RE: [Paddlewise] Bears

> -----Original Message-----
> From: dmccarty_at_us.ibm.com [mailto:dmccarty_at_us.ibm.com]
> 
> I would be curious about the pepper percentage in the bear 
> sprays.  And how the
> percentage was decided on for use on bears.
> 
> Well that was much longer than I had intended!
> 
> Hope this helps...
> Dan McCarty
 
Dan et al,

  Just checked the can of pepper spray that lives in the day pack that I
carry all the time (other contents are first aid kit, knife, matches,
camera, 50 feet of line, etc - I'm just that kind of guy <g>).  165 grams
total, 15% oleoresin capsicum.  The can ejects totally in about 10 seconds
and has a maximum effective range of 10 feet.
  I _never_ _ever_ want to be in a situation where I have to use this! A
running bear will cover 10 feet in less than half a second!  I practice
avoidance. I preach avoidance.  I do carry a gun when I'm in an area where
there are high populations of brown bear - like Admiralty Island just SW of
Juneau - the Tlingit name for Admiralty was Kootznoowoo (sp?) - it means
Fortress of the Bears.  Still have a LOT of bears over there.  I wouldn't
recommend carrying a gun unless you're trained and comfortable with it.  The
gun could pose more danger than the bears.
  I've had a few encounters with bears and never needed either the gun or
the bear spray - kind of like carrying flares in the kayak - they're there,
but I certainly never plan on having to use them.
  James Lofton's remark, "Staying calm and waiting until the bear is close
enough, especially in a full bore charge, will be a religious experience
tho.." rings pretty true.  You won't know whether it's a bluff charge or not
until it's too late - and even the attempt to get that bear spray out might
be enough action to turn a bluff into an attack.
  Bears are interesting to talk about, but I think they tend to grab our
attention and imagination more than they should.  Practice "clean" camping,
stay alert, and most of the time you'll be fine.  Might even get the chance
to see a bear just doing its thing.
  

Dave Seng
Juneau, Alaska
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