Bear encounter and spray

Used with permission from the author, Peter Upton.


I am going to try to write this out. It will help my typing.

First, some background. I live at Kluane Lake in the Yukon, and have lived here for 40 years. I worked as a biological tech. for many years in this area, as well as guided hikes and treks for Parks Canada, as well as private companies. I still spend lots of time in the bush. I have seen lots of bears. This is only the second time that I didn't see the bear first, and the first time that I have been "hunted". I am also now a convert to the effectiveness of bear spray. I always thought it would only work in a very close situation, as in, he is chewing on you.

I was walking through mature forest of spruce, bordered by heavy willow growing along a small lake shore, following a game trail that followed the border. I spooked a black bear that was digging roots in the willow patch. It was a fair size bear, 350 to 400 lbs., and I assumed to be a male. He ran a head, in the direction I was headed, and I thought that he might have left, but ducking down to be able to see under the tree branches, I could see the bear turn about a hundred feet ahead, carry on and then turn again, to come up on me from down wind. I knew then that I was in for it.

I had a can of bear spray in my pack, but no time to stop and get it out! this guy just kept coming. I also had air horn, the kind used for fog horns on small boats. I have used the horn before to get bears out of the yard, and found it very effective, bears do not like the sound. Problem was, I brought the small one to save weight and bulk. The little ones are not loud enough. The horn was right to hand, and as soon as I used it, I realized that it wasn't going to work. The bear would stop, and move off a little, but it was clear that it was an annoyance, not a deterrent.

I also had my walking stick that I always carry, and could stick it in his face, but he wasn't impressed. It helped my courage more than intimidated him, but it could have useful, maybe.

I kept a tree or bush between me and him, making short charges at him with the horn, but he wasn't impressed, and just kept moving closer every time he came back. He would move off 10 or 15 feet, and the stop and wait for me to come up. He would just stop and look at me, no sound, never opened his mouth, never charged, just waited. When this happened, I would stop as well, and then get something between us. I thought I might be able to leave the area, as my wife was pushed out of the bush by a black bear, for about a kilometer, but it was a little one, and more easily intimidated. As soon as I started to leave and then turned back, I realized my mistake, having lost ground between us. He now was about 8 to 10 feet away, and feeling more sure of himself, and I realized that what I was doing wasn't working and this guy was going to eat me if he could.

The time spent so far was about 15 to 20 minutes as near as I could tell, time having gained a different dimension now. I said to myself that I have to get up a tree, and looked around for the right one. I am still in a mature spruce forrest, and a lot of the trees were spruce beetle killed. I picked one I liked( I liked them all), and worked us around to it, made one last charge, turned and jumped into the tree, climbing probably faster than I have ever done before, and kept climbing until I was about 18-20 feet up, dreading the feeling of teeth grabbing my foot. Luckily this didn't happen, and looking down, I could see the bear about 4 feet below me. I grabbed one of the branches I had broke off on the way, and started jamming it in his face, trying to get it in his eyes, just to give him something else to think about. He really didn't like this, and I could see that he was having trouble getting up the tree, as he couldn't maneuver his arms around the branches. The stick in the eye was working and he went down the tree to figure out something else. This gave me time to get out of my pack and get out my bear spray, and take a deep breath, and congratulate myself for being able to get up the tree so fast( I am 64). Pretty good for an old man, I said to myself! He fooled around and tried to come up a couple of other places, but couldn't negotiate the branches, and so came back up the hole I had made.

I was ready for him with my branch and now bear spray. I gave him a little taste of it as he came back up, and was very happy to see that he really didn't like this, and with a little help from my branch, he went back down again. I gave him just a little more spray as he was down wind. He really didn't like the spray, rolling his lips back and throwing his head. He started off, and as he was going down wind I gave him another little squirt. He seemed to take off, but I wasn't sure wether he was going to leave or lay down and wait for me to come down.

I waited 10 minutes, and then climbed down to the bottom of the tree, waited right there so I could go back up if I had to, and then left in a hurry, pretty well walking backwards for about 500 meters, and then thinking that if he hadn't come by now, he probably wont, I at least started walking frontwards! I made it out of there with no more sign of him.

I had my camera in my pocket, but was to busy to get it out. Would have made a great picture, him 4 feet below me!!

In retrospect, I realized that your bear spray has to be right to hand, always. You have no time to stop and do anything. And pack a bigger horn. If, when he turned to come up wind and get my sent, I had given him a little taste of bear spray; here, this is what I smell like, and I had had a better horn, I bet he would have taken off; as to noisy for something that smells so bad.

I think it very relevant in a situation like that to realize that he will come up wind to see what you are and smell like, and that it is safe and important to give a little squirt of bear spray then. That alone may change his mind, and if nothing else, will give you some time. Many people have a hard time telling which is up or down wind, but the bear has no trouble at all, and will come up wind.

I learned:

-Carry bear spray and horn right to hand.

-Pick a big tree with lots of branches; Poplar and Aspen don't work, bears have no trouble with those,as they have no branches.

-Bears have a hard time with branches, and can't work their arms around them.

-Climb as high as you can

-Black bears really don't like bear spray

-A predatory bear will always come up wind ( I say always knowing there is no such thing with animals, but also knowing they have certain ways, and coming up wind of something they don't know, and may want to eat is pretty well certain)

-Just a little spray is sufficient, don't use it all up right away if you can get some bear spray in the air as he is coming up to you, it may be sufficient to turn him off, certainly have second thoughts


I hope you find this story of interest. Don't hesitate to contact me if you want more info.


Peter Upton
Kluane Lake, Yukon
peterupton@xplornet.com

Edit this for Telephone number. Safety first, even on the web

Great post, thanks.

Glad you came out okay.

Holy crap! Now that must have been one hell of an outdoor experience. I'm glad it worked out that way.

I EDC a can of pepper spray and have used it before on a hostile animal, worked like a charm! I can also say from first-hand experience it's effective against humans. Still, I was never entirely sure about bears.

I hike all the time in bear country and though I realize the danger is remote, it's always in the back of my mind. While I don't carry a firearm I always have some weapon at hand apart from a can of pepper spray, usually a walking staff and an axe or Cold Steel shovel on my pack. Then there's my Kabar as a last-ditch backup. Can't say it's the best means of defense against a berserker bear but at least I'd do my best to inflict some real damage before dying a heroic death if it came to that. I was never quite sure if the bear spray would actually work so I put more trust into my tools/blades. But it's good to know the spray works! Will get another can soon...

I had never heard of using an airhorn against a bear. Very interesting!

Thanks!

Sue

i do alot of canoeing in bear country..the rangers make you watch a video that has how to handle bears in camp before they will give you a park permit..i get sort of lazy about where my pepper spray is--maybe in a pack at the other end of the portage.
this year i'll get a holster and carry it all the time..good post. thanks..

Makes me think about all the possible uses for pepper spray, not just against 4-legged "varmints"--a lot of 2-legged varmints can be dissuaded by this less-than-lethal tool. Great commentary demonstrating the need to have items you will need in a hurry easily and quickly accessible.

Thank you for the detailed account. Scary just to read it.

Good to know your first-hand account of bear spray. I always hike with bear spray in a holster on my hip belt. And when riding my bike at night I have bear spray on the handlebars.

For darn sure I wouldn't have made it up that tree.

I second the bear sray in the holster idea. One added question, is there a reason you do not carry at least a double barrel 12 gauge. I understand the concept of avoiding or discouraging a fatal encounter, to either you or the bear. However, a shot into the ground, with a backup if push comes to shove, seems like a good idea. YMMV.

great post - thanks for sharing this.

am happy it turned out well.

both educational and inspirational.

thank you for the post.

always good to read factual information - as opposed to speculation.

glad you're okay.

The risk of a bear attack is extremely small. Are you really going to carry a shotgun everywhere just in case?

Bear spray's lighter than a shotgun and ammunition, it's a good deal less unwieldy as you go about your business, and it's more effective than firing a shot into the ground. Carrying bear spray around with you is practical; a shotgun, not so much.

Bears simply are not predictable.

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2008/09/10/bc-bear-attack-port-renfrew.html?ref=rss



EDIT: I don't want to scare anybody, but...

Bears have been known to simply ignore pepper spray in some cases.
If you want a good read on bear attacks Stephen Herrero's Bear Attacks: Their Causes and Avoidance
http://www.amazon.com/Bear-Attacks-Their-Causes-Avoidance/dp/0941130827
is still the most complete work out there.

Some bears are not stopped by anything less than .30 caliber

I live in the mountains where black bears come around in summer time, and I keep a "party air horn" (from WalMart) available. It's effective in scaring away the bears that come around my house.

Regards

In this case a bear somewhere in the Yukon has a brain cell file that says people= unpleasant.
I have a nieghbor, insists on putting out trays of nuts for the squirrels. We only have 8 oaktrees in the complex. So, he's out in the rain putting out nuts and a mature raccoon waiting took a finger half off and a series of rabies shots.

My story:

On fine day, I'm hiking quietly and ''Merde!'', I spook a bear sow and her cub!

They run, fortunately for my skin.

30 min later, going up a trail, I'm ringing my bear-bell as loud as I can and what do I see at the top of the hill? Our young cub, at 20ft max, sniffing some bear food, not even aware I'm there!

The little bugger is either deaf, stupid or simply not able to hear the bell's frequency.

I clapped my hands, spoke to it dirty in French and it ran.

Morale of the story: Don't rely on bear-bells.

A non-scientific test published in Backpacker Magazine demonstrate that clapping your hands, breaking branches and singing is better.

Singing in French also attract women...

I think the best info on bear safety is the DVD : Staying safe in Bear Country.


http://www.bearsmart.com/moreStuff/StayingSafeScript.pdf

PS : As for the predictability of bears, well, they're more predictable than humans. Ha!

Thats good to know. I imagine the horn would work for coyotes and the like too? Or I guess you could always use the time tested method of blasting Slim Whitman's "Indian Love Call."

hindsight is 20/20, and arm chair quarterbacking is the hobby du'jour on teh webz, but i would SERIOUSLY re-think going into a known wildlife area without some type of firearm. if black bear are as big as they get in your locale, a small(ish) revolver, or more modern semi loaded with 357, 40, 45, etc., would not only dissuade any would-be attacks, but wouldn't put a 63 year old man up a tree...plus, unlike those unwieldy spray cans, pistols go on the hip and aren't effected by petty things like 'wind', or 'distance'.

good to hear everything worked for ya though...yikes!

Even if you do have a gun permit and the legislation allows carrying a firearm in the area it's not necessarily a be all, end all solution. Handguns are not ideal carry in bear country. Maybe as a backup, but that's about it.

A little anecdote - a couple of LEO's around here were called in when a "hostile" bear invaded a small town a few years ago. It was only a cub but it actually survived two full 9mm mags fired at close range. At which point the LEO's made a hurried retreat to the car and pulled out the long guns. That finally settled the matter.

.44 Magnum is usually considered the minimum as far as bears go. But how many people can control the kick? You'd probably need to score several good hits to stop a bear, even that might not be enough. A 12ga. or decent hunting rifle would be better IMHO but it's still no guarantee.

Another story (LOL I actually have a few more) - I know of a guy who's been hunting for many decades. One time he was stalking deer and ran right into a big bear. In a desperate attempt, the guy fired a quick shot at almost point blank range but missed (probably too much adrenaline). Not having any more time for a follow-up shot with his bolt action, he dropped the rifle and ran like hell. The bear apparently got spooked by the sound of the shot and didn't pursue. A few hours later, the poor guy finally managed to get back to the site to pick up his rifle. He had about a dozen hunter buddies armed to the teeth but his knees were still shaking.

Just something to think about...

I'll take the .44 over the knife. (Don't get me wrong I'll take the knife too.)

The .44 might not be the perfect bear medicine but it also works beyond contact distance.

Bear spray works. Just remember to rotate your stock yearly.

I had a cousin die about a year ago, and was a BIG gun nut. My dad is actually in posession of 2 of his .44 pistols. The snub-nose (3" barrel) actually has a bigger kick than the 6" (Dirty Harry!) pistol. Suprisingly, we found in the duffel bag of ammo 2 different rounds. There certainly are "low kick" rounds available that, at 10 yards, I'm hitting 3" circles. Not great, but not bad for the first time shooting it.

That being said, for my Alaska trip I'm contemplating bringing a Winchester 94, in 30-30. Not sure if I need it, but I'll certainly grab some bear spray from REI and send it on over. I wonder though, if 30-30 is big enough, and if a 12ga. in 00 Buck (with some slugs thrown in) would be a better choice!

Here's a interesting and very expensive option, it's a last resort and whether it will stop a full charging grizzly is questionable, but as a last resort it may be an option if you don't have a shotgun with slugs. A .50 cal snub nose revolver.

http://www.smith-wesson.com/webapp/wcs/s...tegory_rn=15707

Model 500ES - Emergency Survival Tool Kit contains:

* Smith & Wesson Model 500, 2 3/4" Barrel with Bright Orange Hogue® recoil reducing grip
* Waterproof Storm® Case
* Blast Match™ Firestarter and WetFire tender
* Saber Cut™ Saw with fabric sheath
* Jet Scream™ whistle
* Star Flash™ signal mirror
* Polaris® compass
* Two MPI Mylar Space® Emergency Blankets
* Smith & Wesson Extreme Ops Liner Lock Folding Knife with Black Sheath
* "Bear Attacks of the Century - True Stories of Courage and Survival" book by Larry Mueller and Marguerite Reiss




Model: 500
Caliber: .500
Capacity: 5 Rounds
Barrel Length: 2 3/4"
Front Sight: Red Ramp
Rear Sight: Adjustable
Grip: Rubber
Frame: Extra Large
Finish: Satin Stainless
Overall Length: 9"
Material: Stainless Steel
Weight Empty: 54.8 oz.

If you choose to carry a long gun, there is NOTHING wrong with a good 12Ga. shotgun. If I was going to be allowed only one firearm it would be a Remington 870 with a rifled slug barrel. Even if it requires you to purchase one, it is worth every dollar. The express line in a 3" chamber is all you need.

Had a can of bear spray explode on me once and it completely shut me down for a good forty minutes. I've seen video of it turning bears as well, and as previously noted when using an aerosol you've got to keep wind direction in mind - kinda difficult to do if a bear's charging you. There is also the factor that if you accidentally spray yourself along with a bear, the bear is going to recover first. Also recognize that aerosols are fragile mechanisms and won't stand up very well to daily abuse in the field for extended periods of time. Trust me on that one. And completely forget about bear spray if you're traveling by aircraft - an uncontained accidental discharge is going to bring the ship down.

I've spent the better part of five years living/working in bush Alaska and Desperado's absolutely correct - Remington 870 with slugs would be my first option. Actually, I'd want two people with 870's watching over me while I work, but logistics normally require that we work alone. I'd also not be able to do my job with a longarm, and if needed I promise that it'd be leaning up against my pack. I'd never recommend a sidearm for bear defense, but anything on you is better than not having it all. Life's a compromise, right?

With that in mind, I know a guy who "deterred an attack" from (shot off him) an adolescent grizzly with a .41 magnum - a meager bear gun at best, but it saved his life since it was on him and not with his pack 20 meters away. He's also extremely lucky to be alive since the bear had almost certainly never seen a human being before and didn't know what to expect - it was being cautious and on being shot, the bear ran.

MDinana: Bears normally don't come out of hibernation until late April or May up there...the qualifier being "normally." I'd be very surprised if you ran into one during March, but the possibility exists. PM me a mailing address and I'll pass you a copy of "Staying Safe in Bear Country." It's been mentioned in several threads (including this one) and it's solid information.

Required reading for people in bear country: Herrero's "Bear Attacks - Their Causes and Avoidance."

Of course a snub nose will kick much harder. A long barrel might make recoil a bit more manageable but it might still be too much for a lot of people. A weaker load would help even more but at the cost of reduced stopping power.

I don't know about 30-30, it's generally considered inadequate. I've actually heard of a guy who killed a small bear with an AK in self-defense (multiple hits to torso at short range). Most hunters I know swear by a bolt action rifle in a decent caliber (at least .308).

You know how they say to tell the difference between black bear and Grizzly scat?

Black bear scat is filled with the remants (seeds etc) of berrys, due to their diet

Grizzly scat has small bells in it, and smells like pepper spray, again, due to THEIR diet

Buckshot is not sufficient to stop a bear. Just go with slugs.

Check these links they seem to have some interesting info. They show bear spray is quite effective but not perfect

http://alaskanalpinetreks.com/ramblings/2008/03/27/bear-spray-effectiveness/


http://www.jacksonholenews.com/Archives/Environmental/2004/040922-enviro.html

http://www.absc.usgs.gov/research/brownbears/pepperspray/pepperspray.htm

Toward the bottom of the last link is a chart showing that a firearm is also not not a perfect solution.

Marcy

+1 Marcy!

I liked your third link the best. I could put up a wall of text explaining why, but I won't.

Trails crews working for the US Forest Service in Alaska generally have a point person carrying a 12 GA. Not sure what load they use. They also carry spray. New members to the crews each year get bear and gun safety training. If you're riding in a USFS helo you also get dunk tank and immersion suit training.

Spray and noise seem to be the common practices among the Fish and Game folks as well. Though I do think that folks out at the isolated fish weirs also take a firearm. Usually 2 people stay out at a remote weir for 45-60 days monitoring the salmon runs, always bears near by. I'll follow up on that with the DD2 who has that job this summer.

Very interesting thread. Great demonstration of your skills and the ability to stay calm. I am glad that you are OK. Thanks for sharing your story. Very valuable informations (from others too).

Do you (or anyone here) think if following things would discourage a bear?:

- a burning torch - for example this one: http://www.wulflund.com/tents/medieval-tents/natural-torch---95-minutes.html

-(instead of air horn) Sportzwiz electronic whistle/signaler (120 decibels) http://www.acmewhistles.ca/ > Specialty Whistles > Electronic Whistle/Signaler

P.S. Are you the author of this story, Colorama? I am confused by the sentence "Used with permission from the author, Peter Upton".

No.

Brenneke Black Magic 3" slugs.

Why ban folding knives when you can ban bear spray?

From today's Globe & Mail (Canada's Irrational Newspaper):
Communities fuming as bear spray becomes weapon of choice

I'm not the author, Mr Peter Upton is. My story is the useless bear bell one.

Also: A group of more than 5 hikers has never been attacked by a bear.

I think learning the proper way to avoid bears is as important as getting the equipment to shoot it.

What's interesting to me about this story is that it says a "BLACK BEAR" not a BROWN BEAR. Black bears are not known to attack humans let alone follow / chase them down... they want an easy meal, some quick leftover scraps, a trash can, etc... rarely do you hear of black bears attacking humans especially with no cubs involved.

That was also very useful observation, thanks for sharing it. One would think that the bear jingle bell would alert the bear (it´s designed for that) but it seems the reality is different. Anyway I would be likely annoyed by the jingle bell and rather turn on some small radio or play some simple instrument/blow the whistle from time to time instead.

The latest thinking on black bears is that most attacks don't involve cubs or territorial defense, but a predacious bear that views its victim as a potential food source. These bears typically do follow the victim and hunt him or her down, although it's very rare. The behaviour described in the original post is typical -- the bear is following, circling around, snooping about.

This is in contrast to the grizzly, which although it's much more capable of hunting humans, typically attacks out of territorial behaviour or defense of its cubs.

It's about the opposite of what you would expect, and it's why the usual black bear advice -- "don't bother carrying bear spray, just yell and bang pots and it will run away" -- is irresponsible and incorrect. Most black bears will run away if you bang pots, all right -- but most black bears aren't the ones who will attack and kill you.

Andrew, just so I'm sure that I understood your point that I quoted--you're saying that the kind of black bear that isn't scared off by loud noises is likely the kind of bear that sees you as food and will attack, correct?

I mean that "most" black bears, meaning normal black bears that come snuffling around looking for your food pack, aren't the ones that attack people.

The predatory black bear is usually a mature male looking for a big meal and I agree that it's the case with Peter Upton's story.

"MOST" black bears are not the primary bears that attack people is what I was getting across. IIRC Mountain Lions are more dangerous and even then when I did research there are ~100 deaths on record for California since the late 1800's for Mountain Lions, and Black Bears were less. You have MUCH greater chance of injuring yourself by falling than a black bear attack IMHO.

Of the 102 recorded death by bears in north america, 50 by Brown (Grizzly) and 52 by Black. Obviously, more blacks that browns across north america, but just proves that no bear encounter is good.

I will not trust my families life with a pepper spray. I carry a S&W 329PD .44 mag loaded with Double Tap 320gr WFN. weights less than 30oz loaded!

And I practice a lot with it!

Steve


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fatal_bear_attacks_in_North_America_by_decade

I ran the #s before too if you are a Female, elderly, young or alone your risk is significantly greater too. FWIW that WIKI page has Canada too, I never looked at Canada only California when I looked.

A shotgun with slugs is good bear medicine, but so is my .45-70. As for handguns, a Casull ain't bad either. Ballistically, it's very close to a .45-70.

In the area I live and up in northern Canada, many outdoors and wilderness workers carry a Marlin 45-70 lever action for bear protection. This rifle and caliber will bring down any bear....grizzly, black and polar.

If you don't reload, here's a good place for 45-70 ammo.

http://www.garrettcartridges.com/products.asp