Travelling with Bear Spray

[rwbradley]

I am heading out on a trip where we will be camping with our new Hybrid TT in the Adirondack and Laurentian Mountains. Normally when we tent camped or hiked in Central and Northern Ontario I would always carry Bear Spray, just in case. On this trip we will be crossing the Border between Canada/US and have never travelled out of province with Bear Spray. I spoke to the US Border Service and they said that as long as the Capsicum is 5% or lower we should be good crossing the border.

I understand the weapon laws are more lenient than in Canada, where Bear Spray's use and transportation is restricted to activities and places where a bear could be a threat (ie not the mall) and can only be used to defend against a bear (ie not a mugger). But am unsure if the US laws regarding use, storage and transportation vary from state to state and if so, if there are things I need to know when travelling in the North East with Bear Spray ie does it need to be locked up when not in use, should it be visible (not concealed) when hiking, do you have to notify someone if you use it in defense against a bear???

Obviously common sense is key and only using it as a last resort, but I prefer to not spend an extended vacation behind bars in another country because of some rule I was unaware of.
Thanks

[Redsky]

Bear spray is a good item to have with you and on you when hiking. Can work on bears and also on bison and possibly on a mountain lion. Good for protection against aggressive dogs which cause more fatalities in the USA than all the wild animals combined. Problem is that the attacking animal has to be downwind if there is any breeze at all or the spray will come back into your face.

I don't worry for two seconds about some law enforcement person with regard to bear spray. Worst case it is confiscated. Best case it saves your life. And unlike a firearm you are not going to kill someone by accident.

[afraid_of_bears]

myredracer wrote:

afraid of bears wrote:
We crossed the border from British Columbia to Washington and back with bear spray.

We didn't have any issues with it.

Curious - did you declare it though? We take our TT to Wa. a LOT and we almost never see RVs being pulled over for any kind of routine inspections so unless you declare something or get tripped up by a question from one of the officers, banned things can easily get across the border. Thing is, if you ever DO get caught, you *could* be in big trouble. We got in trouble once just for carrying a small baggie of dry dog food across the border.

From Wikipedia:

Pepper spray designed to be used against people is considered a prohibited weapon in Canada. Carrying bear spray in public, without justification, may also lead to Criminal Code of Canada charges.

State of Washington: Persons over 18 may carry personal-protection spray devices. Persons over age 14 may carry personal-protection spray devices with their legal guardian's consent.

The rules vary around the US and anyone carrying pepper or bear spray may want to read up on them.

Having said all the above, we bought small pink cannister of bear spray at Cabela's in Wa. that is on our dog leash. Our dog got viciously attacked by a bulldog last year in a CG because the owners did not have it on a leash. Our justification would be protection of our dog. It would appear that illegality of it has a lot to do with what it's use is/was intended for.

I got sprayed with bear spray once, and holy crap, I can say that the stuff is something nobody should ever have to experience. The perpetrator got arrested and charged with assault with a weapon.

We declared it. Canada customs wanted to see it though so they could read the label.

[Jgwoods]

4 US/Canada border crossings last year- I told them I had bear spray. They asked if it said "Bear Spray" on the can when when I said yes there were no further problems.

[myredracer]

afraid of bears wrote:
We crossed the border from British Columbia to Washington and back with bear spray.

We didn't have any issues with it.

Curious - did you declare it though? We take our TT to Wa. a LOT and we almost never see RVs being pulled over for any kind of routine inspections so unless you declare something or get tripped up by a question from one of the officers, banned things can easily get across the border. Thing is, if you ever DO get caught, you *could* be in big trouble. We got in trouble once just for carrying a small baggie of dry dog food across the border.

From Wikipedia:

Pepper spray designed to be used against people is considered a prohibited weapon in Canada. Carrying bear spray in public, without justification, may also lead to Criminal Code of Canada charges.

State of Washington: Persons over 18 may carry personal-protection spray devices. Persons over age 14 may carry personal-protection spray devices with their legal guardian's consent.

The rules vary around the US and anyone carrying pepper or bear spray may want to read up on them.

Having said all the above, we bought small pink cannister of bear spray at Cabela's in Wa. that is on our dog leash. Our dog got viciously attacked by a bulldog last year in a CG because the owners did not have it on a leash. Our justification would be protection of our dog. It would appear that illegality of it has a lot to do with what it's use is/was intended for.

I got sprayed with bear spray once, and holy crap, I can say that the stuff is something nobody should ever have to experience. The perpetrator got arrested and charged with assault with a weapon.

[buta4]

No bear spray in Mass, without a handgun permit. EVERYTHING's illegal in MA!

[jspence1]

My advice is to be positive that it says bear spray or animal repellent on the can, if it says pepper spray you can have issues. Animal repellents are legal everywhere but pepper spray and mace are restricted in Canada and some states.

I travel with bear and dog spray across the border all the time.

[Jim_Shoe]

If you must hike in wilderness areas where bears live, you don't need bear spray. Just hike with someone that runs slower than you do. 🙂

[JaxDad]

Bears move faster than most folks would believe. They can sprint to top speed in just two or three strides because of their huge rear muscles.

An adult black bear can cover 50 feet per second. If your bear spray has a 50 foot range........

A small compressed air can foghorn a shrill whistle (like the Fox40) is a far better option.

[Pangaea_Ron]

We were in the St Mary Lodge in Glacier NP last year, when a Japanese tourist accidentally activated her bear spray in the lobby. People moved really fast.

I have a sailing friend that was a US Customs agent that experienced pepper spray training where he was purposefully sprayed. It made him cover his eyes, drop to his knees, and beg for mercy. The exact position that you want an aggressor to be in.

[afraid_of_bears]

We crossed the border from British Columbia to Washington and back with bear spray.

We didn't have any issues with it.

[Gjac]

westend wrote:
If you're transporting bear spray and the can will be left inside the vehicle or trailer with the potential for heating inside, a can safe is a good idea. If the can bursts from heating, you'll play heck trying to get everything cleaned up. If you're close to the can when it bursts, oh heck, is that gonna' be a mess.

Someone on this forum had posted how the bear spray exploded in his truck and it took forever to get it cleaned out.

[1775]

There are states where pepper spray is not allowed but Bear Spray is. From what I have read Bear Spray is OK in all states.

[westend]

If you're transporting bear spray and the can will be left inside the vehicle or trailer with the potential for heating inside, a can safe is a good idea. If the can bursts from heating, you'll play heck trying to get everything cleaned up. If you're close to the can when it bursts, oh heck, is that gonna' be a mess.

[Pangaea_Ron]

I used to extol the virtues of wasp spray, but have reconsidered it's use. It's like using a gun to eliminate a threat, that could cause permanent damage, and there could be associated legal consequences. (I do have it available for those situations where legality is not an issue).

I carry bear spray while hiking, and it would also be my first option for deterring a threat. I have carried it back and forth across the US/CDN border without issues.