Expert Answers
Best protection in grizzly country

Jeff's Question:

I live in the Canadian Rockies and I was wondering which is best: bear spray or bear bangers. I mainly hike in areas where I see Grizzies. Most people I have talked to say that you should carry both; is this true?

—Jeff Mather

Annie's Answer:

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Bear in mind, Jeff, ... that grizzlies are bigger than you. With claws as long as your fingers. And they want what you have. Dinner.

Generally speaking, if you're traveling in brown bear country, you don't want to see these legendary creatures except through binoculars. Walk loudly. Carry"bangers" as you call them, or wear jingle bells.

Most of the time, wildlife knows about you before you know about them -- because humans are noisy, stinky, rude and fairly predictable. When you're bushwhacking in bear territory, be courteous and warn them of your approach with a clever camp song, or recite the marchable meter of a Robert Service poem. If you see a young bruin, stop. Back up. Wait. Go another direction. Avoid interaction with protective sows. Do not, under any circumstances, keep food on your person or within several hundred feet of your camp. Cache food in approved polycarbonate bearproof containers.

If you've observed all these precautions and still encounter a curious Grizzly, do what my friend Kristin and I did in Alaska. Shout, "Hey Bear! We have pepper spray and we're not afraid to use it!" Hopefully your thousand-pound uninvited guest will high-tail it.

If not, just hope that you are upwind of your pepper spray. If you need to use the pepper spray, chances are you've already blown the situation. Bottom line, what you need is total awareness — you are a guest in this kingly creature's habitat. Behave accordingly.