at home. Great video, man, as always!

My philosophy has always been better to have and not need than to need and not have.

I will still carry bear spray. I've had to pull it on an aggressive Pit Bull in the woods. I didn't have to spray because the owner got it under his control. This in an area where I have never seen a black bear. So, it's called bear spray but anything/anybody who needs it will get it. .

I lived in a logging community for 10 years. Population 1500 Lots of black bears. . No garbage pickup. . Put your garbage in your truck and take it to the dump. . Black Bears are like Puppies. Lots of Goodies in those garbage bags. They like to help you unload. . Let them enjoy foraging in your truck while you toss stuff out. They are there for the treats. . One of my logging friends had a best friend - a black bear - followed him everywhere and they played. . One day I was talking to my wife from my office and she said - hold on a minute. We had pizza the previous night. Black Bear came in the house for a snack. . She tossed him the leftovers and the box outside and he went out to eat. . It's hard to cook a pizza when you're a bear. . I only ever saw a black Bear in the wild once in 10 years. He saw me first and was running away as fast as he could. . I was manager of the loggers kitchen for awhile before taking up logging. One day I was driving to work and saw my chef running down the road. He was chasing a black bear that stole a roast from a banquet he was preparing. . Black Bears are mischief monkeys. That is ny experience. . And we cook better stuff than they can.

Well, interesting viewpoint and video. However, as you mentioned, ya don't need it 'til ya need it. I hike alone and I'm 72. Dog spray simply isn't smart, IMO. Bear spray and a handgun is being prepared. How much extra weight is that truly going to be? 🤔 Expensive? Probably among the least expensive items I'm packing. I'd rather not be the 68th casualty.

I used to work at Sequoia national park and they trained us to throw rocks at black bears and it mostly worked to chase them off. The largest bears required bigger rocks. But all this was to keep them away from visitor areas. Eventually I learned to hike alongside bears where I'm not trying to interrupt their grazing. However, now that I live in Montana, my girlfriend and I each carry bear spray and even still, I'm acutely aware of my surroundings when we hike. There's scenarios where I worry about being downwind and not having good visibility up trail. Then I've heard stories about grizzlies pretending to walk away and then flanking hikers from around a ridge, so you definitely begin to think of yourself as not at the top of the food chain here. As an ultralight backpacker, the notion of carrying spray AND a 20oz titanium 44 Magnum is a topic I think about a lot. Most hunters here carry both, although they aren't as obsessed with weight and probably would opt for the 10mm options for accuracy and the number of rounds you can spray at the target while you crap your pants. That said, I wonder if a pepper ball gun would be more effective at range or in wind, and if there are lighter options than the self-defense versions out there. Pepper balls hurt more than rocks and they can deliver strong irritant, but I am not sure if there's been any testing on bears. From what I understand bear spray is less potent than self-defense spray, but would a pepper ball work fast enough for a grizzly charging at 35 mph? Or do they need to run through pepper mist before turning around?

Need to read the story of Laird Hot Springs attack, black bear mauled 4 or 5 people killing 3 adults for sure. Carried on with its crazed attack on those swimmers trying to run away. Finally a person with a rifle in his truck shot and killed the bear. This happened in mid 1980s.

Wonderful topic and great presentation. Bears (I live in black bear country, Colorado) scare the sh*t out of me. But, I’ve never carried bear spray. I use a bear vault vs hanging or ursack and am pretty meticulous about getting smelly stuff into it at night. But I’m not worried about daylight encounters as much. never really thought about that until seeing this video. Lots of people insist (thanks Skurka) that sleeping with their food is best. I’d never be able to sleep like that. The bear vault gives me peace of mind. If carrying bear spray or Halt! Gives a hiker/backpacker peace of mind then by all means, carry it. Comfort is king and emotional comfort is Queen Mother. Do what you need to in order to enjoy your time.

I will ALWAYS carry bear spray, period. I don't care about the weight, I don't care about the bulkiness. It's as you said, you feel more protected when you have it. And not only for bears but any other animal or person you might encounter that's threatening. I was on a day hike in Olympic and came across an Elk, wish I had it then. I'd be interested in hearing about how you got tangled up in the bear mist. I've actually done a budget gear load out at 11.5lbs that includes bear spray so I can be #2 on your list haha.

I live in Montana - Griz country. I hike in Wy-MT - Griz/bear/Mt Lion/Bob cat/Wolf country. I carry bear spray. I will not hike without it. I make sure the can has not expired. I make one or two practice removals before I hike. This year we have had one fatal bear encounter outside of YNP (near Livingston), two people mauled by bears, and at least one person gored by a bison. Be safe, carry the spray and learn how to use it.

One thing nkt mentioned: Non-Fatel Black Bear Attacks and severity of these non fatal attacks

Remember, you are more likely to be in a sticky situation with a black bear, then a grizzly. Sheer numbers, access to those areas and size of the range. Also, many uneducated tourists think feeding black bears is cute...doesn't help. If in doubt, pack it. Make noise, don't cook in your tent etc.

Who says bear spray is unnecessary? Animal rights wackos. The same people that say Great White sharks aren't dangerous.

Ancient ancestor: Dude, where's your spear? You know you can poke holes in bears, right?

Probably the best advice I've heard on survival situations is thats it's better to have it than not have it. So basically when it comes to any bear country adventure bring the spray! And I've found through personal backcountry experience that it's wise to be prepared to rescue yourself from a bad situation because in the back country rescue is usually a long way away and not easily obtained.