Bear spray?

[lonepixel]

I am curious how many of you carry bear spray when fishing in the park. Anyone have experience using it or maybe just wishing you had some available due to an encounter? Any thoughts on an airhorn or other possible deterrent is appreciated as well.

[narcodog]

I have tramped the Park for forty years and never had the need to carry any. YNP, now that's another ball of wax.

If you think you need to get bear spray you need to get the big canisters, developed for bears. Regular pepper spry will not do what you want it to do.

[duckypaddler]

I don't own any

Unless you stay at 24 or lower Hazel sites, it's probably silly to carry, and even then I'm most likely just being paranoid.

Freddie had a statistic that said only 3 people have been killed by bears east of the Mississippi in the last 50 or hundred years.

Might want to carry an epi-pen, as the bees might really kill you.

Just take your fishing gear and have a good time

[ifish4wildtrout]

I carry it when fishing. I have never needed it and hopefully never will, but I carry it just in case.

[bigsur]

The airhorn is an interesting strategy, maybe someone here knows if that would work. I guess you could always use it like a whistle with three short blasts of it in an emergency. You than could wait for rescue or give the bears a quick heads up to where dinner was that night!

[lonepixel]

Thanks for the feedback. I usually have a 9 year old fishing with me and am really just looking for peace of mind as we go deeper into the park.

[Flat Fly n]

Just keep your 9 y.o. close to you at all times as more people have died from being lost and exposure in the GSMNP than bear attacks.

It is the out of doors in a national park, which means no cell coverage. Be smart, be prepared, but have a great time.

[g022271]

I've hiked in the Park over 35 yrs or more and never felt the need for bear spray even though I've had a couple of trail run-ins where the bear just took off . Like Narco said, out West in Glacier or YNP is literally an entirely different animal. One thing that we carried the last few years that I backpacked and carry now when fishing in the Park are a set of walkie talkies. They really come in handy in keeping up with one another as to where we are , what is hitting, and are a safety aid as well.

[Trico]

I carry it out West but have not in the East. I know of several individuals who carry it for two legged pests as well as bears.