Proper training, use of bear spray essential for hikers, campers says outdoor expert

For May Long weekend plans that include camping and spending time in a national park, hiking or out in the back country, an outdoor expert said bear spray is important to add to your packing list.

Rebecca Mollison, owner and instructor of Back40 Wilderness First Aid Training, said she always carries a canister with her when she’s outdoors, year-round.

“Basically, we carry it as sort of a last line of self defense if there’s a close encounter or an engagement with an animal that may be a threat to us,” she said.

Read more:

• Police in Saskatoon make arrests after bear spray incidents, robbery
• Saskatoon police responded to bear spraying on city bus and two armed robberies Wednesday
• Victims treated for minor injuries after man allegedly bear sprays Saskatoon bus passengers

Mollison believes that knowing how to access and use bear spray – and even treat injuries it causes – is something outdoor enthusiasts should know all how to do.

First, that means when someone buys a canister of bear spray, intending to use it while hiking or camping, the safety zip tie or clip should be removed.

“You would not be able to get that off if you were in sort of a close proximity encounter with an animal and needed that spray in your hand,” she said.

The second thing people should be aware of is keeping the spray easily accessible from a belt, carry system or holster.

“It needs to be deployable within seconds,” she explained. Surprise encounters leave little or no time to take off a backpack and retrieve it from a pocket or an inside compartment.

Third, trying to deploy bear spray with the wind at your back is something that can’t be planned in an emergency situation, either. She said people should also be prepared to get some of the capsaicin oil on them.

“I do think that people need to be mentally prepared to also be affected by a bear spray deployment themselves. It is going to be a very good risk that you may potentially have the feedback from that spray and it will affect you,” she explained.

While Mollison has never had to use her bear spray, she’s also prepared to render first aid, if necessary. That includes carrying soap and water. She says the soap can help dissolve or at least ease the amount of the capsaicin oil that can burn your face, hair and hands.

“It won’t end the burning immediately, but it it will help you end it,” she said.

Another tip for people who buy bear spray canisters is to also buy an inert “training” can that contains the propellant but not the pepper oil, at an additional cost.

“It allows you to learn how to clip and un-clip, how to pull it out of your holster … I’m a firm believer that if you buy a can of bear spray, you should have a training can,” she said.

She cautioned against using old or expired cans because they may still have strong pepper oil in them, and if used in a public space, the oil will be left as a residue on grass, leaves and in other spaces and can still be an irritant to people and animals.

Deadly bear attacks rare in Saskatchewan: U of S expert

Dr. Douglas Clark, a University of Saskatchewan professor at the school of environment and sustainability, joined The Evan Bray Show on Wednesday and spoke about the reasons why a bear might attack a human being.

Such reasons can include “food conditioning,” or getting access to garbage, compost and bird seed that’s not out of reach or disposed of properly. Hunters and fisherman have an added risk in this instance, having to dispose of animal entrails quickly, so bears can’t smell them.

“Where it really starts to pick up risk … is when that happens in conjunction with the bear simply getting used to people being around, and starts to lose its general natural wariness about being near people,” he explained.

Another concern, particularly in northern Saskatchewan, is the late arrival of spring time this year, with lots of snow still on the ground that would give a bear fewer food options than usual.

“There’s over-wintered berries, anything that might have died over the winter,” Clark explained. “But with the snow pack that we have, it’s entirely possible that those things might have been covered up.”

One of the most frightening instances is a predatory situation – when a bear “stalks” a human being and treats them as a food source.

“Those are really awful situations when they do occur,” Clark said.

When that happens, Clark said a person should not act passively, but should try and get out of that situation as quickly as possible and use whatever mean they may have access to – including bear spray or a firearm – to defend themselves.

The bear responsible for the fatal attack in Saskatchewan on May 8, he said, likely has already undergone a necropsy, so that the RCMP and coroner have an idea of why the attack occurred. They will not just consider the bear as evidence, but will also make sure the “correct” bear was killed, assess the bear’s health, whether it had a disease and other factors.

The investigation continues at this time, with no information on the cause of the bear attack.