A new study of bear spray shows it remains effective as a bear deterrent despite the effects of wind, cold and age.
The research is published in the Journal of Wildlife Management and shows that even in a strong headwind, bear spray still travels far enough to hit a bear, and that it also remains effective at temperatures well below zero.
The study’s authors, including wildlife biologist Tom Smith with Brigham Young University, recommend following manufacturer guidelines on replacing bear spray canisters after their expiration dates, but they found older canisters still packed enough of a punch to be useful.
Smith says most of the experiments were pretty straightforward, but testing the effects of wind on bear spray, at least at first, was a little… messier.
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Casey Grove is host of Alaska News Nightly, a general assignment reporter and an editor at Alaska Public Media. Reach him at cgrove@alaskapublic.org. Read more about Casey here.
