Bear scarers?

Question

i have a friend who lives in western NY who needs some extra security short of carrying a gun, or bear mace (which is outlawed where she lives) in case something were to go horribly wrong while she is out on a photography walk.

i've heard of bear scarers but have no idea if they are legal, or if there is something better she could use.

Answer 1

My son is a forestry engineer in British Columbia and they are constantly working in bear country.  They wear cow bells on their belts.  They are kind of bulky but they make enough noise to keep the bears away.  They also carry bear spray but not permitted to carry firearms.  However, this year their problem is hungry cougars and nothing keeps them away so the crews have to keep their eyes open and if a cougar is spotted they have to leave the area.

Answer 2

they are called 'bear bangers'we can buy them in Ontario from places that sell survey equipment and some sporting goods stores,the bear mace can also be bought in these stores,we were 'bear bells'in the bush basically jingly bells on a rope to make noise in the bush so you don't come up on a bear and cubs and scare them they hear you first we also have a jingly bell collar for our dog so we know it is her in the bush and not Yogi

Answer 3

I know you said mace is illegal in NY, but if you happen to be out of state you can buy it elsewhere.  In Wisconsin, I know it's legal to buy/carry.  In case you don't want to travel that far (and who could blame you), you can take the preventative step and carry bells or a whistle.  Basically, these alert any nearby bear of your presence and they will normally vacate the area.  Bears typically are drawn for a couple reasons:  food or defense.  If you don't have food, don't startle it, you should be fine.  Although bells and whistles might not be very condusive to nature photography as they'll scare off other wildlife you might be looking to capture.

Answer 4

i carried the bear mace.

but as a backup i also had a 5 foot hard wood waking stick.

bears will takeoff if you smack them HARD across the head.

Answer 5

A marine fog horn sure scares the --- out of them. :-) You can get them for like $10 in a boating store. It's like having an 18 wheeler horn in your pocket. VERY loud.

The trick is to make sure that you make some noise as you are walking though the woods so you won't need it.