This is ideally not a question the average person asks until faced with an angry grizzly! In fact, it’s possible that only when trying to point and shoot your bear spray at a glistening set of grizzly teeth you might stop to ask, what’s the furthest I can stand or from how far can this bear spray shoot?
A good bear spray brand should allow you to shoot at a distance of 20 to 30 feet (6-7m) or even more if sprayed downwind. If a bear is charging from 60 feet away, start spraying as it will be within your range in a few seconds. Dispensing the spray from this safe distance for at least 2-3 seconds enables you to deter, repel or stop an agitated charging bear.
This article will cover what you need to know about bear sprays and how to use them without passing out and waking up to a grizzly on your chest!
How Well Does Bear Spray Work? Is It Effective?
Bear spray is effective in deterring menacing behavior in more than 90% of black bear encounters. Bear spray is so effective, it actually comes in above a firearm when deterring bears.
Bear spray is a strongly recommended and successful deterrent for charging bears. Basically, it temporarily debilitates charging bears ie. impairs their vision, reduces their breathing ability, and as a result, merely distracts them for the moment from coming after you, without permanently injuring the bear.
You should carry at least one bear spray canister while camping, fishing, hunting, or enjoying recreational activities while in bear country since the full canister only last 6-7 seconds when sprayed. Of course, carrying sufficient canisters is one thing, but knowing when and how to use them effectively is another!
Great tips in this video below on firstly avoiding confrontation with a bear and if not possible, steps to effectively using bear spray.
Bear spray is the deterrent of choice for a good reason, if we had to go back to our comparison of a firearm above (since firearms are infamously known to be one of the more fierce weapons), according to some ‘beary-good’ research, US Fish and Wildlife Service, those who try to use a firearm to defend themselves against bears end up in the emergency department or worse 50% of the time!
As you can see, there’s a whopping 40% beneficial margin between using spray or bullets.
If you’re still wondering how this can be so, consider this.
While bears don’t have their own cache of firearms to fight back and shoot you 50% of the time, aiming a firearm takes valuable time and concentration. Both of which are shown no respect by an angry charging bear, besides, if you think you’re better off further away shooting – remember, your target gets much smaller!
As a result, the chance of you missing or wounding your target is great, and as you’re bound to find out, an injured, charging bear is certainly no teddy bear’s picnic!
When Should You Use Bear Spray?
You should only use bear spray on charging or attacking bears, as a last resort to defend yourself. Never approach a bear intentionally, or spray a passive, innocent wandering bear to get it to leave the area.
It’s easier and safer to reroute your journey than to confront it and find out your odds of surviving a bear attack.
Bear spray does not substitute following the proper bear safety and avoidance techniques listed below:
- Avoid encounters with bears by making noises to keep them away from your vicinity (bears don’t like noise).
- Don’t approach areas where bears are likely to be.
- Store food and garbage safely in closed, air-tight containers.
- Use common sense.
- Always give the bear a chance to retreat and, if possible, leave the area yourself.
How To Use Bear Spray
You should carry your bear spray in an easily accessible place, such as a chest or hip holster or an outer coat pocket. It might be worth saying that you should have at least tested your bear spray at home to see if it at least works.
Carrying your bear spray in a backpack where it can’t be reached in a hurry is possibly the worst mistake anyone in a bear country can make. The bear isn’t going to wait until you have sorted through socks and pj’s before attacking!
Instead, keep the spray on hand and be ready to use it.
- Remove the bear spray from the holster (or your pocket)
- Then remove the safety clip or cap (hurry up!)
- Next, point the can towards the target (the bear, not your spouse!) and aim slightly downward. Adjust for crosswind if necessary. Actually, before you worry about crosswinds if the bear is charging already, you have few options; just press the trigger!
- Now, press the trigger in short bursts of two to three seconds when the bear is around 50 feet away. Hopefully, you will have enough!
- Continue spraying if the bear approaches and is around 25 to 30 feet away. This technique allows the spray to build up and expand into a wall of bear, stopping fumes that the bear must pass through to get to you.
- Once the bear retreats, quickly leave the area (not through the bear-sprayed air) as calmly as possible or go to a safe place such as your car or a nearby building.
What To Look For When Choosing Bear Spray
When making your bear spray purchase, remember that personal defense sprays such as pepper spray are not the same. Instead, purchase products clearly labeled ‘for deterring attacks by bears’ and that meet the following criteria:
- EPA approved.
The EPA regulates bear sprays and their ingredients. An EPA registration and establishment number are usually found on the bottom of the can.
- Spray concentration.
Bear spray should have 1.4 to 1.8% capsaicin and related Capsaicinoids to be effective.
- Shoot Distance.
The longer the spray distance, the better your chances of stopping a charging bear before it reaches you. The best spray to choose is one that is effective at a minimum range of 25 to 30 feet or more. You want as much distance between you and that bear before it gets close enough to share your pancakes!
- Spray Duration.
The spray duration should last for at least 6 seconds. Good bear spray brands on the market can spray for nearly 10 seconds. A longer spray duration translates to more deterrents, improving your chances of making it through a bear encounter.
What Are The Ingredients Of Bear Spray?
In a nutshell, bear spray is a non-lethal bear deterrent. Its active ingredients are capsaicin and related capsaicinoids, which cause irritation and inflammatory response in the bear’s nose, mouth, eyes, throat, nasal passages, and lungs.
If you’re concerned about causing harm to the bear when using bear spray, it’s nothing compared to the damage the bear could do to you! While bear spray does cause the bear to have an instant inflammatory reaction, the effects wear off after a few hours, allowing you ample time to escape to safety with those delicious-smelling sausages in your backpack.
However, ensure the bear spray you purchase is EPA regulated ( Environmental Protection Agency) as this means its ingredients are registered. Non-registered products carry the risk of being ineffective (they might not work!), not something you want to find out when trying to ward off unwanted grizzly cuddles!
How Harmful Are Bear Sprays To Humans?
If you are unfortunate enough to be mistaken for a bear and end up on the wrong side of the bear spray can, or you end up getting yourself sprayed in a crosswind… bear spray can have some negative effects on people. Most of these resolve fairly quickly but may leave those grizzlies fearing they have competition in the growling department!
Bear spray, like pepper spray, can temporarily affect your ability to see and breathe freely; these symptoms tend to resolve in 10 to 20 minutes, sometimes longer. However, unlike pepper spray, it delivers a higher dose of capsaicin and is regulated as a pesticide by the EPA with a ‘hazardous to humans’ agency-mandated warning label. After that description, you might even say bear spray is pepper spray on steroids!
Final Thoughts
Most bear encounters occur within 100 feet, far too close for our liking! Choosing a bear spray that can shoot at least 25 feet for a minimum of six seconds will allow you to blast out a cloud of bear deterring spray ahead of a charging bear at 30 or 40 feet and deter them. May the bear spray force be with you and the cheese sandwiches forever in your favor!
