Bear Spray Works!
©Bert Gildart: Four days ago (September 29, 2015) a 65-year-old man hiking alone in the Many Glacier Valley of Glacier National Park surprised a sow grizzly, which attacked him. The sow had two cubs and shee responded to instinct, which had conditioned her to protect her offspring by charging.
The grizzly bear grabbed the man apparently by the lower part of his leg and shook him. Struggling for his can of bear spray the man successfully deployed the spray causing the bear to release the hiker and leave the area.
Though the man had puncture wounds on both his hand and his leg he managed to walk about a mile to his car and then drive himself 30 miles to an emergency center in Cut Bank, Montana. Doctors treated the man then released him where he continued on with his itinerary.
Hikers frequently encounter grizzly bears in the Many Glacier Valley, and should always be prepared to respond with bear spray.
Some hikers invite trouble, as these two hikers who cut me off from the safety afforded by traveling further down the Ice Berg Lake Trail.
Though bears in the Many Glacier area often encounter hikers, still most bears try to avoid contact with humans, in part because of good bear management in Glacier National Park. People who ignore the rules are generally ticketed, and had a ranger been in proximity to the people who cut me off several years ago as they tried to get the “perfect” bear picture, they would have been ticketed. As it was this image appeared on the front page of the Daily Interlake where I had hoped for an embarrassment factor.
But the events of just two day ago were different. The man was doing nothing wrong although the park strongly suggests that visitors not hike alone. It’s assumed that several people hiking together have less risk of surprising a bear. Simply put: more people make more noise.
Nevertheless, the man was alone — but did exactly what he should have done. He was carrying bear spray and he managed to keep his head and deploy the spray, a gaseous substance laced with oleoresin capsicum, a very harsh form of red pepper.
Conclusion? Bear Spray works!
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THIS TIME LAST YEAR:
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