Kent Driscoll
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (June 24/05) - The death of a South Slave man last week has some wondering how good sprays and bangers are in scaring bears away.

Warren Cummins has all the bear scaring tools you could ever need. In front of him are bangers, screamers, whistles and sprays. He is holding a single shot bear banger. What to look for in bear spray: Strength: should be .857 capsaicin Container size: should be at least 225 grams or 7.9 ounces of net weight Type of sprayer: should be in a shotgun or cone pattern Length of spray: should last for eight seconds Minimum range: should be delivered at 8 metres or 26 feet Source: Get Bear Smart Society

But everyone agrees, whether you're packing bear repellent or not, the best defence is to do everything you can to avoid an encounter.

Wolverine Sports manager Warren Cummins says bear repellents are hot sellers to hikers, campers and people working in the mining industry.

But according to Cummins, the key is to "keep bear alert and aware that you are in the area."

A shotgun blast in the air will usually send a bear packing, but, "There are bears that are curious and stubborn, so you have to be prepared," said Cummins.

Raymond Bourget, senior wildlife officer with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, recommends singing while you walk in the bush - sharp or flat, the noise alerts the bear - and to know which direction the wind is coming from. If a bear can't smell you coming, it might be startled.

"Prevention is the most important thing. The equipment is like having a first-aid kit, you want to avoid the accident in the first place," he said.

Bear bangers, flares, blanks, sirens, and airhorns are all available.

If you choose bear spray, Bourget says it should be carried in a belt holster. Spray in your backpack is not going to help.

Oleoresin capsicum is the punch in bear spray and it comes from cayenne pepper.

But it's not foolproof.

Cold temperatures, rain, user error, shelf life and wind can all render the spray ineffective.

As well, you have to be between three and seven metres from a bear for the spray to be effective.

"Our most popular items are the bear bangers," said Cummins. "They're a pen launched deterrent. It flies out like a big firecracker. It's light and it fires out a report like a firearm."

Trip wires that set off sirens are made for camps, but any loud man-made noise may do. A revving engine or shaking a can full of rocks can do the same job as a commercial bear banger.

Sows with cubs are among the most dangerous bears to meet; both of Bourget's closest calls have come from mother and cub encounters.

In one instance, a cub was in a trap and the sow was outside. She bluff charged - running at the officers and veering away at the last second - three times.

The second time, his dog approached a mother and cub. The bears were quickly frightened off when Bourget fired a banger.

Bears do not have a poker face, the ears can tell its mood. Perked up ears mean a relaxed bear, pressed back ears mean an angry bear.

The bear sightings in and around Yellowknife this year have all been black bears, two to three years old. Bears of this age are commonly on the move, forced from home by older, bigger bears.

Bear encounters around Yellowknife this year are lower than usual, said Bourget.

A least five black bears have been destroyed during the past few years.

In June 2004, Yellowknife residents came face to face with two young - between two and three years old - black bears.

The first was found on Mandeville Drive and was destroyed by wildlife officers.

The second was in an alley between 52nd and 53rd streets. RCMP killed the 150-pound animal with their service revolvers after it charged toward them.

In October 2003, an RCMP officer and a wildlife officer shot and killed a 350-pound male black bear in a backyard on Kasteel Drive.

In August 2003, wildlife officers killed another bear that chased a family into their boat on Prosperous Lake.

A sickly bear that came up to Ragnar and Doreen Wesstrom's Ndilo house in November 2002 was destroyed because officers believed it likely wouldn't survive the winter.

As well, officers destroyed the bear that killed 18-year-old Kyle Harry near Prosperous Lake in June 2001.

The November 2002 encounter wasn't Wesstrom's first encounter with a bear. He operates Enodah Wilderness Travel, and laughs about his first experience with a bear.

"It was in 1987 and I had just moved to Yellowknife. I was at the Prosperous Lake campground and a big black bear started coming right for me," Wesstrom said.

He ran for his car, with one thought in his mind. "I was thinking, holy smokes, I hope the door is unlocked," said Wesstrom.

He said he was scared that time, because "I was so green, I had just moved up here."

Wesstrom owns the Trout Rock Lodge on Great Slave Lake's North Arm, and has encountered several bears there.

His safety advice is to use bear bangers. He has tried to frighten off black bears by shooting them with rubber bullets, but said, "instead of scaring them off, it pisses them off. I'd recommend the bear bangers."