If you are reading this than you most likely have rented a bear spray from us and scanned the QR code on your canister. Kudos to you for being proactive and taking the time to learn the proper use of bear spray. We promise to keep this brief so that you can get on with enjoying our beautiful state. There is so much good information that is already online that we are going to refer you to a few of these documents/videos. Specifically information that has been published by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game who we would consider to be the subject matter expert on Alaska bears. We would recommend you read/watch, at a minimum, the links we have provided under “The Essentials” section listed below. If you want more information we have additional resources for you to check out listed under the “More Information” section. Let’s get started…
Using Bear Spray…The Essentials
Before you get started with the links below it is important to note that bear spray is a deterrent and not a repellant. You do not spay it on yourself, as you would mosquito repellant, before you head out into bear country. Bear spray is a deterrent that, in most cases, will be returned to us completely unused. Now that we have that out of the way, please review the following videos and documents:
Be Aware – Hiking in Bear Country – Video (1 minute 57 seconds)
What You Should Know About Bear Spray – PDF Document (2 page brochure)
Bear Spray Demonstration – Video (1 minute 30 seconds)
Bear Spray Demonstration for Hunters – Video (1 minute 2 seconds)
Please do yourself a favor and click all of the links above and read/watch everything. It should take less than 10 minutes and the information is invaluable.
Using Bear Spray…More Information
If you want even more information or have a little more time to dive deeper into Alaska bears, bear spay, and other related matters, then we recommend checking out the following links:
Alaska Department of Fish and Game – Living With Bears (website)
Bear Aware – Fishing In Bear Country – Video (1 minute 3 seconds)
Wildlife in Anchorage (website)
The Essentials for Traveling in Alaska’s Bear Country (website)
Bear Safety in Alaska (website)
Remember to be safe and be bear aware!