Bear Mace
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What is bear mace?
Bear mace is just what it sounds like - a super-heavy duty mace that is designed to stop bear attacks. This is not made for use on people, so don't get it if you're just worried about security or something. Bear mace is serious stuff, and in bear encounters it causes them to run away the vast majority of the time. Nothing is a guarantee, and you probably shouldn't be using it unless it actually looks like the bear is going to attack someone - but it's a humane way to drive bears off if you're forced to. It won't harm the bear, and the sting along with the blindness are more likely to cause the bear to run away than physically injuring it.
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Counter Assault Bear Deterrent - Counter Assault is a little more expensive, but it's also a well-tested brand that is used by a lot of park rangers and has been used even on angry, aggressive bears with a lot of success. It uses cayenne pepper, sprays 40 feet, and it will wear off within half an hour (important if you don't want to hurt the bear, because it keeps it from wandering around defenseless). It is generally considered the best spray out there. It costs about $45 and is available online here. |
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Pepper Mace Bear Spray - This one will spray about thirty feet, so you can use it from a distance without having to wait until the last minute if you actually encounter a grizzly bear or another aggressive animal. It's about $34 and available online here. |
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Guard Alaska Bear Spray - This is an ultra-hot bear repellant spray that goes between 15 to 20 feet, and affects all species of bear. It's derived from pepper and is extremely irritating to bears. It's about $28 and you can get it online here. |
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Bear Spray Holster - If you're going to be hiking around in areas where bears are common, you will want to get a holster of some kind along with your bear mace. You need to have it accessible for it to be useful - it's kind of pointless to get it and then shove it in your backpack where you have to dig around to get at it. You want it where you can quickly use it if you get attacked, and you also don't have to make sudden motions to pull it out. This holster is about $10 and available online here. |
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