604ksmith
04-06-2015, 05:43 PM
Hey Everyone,
I went out this weekend and had a bit of a scary incident with bear spray, so I thought I'd share.
After spending the better part of Saturday scouting Black Bear areas South East of PG and South of Vanderhoof (no bear, or bear sign), I decided to get some shooting in. I found nice open area and started to setup. Leaving my guns locked in their cases, I make sure to bring my bear spray with me while I walk through this field to setup some targets.
While 200 yards from my truck (range finder told me so) I knelt down between two target worthy stumps. After a few moments of struggling to get my staple gun to stick to these less than enthusiastic stumps, I heard an eruption of of high pitched squeals and breaking branches to my left. I instantly jumped to my feet, grabbed my bear spray and starred in that direction. I couldn't see anything, but I could tell something big had caught something small and it wasn't going well.
I figured I was maybe 75 yards away (50 yards of which was open field), and I knew I needed to get out of there. As soon as I left my things, bear spray in hand, and started to walk backwards to my truck all sound stopped. I thought, whatever that was it was over with now, and whatever large animal was in the bush was now probably listening to me walking away. I couldn't help it, but I was snapping branches every 2nd step or so walking through this fire scorched field.
I get about 10 yards away, and all of sudden the bushes erupt again and all I hear is branches breaking, and lots of them. My gut sank. If I wasn't scared before, I was now. I was certain a bear was going to charge through the brush and run the 60 or so yards towards me. But, I was wrong.
Out came a mature Moose! Full speed and straight towards me.
It's eyes were bulging and looked like they were going to pop out of it's head. After about 25 yards, which seems like three steps, it locks up it's front legs and slides to a stop. We're about 30-40 yards apart, in the middle of a field, and still about 150 yards from my truck. After a very tense few seconds of stillness, I decide to take a step back. As I do, the Moose takes a step forward. I stop again, and wait. This Moose is clearly angry, but seems hesitant at the same time. I try to take another step and it lunges forward a few gallops. I'm now within 15 yards of a very angry Moose, and decide to spray some bear spray. Ziiiip! I flick the safety clip off the trigger and press down in a series of three bursts. NOTHING! NOTHING! NOTHING!
Again, my gut sinks! Here I am, now standing in an open field 10-15 yards from a Moose, and my bear spray won't spray. Now my heart rate goes crazy and I'm freaking out. At least, internally. Externally, I'm standing as still as I can and probably white as a ghost. I have no idea what to do. Luckily, I think the Moose feels the same way or else I'd be getting trampled on by now.
I know I shouldn't bend down, but I don't know what else to do. So while keeping my eyes on the Moose, I bend down and pick up a baseball bat sized piece of deadfall. The Moose grunts, and flinches its head, but doesn't move. Standing back up again, I figure my only option is to walk backwards and hope I don't get charged. If I do, all I have is a piece of wood and a defective can of bear spray to defend myself. But again, as soon as I take a step, so does the Moose. It never gets closer, but keeps to this approximate 10 yard distance. I'm completely intimidated, I can feel the power of it's breathing. Everything about this situation seems like it's a split second away from chaos and I'll be on the losing end. But we keep on pacing each other back towards my truck.
I then remember, I have my truck keys in my pocket. I armpit the stick, move the broken can of bear spray into my left hand, and fumble for my keys with my right. However, as luck would have it I know my key fob is running on an old battery and my distance to unlock the truck has been getting shorter and shorter this last week. I try to set off my panic alarm, but no dice, I'm still 100 yards away.
Each step I take, the Moose follows, and I try my key fob one more time. This must go on for 10 seconds, but from the amount of concentration I have in this moment, it easily feels like a minute or two. Finally, once I'm about 50 yards from the truck my alarm goes off. The Moose's eyes pop out of it's head again, and it darts left and runs off in the opposite direction of the initial squealing. I turn around, sprint to my truck and jump in. I think I hit the horn about 5 or 6 times just for good measure. I then just sit there, not really thinking of anything, and not really doing anything. Just sitting. After this weird sort of "haze" wears off, I grab my bear spray and try to figure out what the hell is wrong with it.
After a minute or two of inspecting the bear spray, I figure out that some part of the trigger mechanism broke. Either during my initial press, or sometime earlier last season while the safety clip was still on and it was in my pocket. It felt like a spray bottle that you go to press and it simply squeezes all the way in with no force. A lever inside must have snapped. Also, it was only after the fact on the drive home I realized I was actively trying to spray bear spray within my truck with the windows rolled up...
Once I get a bit of courage, and I'm certain the Moose is gone, I get out of my truck and load my shotgun full of slugs. I then head back through the field and without walking into the bush but standing right at it's edge, I can now see there's a dead Coyote balled up right about where I heard all the commotion. I figure it must have spooked the Moose and gotten trampled on, it had obvious signs of broken hips and shoulders. I guess I was in the wrong place at the wrong time and my movement away from the attack made the Moose figure I was a 2nd Coyote and needed to be trampled too. Luckily, I didn't end up with the same fate.
Lessons learned?
1) I will always carry two forms of defence while in the bush (spray + gun, spray + knife, ect...)
2) Moose really are as scary as all those stories I keep hearing about
3) I will buy a new can of bear spray each season...and test the trigger for tension before each trip!
Thanks,
Kevin
I went out this weekend and had a bit of a scary incident with bear spray, so I thought I'd share.
After spending the better part of Saturday scouting Black Bear areas South East of PG and South of Vanderhoof (no bear, or bear sign), I decided to get some shooting in. I found nice open area and started to setup. Leaving my guns locked in their cases, I make sure to bring my bear spray with me while I walk through this field to setup some targets.
While 200 yards from my truck (range finder told me so) I knelt down between two target worthy stumps. After a few moments of struggling to get my staple gun to stick to these less than enthusiastic stumps, I heard an eruption of of high pitched squeals and breaking branches to my left. I instantly jumped to my feet, grabbed my bear spray and starred in that direction. I couldn't see anything, but I could tell something big had caught something small and it wasn't going well.
I figured I was maybe 75 yards away (50 yards of which was open field), and I knew I needed to get out of there. As soon as I left my things, bear spray in hand, and started to walk backwards to my truck all sound stopped. I thought, whatever that was it was over with now, and whatever large animal was in the bush was now probably listening to me walking away. I couldn't help it, but I was snapping branches every 2nd step or so walking through this fire scorched field.
I get about 10 yards away, and all of sudden the bushes erupt again and all I hear is branches breaking, and lots of them. My gut sank. If I wasn't scared before, I was now. I was certain a bear was going to charge through the brush and run the 60 or so yards towards me. But, I was wrong.
Out came a mature Moose! Full speed and straight towards me.
It's eyes were bulging and looked like they were going to pop out of it's head. After about 25 yards, which seems like three steps, it locks up it's front legs and slides to a stop. We're about 30-40 yards apart, in the middle of a field, and still about 150 yards from my truck. After a very tense few seconds of stillness, I decide to take a step back. As I do, the Moose takes a step forward. I stop again, and wait. This Moose is clearly angry, but seems hesitant at the same time. I try to take another step and it lunges forward a few gallops. I'm now within 15 yards of a very angry Moose, and decide to spray some bear spray. Ziiiip! I flick the safety clip off the trigger and press down in a series of three bursts. NOTHING! NOTHING! NOTHING!
Again, my gut sinks! Here I am, now standing in an open field 10-15 yards from a Moose, and my bear spray won't spray. Now my heart rate goes crazy and I'm freaking out. At least, internally. Externally, I'm standing as still as I can and probably white as a ghost. I have no idea what to do. Luckily, I think the Moose feels the same way or else I'd be getting trampled on by now.
I know I shouldn't bend down, but I don't know what else to do. So while keeping my eyes on the Moose, I bend down and pick up a baseball bat sized piece of deadfall. The Moose grunts, and flinches its head, but doesn't move. Standing back up again, I figure my only option is to walk backwards and hope I don't get charged. If I do, all I have is a piece of wood and a defective can of bear spray to defend myself. But again, as soon as I take a step, so does the Moose. It never gets closer, but keeps to this approximate 10 yard distance. I'm completely intimidated, I can feel the power of it's breathing. Everything about this situation seems like it's a split second away from chaos and I'll be on the losing end. But we keep on pacing each other back towards my truck.
I then remember, I have my truck keys in my pocket. I armpit the stick, move the broken can of bear spray into my left hand, and fumble for my keys with my right. However, as luck would have it I know my key fob is running on an old battery and my distance to unlock the truck has been getting shorter and shorter this last week. I try to set off my panic alarm, but no dice, I'm still 100 yards away.
Each step I take, the Moose follows, and I try my key fob one more time. This must go on for 10 seconds, but from the amount of concentration I have in this moment, it easily feels like a minute or two. Finally, once I'm about 50 yards from the truck my alarm goes off. The Moose's eyes pop out of it's head again, and it darts left and runs off in the opposite direction of the initial squealing. I turn around, sprint to my truck and jump in. I think I hit the horn about 5 or 6 times just for good measure. I then just sit there, not really thinking of anything, and not really doing anything. Just sitting. After this weird sort of "haze" wears off, I grab my bear spray and try to figure out what the hell is wrong with it.
After a minute or two of inspecting the bear spray, I figure out that some part of the trigger mechanism broke. Either during my initial press, or sometime earlier last season while the safety clip was still on and it was in my pocket. It felt like a spray bottle that you go to press and it simply squeezes all the way in with no force. A lever inside must have snapped. Also, it was only after the fact on the drive home I realized I was actively trying to spray bear spray within my truck with the windows rolled up...
Once I get a bit of courage, and I'm certain the Moose is gone, I get out of my truck and load my shotgun full of slugs. I then head back through the field and without walking into the bush but standing right at it's edge, I can now see there's a dead Coyote balled up right about where I heard all the commotion. I figure it must have spooked the Moose and gotten trampled on, it had obvious signs of broken hips and shoulders. I guess I was in the wrong place at the wrong time and my movement away from the attack made the Moose figure I was a 2nd Coyote and needed to be trampled too. Luckily, I didn't end up with the same fate.
Lessons learned?
1) I will always carry two forms of defence while in the bush (spray + gun, spray + knife, ect...)
2) Moose really are as scary as all those stories I keep hearing about
3) I will buy a new can of bear spray each season...and test the trigger for tension before each trip!
Thanks,
Kevin