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Bears are busy this season with a recent bear encounter in Kananaskis Country.   Here's a thorough read on how to be Safe Around Bears by Robert Brannon. This guide has everything you need to know about bear safety. Bears are beautiful animals, and it's an exciting experience to see one. But being around a bear can also be dangerous if you don't know what you're doing. When hiking or camping in bear country, there is a number of precautions that you can take to avoid unexpected bear encounters. And to be prepared to act if you find yourself in...

As we enjoy the outdoors and the mental health the outdoors brings, it's important that we remember to stay safe in bear country and carry bear spray.  Travelling in smaller groups to keep our social distances makes carrying bear spray even more essential.   So, what's the difference in bears?   Black bears can be black, blue-black, dark brown, brown, cinnamon and even white. Grizzlies can range from from black to blond. Size is not a good indicator of which species is which.  Black bears can weigh up to 800 pounds in the fall, and grizzly bears on Alberta’s Eastern Slopes can weigh as little...

Here's a viral video of Sabre Wild Max bear spray being used on an actual bear.  For an encounter like this with a curious/predatory bear, bear experts advise:  Do not run Ready your bear spray Intimidate the bear - make yourself look as big as possible and shout aggressively at the bear. Use your bear spray if the bear comes within the usable range of the bear spray you're carrying.  (Typically 4-10m or 13-30 feet).  9m-10.5m for Frontiersman/Sabre 1% bear spray depending on wind, weather and canister size).   Video of Sabre Wild Max 225g bear spray being used in a...

Here's a good live video on an actual bear encounter using Sabre Wild Max 225g bear spray and the effectiveness. Live video using Sabre Wild Max  

Bear Spray 101  Bear sprays are aerosol bear deterrent sprays loaded with highly concentrated Capsaicin and related Capsaicinoids (Capsaicin and Capsaicinoids is what gives red peppers the heat). Dog pepper spray in Canada typically contains around 0.5% Capsaicin plus 0.44% related Capsaicinoids. Bear spray in Canada has approximately 1.0% to 1.1% Capsaicin plus about 0.84% related Capsaicinoids for a total heat of about 1.84%. In other words, bear spray has approximately double the heat of dog spray.  The higher the concentration of Capsaicin and related Capsaicinoids, the more potent the spray.When deployed, most bear sprays release a cloud of the Capsaicin...