Best Animal Control Tool

[dr_wu002]

Remember too that bears are individuals and may vary in their response to a situation.

A not uncommon scenario is that human and bear surprise and frighten each other, both run off in different directions...

Get a copy of "Bear Attacks, Their Causes and Avoidance" by Stephen Herrero if you want a more complete version from a pro.

Doug

Too many degrees of freedom for any one thing to actually benefit you. A similar question would be to ask if there is a tool you can get to prevent falling while hiking. There are plenty of things that can help but too much dumb luck and individual circumstances involved for any one thing to make a significant difference beyond the usual common sense tools. You know, don't hike with bananas on your feet and don't try to fight off a bear with a honey stick.

Has anyone ever considered hiking with a trained grizzly bear for both companionship and protection? Remember that show, "Gentle Ben"? Well, that was a black bear but I'm sure he'd have your back while you were hiking. Talk to the people at Clark's Trading Post. They might have suggestions.

-Dr. Wu

 

[griffin]

The problem I have with pepper spray/bear spray is that it could turn a harmless situation into a potentially lethal one.

There's also the affect the spray may have on the person USING it.

I was standing 10 feet away from someone who was pepper sprayed by the police once, and it left me gagging and having trouble seeing because my eyes were watering. So there may be an additional danger of hindering ones own response in the event of an attack.

 

[sardog1]

Dr. Herrero is the go-to guy generally on conflicts between bears and humans. The one guy who has logged more time specifically with black bears is Dr. Lynn Rogers. His article "How dangerous Are black bears? Can we co-exist with them?" is based on more face time with black bears than anyone else on the continent. Read it, take its lessons to heart, and you will be well-informed. If you decide to carry a pepper spray (which Dr. Rogers describes as effective, as does Dr. Herrero), Dr. Tom Smith's "Bear Pepper Spray: Research and Information" has the info you need.

Everybody else has less time on these subjects than these three researchers. Including all the guides, hunters, hikers, naturalists, park rangers, and other bear "experts," even including me.

 

[TCD]

I agree with some others: very little need for any kind of weapon in the NE. I have hiked and bushwhacked extensively in the Adks, and a little in Vt and NH for 25 years, and I have not had one animal encounter where such an item would be useful. I've never had trouble with any wild animal. Regarding dogs, I like them, so I enjoy encounters others might consider negative, like a dog jumping up on me, or mouthing my arm, and I don't worry about a dog that's scared, or growling. But I have had two negative dog encounters, and in neither case would I have needed any kind of sophisticated weapon.

(Please rmember, substitute any kind of animal here; this is not a "dog" thread, it's a "do you need this tool when hiking" thread.)

In one case, I was lightly bitten on the leg, when I mistakenly stepped in between an animal and his owner (the owner and I were working together to move a fallen tree off a trail in Vt.). This event was my fault, because I wasn't paying attention, and there was no significant harm done. The other time, a surprisingly unfriendly animal was blocking access to the old Rooster Comb trail (the old trail used to go up a private road with several driveways). This fellow would not be my friend (which is my first approach), and I also could not intimidate him (which is my second approach). So we backed off and hiked a different trail. (I did pick up a big stick in case he followed when we backed off, but he didn't; he was just poorly trained and being territorial.) Again, I wouldn't have done anything with a sophisticated weapon here.

I don't see a use for weapons for animal safety around here.

TCD

 

[Maddy]

The air horn I am referring to is the "Safety Sport Horn".
http://warreneckstein.com/store/buyhorn.html
I became aware of it listening to a pet show on talk radio.Warren Eckstein is a vet who has years of experience with animals of all kinds.
This particular air horn cannot be heard for one mile and is non-flammable and ozone safe. No CFC's or HCFC's.
He does say that they are available in some Marine stores but I do not think he is recommending that we use the "industrial strength horns".
It is very lightweight and fits nicely in a side pocket.
If you take the top off it converts to a whistle.
I doubt it would work on a bear but I certainly would give it a try if I was about to be eaten alive.
It looks like it could also be useful deterrent for "human predators".

 

[DougPaul]

If you decide to carry a pepper spray (which Dr. Rogers describes as effective, as does Dr. Herrero), Dr. Tom Smith's "Bear Pepper Spray: Research and Information" has the info you need.

Nice refs--I vaguely remembered the Dr Lynn Rogers website http://www.bearstudy.org/ but couldn't locate it for my earlier post.

One thing to note about the above pepper spray link--it talks in the context of (Alaskan?) brown bears, not NE black bears. (The spray is the same on both coasts, but the bears differ...)

Everybody else has less time on these subjects than these three researchers. Including all the guides, hunters, hikers, naturalists, park rangers, and other bear "experts," even including me.

Including me too--most of my info is from Herrero.

Doug

 

[forestgnome]

The pepper-spray is effective as long as the bear gets it in the face. The air horn will probably work. The Ruger 480 was designed for self-defense against Alaskan bears, and will definitely work against a black bear. One foolish argument against pepper spray and pistols is that the bumbling human will only hurt themselves, so better to be defenseless and hope for the best. That addresses the tool question.

I read Sardog's link, and I've read lots about bear defense. Out of all of it, I believe DougPaul has the most important point; these animals are individuals, not machines. You cannot predict behavior of an individual bear based on gender, species or anything else. To say that a west coast black bear bruin will do this and an east coast sow with cubs will do that is inaccurate, IMHO.

Others may have more experience than me, but it's still anecdotal and there are admitted exceptions to all behavioral patterns. I once watched a mama black bear nurse three newborn cubs from 10' away, after she became comfortable with my presence. When she first saw me, she bluff-charged, stomped her foot, huffed and popped. It was a bit scary! I immediately backed away and told her it was OK. She then sat down and just looked at me. Had I stood tall, put my hands up and acted big it might have been ugly, or she might have scampered up the tree. Noone knows.

The one thing I will not accept is that anyone knows what any individual bear will do in a given situation, and I'll trust my instincts and not worry about getting hurt. I think the only danger is being hunted by a starving bruin, and I'm utterly unconcerned with that since I consider the chances almost nill.

My only other concern is for the bear, who might get sprayed or shot by a person who wrongly feels in danger, when a threat is not really emminant.

Just MHO.

happy trails