RE: [Paddlewise] Bear Warnings

Bear bells and pepper spray provide absolute safety from Grizzly attacks in
Minnesota.  In fact the use of bear bells and the threat of pepper spray has
scared the Griz in to the state beyond the next state to the west.

Dana Dickson
who is bound for a Baja paddling fix tonight.

> -----Original Message-----
From: Bob Denton <BDenton_at_aquagulf.com>
Subject: [Paddlewise] Bear Warnings

Passed on by a friend in Colorado:

In light of the rising frequency of human-grizzly bear conflicts, the
Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is advising hikers, hunters, and
fishermen to take extra precautions to keep alert for bears while in he
field.
"We advise that outdoorsmen wear noisy little bells on their clothing so s
not to startle bears that aren't expecting them. We also advise outdoorsmen
to carry pepper spray with them in case of an encounter with a ear. It is
also a good idea to watch out for fresh signs of bear activity.
"Outdoorsmen should recognize the difference between black bear droppings
and grizzly droppings.
"Black bear droppings are smaller and contain lots of berries and squirrel
fur.
"Grizzly bear droppings are larger, have little bells in them, and smell
like cayenne pepper." 
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