Is Bear Spray Effective?  November 22, 2016

Is bear spray really effective or is a gun better when a bear threatens you and your party?  The answer was given by today's speaker, Gary Moses, as introduced by Ross Doty.  After completing a career in the National Park Service, Mr. Moses became an ambassador for the locally produced Counter Assault bear spray.  He gave a number of examples where bear spray warded off threatening bears and referenced a study from Alaska comparing bear spray versus guns.  The use of bear spray was more effective and produced no fatalities (humans or bears).  After his presentation, Gary allowed us to practice using canisters of inert ingredients in the parking lot.  He explained, that if a bear is about 30' away, give a short warning blast of spray.  If the bear continues to approach, he recommends successive shorts blasts of spray in a "z" pattern...aiming towards the lower portion of the head and continuing towards the feet until the bear retreats.  Users should always have bear spray readily available and not buried in a pack.  Time is of the essence.