What's it like to use bear spray? Three employees share their story about a surprise encounter with a grizzly in Yellowstone. Produced by NPS/Neal Herbert.
Exactly, they needed to put distance between them, not just stand and shout. A Bluff Charge is a Bear's Warning Shot, and they ignored it. Wow, ignorance on display.
"trying to make her comfortable at the time" The bluff charge was her telling you to leave, the second charge was because you did not take heed and leave immediately.
Agreed. The whole appear big, yell, make eye contact, and slowly back away facing the bear advice all seem to be actions that would further agitate a mother bear that simply wants you away from her cubs.
@@WillBravoNotEvil Based on that video. It made me wonder, if a sow simply wants you away, why would you stand there screaming and waving your arms? Would you take all advice the authorities give you as gospel? They also say to lay flat with your legs out. The guy in Montana that was attacked twice swears that tucking his legs under him saved his legs from getting chewed up. I'm just a guy in the RU-vid comments section, seems that is lost on you. Go ahead and share how distinguished you are smart guy.
The snowflake thinks using soothing words would keep the bear relaxed and not feel threatened , 😂 LOL ! Bears want to avoid humans but bears will eat bears when they are hungry and people look like easy prey ! Yum
@@bencuraza6503 They always say if you stay away from a bear and her cubs they will leave you alone. That is true only if they're not hungry. If they're hungry they will come for you.
In additions to bear spray, a friend of mine carries one of those twistup sun blockers (Like the KINDER FLUFF) designed for use inside one's car behind the windshield. He deploys it upon the first knowledge of or sighting of a bear and waves it about. This dramatically increases his size and makes it seem like he's agile. He's said that he has deployed it twice to great effect. He says that what seems to have gotten the bears attention the most is holding and moving it up and down with his left hand with the long side parallel with his body, the flat side pointed to front, and about two thirds of it above his head. This increases his profile by about three feet. In his right hand is his bear spray, ready to go. He fly fishes in Montana and around. He said the first time he deployed the screen/shield was when a bear came up on the opposite bank of a wide stream, looked at him, and then ambled down the bank of the stream unconcerned. He got his spray ready, and then deployed the screen/shield. When he stuck it up over his head and jerked it up and down, he said the bear nearly had a heart attack, turned and left with haste. He said it was as if the bear had sized him up, determined he could take him, but was surprised when he proved to be much larger than anticipated. Something to think about.
i've wondered about that kind of thing. i wonder if you had, just for hypothetical instance, some pop-up costume that made yourself into a gnarly looking wolfman-scorpion with a huge mouth opening to giant fangs along with long, overhanging rubber stingers above and out to the sides, etc. would this scare the poop out of them? it would be a fascinating experiment to see what worked best. what factors are we primarily looking at to induce fear?
Perhaps carry a powerful battery powered fan and quickly deploy a wind-sock man, the kind seen in front of tacky furniture stores. Add in amplified zombie moans and you have it!! And carry a firearm.
All these are great ideas but I think it's a small little piece of metal that works best. Preferably in the .357 model. Last resort of course, we gotta keep the bears safe too. It's their home we are encroaching on.
I have been chased by a mature polar bear, the wind changed, the gun jammed, she went had back the way she approached. Some Inuit said they will only approach from down wind. The religious guy in the 6 man crew shit his pants. I was too scared to shit my pants. We were on flat ground on arctic rock, no vegetation except moss and little yellow flowers. If the wind had not changed we wound be mauled with a 6 mile walk home to the airport runaway and a medivac. I made enough money over the summer to pay for university for a whole year and have some holidays. Polar bears are much bigger in the wild than the zoo. Her claws were about 6 or 8 inches long, paws about a foot wide. It would take many bullets to even slow her down, you'd have to do a head shot, which would be hard. This is more terrifying than you can even imagine. We argued about who got to sleep with our one rifle after that. The boss slept with the rifle. I quit 2 weeks early, when the going gets tough the tough get going...
I love the outdoors, mainly wading streams fishing for smallmouth bass. My fear of Grizzly bears has helped me come up with a foolproof plan to keep them from attacking me. I simply stay away from bear country. 😎
As a result of this video Montana national parks now post a notice saying, "In light of the rising frequency of human/grizzly bear conflicts, the Montana Department of Fish and Game is advising hikers, hunters, and fishermen to take extra precautions and keep alert for bears while in the field. We advise that outdoorsmen wear noisy little bells on their clothing so as not to startle the bears that aren't expecting them. We also advise outdoorsmen to carry pepper spray with them in case of an encounter with a bear. It is also a good idea to watch out for fresh signs of bear activity. Outdoorsmen should recognize the difference between black bear and grizzly bear poop. Black bear poop is smaller and contains a lot of berry seeds and squirrel fur. Grizzly bear poop has little bells in it and smells like pepper spray.
Sharks aren't gonna eat Grizzly bears thats for sure and we have lots of Sharks here in the USA as well, the Great Whites even go up into Canada during the summer as well
Great advice and thanks for sharing. I started tent camping in National Forests in the Western states last summer and will again starting this July. Bear warnings are frequently posted and I had two sightings, but thankfully no encounters. Bear sprays have a proven success record and I appreciate this and other videos that help prepare us for an encounter. As a former police officer, I learned that training and preparedness are key in protecting yourself and others. Thanks again!
*What smells like bear spray and has little bells in it? Bear Scat!* I am a great believer in Bear spray and "making her feel comfortable" as long as I have my .44 MAGNUM on my hip.
@@gailmrutland6508 Uh what? That doesn't even make sense. Too close to home? If I'm dead because I was eaten by a bear, how am I typing this? So you defend regurgitating a joke that's been said a million times previously on every conceivable video about bears on youtube by making a nonsensical insult. Cool. You're obviously very smart.
A revelation for me 5 years ago was finding that my bear spray had expired. I didn’t know that it does - the cans could be much better marked. The upside: you get a chance to practice with the old one.
@@lobselvith7828 When a Grizzly attacks it's usually territorial or because you encroached upon their cubs or personal space. When a black bear attacks it's normally predatory (ie they intend to eat you). Very often a Grizzly will knock a person down, bat him around a little and maybe take a few chomps but then leave; they will usually stop when they no longer perceive a threat. That can be fatal since humans are soft and fragile compared to a bear. Bear spray works very well against curious bears but a very aggressive bear will often ignore it completely. Spray should be backed up with the most powerful firearm that you can shoot well.
Rob Babcock exactly what I say. I would have the firearm in one hand and the spray in the other. Quite frankly if a bear had its ears pinned back running towards me like that I would probably just shoot first and ask questions later.
Just took those words out of my mouth , lol . If you're going to waltz thru bear country your life is in the bears hands (paws) . Most people are too foolish (dumb) to do this . Common sense plays a big role in life . Thank God I have this in my DNA .
@@MrJamberee May I interpret this as you think the information should be shared and if no camera recorded then log it and share the info. The manufacturer will most likely reward you with more free! And it may cause a macho-man to re-think and buy one too. Maybe??
I am a bowhunter from Montana and I have had many encounters with grizzly bears. I never make noise. Many times I have seen Bears before they saw me. I have smelled Bears before I ever saw them or they ever saw me. I have been within 10 yards of grizzly bears and never looked right at them. Eye2eye Confrontations with bears close up is threatening to them. If I was a bear and you yelled hey bear at me I would get pissed off and run over you and then treat you like I would treat a basketball. Happy hiking in Bear country. It is majestic!
The whole situation goes down so fast. My brother didn't even have a chance to raise his shotgun from the ready before that sucker was almost on him. Thank god it was only a bluff charge. I think the best defense in general is to travel in groups and stay out of denser foliage.
exactly if a bear bluff charges you it knows your there back away slowly dont make eye contact and dont look at the cubs just slowly back off dont run have the bear spray out make sure each member of the group has their backs to each other so all angles are covered so you dont get ambushed
Yep. Suppose to walk backwards keeping an eye on where the bear is at as soon as you see it. It can think your intruding its territory or stalking so you wanna avoid giving that assumption.
@@timearchitecture Yep... and when she turned and went back to her cubs clear the area FAST she's in Protect mode not Hunt mode... I Gold mine out in the British Columbia Rocky Mountains and have to Know this stuff....
Cool! I had a similar situation with me and my 12yr old son. A bear ran at us, but I forgot I had bear spray! I charged it and yelled multiple times as it kept coming and stopping, running and stopping. Finally at about 10 feet, it grunted at me numerous times as I yelled at it...it decided to go down a steep embankment rather than fight me. My son thought I was awesome. I was scared to death. And I only realized about lunch time I had bear spray on my pack belt... :)
After the bear first broke off, why would you continue to yell “hey bear?” The bear already knows your there, continuing to yell only escalated the confrontation!
My old coworker’s friend was killed right in front of him, by a Grizzly. This was in Alaska. They were out fishing, saw it across the river, then it was on THEIR side of the river.
no you get rehearsed on how you use your bear spray. How you take it out of the holster quickly, how you pop the safety off of it. I've met people who went out and bought bear spray and we start our hike I ask them were it is and its in their backpack. They've never practiced pulling it out of the holster, they dont even know how to take the safety off and then how to hold the can when you getting ready to spray. Luckily I was with them to teach them all this and tell them that bear spray is useless if kept in ur backpack as you might only have seconds to have it ready to fire. Running into a Sow on a trail with cubs is the scariest thing that could happen to you
And by golly, learn how to speak to a bear to comfort them!!! (Sheesh!). And of course, be prepared. I'm not 100% convinced of the bear spray's effectiveness over a well placed shot. Not doubting it, just haven't done a lot of research yet.
And by golly, learn how to speak to a bear to comfort them!!! (Sheesh!). And of course, be prepared. I'm not 100% convinced of the bear spray's effectiveness over a well placed shot. Not doubting it, just haven't done a lot of research yet.
Great video. I was a Cubmaster and then Scoutmaster in Arizona. We were know as the Backpackers. We would practice exactly like these Rangers said and made a lot of noise when we were hiking. Our plan if we were to see a bear, cougar and/or other creature would be to gather together in a group and raise our hands up (to make us look like a friggen HUGE animal) and start hollering like crazy. Of course I would have the bear spray ready to discharge. We never had any issues in the 8 plus years we were hiking... well, except for that one time where we camped on an elk trail. But that's another story.
Good advice!!! Always have pepper spray handy cuz you won't have enough time to search for it in an attack scenario. Outside pocket of my back-pack works for me. Cheers!!! 👍
I've had good experiences carrying a 1.5 oz marine air horn blaster. Fits in your palm, thumb on the trigger, no safety to remove. In my experience a short blast made the bear jump and run. Try it.
If the bear looks like it is about to charge or if it is charging, you sure had better have your bear spray ready to spray. Loud noises may work before that point, but I wouldn't use loud or aggressive noises if it is a mother bear with cubs. Then you should just start slowly backing away immediately with your bear spray at the ready.
And get ready to have some body parts altered. This is the most dangerous situation you can be in with a grizzly, and it doesn't end well if she sees you and simply reacts with her instinctual nature to protect her young. You can talk all you want, but she is going to be pissed no matter what you do. She's used to protecting her cubs from male grizzlies that will kill them in order to breed with her, and you represent the same danger. This written by an Alaskan~ a liberal bike racing soccer playing Nordic ski racing die hard Democrat (yes we exist- threw that in there because too many think only Republicans own guns and know how to use 'em), and also a moose and/or caribou hunter for my year's meat supply. I've had first hand experience with sows, and know more than a few guys and gals that have had the same. Two were mauled (both lived). You need a lot of things to go right to come out of these encounters okay~ like bear spray (watch the wind though,) and with luck that the bear will turn. Sometimes they don't. A .44 Redhawk, shotgun with slugs/shot, or your hunting rifle and bear spray combo is really the best protection in grizzly country. Have a great day.
@@skiak004 I’ve had many bear encounters usually alone and unarmed typically on my mountain bike. Don’t overreact, show no fear and stay calm. You do make several good points. Grizzlies are the most unpredictable and aggressive of all bears (especially a sow with Cubs) and require ones full attention at all times. Two cans of bear spray in your possession at all times and know how to use it. (Easily accessible). Practice using it regularly. Be cognizant of wind direction as a grizzlies sense of smell is much greater than ours. A bear's sense of smell is 7 times better than a blood hound's or 2,100 times better than a human. A grizzlies sense of smell is so acute that they can detect animal carcases upwind and from a distance of 20 miles away. Assume that they can smell the food in your backpack too. They will be aware of you long before you are of them. Remember you’re never out of the fight.
I live in Anchorage, Alaska where we have bears moving thru the city most of the summer. About a month ago a black bear crossed the path my dog and I were walking on. It was heading north and my dog and I were heading east. It came within 15 yards of us. I keep bear spray resting in a water bottle holder on my fanny pack. When I heard the rustling thru the woods I spun around (thinking it was a moose charging me) to see it was a black bear. By the time I got my bear spray off my hip to hand to discharge the bear had vanished into the woods. It took just about 4 secs to have the bear spray ready. At that moment the reality set in that if that bear had really charged me I would have been mauled or killed.
The U.S. Army hasn't made public specifics about the soldier killed in a bear attack near Anchorage last month. I'm assuming it was a brown bear, as black bear attacks are rare.
I was charge in bicentennial Park in 2019. When I heard his grunt I turned in his charging direction and fired 5 times. I'm lucky to be writing this. He dropped 10ft in front of me. 10mm glock with 220 grain bear rounds
AMAZING how fast they run and how much ground they cover in fragments of a second. Holstered bear spray....it's yer buddy! I'd rather have the spray against a grizz than a .45-no joke. You can miss with the .45 but the spray fans out! (I'd carry multiple cans-LOL) Plus with their schnoz? It'll pick up that spray and turn the whole unit on a dime. Can't beat it.
I kept my dog spray in hand reading electric meters all day - and needed to use it on many occasions - and you mean these guys were walking around in Grizzly country with their spray stowed ? Should probably train with it like you would if it was a handgun that you carried every day . Certainly give them space but I would have to be armed as well. I think at least one trained person should carry an effective bear carbine.
Scary. I seem to remember something about a "three person rule", where grizzlies weren't known to charge/attack so long as there were three people in the group. This seems to be the exception.
They are so damn fast, people can't even imagine how fast they can run or charge.....many didn't even have time to grab a firearm b4 bear was already on them......they are so damn quick!!!.....
Ya but you got TIME to shoot it while it's chewing on you. It's not instant death. Everyone who is against using guns seem to forget that part when they say they are fast you won't have time to kill it before it gets to you. Nope you might not but you can find a fur patch and empty the rest of your clip into it while it's eating you. Beats just laying there
It's easy to find fault if you have never been in their situation, but they did everything right. These things happen so fast and you're freaked out no matter how rehearsed you are. You gather in a group to seem bigger, you make a lot of noise to add to the that, and you do not turn and run away. You back up slowly, which takes time.
Did they start backing away with the first charge? As others have stated I wonder if she would have charged a second time if she saw them walking backwards- away......
"You really wanna be well rehearsed." Absolutely. Every few hikes I like to just hike along and then spring into action by drawing my bear spray out immediately as if I was going to spray a bear. It's like drawing a firearm--if you're not ready, the attacker may very well win. Nice video, y'all.
That is actually good advice. It has been said that it takes a minimum of 500 daws to become truly fast. Frankly I just can’t put my faith in an aerosol spray. A 12 ga. Shotgun with Brenneke rifled slugs would be a very good choice. While getting to know my patrol area I stopped by the USFS office. During my visit the topic of bear attacks came up. I was told that the best procedure involved the three “S’s. “Shoot - Shovel - Shut up.”
Good video, if you have bear spray with you then you have a huge safety advantage. Don't panic and be prepared to use it as quickly and as efficiently as you can.
Whew!!! That sure is one terrifying experience to go through!!! So glad they all came out of that unharmed, those bears are to be respected but, if you're going into their neck of the woods, never let your guard down. Maybe sudden high blast of music could scare them off??? 🤔🙄 Anyway,,,, glad they're okay. 😉😉😄😊
Who chose to use the words "hey bear" as a deterrent? I mean you're literally calling the bear. Wouldn't "leave me alone bear" be better? Or "please don't eat me"? Or how about "fuck off bear"?
When moving through bear country, especially in dense forests, the spray should already be in your hand. And accompanied by a heavy caliber firearm. Bear spray doesn't alwasy work.
@Toasty Although it is now legal to carry loaded guns in national parks, guns cannot be fired except in rare circumstances. Hunting is illegal in most national parks except under special permits. Target practice also is banned. For national security reasons, guns cannot be carried into federal facilities within national parks.Feb 22, 2010 Gun Regulations in the National Parks - National Park Servicewww.nps.gov › upload › Firearms-in-IMRparks2-2010PDF
@@Jeff-bl1rz The only problem with that is it is not easy to hit a running target with a pistol especially when the adrenalin is flowing. They did a study on it and people always missed the moving object. I would carry a large caliber rifle that held plenty of rounds. I don't care about laws when my life is in danger.
@@mandograssable ya, I would not go out far without some assault and and self defense skills. .. to use a firearm and knife. I think the bear and mountain lion populations are going up.
When I go through thick area where I cannot see at least 30 yards or more, Imtake my bear spray out of holster, keep in my right hand with thumb on safety ontil I clear the area.
Despite a few possible flaws this P.S.A. will save someone from terrible injury or death. It doesn’t need to be perfect to be affective . Good on them !
No. Bear spray is to be used only to ward off a bear that charges when they didn't need to. Bear spray is not for protecting people who do things to cause a bear to charge.
Well said, you three. A couple of yrs ago, l was working in Grand Teton Park, area West of the J H airport, we were given Bear spray, to carry, but never shown how to use, or deploy it? Isn't that Brilliant huh? I don't recall even being asked, if we knew how to use it. By the way great piece. Thanks. WR, 🗯️💭🤔🤔🇨🇦🇺🇸🇨🇦🇺🇸👍👍🙏
"Hey Bear" is grizzly for "I want your cubs". SHouting this loudly will calm the sow bear down.... oh yeah, and a good whiff of bear spray. Brought to you by the Bear Spray Manufacturing Association of America.
Great overview of the potential for an attack and the use of spray. Usually it’s one person only spraying. Would it have turned out differently? Never know. Good video.
I carry a bazooka in bear territory, one time I shot one and it butchered the bear before my eyes pieces landing all around me packaged and ready for the freezer !!
Bears can out run a quarter horse at short distances, say 100 yards. Maybe not time enough to get your spray can out and pointed in the right direction. Much easier to unholster a gun and start firing. Your life is on the line...protect it!
@Future Hindsight How would you make the assumption I have never killed a bear? 3 and men too called enemy combatants. Don't make assumptions to try and belittle people you know nothing about.
Remember: If you buy a can of bear spray, it is to be used on the bears. Recently, a Glacier Park tourist bought a can and then lined up his family and sprayed them down like the bear spray was Mosquito Spray.
I saw a guy who bought bear spray but failed to read instructions, yes a guy of course and ended up being malled but he did try to chuck the can at it like thats going to work lol
Don't these people get training or they do and it's bad? What they did was to put it mildly, dumb. When an adult grizzly charges you, stops and retreats what do you think it is trying to communicate? What do you think a wolf or another bear would do? Oh that's right, they would either stand and fight or flee. By standing your ground and barking at her you forced her to attack. You ignored her warning charge and stood your ground instead of retreating. In situations like this always backup, obtain visual cover and flee. People need to use common sense when in grizzly country.
What are your credentials, may I dare ask? Do you know the timing between these charges? They probably hadn’t gotten their pulse back after that first charge before the sow charged a second time. Also, if you flee, the bear will chase you. Have you not seen people biking through the woods and a bear chasing their ass?
@Wolfgang Breitenseher What is overpopulated is so called human beings who think they have the right to enter any place, any time, anywhere they feel like and the heck with anybody or anything that gets in their way. How about not trying to put settlements over every square foot of wilderness and driving the native animals out until there is no where left for them to survive unless they start having no choice but to raid those settlements for survival! Building and visiting in areas with wildlife and then complaining because there is wildlife and feeling the need to kill it makes as much sense as moving next to an airport and complaining about the noise from the planes.
@@cachi-7878 A guy on a bike on main highway here in Montana was killed by a bear two summers ago. an orderly retreat is in order while keeping visual contact with the bear without holding direct eye contact. Keep talking but don't be aggressive in tone or volume.
@@rumblechick73 The Northern Rockies are a zoo enclosed by a fence of humanity. WIth the protections of large predators, they have lost what little fear they have of humans.
As it turns out, bear spray is heavily regulated in favor of the bear. Most modes of transport do not allow bear spray aboard. Few outposts carry it. Frontiersman, 2022's #1 bear spray, has a formulation that features the highest level of capsaicin content "legally permissible" at 2%. But the same pepper spray that is used on humans can contain 10%, and the higher concentration of oleoresin capsicum whereas a bear spray will only contain 1-2% of the same active ingredient. The point is to cause the bear to back off rather than to do any real harm. So, we would rather protect bears than people. We are only 10 - 20% as important as a bear.
Before the start of the hike silently gauge the running speed ability of each of your fellow hikers from fastest to slowest and where you come in at in the line up. As they say "you do not have to out run the bear.....". 🏃♀🏃♂🏃🐻
Listen carefully to his last two words.........well rehearsed........So important......make yourself super familiar with your bear spray and have it at the ready....
Tape your bear spray to your hiking stick. Definitely keep it handy. I grew up in Montana and my dad loved camping. He was always yelling everywhere we went. I never understood why until a bear came into our camp. I was scared shitless. My dad loved seeing the bears. This was before pepper spray. My dad was a big man. He would run at them screaming and flailing his arms around like a crazy man. Dang I miss him.
Last night, watching a YT Bear Spray practice Vid. How did none of you mentioned 1st grizzly charge within 15-yards NO spray released and it sounded like caught off guard reaching for the canister.
Bear spray is legal and encouraged in Yellowstone, some parks do not allow the possession or use of bear spray. Check park regulations before your trip.