Using Bear Spray from treestand
Bears
With the season about to start in many places, just curious if anyone has had to use bear spray to keep any overly pesty bears off of your tree/tree stand with you in it! I realize a lot of hunters just use something to tap the ladder/stand to make noise, but have not heard about many having to use spray (i.e. for cubs or mad momma bear).
Never heard of it or considered it
I doubt it for a variety of reasons.
If you are talking spray your sticks to keep them away…thats a really bad idea.
#1 guys have tried that around their camp and it attracts them.
#2 get that crap on your hands or gloves you will spread it somewhere that you don’t want it.
I had both spray and a bottle of water with me when a bear started to climb my tree. I let him get to about 3' from my feet and then I poured the water in his face. He tucked his head under his front leg and let the water pour over him. I put down the water and picked up the spray. When the water stopped, he looked up at me and decided that it was time to leave. I was told that the water would work and if I had to use the spray the stand would attract bears for maybe the rest of the season so use it only as a last resort.
They hate hydrogen peroxide, cheap and works for that. Black bears
This one heard me move in my ladder stand, left the bait barrel and bluff charge to the base of my ladder. My bear spray was in my pack hanging on the side of the tree. Luckily he stopped at the base of the ladder and just stared at me, finally walked back to the bait barrel and fed for another hour before the guide came in and had to run him off. Sure wish I would have had that bear spray in a more convenient place.
Hunting partner sprayed one that tried to get in his stand with him. It worked....
Tapping your foot on the stand works fine
It works.
I know a guy who accidentally sprayed himself in the face with it too. Had the can backwards. Kodiak Brown Bear just a few feet away. That even worked because the bear laughed so hard, he had to leave.
"They hate hydrogen peroxide, cheap and works"
Hmmm, wonder if that works on dogs too? Working for years as phone/cable installer/repair technician and a deterrent like that would have came in handy, and if so might start keeping a small spray bottle in my vehicles now...
I had to tap one's nose with my boot once. He got back down and casually walked away.
This guy decided to try and show me who the boss was. He bluff charged the tree several times, stood up and used the ladder as a backscratcher, and finally took both front paws and smacked the tree I was in. Pretty comical from a 2-3 year old bear. I finally had enough of him after an hour or so and stomped on my stand. He ran off a ways but never left really. The guide put him up a tree with the quad when picking me up at dark.
Last year my son was covered up in bears. He thought 15-18 different ones. He was in a 8’ high wooden ladder stand.
The guide gave him a pipe to push the bears down. It worked but they kept coming and multiple bears
I don’t know where he came up with this but he mouthed a death moan and it immediately cleared the bait
It probably didn’t help his sit but it took care of the problem
I have used it from a tree twice. I was hunting with my kids and have rule that I am ok with them putting front paws on tree and back paws too, but one more reach after is my line. So they hit that line and I gave them a shot thinking they would go streaking out of there barely able to see. Instead slowly retreated to bottom of tree and pawed his face twice and went back to barrel looking over his shoulder wondering who the spicy guy in the tree was. Basically the same thing the second time in a different spot. So it works as a deterrent but the lesson I learned if I prefer my 12 gauge if I ever wanted to end a attack and I don’t bother with spray in griz country anymore…
I should add that the next weekend I sent a buddy to that spot to shoot a bear and he came back still showing no worries and paid the price.
Millie and I have had a couple of curious bears try climbing up or onto our ladders and tripods several times hunting in Saskatchewan.
My closest encounter was a young chocolate who climbed up my tripod ladder... he left once he realized the stand was occupied. Millie, has had them try climbing her ladders multiple time, and had one she'd been watching for 2 afternoons actually climbing up tree her ladder was set against. The bear climbed back down when she said in a 'soft' voice 'Hello bear'.
Our experience is they're curious, but should NOT be trusted. Give them a calm warning, or tap your stand with an arrow, or your foot and they'll most likely change directions.
One guide told us to have a 'pee bottle' ready, just in case the bear made you too uncomfortable. Not to use instead of peeing your pants, but to give the curious bear a 'snoot or face full' - he also said the bear would go totally nocturnal if that happened, so it's not been done by either of us.
