Bear spray doing big business this summer

Joe Pfau plans to bring all the basics on his Boy Scout troop's next campout.

At the top of the list: Bear spray.

"We haven't seen any (bears), and we've been out probably 10 times this year," the troop leader admitted as he shopped at Wholesale Sports in Coeur d'Alene on Monday. "But this is mainly for the kids."

What would the Post Falls father do if he stumbled across a grizzly?

"I don't really know," Pfau said with a laugh. "Hopefully someone would be slower than me."

Recreators are catching bear fever.

Bear spray sales have spiked this summer at local sporting stores, which some say is a reaction to recent bear attacks like those outside Yellowstone National Park.

"They're flying off the shelf," said Scott Green with Wholesale Sports, who estimated that spray sales have doubled from this time last year.

He thinks the spray is largely purchased by vacationers who just don't know much about the burly critters.

"A lot of people are first-timers, they don't understand it," Green said. "There are shows on TV, stuff in Yellowstone, people getting attacked. People just don't go out and research what you really do in the wild."

Wholesale Sports shoppers had different theories on how they would handle a bear encounter.

Some would shoot into the air with large guns. One would freeze, another would run away.

Most agreed bear spray wouldn't be a bad idea, either.

"If I was going to Yellowstone, I'd very likely bring it," mused Daren Hoffman of Coeur d'Alene. "I think there, bears are more used to seeing people and more likely to check them out than here. Like 'Oh, a person, just another part of nature.'"

Others must be thinking the same.

Big 5 Sporting Goods is definitely having a hard time keeping up with demand for bear spray, said cashier Sara Parks.

"I have noticed it has been harder to keep it in this year than last year," she said. "I guess people are a little more nervous than usual."

Interesting, she added, considering that she has yet to meet a customer who has come across a bear.

"I think people just prefer the peace of mind," she said.

Brian Knoll, spokesman at Black Sheep Sporting Goods, said bear spray sales rocket during the summer every year.

"I know every time bear attacks happen or something like that, even if in a neighboring state, it heightens their awareness to the potential (of an incident)," Knoll said.

Running between $40 and $60, depending on the kit, bear spray works similarly to mace, causing a burning sensation and best applied to eyes and nose.

Spraying a bear in the face should temporarily blind it and cause breathing problems long enough to allow a getaway. The animal won't be permanently damaged.

Effectiveness depends on wind and distance, Green said, adding that the spray has a 30-foot reach.

It's about 85 percent effective, he added.

"If there's a mama bear and there's a cub involved, that stuff may not even stop her," Green said.

An avid hiker, hunter and fisher, he just tries to be aware of creatures around him and keep his distance, he said.

It worked last week when he saw a bear cub about 100 yards away in Bumblebee Campground in Kingston, he added.

"I told everyone to stay away, leave it alone," he said. "A lot of it is just being aware of your surroundings."

Folks should also make noise to let bears know humans are nearby, Knoll said.

"Most stories of bear attacks happen when people walk up on a bear, maybe a mother or cub, and surprise 'em," he said.

All of North Idaho is grizzly and black bear country, said Barb Moore, wildlife research biologist with Idaho Fish and Game.

Bears are likely to be out in the early morning or late evening, she said, so midday hiking is best.

"It's important to be prepared when you're in bear country. Pepper spray should be carried," she said.

Still, she emphasized the other suggestions of being vigilant and noisy.

"It (spray) shouldn't give people a false sense of security," Moore said.

Matt Nagel with the Yellowstone Visitor Service Office said the park was inundated with bear-phobic calls after a recent sighting.

He can understand why, he said, adding that two black bears were euthanized this year after eating human food and becoming aggressive.

"The message in the park has been long-standing for recommending bear spray, but it is recommended as a last line of defense," he said.

Randy Johnson of Post Falls, who works in the fishing department of Wholesale Sports, said he just gets up and leaves the land to the bear if one approaches.

"They were here first," Johnson pointed out.

But, he added, carrying bear spray still holds appeal.

"It's better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it," he figured. "I guess the only disadvantage would be if you weren't sure how to use it and sprayed yourself."