What is in bear spray?

► BEAR SPRAY IS A DETERRENT made of red pepper oil (oleoresin of capsaicin). It inflames the eyes and upper respiratory system. If used properly, it can effectively deter an aggressive bear. ► TREAT BEAR SPRAY LIKE A FIREARM.

What does bear spray do to a human?

A person contaminated with bear spray will experience the mucous membranes of the eyes, nose and lungs to swell and be irritated. The eyes will involuntarily close and tear, the nose will run profusely coughing will result.

What are bear sprays made of?

Bear spray is, in fact, a spray made from capsaicin, the spicy chemical in hot peppers. It's technically a pepper spray—but with some very important differences. Bear spray is legal.

Can you use bear spray on humans?

Do not use bear pepper spray on dogs or humans. Bear spray is regulated as a pesticide by the EPA and has only been approved for use on bears. It should not be used on any other animals, including humans.

Is bear spray stronger than pepper spray?

In some respects, bear spray is stronger and more effective than pepper spray, although individual products vary. What is this? The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulates bear spray and restricts the oleoresin capsicum (OC) content to 2%.

Bear Spray Scenarios

Can bear spray blind you?

Both bear spray and pepper spray contain the same active ingredient, OC (oleoresin capsicum) and can cause temporary blindness, nausea, burning sensations, inability to breathe temporarily and other bothersome symptoms.

Can bear spray be used for self-defense?

Bear spray is the recommended tool for self defense against a bear. Bear spray is easy to use without much experience, and it's a highly effective tool for stopping or deterring attacks.

Is bear spray better than a gun?

No deterrent is 100% effective, but compared to all others, including firearms, proper use of bear spray has proven to be the best method for fending off threatening and attacking bears, and for preventing injury to the person and animal involved.

Is bear spray different from pepper spray?

Pepper spray is pressurized, but not high-powered. Most pepper sprays have a volume just less than an ounce and can spray up to 10 feet effectively. Bear spray, on the other hand, has more than six times as much spray and is much more pressurized. Its effective distance is about 30 feet, sometimes more.

Will regular pepper spray work on bears?

The personal-defense pepper spray some people carry in their cars or purses will not work on a bear, Servheen says. You need bear spray—also known as bear deterrent—which is a product made specifically for bears. Bear spray contains different active ingredients (capsaicin and related capsaicinoids) than pepper spray.

Is bear mace stronger than human mace?

Bear spray has a much lower concentration of oleoresin capsicum, and should only be used as a bear deterrent. Pepper spray is a self defense weapon intended to incapacitate human threats, and it is very effective at doing this due to its higher concentration of oleoresin capsicum.

What neutralizes bear mace?

The best way to remove the bear spray from her gear is to carefully remove the items from the storage bin (wear rubber gloves, a mask, and eye protection) and soak them in a solution of cold water and non-oil based soap (Dawn Dish soap works best).

What does bear spray do to dogs?

According to Karen Wolst, manager of Shamrock Veterinary Clinic, pets that have been sprayed with bear spray should have their eyes flushed out and may be put on an IV if they ingested any of the spray. Though the spray is not deadly, it can cause drooling, hypersalivation, squinting and pain for the animal.

Will pepper spray work on pit bulls?

As a side note, Pepper Spray is very effective against highly aggressive dog breeds such as Pit-bulls.

Is pepper spray worse than tear gas?

CS is 2-chlorobenzalmalononitrile, a common type of tear gas, and OC stands for oleoresin capsicum, the active ingredient in pepper spray. CS has mostly replaced an older tear gas chemical, known as CN for chloroacetophenone, because CS is less toxic and more potent.

What happens if you pepper spray a dog?

Pepper spray causes significant burning sensations in the eyes, nose and mucous membranes. This non-lethal weapon has the same effects on dogs as it does on people. Your dog will be having symptoms for about 45 minutes.

What is stronger than bear spray?

That being said, bear spray also contains a lower concentration of oleoresin capsicum (often referred to as Capsaicin) than pepper spray or OC spray. Since bear spray isn't as potent, you wouldn't want to use it on humans. Self defense pepper spray is much more effective.

What can I use instead of bear spray?

Can a 9mm stop a bear?

The 9mm can kill bears but is considered underpowered by experienced woodsmen. The 9mm has 350 to 450 ft/lbs. of energy, while 1,000 ft/lbs is considered the minimum for a bear hunting gun. Proper 9mm bullets yield sufficient penetration in soft tissue, but it may not stop a bear quickly enough to avoid being mauled.

Can bear spray stop a charging bear?

Canadian and U.S. researchers announced Wednesday that they found the spray stopped aggressive bear behaviour in 92 per cent of the cases, whether that behaviour was an attack or merely rummaging for food. Guns were effective about 67 per cent of the time.

Does bear spray work on mountain lions?

If you carry bear spray, make sure you know how to use it and keep it within reach whenever you might encounter a bear. If your initial body language doesn't defuse the situation, wait until the bear is within fifteen feet to discharge the spray. Bear spray works equally effectively on mountain lions.

Does bear spray expire?

All that said, I found this article, How to Use Bear Spray, in the REI Co-op Journal that says, "Bear spray has a shelf life of about 4 years. After that, it can lose its propellent, which means the spray won't travel as far. The potency of the pepper does not diminish with time, though."

What is the strongest pepper spray you can buy?

We're not the only ones who think this self-defense pepper spray is top notch — customers, retailers and law enforcement officials around the globe agree that SABRE Red is one of the strongest self-defense sprays you can buy. It has a 1.33% major capsaicinoids concentration — the highest available for civilian sprays.

Does milk help with pepper spray?

Milk helps with pepper spray, but not tear gas.

While milk might provide some cooling relief to irritation, it doesn't do much to help people exposed to tear gas. “With pepper spray, milk helps break down those oils,” says Bhuyan. “Diluted baby shampoo is another option.