In case you're at work today wondering, or if you already know and want to reinforce your "outdoor knowledge," here's a quick tutorial about bear spray from Charles W. "Chuck" Bryant of SYSK fame.What is it?
Bear spray isn't unlike pepper spray that humans use to protect themselves from other humans. The main difference is that bear spray can shoot farther and casts a wider effective area. There are three main ingredients in bear spray:
- Oleoresin Capsicum (OC): oily residue from hot cayenne peppers. Capsicum is a naturally occurring ingredient that causes a burning sensation when sprayed in the face of an attacker. Food-grade OC is used to give heat to edibles like salsa.
- Base fluid: mixed with the OC to dilute it. It's typically oil-based to prevent separation from the oily OC.
- Aerosol propellant: used to eject the ingredients from the can to the threat.
Is it Effective?
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service investigated human and bear encounters from 1992 to 2005 and found that people who defended themselves with firearms were injured about 50 percent of the time by the bear. People who used the bear spray escaped injury 98 percent of the time, and the few injuries they suffered were far less severe than those in the gun-toting realm. Why? Because it's difficult to stop a bear with a gun and wounded bears are more likely to become even more aggressive.
Read the rest of article right here: