Bear spray could save your life

By CHRIS PETERSON / Hungry Horse News

It doesn't have a fancy title, but it confirms what many bear experts have said all along: That bear spray works almost all of the time.

The study, titled "Efficacy of bear deterrent spray in Alaska," takes a look at both brown (grizzly) and black bear encounters where bear spray was used in Alaska from 1985 to 2006, examining 83 incidents where bear sprays were used on bears. What it found was that in 90 percent of the cases bear spray was effective in deterring bears and in 98 percent of the cases people were uninjured by close-range encounters.

In the cases where they were injured, the injuries were scratches and not life threatening and did not require hospitalization.

"Deterring" was defined when the, "undesirable behavior of the bear was stopped."

The study backs up a previous study that also looked at bear spray incidents in Alaska over a 10-year period. That study has similar results.

Other interesting facets of the study include:

? Thirty five percent of the encounters were by hikers, 30 percent by bear management activities, 15 percent by people at their home or cabin and 9 percent were campers in their tents.

? Of the 83 cases analyzed, 72 were incidents involving menacing bears. The remainder were examples of spray misuse or bear attraction to residue.

? The study also recommends that people not spray tents, etc. with bear spray. It can have the opposite effect of attracting bears.

? While wind can play a role in bear spray effectiveness, it didn't seem to have an impact in encounters. Bear-human encounters are usually at close range in wooded areas. In all the encounters studied, the spray reached the bear.

? Despite what manufacturers claim are improvements, bear spray is just as effective today as it was in the previous study. The study did not compare individual brands. However, having enough spray is important, as in several cases, people had to spray the bear multiple times to deter the bear. The authors suggest discarding the can if its contents fall below 90 percent or when it passes its expiration date. Smith also suggested that on long multi-day hikes, that a backup can of spray is advisable.

? Spray was effective on all species of bears studied, including, polar bears. Though the researchers caution that only a few polar bear cases were studied. In cases where it was used, it worked.

? The study also makes management suggestions, recommending that agencies may reduce the number of bears killed in self defense by arming individuals with bear spray in addition to guns. It also notes that no bear spray has ever been reported to kill a bear and "that widespread use of bear spray will promote human safety and bear conservation."

Glacier National Parkrequires bear its backcountry rangers to carry bear spray, said Park spokeswoman Melissa Wilson. The Forest Service doesn't require it, but folks who carry it have to go through training, said spokeswoman Denise Germann.

The study, published in the April issue of the Journal of Wildlife Management, was written by professor Tom Smith of Brigham Young University, Stephen Herrero, professor at the University of Calgary, Terry Debruyn of the National park Service and James Wilder of the Minerals Management Service.