There is a bear encounter thread that raised some questions in my mind about my upcoming trip to Glacier National Park. So as not to hijack @FloatyGimpy’s tale, I started my own bear thread (not to be confused with my own bare thread).
The aforementioned thread got me thinking about bear encounters and bear spray. I know I need it, and I know assume I cannot carry it on the plane and will need to obtain it on site.
I also assume it will probably go unused at the end of the trip, which makes me wonder what I do with my can of unused spray? Give it to another random hiker?
And that thought leads me to this thought: Can I just purchase a can of BS from someone whose trip is done and their spray remains unused? Is there a system for buying “used” (but not really used) bear spray? If not, there oughta be.
Also, what about an air horn? Should I carry that along with bear spray during my hikes?
Came here to suggest an air horn. If yelling loudly (sometimes) works, a blast from an air horn should impress the hell out of the bear. Carry the spray as back-up, of course. Is the spray really so expensive that reselling it is attractive? Or so you just hate the idea of wasting it? How about leaving it at a Ranger station, for the Ranger to pass on, as a public service?
FWIW, I started a thread last year about bear spray being a superior alternative to firearms against aggressive bears.
In my case, I borrowed bear spray from the person I was visiting in Alaska to carry on my hikes. Obviously this isn’t an option if you don’t know anyone there, though.
Our last time hiking in Glacier we simply kept up steady conversation and always had one person in the group designated to bang their hiking poles together every few steps; no bells. That was sufficient, we felt, to avoid surprising any bears along the way. Our niece who lives nearby had bear spray so we didn’t have to deal with buying or disposing of it.
Yes, there is, effectively. There are plenty of places near Glacier where you can rent cans of spray for about half the price of buying one. There are airport pickup locations and off-site, and the in-airport place we used last summer had an in-park or park-adjacent drop box for returning after rental if we hadn’t been flying back out through that airport.
I highly recommend having a small air horn. It’s so freaking loud, everything runs away from it. I test mine now and again and it shocks me every time how loud it is. It’s also good to have to just announce your presence if you get the heebie jeebies out in the forest.
Bears cannot differentiate between the ambient noise of birds chirping and the sound of bells tinkling. It also inhibits your own hearing. Best thing is to holler out once in a while, clap your hands or blow a whistle.
First of all, it would take a high caliber round in a vital spot to even have a chance. Throw in the “I’msoterrifiedIcan’tevenaim” factor, and its adios.
When we were in Japan, we did some hut to hut hiking in the “Japanese Alps” which was amazing! To get to the trailhead that went straight up, we had to do a few miles of hiking on a very popular trail. I think we were the ONLY ones that didn’t have bells. It was crazy how much noise there was from all those bells. Bears would’ve heard that from the top of the mountains!
I’ve had the same can of bear spray for a long time, and it’s dented, so it’s time to replace before the upcoming backpacking season. We hit paydirt in the backcountry permit lottery and will be spending a few nights in Glacier Grizzly country (assuming the NP is open and functional - questionable at this point).
I believe bells tied to your waist, or on your hiking stick, help warn bears you are close by before they can see or smell you. Whistling, or singing, or talking loudly would also tip them off. The constant jingling of bells is just another way to avoid startling a bear, especially when you are hiking alone.
Yes, bear spray works, but you have to aim it directly at their facial area before they can charge. If they are charging you you won’t have time to line up a good shot and will likely miss them completely. When I am in woods, whether with my dog or not, I will have bear spray handy just in case. Fortunately, for the past 15 years of living here I have never had to use it, as all of my bear encounters have ended peacefully.
I’m not sure I’d choose bear spray for defending yourself in an enclosed space against a human opponent. It’s really better for outdoor use; a burst will go everywhere in a bedroom. Pepper spray would be better, IMO, but I don’t have experience with using that.
