The Smoky Mountain Hiker Blog has recently been concerned with why pepper spray is illegal in the Smoky Mountains National Park but not in other, western parks.  Federal regulations, it seems, ban “weapons” in all national parks but carve out certain exceptions.  A weapon, according to 36 C.F.R. 1.4, includes an “irritant gas device” which is a clear description of pepper spray. Some parks apparently permit pepper spray usage through an exception adopted by the Park Superintendent (each Park has certain authority to set its own rules).

The Hiker blog wonders “why hasn’t the Superintendent for the Smoky Mountains used this compendium to override the [pepper spray] ban in the Smokies?  Given the fact that there are now more than two bears per square mile within the Park’s boundaries, in addition to the rash of aggressive bear activity last year, you would think that Park officials would allow the use of bear spray so that individuals would have some form of protection, if they feel the need.”

I don’t have first hand knowledge of the park’s reasons for not allowing on pepper spray.  Some of the literature I’ve read concluded spray actually attracts black bears, though this is probably open for discussion. There is also literature debating the effectiveness of pepper spray as a deterrent.   I tend to believe it is not one of the more effective ways of heading off a charging black bear.   And do non-threatening black bears really deserve to be subjected to people armed with pepper sprays?

Obviously, what interested me is the belief that bear spray uniquely provides “some form of protection.”   I won’t go so far as to say it never does but my experience on the trails and with bears is that making loud noises and appearing threatening (to the bear) is a much more effective means of warding off a charging bear.  I’m not alone, as there is a great Carson Brewer story about his encounter with a charging bear.

Think about it.  Even if you have pepper spray on your belt, you have to dig it out, point it in the right direction (i.e., not at your face), aim it at the animal’s eyes and nose, all in a matter of seconds while you are scared witless by a 200 pound black bear charging at you running about 20 miles per hour.  The odds of actually managing to hit the bear are pretty low; the odds of the spray stopping the bear even lower.

I can’t say how anyone else would react, but I know I would be much safer by simply grabbing a rock or just yelling and waiving my hiking stick in a menancing manner.  I do menacing real well – especially as it is not something I have to aim;  its easy, I just think about how I would feel when I ended up spraying myself with pepper spray.