What is the best deterrent for bears?

The 2 most effective bear deterrents are bear spray and noisemakers.
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Bear deterrent types
  • Noisemakers are best used to deter a bear that is at a distance – one that sees you and continues to approach or one that is heading to your camp or settlement.
  • Before using noisemakers, be sure to assess the situation.
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What smells will keep bears away?

Scent Deterrents

A bear's nose is 100 times more sensitive than a human's. If you find bleach or ammonia fumes unpleasant, you can imagine what they smell like to a bear. Bleach or ammonia- based cleaners are good for trash cans and other areas where strong scents could attract bears.
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What can scare away bears?

To scare the bear away, make loud noises by yelling, banging pots and pans or using an airhorn. Make yourself look as big as possible by waving your arms. If you are with someone else, stand close together with your arms raised above your head.
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How do you keep bears away from your house at night?

If a bear comes close to your home, scare it away. Loud noises like a firm yell, clapping your hands, banging on pots and pans or blowing an air horn sends most bears running. Utilize electric fencing, unwelcome mats and scent deterrents like ammonia to teach bears that your property is not bear-friendly.
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What is a natural way to repel bears?

Ammonia or cider vinegar- soaked cloth in trash can or hung on doors and windows can deter bears. The smell of Lysol and PineSol also repels bears.
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Best Bear Deterrent: Crazy Way to Protect Yourself from a Bear



Do wind chimes keep bears away?

Wind chimes do not have any effect on bears. Bears are more than capable of hearing the wind and rain all around them, so they will ignore your wind chimes, whether they're made from metal or plastic.
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Do coffee grounds deter bears?

Scattered around the space were coffee grounds from Caffé Vita. Why coffee grounds? Since the bears have a strong sense of smell, such a pungent treat is extremely attractive and stimulating to them. The bears roll around in coffee grounds like a cat in catnip!
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What scent will keep black bears away?

While bears love anything sweet (yes, even honey) they have often been found to steer clear of anything pine-scented. Bears dislike the scent of any pine-scented cleaners that contain pine. Using pure pine oil or a cleaner that contains pine oil, such as Pine-Sol, will aid in repelling bears.
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Do motion lights scare bears?

Bear deterrents such as rubber bullets, bean bag rounds, noisemaker and flares, livestock guardian dogs and motion-activated lights and alarms have had success in certain applications, while electric fencing has proven the most effective tool in keeping bears out of most anything.
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Does dog poop attract bears?

Yes, dog poop can attract bears to your camp site. Bears smell everything, including the undigested bits of food in your dog's poop.
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Does human urine repel bears?

Stephen Herrero's book Bear Attacks: Their Causes and Avoidance, considered the definitive work by many authorities, says “human excrement/urine attracts bears and should not be near your campsite.” The National Park Service promotes that belief as well, adding that the salt in urine attracts wild animals (including ...
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Do barking dogs scare away bears?

The short answer is, yes. A dog can smell a bear and alert you well in advance that something's there, which could in turn divert a potential encounter. And a barking dog can discourage a bear from investigating a campsite.
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Does cayenne pepper keep bears away?

Don't spread cayenne pepper around your campsite- it will not deter bears! The only reason bear spray works is because it is a high concentration that gets right in their face. Spreading pepper around your tent is like seasoning it- an all-around bad idea.
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Is there a spray to keep bears away?

Spray the area with Ammonia or use a ready to spray repellent product like Expel Natural Animal Repellent Spray. Enclose your compost pile. Open compost piles, especially those that include kitchen scraps, are an irresistible to bears. Burying compost won't work as bears will easily find and dig it up.
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How do you keep black bears off your property?

At home, black bears can be deterred with something as simple as a high-powered squirt gun. Fill any Super Soaker water gun or similar product with water (or a bit of vinegar diluted in water) and aim directly for the bear's face. Please do NOT use any other liquids or chemicals other than water or diluted vinegar.
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Do bears hate ammonia?

Answer: Ammonia has long been recognized as having an odor bears do not like. It has been used successfully (via soaked rags) to deter curious bears from investigating garbage and gardens.
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Can a whistle scare a bear?

Bears are not fearful of noises like whistles. Studies have shown loud noise to be ineffective in deterring bears. If you want to carry a whistle in bear country, do so for emergency SOS signaling. Instead, carry bear spray while hiking.
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Do predator lights work on bears?

Nite Guard Solar predator lights have been proven as a successful bear deterrent.
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Do electric fences work for bears?

A properly installed electric fence will prevent bears from accessing areas of your property and can be an effective long term solution to preventing bear problems. Electric fencing can be used in many situations to effectively deter bears and other wildlife from various attractants.
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Does a fire keep bears away?

Will Campfires Keep Bears Away? The short answer is no. Fire itself will not scare a bear away, and the smell of burning wood is something that bears will probably want to investigate. If you cook food over an open fire, the smell will definitely attract bears.
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Do bears like toothpaste?

Speaking of Smells

You and your delicious clothes are not the only things that are going to attract a bear's curious nose. Things like deodorants, soaps, lotions, toothpaste, and even some bug repellents are going to be very interesting to a bear.
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Does bleach keep bears away?

Scent Deterrents

If you find bleach or ammonia fumes unpleasant, you can imagine what they smell like to a bear. Bleach or ammonia- based cleaners are good for trash cans and other areas where strong scents could attract bears.
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Are bears attracted to peppermint?

Question: Will peppermint attract bears? Answer: The smell of peppermint may attract bears if they are in your area. Keep any items such as toothpaste in a air tight container. Better yet, brush your teeth with baking soda to avoid creating that scent.
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How do you tell if you have a bear on your property?

Black Bear Sign
  1. Bear Tracks and Trails. Bears walk on the soles of their soft feet, so they often do not leave distinct tracks unless they walk through soft mud or snow. ...
  2. Scat / Droppings. ...
  3. Marking Trees and Poles. ...
  4. Straddle Trees and Bushes. ...
  5. Feeding Sign. ...
  6. Summer Beds. ...
  7. Winter Dens.
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What plants do bears hate?

Some landscaping trees, bushes, and flowers that are considered not attractive to bears include willows, penstemon, mock orange, lupine, and columbine. For orchards, protect with fencing and keep a clean orchard. Harvest fruit promptly and pick up fallen fruit so the smell does not attract bears.
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