Essential Gear
Bear Spray: How to Use It
Bear spray is the single most effective deterrent in a charging bear encounter. But only if you know how to carry and deploy it.
What the Research Shows
Herrero and Higgins analyzed 66 field incidents (1984-1994) involving pepper spray use on bears. The results were striking.
94%
of aggressive grizzly encounters, spray stopped the aggressive behaviour
100%
of curious or food-seeking grizzly encounters, spray stopped the behaviour
100%
of aggressive black bear encounters, spray stopped the behaviour
0
cases where spray increased the intensity of an attack
In lab tests, all 12 black bears and all 5 grizzlies sprayed were repelled without aggression or injury. Herrero, who was initially skeptical that spray could stop a charging mother grizzly, started carrying it himself after reviewing the field data.
One Important Caveat
While spray stopped aggressive black bear behaviour 100% of the time, no black bears left the area after being sprayed. For curious black bears, spray stopped behaviour in only 73% of cases, and the bear left in only 54%. This suggests spray may work differently on the two species. Be prepared for a black bear to stay in the area even after being sprayed.
How to Carry Bear Spray
Carry it on your belt or chest strap, never buried in your pack. You need it in seconds, not minutes.
Practice removing the safety clip before your hike. Fumbling under stress is common and can be the difference between deploying in time and not.
Check the expiry date before every trip. Replace expired canisters. Expired spray may have reduced range and potency.
Bear spray cannot be taken on commercial aircraft. Buy it at your destination or ship it in advance.
How to Deploy
Remove the safety clip. Hold the canister with both hands if possible.
Wait until the bear is within 6 to 8 metres (20 to 25 feet). This is the effective range. Spraying earlier wastes the contents.
Aim slightly downward. The spray will billow up into a cloud. You want to create a wall of capsaicin between you and the bear.
Deploy in a 2 to 3 second burst, sweeping slightly side to side. Do not empty the entire canister in one spray. You may need a second burst.
Back away slowly while spraying. Do not turn and run. The bear may charge through the spray cloud, so keep retreating.
If the bear continues through the spray, deploy a second burst directly at its face.
Limitations
- -Effective range is only 20 to 25 feet. You need to let the bear get close before deploying.
- -Strong headwinds can blow the spray back at you. In heavy wind, try to angle your spray and position yourself crosswind.
- -Rain and very cold temperatures may reduce effectiveness and range.
- -Dense vegetation can block the spray cloud from reaching the bear.
- -A canister lasts only 6 to 9 seconds of continuous spray. Use short bursts.
- -Bear spray is easier to aim and use under stress than a firearm, and research shows it is more effective for the average person.
Statistics from Herrero and Higgins' peer-reviewed field study of 66 bear spray incidents (1984-1994), published in Stephen Herrero's Bear Attacks: Their Causes and Avoidance (3rd Edition, 2018).