Bear Spray - Recommendations?

[AxeMan]

Any recommendations on what kind of bear spray to buy and where in the Edmonton area?  Price?  I have never bought the stuff before.

[ghostguy6]

I get the stuff from MEC since it is the best price. Pretty well all of the stores in the Edmonton area carry the Frontier brand.

[Weste]

I have bought 4 or 5 canisters from Wholesale Sports.  They are about $40 per canister.  I know they work and you should change before the expiry date.  A friend of mine had to field test on a bear at 4" when the bear came up the back side of his tree that his stand was on.  Basically the bear was on the other side of the tree looking him straight in the eye.  He was shaking his can and telling the bear that he didnt want any part of the spray.  Anyway, he got nervous and decided to spray the bear at 4".  The can he had was expired but he didnt want to use his gun.  He described the spray as "the same as a 70 year old man in desperate need of viagra" LOL.  The spray basically dribbled out of the can but was definitely sufficient to send the bear on his way.  He said the bear never touched the tree on the way down and was never seen again for the season.

[Tuc]

When your buying your bear spray look for a capsaicin content of 1% which is the max allowed in Canada. If you order from the States I believe you can get a 2% content.  Capsaicin is the hot stuff (pepper) that gives BS it's potency. When your spray expires, experiment with it so you will know how it will work. Always spray down wind because it can disable you as well as the bear. Try and buy the 325 gram can and consider easy access when buying your holster. I have a belt holster but many prefer the shoulder holster for quicker access.

I have carried BS for the last 10 years and thank God I never had to use it. According to studies by University of Calgary grizzly bear expert Stephen Herrero, bear pepper spray was found to be 94% effective in deterring aggressive grizzly bears in close encounters. I would also suggest you know your bear facts, the best defense against a bear attack is too avoiud one.

•Hikers should always travel in groups.
•Make noise!
•Be aware of your surroundings at all times, watch for fresh bear sign, if you see some leave the area.
•Never approach a bear or a bear kill, leave the area.
•Keep your dog on a leash at all times.

Always carry bear spray when you are in bear country. When I'm out on my quad I usually carry a 30.30 rifle.
With that said, bear attacks happen so fast you may not have a chance to use a rifle or place that fatal shot. Always remember too, a wounded bear is a mad bear and it can do alot of damage before it expires.

[AxeMan]

Thanks guys, I will check out Wholesale and MEC.  Time I started carrying this stuff.  I carry my 30-30 when I can as well but that is just not practical or proper in many cases.

[MountainTi]

3" double ott sprays quite nicely  . Don't have to worry about wind direction either. For a can of bear spray to be 100 percent effective, you have a 25 percent chance of wind direction being in your favour. Don't know if you have ever been hit by it, but it only takes a tiny little whiff of it, and you'll be down for the count and pretty much useless. I would recommend to anybody that relies on it to try it sometime with the slighest of breeze, not fun

[nube]

Personally I think the stuff is overrated.  I have had hunters try it out on bears with little luck.  Only one bear outof about half a dozen actually reacted like it was affected by it. 
How many attacks has it stopped i wonder.  It would be interesting to know.  The chances that you will have it in hand when you do need it are slim as well.  My thoughts on it.

[MountainTi]

years ago I was working out in the mountains and someone sprayed a squirrel with it from about 5 feet (yeah, kinda mean). It was pretty much brown from it, didn't do much but rub his eyes and run up a branch. I have sprayed the stuff around quite a bit, and like I said before, that wind has to be just right. I'd rather have something that makes noise, and shoots projectiles at rapid velocities. An airhorn would probably even be better

[MAV]

Personally I think the stuff is overrated.  I have had hunters try it out on bears with little luck.  Only one bear outof about half a dozen actually reacted like it was affected by it. 
How many attacks has it stopped i wonder.  It would be interesting to know.  The chances that you will have it in hand when you do need it are slim as well.  My thoughts on it.

Nube you have to elaborate on this... 1 of 6!  In my life I've only been close enough to one bear to have made it work and I was tumbling back off a berm and the bear was pinballing down the other side trying to get away from me.

I've seen some video of bears being hit with this stuff when they were first developing it and it is amazing the reaction. I know of at least one attack in Waterton quite a few years ago that was 100% effective on the bear and another in Glacier that I think just happened last year or the year before that finally worked when the bear was actually close enough to hit him with it.

When I got my first cannister for work I ended up at home on the farm and my dad wanted to see how it worked so he pulled the pin and gave it a spray. Afterwards he just threw the cannister on the seat of my truck. When I was heading home I noticed it sitting there and put it back in the holster and tossed it in the back seat. Unknowing to me I got some of the residue around the nozzle on my hand. A couple minutes later I must have wiped or rubbed my eye, within 5 seconds my eye was watering so bad and the sting was so great I had to pull over. It was at least 25 or 30 minutes before I could get going again. The only downfall with the stuff is that the bear has to be close and I think too many people might lose their nerve.

Any way Nube I want to hear these stories.

[Tuc]

I did the same thing a few years ago when I was experimenting with a expired can. Burned like hell. I finally quaded to the nearest creek and splashed water in my eyes for 5 minutes or so before the sting finally went away.

Never under estimate the ability of bear spray. It's been scientifically proven BS works.

[6tmile]

Marlin makes a nice bear spray, I use the 45/70 with 420 grain home mades, it has repelled evryone I have used it on