Posts
841
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12/30/2018
Location
Sacramento, CA
US
Edited Date/Time
7/20/2019 5:38am
I was up in the Tahoe Forest with my daughter today trying out her new little Specialized bike (she's 5). I'm on my Scott hard tail Everything is good, it's obviously mellow.
We stop so she can check out some dandelions and I get the idea I should at least see how this bear spray works.(I had one close encounter already and saw a mountain lion last year too) so I walk a few steps into the woods- she's maybe 10-15 feet behind me.
See where this is going? I aim it for this bush and give the trigger a squeeze- out poofs a huge cloud of noxious gas like a fire extinguisher. I was expecting a targeted stream of liquid, not a cloud.
Now if you have kids you know how fast they can move (my daughter basically runs everywhere including in the house all the time). Just then she darts around my right flank to see what's going on, and gets a little whiff in the face. Holy shit, I had no idea how nasty this shit is and how it hangs in the air and immediately drifts in the wind like nerve gas on a WWII battlefield.
She starts coughing and yeIling and rubbing her eyes so I start dousing her face with my water bottle (luckily we're right next to my truck and I have lots of water). I douse her face for a minute or two and she okay after a bit of crying. And I am feeling like a huuuge dick. She had no idea what happened but I explained and she says "It's okay, Daddy, don't be sad. " When I make mistakes with her I own up to it, but that was pretty high up on the list of Daddy fails- nothing worse than that kind of screw-up.
We stop so she can check out some dandelions and I get the idea I should at least see how this bear spray works.(I had one close encounter already and saw a mountain lion last year too) so I walk a few steps into the woods- she's maybe 10-15 feet behind me.
See where this is going? I aim it for this bush and give the trigger a squeeze- out poofs a huge cloud of noxious gas like a fire extinguisher. I was expecting a targeted stream of liquid, not a cloud.
Now if you have kids you know how fast they can move (my daughter basically runs everywhere including in the house all the time). Just then she darts around my right flank to see what's going on, and gets a little whiff in the face. Holy shit, I had no idea how nasty this shit is and how it hangs in the air and immediately drifts in the wind like nerve gas on a WWII battlefield.
She starts coughing and yeIling and rubbing her eyes so I start dousing her face with my water bottle (luckily we're right next to my truck and I have lots of water). I douse her face for a minute or two and she okay after a bit of crying. And I am feeling like a huuuge dick. She had no idea what happened but I explained and she says "It's okay, Daddy, don't be sad. " When I make mistakes with her I own up to it, but that was pretty high up on the list of Daddy fails- nothing worse than that kind of screw-up.
Here's a thought... offer to be a bear on Halloween and she can carry around a fake can of bear spray, she can be Little Bo "get your butt away Bear" Peep.
I was surprised it hit me like that because I went through the usual boot camp training where you go into a room and they gas you, but I don't remember it being that bad. Also, I was 18...that might be the difference.
The Shop
Barrettbro, you slay me sometimes! Haha!
NEVER BEAR SPRAY
Last summer I was just driving around on dirt roads up in the Sierras and just stopped at a scenic spot. I get out and I'm walking around until I get nervous about animals- it's dead quiet. So I get back in my truck and all of a sudden there is a ruckus in some bushes maybe 30-40 feet away. A damn bear jumps out and he is fighting with some freaking bird- the bear hightails it (they really do have golden fur). It's like the bird saw what was up and got in the bear's face- the weirdest thing. I couldn't believe how freaking quiet that bear was. I learned the lesson that you will not see a bear coming.
A few weeks later my battery went dead a couple miles from my house, so I leave my wife a message start walking. I go maybe a mile and half before she shows up and picks me up. We drive another 1/4 mile and see a mountain lion a bit off the road eating a kill. Glad she showed up when she did. This is a residential neighborhood with a lot of woods- full of deer, turkey, bears, a few big cats, snakes, and lizards.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKms4KReEOg
I will point out that studies and practical experience from myself and many others in the outdoor community show that bear spray is more effective and much more likely to work against a bear than any gun.
Life-long Alaskan. I've had my fair share of bear encounters. Hell, we ran into a sow and a cub yesterday while fishing the Kenai. I'll take a small and light can of spray over a pistol in almost any situation short of very thick and tall grass/alders. My buddies usually tote the gun around.
You're basically just showing off how ignorant you are RE: bear safety. You shouldn't ever find yourself in a situation where you need to use a gun against a bear. Proactive, preventive measures are 100% more effective bear deterrents than a gun, no matter how Johnny Rambo you think you are.
Try being out in remote areas where wildlife have not seen a human and try spray..
You r a nozzle!
Pit Row
I said No, He's wondering why we are in his living room, and why we are stalking the deer he's actually looking at on the other side of the lake.
I told her, the cat is far more afraid of stinky humans than vice versa. And then of course the cat went on it's way.
Most attacks are city slickers who find a cub(bear or lion) or den and start fuckin around and momma comes home.
Brown bear problems are pretty rare, just give them their space, and black bear attacks are pretty much non existent. Black bears want nothing to do with humans. They want food. Not problems.
Here is how bad a typical black bear wants to get away when it sees a human. Watch the beginning close.
https://youtu.be/3vIwNyqIceE
I've done plenty of fly-out trips to remote lakes and rivers, I've been around bears. I have way more experience than you do and I'm the one that doesn't know what he's talking about? Yeah, ok dude.
FWIW bears that haven't ever seen humans or have barely been exposed to human contact are just as scared of us as we are of them. But please, keep spouting off your ignorant opinions. I'll continue being safe in the back-country of my home state of Alaska while you sit there in the Midwest and try to act like you know anything about bear safety 👍
Most people grossly over estimate their ability to draw the weapon, steady yourself, aim, and fire an accurate shot on a bear if it is within striking distance. A lot of guys have this fantasy that they're some Rambo type but the fact of the matter is that bears move so fast, and most people freeze when they see a bear. Even if you do get a shot off, chances are it isn't going to be a good hit and will just piss the bear off more, giving it a reason to actually attack you. Spray doesn't require an accurate shot. You just spray in the general direction and it does all the work for you.
Also, don't discharge it if it isn't at a bear. If you just spray the ground, it ends up attracting bears after the initial "spiciness" wears off a bit.
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