READERS COMMENTS

Use bear spray (from a 10 mm semi auto!) it should work. Keeping a clean camp never hurts either.
Posted: Mar 17, 2012 Joe

Be a man, make a spear and don't play dead. Get that motherfucker and make yourself a rug. Plus, if you die it just cleans the gene pool. :D
Posted: Feb 08, 2012 WhoCares348

Harmonicas or guns? I'm not toting either. My best advice is keep a clean camp. Use a bear canister in grizzly territory. And keep a can of bear spray. I'm not lugging a .273 caliber something or other and turning my relax time into a freaging "tour of duty." If the spray and yelling don't work, then it must be my time
Posted: Jan 27, 2012 Eric

Air horns?? Bear spray?? How much junk do you people carry around in the woods?? What do you have, native bearers?? Smith 19 in a pancake, pal. Makes VERY loud noises AND is capable of backing them up. And if you can keep a cool head, it will stop anything smaller than a locomotive. Now, will you hippies PLEASE stay out of the woods?
Posted: Jan 24, 2012 Roy Bean

I suggest bacon grease. That's right, bacon grease. You smear it on your partner (careful not to get any on yourself) and then run faster than them.
Posted: Jan 20, 2012 J. Marten

Who is the "Rogers" continually mentioned in the article? Why is he not completely named, and properly cited?
Posted: Jan 18, 2012 citations

im stupid and fat and smelly
Posted: Dec 10, 2011 Professer Dickweed

The minimum rifle for Black Bear is .270, Grizzly .293. Maximum for grizzly is .450. Black, 375.
Posted: Dec 10, 2011 Carson

Hi!
Posted: Dec 10, 2011 Carson

Well I have always used common sense to avoid this encounter.(clean camp ground and a big walking stick) and it has worked so far. I will say I never go out without my fire arm. It's great to get all this advice on things that have worked for certain encounters; but in the end playing it smart and safe. And then having the fire power to save you, Is really your only for sure cure to being dinner. And who wants to take a chance that your encounter is with a bear that wont care for your noise maker or spray. My best thoughts are cary both a long walking stick, a proper rifle, and be ready to make a big loud scream. May God keep you safe.
Posted: Nov 30, 2011 JohnnyBear

@hunter1 said it best .44 mag only use it if you can't scare them off by other things like spray
Posted: Nov 29, 2011 Survivorman11

.44 mag. Enough said.
Posted: Nov 20, 2011 Hunter1

What are you fucking stupid?! I think you want people to get eaten by a bear you goddamn retard.
Posted: Nov 18, 2011 Professor Dickweed

Time to stop asking government to ruin people's lives over shooting a wild animal. Watch what you wish for. Americans have lost the fine art of leaving people alone.
Posted: Oct 29, 2011 Stephen

The hunter who shot the Pizzly is an Inuvialuk and is more than likely outside the jurisdiction of the Canadian government. It appears he was actually hunting Polar Bears and shot a Pizzly instead.
Posted: Oct 14, 2011 EH

Halt! Dog Repellent? Really? That stuff doesn't spray nearly far enough to be truly effective. Spend the money and get good bear spray in teh first place.

As for noise making, as a solo hiker in the NW Cascades, I generally prefer making a nice, mid-range, resonating sounds like "Hey-yo" "wey-ro" bey-ho", etc. Those types of sounds are easy for your vocal cords to produce as you breath in and out compared to trying to actually sing lyrics. I vary my volume and frequency according to the terrain. In high visibility areas I do it less. Approaching corners, dropping down out of a saddle, I do it a bit more and louder.

I really want to emphasize paying attention at twilight. It's the time of day that plays the most tricks on your eyes, especially in autumn. Not quite dark enough to pull out a headlamp, but the light quality tends to play tricks with shadows. Slow down at twilight especially. It's too easy to try and take it as a cue to "hurry out of there" and miss the signs. If you find the light quality at twilight is such that you are having a hard time seeing clearly, it's better to stop, take a break, wait for it to get a bit darker, and pull out a headlamp.
Posted: Oct 13, 2011 BrRyan S

awwwwww shizzle. it's dem bears again. dey be crazyZ!
Posted: Oct 06, 2011 b-dub

I live in southern Colorado. I take an air horn and pepper spray with me hiking,but I have to say the pepper spray is a little too misty. I have never had an encounter, but If I did, I'm not convinced the spray wont come back in my face,making me an easy, blind meal. The can says to spray when the bear is about 15 feet away, I have tried it out. It does not spray that far or even close to that far.
As for using dog spray on a bear, ya, right.
Posted: Sep 12, 2011 darrin

The wife and I had a bear encounter this Summer in the Smokies. The bear had come into the backcountry camp site the evening before and raiided the previous campers during dinner, apparently jacking them of there meal. They left in such a hurry their tent and cooking gear still littered the ground when we arrived. The following evening he returned, going directly to the old tent site. This large solo male scavenged about ignoring our bear bells and whistles. When he was within 80 feet we began using the portable air horn we had perchased from a boat store. This thing is blaring loud enough to hurt the users ears but this black bear was not impressed. He continued to sniff around edging ever closer to where we where about to set up to cook dinner. We waved arms and bandanas trying to make a large commotion, the bear continued to circle around getting to within 40 feet or so. We both had canisters of bear spray at the ready, he still was outside the useful disctance range for the spray though it was still an option. So at this point I deployed a couple of "bear rocks". Missing with the first rock, he still didn't flinch when it landed beyond him. The second stone slammed him across the right cheek of his butt, he lept and ran off away immediately and never returned the two nights we camped at the site. A fifty seven year old female AT through-hiker gave me an ultralight solution to black bear encounters: M-80 Firecrackers. I guess you would drop it at your feet to amend the fire risk as it goes BOOM! I'm keeping my bear spray.
Posted: Aug 30, 2011 Harold Baquet

This is a little weak, I have lived in thick bear country all my life (Alaska) and the idea of using dog spray on a black bear is crazy!! Try that and you are in real trouble. Backpacker Mag. better get serious about bears protection if they are going to offer advice. The sprays made for bears, works most of the time, but the only sure protection is a high powered rifle, and the knowlege of how to use it. Ask any native Alaskan and they will surely tell you the same.
Posted: Aug 24, 2011 Nate

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