Bear Encounter Learnings: (nice word) from both personal and trusted accounts from fellow travelers.  My limited experience.


(trusted account) Sawbill Area
It took a bear about 20 minutes to open up a sealed BEAR barrel. It recognized it and made a beeline  right for it.  I did see the photos from this all girl adventure.  This group has several years of wilderness paddle experience.

(trusted account) LLC
It took a bear about 30 minutes to bring down a PROPERLY hanged pack.
It climbed a tree 20 feet higher than the pack and swan dived directly onto it.   When it missed/fell it climbed and did it again until the pack was down.  All the time this grouped taunted and tried to run the bear off.  Another well seasoned group.  This bear was destroyed.

When it was eating from the pack it  merely wiped the pepper spray from its eyes and snorted  a bit.  It sat right where it brought the pack down, it did not drag it off. The guy discharged an entire can of counter assault into the bears face.

I have always carried counter assault, supposedly it will stop an "attacking" bear.  

AI
Two bear visitors were detered by  LOUD noise. An air horn and paint ball gun(not really that loud), made them leave town this summer on my trip.  I had neither, but I was able to get some rangers into camp.   I borrowed the airhorn to stay overnight but bears never returned.  I had an encounter two years before in this spot and had enough daylight left to leave, and would'nt have stopped this year if I had known there were again bear issues.


From now on I'm going to carry in bear country. I always disdained it, mainly because of weight and hassle.   After seeing the effect LOUD noise had on two bears that could'nt give a shit about whistles, hollering, banging, jumping up and down etc etc, I'm convinced of the usefulness.
While sidearms are legal, (not in Canada),  loud fireworks are not, I would consider something like M80's if they were.  

I do not have near the paddle travel mileage some folks here do, and have only seen bears 4 times. I have never paddled in grizzly bear country.   But I think a powerful noise maker is now worth the portage effort, even in black bear country.  It can double as a signal device.

I would try to avoid an area if it's known to have Bear issues.