Question about Bear Spray

[James Smith]

My daughter and her husband and two small children just moved out to Seattle. They like to take hikes in the woods with the boys, ages 20 months and three years old. I'm concerned about Cougar as there have been a number of attacks in the Northwestern part of U.S. I realize that Cougar are not like bear when they attach and most of the time the first inkling that there is a cougar interested in you is when you feel him/her on your back. That being said, I'd like to get her some bear spray or other repellent that may be effective in convincing both Cougar and bear that it's not worth the effort. Can anyone recommend a pepper spray or other repellent that would fit this bill?

Thanks

A worried grandpa.

aka

Jim Smith

[nighthawk]

Cabela's has a good selection of it that won't break the bank. I do not know about the big kitty but bears have a sense of smell many times more sensitive than the best hound dog. It is believed that they have the most sensitive nose of all the land creatures so pepper spray does work on them.

I'd be more concerned about the cats. There is no false charge with a cat. When they decide to charge or stalk a human it is for keeps. I would make certain that everyone has bells on their shoes, carries a loud whistle and knows to make noise while in the wilds out there. Let them know you are there. The worst thing you can do is surprise a bear or cat.

[flybinder]

Hi, Jim!
One that I've had guides and better "bear country people than me", recommend, is the "UDAP Alaskan Bear Spray", available through Cabela's.
"Bear Bell's" are said to work, when worn on packs, and/or, on hiking poles, but like everything about the outdoors......... there are "50% that say they do" and "50% that say they don't", work.
Two friends of mine, that are guides for hunting bear, both have told me, though, that "common sense" is the BEST bear determent there is................ "make yourself, known, well in advance of rounding a corner in a trail, stay away, in late fall, from brush piles, dead falls covered in brush, (winter bear dens), stay away from caves, etc. And, as they've both also told me, ALWAYS, for the "lady hiker", stay OUT of the woods "during special times of the month"!! That, they both have said, is one of the MAIN reasons females are attacked more often than men, by bears.
Hope this helps a little bit!!??!
Paul
Also watch out for.................!!

[Corvus]

"And, as they've both also told me, ALWAYS, for the "lady hiker", stay OUT of the woods "during special times of the month"!! That, they both have said, is one of the MAIN reasons females are attacked more often than men, by bears."

This is pure unadultrated bull hocky! If this were true there wold be hundreds of cases of documented attacks on women and in fact there are none. I don't know who promotes this old myth, bit it sure doesn't do a lot of good to promote it.

Keep a clean camp. Don't cook where you sleep. Make noise. Don't run. Don't get between Mom and the kids....

There have been some good points made, but by golly this old saw ain't one of them. After 20 years of guiding canoe trips throughout North America and can swear to that.

Corvus

[xcaddis]

Go to the link below and then the discussion forums. Post your question and direct it to Dave Parker. He has been involved with research with bear spray and can provide some useful info. Hope this helps.

Xcaddis


http://www.yellowstone.net/

[Gnu Bee Flyer]

Do not take your small dogs with you on your walks. If they see or smell a cougar they run right back to you. To a cougar a small dog is food. Small children are always a target for cougars you have to keep them close at ALL times. Cougars can be beaten off if you have the moxie and a good club and are on your feet.

From what I've read about it the UDAP Alaska Bear spray will send a Cougar packing. They like to ambush so It's correct that the first indication you are being stalked is when it hits you from behind. They almost always attack the smallest of your group. Never run from a Cougar they see this as weakness and it can trigger an attack.

I have the UDAC spray. US Customs won't let me bring it into the states even tho I can purchase it both there and in Canada. Canadian Customs won't let me bring it into Canada. Seems a really stupid rule to me but there you have it.

[drolfson]

'Best' bear spray? Hard cast lead at about 1000 feet per second. Most people say .40 cal or bigger.

If you don't wanna use the best, some of those spray on spices will work some of the time.


You all know how to tell bear scat don't you? It smells like pepper and has little bells in it!

Sometimes we humans are NOT at the top of the food chain.

[Preston Singletary]

In reality, the likelihood of being attacked by a cougar is so vanishingly small as to be non-existent. Much greater hazards are faced driving to and from the site of your chosen recreation. In more than 50 years of hiking, climbing, backcountry skiing and fishing in the Pacific Northwest, I've never even seen one; and I believe this is the experience of most people who have spent a large amount of time off the beaten track.

[Buddy Sanders]

James,

While I understand your concern, it's just not rational. Let's get a little bit of reality infused here.

Wild animal attacks are incredibly rare.

Statistics indicate that your grandchildren are at much more danger from their PARENTS than they are from wild animals (most child deaths that aren't accident or illness related are parental homocides).

The risk that they will be injured or killed in a traffic accident is much greater than anything 'bad' happening in the woods.

Playground equipment injures or kills children at a rate thousands of times that of animal attacks.

You can't protect them from everything. The woods are much safer than the neighborhood they live in. What they will learn and experience there has proven to keep them from getting into lots of other more risky behaviors (children with parents that expose them to outdoor pursuits like fishing, hunting, and hiking are less likely to get involved in drugs, gangs, or crime).

Don't worry about the animals, they are by far the least of the risks that they will face.

Be HAPPY that they are out there.

Good Luck!

Buddy

[rrhyne56]

Also it might be advisable to contact Wildlife Department in WA to see what advice they might have.